Current Travel Health News

In Mainland, Ministry of Agriculture announced that National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory has confirmed that the poultry outbreak in Panyu of Guangdong province on 5 September 2007 was due to H5N1 Avian Influenza. As of 17 September, a total of 36 130 ducks were culled. The outbreak was currently under control.

(Source: Ministry of Agriculture, China 17 September 2007)

Indonesia suffered from an earthquake measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale on 12 September 2007. The epicentre was located about 160 kilometres off the coast of Bengkulu, south Sumatra. A second earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale hit the south west region of Kepulauan Mentawai, Sumatra on 13 September 2007. There were reports that buildings had been damaged in Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra province and in the town of Mukomuko. Communication services had also been affected.

(Source: New Zealand Safe Travel 14 September 2007)

Eighty-one people in Vietnam died of Rabies in the first 8 months of this year. Most of the victims were from the northern provinces of Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, Ha Tay and Yen Bai.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 September 2007)

In the past 18 months, 9 cases of cutaneous Leishmaniasis had been reported in north Texas of the USA.

(Source: ProMED-mail 15 September 2007)

Plague activities were recently found in 2 northern counties of Arizona in the USA., An adult female in Apache County was diagnosed Plague who had history of flea bite. In Coconino County, there was an outbreak of Plague among prairie dogs.

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 September 2007)

Australia reported 11 confirmed and 43 probable cases of Shigellosis in Queensland. Investigation showed that 8 confirmed cases might have eaten baby corn imported from Thailand.

(Source: ProMED-mail 13 September 2007)

In Pakistan, 12 cases of Poliomyelitis have been reported so far this year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 16 September 2007)

In Sri Lanka, an outbreak of Leptospirosis was reported in Matara district of Southern Province.  A total of 6 cases died in the past 3 months.

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 September 2007)

In Afghanistan, 9 cases of Poliomyelitis have been confirmed this year which was much lower than the 26 cases reported during the same period last year. Five children have been paralyzed by polio in the south of the country in recent weeks.

(Source: ProMED-mail 16 September 2007)

In northern Iraq, the death toll of the Cholera epidemic has now reached 10. A total of 16 000 people were reported sick in the provinces of Erbil, Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo confirmed an outbreak of Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever which killed more than 160 people and infected nearly 400 persons since late August. The most affected areas were Mweka and Luebo.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 September 2007)

An outbreak of Plague was reported in Aruu town of Uganda. There were at least 20 suspected cases and 5 deaths.

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 September 2007)