Current Travel Health News

In the Mainland, the second case of human Avian Influenza infection in this year was confirmed on 28 February.  The patient was a 44-year-old farmer from Jian Ou city, Fujian province.  She developed fever and pneumonia on 18 February and was hospitalised on 22 February where she remained in critical condition.  She kept birds in her back yard and investigation suggested that she was possibly exposed to infected dead birds.

Laos had reported the first human case of infection with H5N1 Avian Influenza virus.  The 15-year-old female was from Vientiane, where she developed influenza-like symptoms and was hospitalised.  She remained in stable condition.  Her samples were positive for H5N1 Avian Influenza virus.  Close contacts of the girl had been identified and were being monitored.  All of these people remained healthy.

In Thanh Mien district, Hai Duong province of Vietnam, Avian Influenza had killed 60 chickens on 16 February. The whole flock of 10 500 birds had been culled.

In Myanmar, an outbreak of H5N1 Avian Influenza was confirmed on 28 February in a farm in Rangoon, affecting 1 360 birds, of which 68 died.

The laboratory in Islamabad of Pakistan had confirmed the presence of avian influenza H5N1 virus in the birds found dead in Peshawar, Naushera and Charsadda districts of North-West Frontier Province

In Kuwait, there were 6 outbreaks of H5N1 Avian Influenza since January this year, with 47 birds affected and 43 died.

In Egypt, the Ministry of Health and Population had announced a new human case of H5N1 Avian Influenza on 16 February.  The 4-year-old girl was from Dakahlea Governorate.  She developed symptoms on 25 February, was admitted to hospital on 26 February and her condition remains stable.  The girl was exposed to sick birds at her home one week prior to the onset of symptoms.   Of the 23 cases confirmed to date in Egypt, 13 had been fatal.

The number of death toll of seasonal Dengue Fever since January this year in Indonesia had climbed to 380 out of 27 000 infected people.

An outbreak of Leptospirosis had killed 14 people in the Greater Jakarta of Indonesia, following a huge flooding in the area.  There were also 91 Leptospirosis patients who were still hospitalised, while 102 others had recovered.

An outbreak of 33 cases of Hepatitis E was reported in a village of Laghman province of east Afghanistan.  There were 17 cases detected in December last year and 16 were found in January 2007.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 February 2007)

A mass meningitis vaccination campaign had been launched in southern Sudan, where 174 people had died from Meningococcal Meningitis this year.  There were a total of 2 243 cases of suspected meningitis there since the beginning of 2007.

 

In Uganda, a total of 2 728 Meningococcal Meningitis cases, with 100 deaths were reported in Arua/Maracha-Terego, Adjumani, Yumbe, Koboko, Nebbi, and Moyo districts on 19 February. There were 147 cases in the northeastern districts of Kotido, Moroto, and Nakapiripirit.  Vaccination campaign had started in Arua district.

In Uganda, an outbreak of Pneumonic Plague killing 10 people was reported in Masindi district.

In Angola, at least 244 people died of Cholera, out of 7 438 cases recorded in the country, from 1 January to 22 February 2007.