The Ministry of Health in Indonesia had confirmed the country's 69th case of human infection with the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus. Of these cases, 52 had been fatal.

The victim was a 21-year-old female from East Java Province. She developed symptoms on 19 September and was admitted on 25 September. She remained hospitalised. Her 11-year old brother who died on 18 September was confirmed to have contracted the disease. Poultry deaths in their household were noted.

A new outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic Avian Influenza was confirmed in Henan New Village in Yinchuan, the capital city of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of the Mainland. Around 1 000 poultry were killed by the virus and more than 72 000 domestic poultry have been slaughtered.

As of 25 September, the Mainland’s Ministry of Health has recorded around 18 000 cases of Malaria in Anhui Province this year, a nearly 90% increment when compared with that of the same period last year. Most of the cases were reported in Bozhou, Huaibei, Suzhou, Bengbu and Fuyang.

(Source: ProMED-mail and GOV.cn 4 October 2006)

Since 16 August, pneumonic Plague has claimed 29 lives and infected another 500 people in the Pawa and Wemba areas of Isiro District in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

[Editor’s note: There were 19 deaths and 100 suspected cases of Plague in the neighboring district of Ituri since June 2006, which is the most active breeding ground for human Plague in the world with an average of 1 000 cases per year.]

In India, more than 350 cases of Poliomyelitis have been reported this year, compared with 66 cases in 2005. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have reported 312 and 20 cases respectively. The disease has resulted in 23 deaths, most of them were from Uttar Pradesh. An extensive immunisation campaign would be conducted in November.

In India, around 3 000 cases of Dengue Fever with more than 40 deaths had been reported across the country. The Health Ministry emphasised that the situation was under control.

The Health Ministry in Fiji has issued a Dengue Fever outbreak warning. According to the Ministry's records, 6 people were diagnosed with Dengue Fever this month with most of the cases originating from Suva and Labasa.

As of 2 October, there have been more than 280 reported cases of Dengue Fever in Taiwan this year, most of which occurred in the Kaohsiung area.

In Trinidad and Tobago, more than 10 cases of Dengue Fever have been treated at the San Fernado General Hospital and 1 patient from Palmiste reportedly had Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever. Reports from medical doctors in the southern area, and in particular Palmiste, St John and Philippine, have reported an increased number in the cases of Dengue Fever.

The Hong Kong Department of Health was investigating an imported case of Dengue Fever. The 37-year-old woman developed fever, headache, muscle pain and rash on 24 September. She was hospitalised but had recovered and was discharged from hospital. She had travelled to the Philippines prior to onset of symptoms.

By 27 September, 258 cases of Viral Meningitis had been registered in the regions of Rezekne and Daugavpils of Latvia. Enteroviruses has been isolated from samples taken from 54 patients from these regions. Epidemiological investigation revealed that the initial cases of the Rezekne outbreak was found to be associated with attending a local sports centre, where the cases reported drinking non-portable water from a tap intended for cleansing the facilities.

An outbreak of Murine Typhus (i.e. Flea-borne Typhus) had been reported in the rural areas in Waikato region of New Zealand since May 2006. As of 29 September, 11 affected people had been hospitalised.

[Editor's note: The disease was usually transmitted by fleas from rats, sometimes from bites, or from inhalation of airborne flea faeces. Signs and symptoms include severe fever, headache, muscle pain, dry coughs, nausea, vomiting, and often a rash, and can sometimes be confused with Influenza.]

The Ministry of Health in Panama had declared a national alert of an epidemic of as yet unknown syndrome on 3 October. The number of deaths increased to 18 with 27 total cases affected by the syndrome which appeared in September. The cases presented in the metropolitan area, west Panama, San Miguelito and Cocle Province. The symptoms developed over one week, beginning with fever and severe diarrhoea and progressed to renal failure and neurological deficits in the extremities. The Health Minister explained that laboratory tests had ruled out the possibility of infectious transmission. Investigation on drug toxicity was going on.

As of 28 September, the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia has reported a total of 22 101 cases of Acute Watery Diarrhoeal Syndrome and 219 deaths. Five regions out of nine (Amhara, Oromiya, Somali, Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region, and Tigray) and Addis Ababa subdivision have been affected, with around 80% of cases occurring in Oromiya region. Cholera (Vibrio cholerae 01 Inaba) has been confirmed in some of the affected areas.

A historic outbreak of Hepatitis A with 55 cases had been reported in Neuquen Province of Argentina. The authority would launch an immunisation programme for children between 3 and 10 years old. The lack of adequate water supply and sewage systems in that area could be a risk factor.

Three children died and 16 others in Sorsogon City of the Philippines were hospitalised after eating mussels. Local authorities issued an advisory to the public to avoid eating shellfish pending further results from health and fishery departments.