Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (7 November 2004)
In Senegal, cholera epidemic in the capital Dakar was spreading and 400 cases with two deaths had been reported so far. The epidemic was mainly present in the capital and its suburbs. Two cases had been reported in Bambey, 76 miles north of Dakar.
In Burundi, 140 cases of cholera including one death had been reported since mid October in the town Rumonge.
In Uganda, an outbreak of cholera was reported in Pabbo camp for the war-displaced people, 400km north of the capital Kampala. Fifty people were infected including 2 deaths.
(Source: Associated Press 2/11/04, ProMED-mail 1/11/04)
In Norway, 150 cases of hepatitis A were reported so far this year, almost 3 times the incidence for the same period last year. About 46 % of the cases were due to sexual transmission among gay men, mostly in Oslo, the capital.
Similar outbreaks of hepatitis A among gay men have been reported in Denmark, Sweden and UK this year.
In Pskov of Russia, 130 people including 52 children had been affected by hepatitis A. Preliminary investigations revealed that the town water canal network was the possible source of infection.
(Source: ProMED-mail 13/10/4, 26/10/04)
[Editor Note: Pskov is located about 600 km west of Moscow, near the Estonian border.]
Up to October 1 this year, 4,531 HIV carriers including 206 cases of AIDS were reported in Kazakhstan. The estimated number of HIV infections in the country could be more than 20,000 cases.
The Qaraghandy in the central Kazakhstan and Pavlodar in the northeast Kazakhstan were the most affected provinces. Sixty-four percent of the infections occurred in the age group of 15 to 29 years old and 77% of the infected persons were men. Majority of the patients (78%) acquired the infection through intra-venous drug injection.
(Source: Xinhua Net 4/11/04)
Russia (Tyumen): Viral gastroenteritis, rabies
An outbreak, viral gastroenteritis had been recorded in Tyumenb area in western Siberia, in which 31 persons, including 15 children, had been hospitalised. Physicians are strongly recommending the boiling of all water used for drinking.
Official also declared that rabies seemed to have spread among wildlife in the southern parts of the region. About 50 rabies cases in animals and 9 persons bitten by rabid animals, mainly foxes had been recorded there so far this year.
(Source: ProMED-mail 28/10/04, 25/10/04)
Mainland: Schistosomiasis [Update]
Health officials of China recorded 743 cases of acute schistosomiasis infection so far this year, a 31% reduction as compared with same period last year. For the past 4 months, 96 acute infections were reported in 10 outbreaks, of which 4 were in Hubei, 3 in Hunan, 2 in Jiangxi, and 1 in Jiangsu. Contact with contaminated water through swimming or during work are the major reasons of infection in these cases.
(Source: Ministry of Health, China 29/10/04)
[Editor Note: Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease, affecting both human and animals. When visiting infected areas, travellers should avoid taking uncooked snails, stay away from paddy field and do not wade in fresh water. If travellers develop fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or dysentery, they should seek medical advice and give a complete travel history.]
Pearl River Delta: Clonorchiasis
In recent years there was an increase of seafood restaurants serving fresh and undercooked seafood resulting in a substantial increase of Clonorchiasis cases in Pearl River Delta. According to the health authority, it was estimated that Clonorchiasis had affected over one million people solely in Foshan City.
(Source: CDC, Foshan City 15/10/04, Xinhua Net 4/11/04)
[Editor Note: Clonorchis infection may be contracted from eating fresh contaminated seafood (e.g., fresh Grass fish slices, fresh fish congee or eating fresh fish with wine) or contaminated seafood not thoroughly cooked (hotpot or barbecue). Patients might not present any symptoms at the early stage of disease. In the later stage, there may be liver damage presented with gastrointestinal discomfort in mild cases and persistent fever, liver enlargement, right upper abdominal pain, liver enlargement and even dead in severe cases.
Therefore, travellers should avoid eating fresh seafood or undercooked seafood and pay attention to Food and personal hygiene.]
In Dongguan, Guangdong province, the numbers of cases of rabies are on the rising trend. About 20 to 30,000 people are bitten or scratched by dogs or cats every year and two to four victims of dog bites need immunizations against rabies every week.
(Source: Oriental Daily News 5/11/04)
In October, 16 imported cases of bacillary dysentery were reported in Taiwan, of which 10 were infected in Indonesia, 3 each in Thailand and Mainland. So far this year, 74 imported cases of bacillary dysentery were recorded. Most of them were infected in south-east Asia.
(Source: Center for Disease Control Taiwan 02/11/04)
India: Dengue fever (update-2)
In Santacruz Bumbai, a 7-year-old child recently died of dengue fever in hospital. There were 60 cases detected this year with many cases likely to go undetected due to lack of diagnostic facilities in the city’s public hospitals.
By the end of October, another 313 cases were reported in Delhi, of which 195 from the Capital while the rest were from adjoining areas. Two persons have died of the disease.
(Source: ProMED-mail 1/11/04)
Philippines: HK visitor contracted dengue fever
An imported case of dengue fever was confirmed by the Department of Health, making a total of 28 cases (all imported) so far this year.
This patient contracted the disease during travel to Philippines for 5 days in mid-October. He developed symptoms of fever, headache and muscle pain one day after returning to Hong Kong. The patient was later hospitalized and confirmed to have dengue fever. He is now in stable condition.
(Source: Department of Health, HKSAR 4/11/04)
Taiwan: Dengue fever [update-11]
Taiwan health authority reported 25 more cases of dengue fever, making a total of 265 confirmed cases, of which 77 are imported cases. All the new local cases occurred in Pingdong County with a culmulative total of 168.
(Source: Department of Health, Taiwan 5/11/04)
[Editor Note: The situation in Pingdong County has not improved. Travellers to southern Taiwan should adopt anti-mosquito measures.]
To strengthen the control of SARS and influenza outbreak in the coming winter season, the Ministry of Health, China has issued guidelines on the national control of infective atypical pneumonia and influenza in winter and spring, 2004-2005. Vigilance on the diseases have been heightened.
In Taiwan, SARS control measures have been stepped up. Travellers from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau are requested to conduct self-administered health check for 10 days after arrival.
(Source: Ministry of Health, China 1/11/04, Taiwan CDC 2/11/04)
Asia: Avian Influenza [update-14]
The World Health Organization warned that the world would face the risk of an avian influenza pandemic and the virus might mutate. The health authorities might need to step up preparations to avoid the crisis. Up to now, there were 43 human cases of avian influenza with 31 deaths in Thailand and Vietnam this year.
In Thailand, more tigers were affected by avian influenza in the zoo at Chonburi Province. Altogether, 147 tigers were destroyed or died of avian influenza during this outbreak.
In Hong Kong, a dead Grey Heron was found to have the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Seven people who had contacted the dead bird, however, did not develop any symptoms.
(Source: Central News Agency31/10/04, ProMED-mail 3/11/04, Xinhuanet 4/11/04)
[Editor Note: Travellers to countries with avian influenza should always observe good personal and environmental hygiene. To minimise the risk of contracting avian influenza, they should avoid going to zoo or farm, and avoid contact with animal or poultry there. For more information on prevention of avian influenza, please refer to Prevention of Avian Flu - Health Tips for Travellers.]