Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (24 October 2004)
In Uganda, 6 cases of cholera with one death have been identified in an internally displaced persons’ camp in Gulu district. The camp has a population of over 60,000.
In Guinea, a cholera epidemic has infected 875 and killed at least 77 people in central and western Guinea since late June. The capital Conakry was among the regions hit, accounting for over 40% of the cases.
(Source: ProMED-mail 22/10/04)
Typhoid fever: Kyrgyzstan [update]
In Kyrgyzstan, 60 cases of suspected typhoid fever were reported in the southern Jalal-Abad province. About 70% of the infected patients were school children.
The total number of typhoid cases this year is 255, almost 5 fold that of last year. Local experts claimed that the outbreak was due to the consumption of contaminated water and contacts with disease carriers.
(Source: ProMED-mail 22/10/04)
In central Myanmar, at least 4 people at Magwe Division died from cholera, which broke out after the inundations caused by heavy rains during September.
(Source: ProMED-mail 22/10/04)
Dengue fever: Vietnam [update-6]
Vietnam has so far this year detected nearly 60,000 cases of dengue fever, including 87 deaths. Over 7,400 new cases of dengue fever were reported during a recent 3-week period with 9 deaths. Most of the patients were from southern provinces of Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ben Tre.
(Source: Xinhuanet 22/10/04)
Dengue Fever: Taiwan [update-9]
As of 21 October, 123 cases of dengue fever have been reported in Pingdong County. The majority of the cases were of serotype 1 while one-tenth of the cases were of serotype 4. Another 11 cases and one case occurred in Kaohsiung city and Kaohsiung County respectively.
Cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever appeared in Kaohsiung City and Pingdong County.
(Source: Department of Health, Taiwan 22/10/04)
Dengue fever : Singapore [update-3]
As of 2 October, the number of dengue fever cases in Singapore has reached a historical high of 5,875. This outnumbers the previous peak in 1998 by more than 600 cases.
The number infected in September has not dropped as in previous years. Moreover, the conditions of those infected are more serious.
(Source: Central News Agency 20/10/04)
[Editor Note: Dengue fever thrives in urban areas. Visitors to developed areas like Singapore still have to adopt anti-mosquito measures.]
Dengue fever, imported: Hong Kong SAR ex-Singapore
An imported case of dengue fever was confirmed by the Department of Health, making a total no. of 27 cases (all imported) so far this year.
This case contracted the disease during travel to Singapore for 3 days in mid-September. He returned to Hong Kong and developed symptoms of fever, headache and muscle pain. The patient was not hospitalized and had already recovered.
(Source: Department of Health, HKSAR 18/10/04)
Health authority of Thailand reported that there was one person suspected of contracting avian influenza in the Sukhothai Province. To date, there were 16 confirmed cases of human avian influenza in Thailand this year and 11 of them were dead.
Since 1 October, 91 new outbreaks avian influenza in poultry had been reported in Thailand. Two thirds occurred in Central Region, and most of the remaining in Northern and North-eastern Region. In addition, the government reported that 30 tigers died of avian influenza in a zoo of Chonburi Province.
In Indonesia, there were 2 poultry outbreaks reported in East and Central Java Provinces in October. Over 4,200 birds had died or been destroyed.
During the last 3 weeks, in the Vietnam provinces of Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre and Soc Trang, there were nearly 9,000 poultry affected by avian influenza.
(Source: ProMED-mail 23/10/04)
[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.]
Bubonic Plague: USA [update-2]
A human case of bubonic plague was confirmed in Wyoming state. The patient likely acquired plague following exposure to prairie dogs while hunting rabbits in southern Goshen County in late September and early October. He was hospitalized and was on recovery.
Residents in Colorado Springs began reporting dead squirrels in the area about 2 weeks ago. Plague has been confirmed in a squirrel on the city's west side, Health officials launched a campaign to eradicate fleas that might transmit the disease to humans.
(Source: ProMED-mail 21/10/04)