Guangdong has reported 306 human deaths from Rabies during 2005, up 24.9 percent from 2004, the highest number in a decade. During 2005, there were 1.5 million reported dog bites or scratches in Guangdong and 330 000 people sought treatment. 500 000 people received Rabies vaccine.

A Poliomyelitis outbreak has killed 7 people in Namibia since early May 2006. A total of 34 people have been admitted to hospital in the outbreak, with symptoms including back pain, headache, neck ache, fever, muscle weakness, paralysis, diarrhoea, and vomiting. Most cases were reported in the Katutura township outside Windhoek.

An outbreak of Leptospirosis in Vadaserikara in Pathanamthitta District in southern Kerala, India was reported. The outbreak extended from the last week of May to the first week in June 2006. One person died of Leptospirosis. According to the Health Department, 10 more individuals were confirmed by laboratory tests and 40 more persons with fever were under investigation.

The Centre for Health Protection of Hong Kong Department of Health confirmed an imported case of Dengue Fever, bringing to 13 cases so far this year. The 45-year-old female patient complained of fever, headache, rash, muscle and joint pain since April 25. She had travelled to Indonesia prior to onset of symptoms.

So far, 59 cases of Dengue fever and 2 deaths were reported in the Bacolod City, Philippines.

(Source: ProMED-mail 8 June 2006)

From 1 January to 31 May 2006, Iran reported 44 suspected cases of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever. Among these cases, 21 were confirmed, including 2 deaths. The most affected province was Sistan-Baluchestan in southeast Iran.

(Source: ProMED-mail 6 June 2006)

As of 6 June, Angola had reported a total of 43 076 Cholera cases and 1 642 deaths. There was a daily incidence of around 200 to 280 cases. Fourteen out of 18 provinces were affected; of all cases, 51% had occurred in Luanda and 18% in Benguela province.

Ministry of Agriculture of Mainland had reported a new H5N1 Avian Influenza case at a farm in Hetian County in the western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on June 7.

(Source: Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China and ProMED-mail 8 June 2006)

Hungary's health authorities have found what they believed to be a highly pathogenic H5 avian flu virus in poultry. The poultry was found at a farm with more than 3000 geese in Bacs-Kiskun country in southeast Hungary. Further test would be done in UK.

Scientists confirmed a new outbreak of H5N1 Avian Influenza in a village in southern Niger, near the border with Nigeria.

Between 13 May to 25 May 2006, 57 outbreaks of Avian Influenza subtype H5 were reported in 12 provinces in Romania, including Prahova, Alba, Arges, Bacau, Brasov, Bucuresti, Buzau, Gorj, Ilfov, Mures, Valcea, and Vrancea. The outbreaks involved 18 174 birds resulting in 3723 deaths.

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country’s 49th case of human infection with the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus. The victim, a 15-year-old boy from Tasikmalaya District of West Java Province, developed symptoms on 24 May and died on 30 May. He had a history of contact with sick and dying chickens in the house in the week before the onset of his symptoms. Of the 49 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 37 have been fatal.

Between 1 January and 3 May 2006, 1 018 Measles cases in the federal state Nordrhein Westfalen of Germany were notified to the health authorities. Particularly efficient transmission were noted in the Nordrhein region, where 56 cases of Measles per 100 000 inhabitants were reported in the city of Duisburg, 33 per 100 000 inhabitants in the district of Wesel and 53 per 100 000 inhabitants in the district of Monchengladbach. Over 60 percent of all reported cases were school-aged children and the majority of patients were not vaccinated against Measles.

The Pan American Health Organisation is warning travellers to the World Cup in Germany to make certain they are immunised against Measles.

[Editor’s note: 3 cities in Nordrhein Westfalen state, Cologne, Dortmund, and Gelsenkirchen, are hosting soccer games in the 2006 World Cup]