Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (1 January 2006)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human [update-5]
The Ministry of Health of Mainland had confirmed an additional case of human infection with the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus. The case was a 41-year-old woman from the south-eastern province of Fujian. She developed symptoms of fever followed by pneumonia on 6 December, and was died on 21 December. Investigation for the source was ongoing but preliminary result suggested there was no direct contact between the patient and poultry prior to the onset of illness.
This was China’s seventh laboratory-confirmed human case. Of these cases, three had been fatal (including this latest case). To date, China had reported human cases in six provinces and regions: Hunan, Anhui, Guangxi, Liaoning, Jiangxi and Fujian.
(Source: World Health Organization 30 December 2005)
There was no report of new Cholera cases in the past 3 weeks in Guinea-Bissau. The government had declared that the worst of the Cholera epidemic was over. A total of 25 111 cases with 399 death had been reported since the epidemic began in June 2005.
(Source: ProMED-mail 30 December 2005)
In Uganda, at least 3 people had died and more than 10 were undergoing treatment due to a fresh outbreak of Cholera in Hoima district. The outbreak was attributed to unsafe water at a lake and lack of facilities to purify water for drinking.
The Cholera epidemic in Kampala District had also increase in severity. People living along the water channels had dumping garbage in the channels and others emptying their toilets into the channels.
(Source: ProMED-mail 30 December 2005)
In Zambia, 1144 cases of Cholera had been reported since the outbreak began in August 2005 with 6 deaths. Most of the cholera cases were from the capital Lusaka.
(Source: ProMED-mail 30 December 2005)
In Nigeria, an outbreak of Cholera started about one week ago with 5 deaths reported in Opuama and Tsekelewu of Delta State. It had been linked to bad drinking water from the shallow stream in the area.
(Source: ProMED-mail 30 December 2005)