Current Travel Health News

In Vietnam, Avian Influenza continued to affect the southern provinces with more poultry deaths and infected sites being reported.  In Bac Lieu province, the infected sites had reached 16.  In Hau Giang province, another infected site was discovered where 22 fowls were found dead and the specimens of the dead fowls had been sent for testing.  In Ca Mau province, no new source of infection had been identified since the last report.

A 14-year-old boy had tested positive for Avian Influenza in Indonesia.  It was the country's fist case in almost 2 months.  The boy came from West Java and was hospitalized.  He had been in contact with ducks.

(Source: ProMED-mail 7 January 2007)

In Malaysia, as of 9 December 2006, the total nationwide cases toll of Dengue Fever were 34 386. Thirteen deaths were reported.  There were 6 644 cases in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya alone.

The epidemic of Dengue Fever in November 2006 in Pakistan was confirmed to be caused by Dengue Fever virus type-3 in most of the cases.  Dengue Fever virus type-1 and type-4 accounted for minority of the cases.

In Brazil, 215 Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever cases were reported in 2006.  Of these Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever cases, 40 died.  There has been an increase in the proliferation of the vector Aedes aegypti in Rio Grande do Norte.

(Source: ProMED-mail 3 January 2007)

The death toll from Rift Valley Fever in Kenya had been raised to 58.  Totally 188 cases had been recorded in Garissa, Wajir and Ijara, 3 districts in North Eastern province and 2 districts of Coast Province Tana River and Kilifi District.  Patients usually presented with fever, headache, muscle pain and blood vomiting.  People were advised to avoid contact with sick animals, to stop drinking raw milk and eating meat from sick or dead animals.