Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (25 April 2004)
WHO has received reports of an outbreak of Lassa fever in Kenema district, south of Sierra Leone close to the border with Liberia. Exact numbers of cases and deaths are not currently available.
Lassa fever is a virus disease endemic in rural West Africe, most frequently from Sierra Leone, and to a lesser extent from Nigeria, Liberia, and Guinea.
(Source: World Health Organisation 20/4/04)
Shigellosis imported: Taiwan ex- Indonesia
Center for Disease Control, Taiwan (CDC) said that 3 cases of confirmed Shigellosis were imported from Bali, Indonesia on 29 March and 1 April this year. The infected persons belonged to two different tour groups.
CDC reminded the tourist business sector to maintain vigilance on the standard of water and food hygiene. If fall sick on return, travellers should seek medical treatment early and inform doctor the places that had been visited.
(Source: Taiwan Department of Health 19/4/04)
In Uganda, Kampala city health authorities are bracing for a possible cholera epidemic. Officials said that 5 people had been treated for diarrhea while 2 had died of diarrhea-related illness. Tests were still going on to decide the cause of the illness.
In Somalia, local health officials revealed that in the capital, Mogadishu, cholera had infected about 830 people and resulted in 57 deaths in the past week. Since mid-Dec last year, 2042 cases of suspected cholera had been reported and the number of cases is still on the rise.
The current Mozambican cholera epidemic has claimed 38 and 27 lives in the capital Maputo and the Sofala province respectively since Dec 2003. The total number of cases in the Zambezia province has also reached 1016 since late Jan 2004. However, the epidemic is clearly waning with fewer cases being reported as compared with before.
(Source: ProMED-mail 19/4/04, CCTV 14/4/04)
Dengue fever, imported: Hong Kong SAR ex-Malaysia
One more case of dengue fever was confirmed by the Department of Health, making a total of 10 cases so far.
The patient traveled to Putrajaya near capital Kuala Lumpur in early April for 4 days. He complained of fever, headache, muscle pain, joint pain and skin rash 5 days after return. He was hospitalized and his present condition was stable.
(Source: Department of Health, HKSAR 20/4/04)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Beijing, Anhui
On 25 April, the Chinese Ministry of Health announced that since 22 April, 1 confirmed case and 5 suspected cases of SARS were reported in Beijing; 1 confirmed case and 1 suspected case of SARS were reported in Anhui province. No other SARS cases were reported in other provinces.
As of 25 April, the Beijing confirmed case is stable and remains afebrile for 9 consecutive days. All the 5 suspected cases remain stable and afebrile. The 337 close contacts have been placed under medical surveillance.
The Anhui confirmed case is afebrile and recovering. Her mother died on 19 April but could not be classified at the moment. The other 133 close contacts remain afebrile.
The World Health Organisation considers no travel restriction is necessary.
(Source: Department of Health, HKSAR 26/4/04)