Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (28 March 2004)
Health officials in the Tulskaya Oblast are warning of increasing cases of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Since early this year, 26 cases haemorrhagic fever have been reported in its capital city Tula.
The vectors of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome are rodents, which begin to increase in number in the spring. This year rodent numbers have increased 5 to 10-fold. Cats, dogs, foxes, wolves, and other animals can become infected by killing and consuming virus-carrying rodents, which do not themselves exhibit signs of illness. The virus responsible for haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is transmitted to humans through contact with rodent excreta and detritus. There is little or no person-to-person transmission.
(Source: Pro-MED mail 26/3/04)
A rise in the incidence of diphtheria has been observed in Chelyabinsk, capital of Southern Ural. Since the beginning of this year, 35 cases with one death have been reported with the disease.
A mass vaccination for diphtheria will start in the coming month of April.
(Source: ProMED mail 20/3/04)
New poliomyelitis cases have been reported in 2 southern states in Nigeria, Anambra and Imo. Southern Imo state recorded two cases followed by Anambra state with one case.
(Source: ProMED-mail 21/3/04)
Meningococcal meningitis : Beijing
According to the infectious disease expert in Beijing, meningococcal meningitis is epidemic in spring, accounting for 60 % of the total number of cases every year.
Meningococcal meningitis is transmitted through respiratory droplets. Symptoms include sudden onset of high fever, severe headache, profuse vomiting, dull neck stiffness. In severe case, there is convulsion and loss of consciousness. It could become life threatening if not treated promptly. Vaccination is available for meningococcal meningitis.
(Source: XinhuaNet 22/3/04)
Meningococcal meningitis: Nigeria
The Ministry of Health of Nigeria has reported a total of 327 meningococcal meningitis cases and 46 deaths in 21 local government areas in Jigwa state. Samples have been taken to determine the serogroup.
(Source: World Health Organisation 26/3/04)
Meningococcal meningitis: Burkina Faso
The Ministry of Health of Burkina Faso has reported a total of 2,783 meningococcal meningitis cases and 527 deaths for the first 12 weeks of the year.
Four districts, Diébougou, Naonoro, Gaoua and Zabré, have attack rates above the epidemic threshold and another four districts, Koudougou, Po, Sebba and Seguenega, are in the alert phase.
(Source: World Health Organisation 26/3/04)
Trypanosomiasis : Democratic Republic of the Congo
An outbreak of sleeping sickness has been reported in Katende health zone, 90 km northeast of Kananga, capital of Kasai Occidental Province in Democratic Republic of the Congo. More than a dozen cases of the illness has been reported.
The disease had already caused a number of deaths that had not been registered owing to a lack of infrastructure, public understanding of the illness, and health personnel in the region.
(Source: ProMED-mail 20/3/04)
[Editor Note: African trypanosomiasis is caused by the bite of an infective tsetse fly, Glossina, which carries the protozoa, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiene or T. b. gambiense. T. b. rhodesiene causes a virulent, rapidly progressive disease and is found in east Africa. T. b. gambiense causes a more chronic disease and is found mainly in west and central Africa. Both forms are fatal without treatment.
Symptoms include a painful sore at the bite site, fever, intense headache, insomnia, painless enlarged lymph nodes, anaemia, local oedema and rash. Later, there is body wasting, somnolence and neurological signs.
Travellers to affected areas should use an insect repellent, cover exposed parts of the body, and avoid wearing the colour blue which attracts tsetse flies.]
First human case of avian influenza in Canada has been confirmed in a person who visited poultry barns in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia. The victim contracted the H7 variety of the influenza A virus, same as the strain involved in the current outbreak in British Columbia.
He developed conjunctivitis and had recovered fully. His 10 co-workers have also developed cold-like symptoms. Five of them have been tested so far, but none had avian flu.
(Source: Pro-MED-mail 27/3/04)
Avian Influenza A/H5: Asia [Update-6]
Outbreaks of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza continued to affect Asia. New outbreaks have been reported in Yangju city, Kyonggi province of South Korea; Uttaradit, Chon Buri, Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai provinces of Thailand. Suspected outbreaks occurred in Sumatra and Kalimantan provinces of Indonesia.
In China, no new cases of bird flu were reported for 40 days consecutively.
In Vietnam and Thailand, there were no new human cases reported in the past week. So far, human cases were only reported in these two countries.
(Source: ProMED-mail 24/3/04)
[Editor Note: Travellers going to affected areas should avoid visit to live bird markets and poultry farms. They should avoid contact with live poultry and birds and wash hand thoroughly with soap and water after contact. They should observe good food hygiene and consume only thoroughly cooked poultry products and eggs.]
Dengue fever: Americas [update]
In Venezuela, there were 8848 cases of dengue reported in the first two months of this year. Regarding dengue haemorrhagic fever, there were 634 cases with 3 deaths.
In El Salvador, 455 cases of dengue have been reported, compared with 269 cases in the same period last year. Four departments have declared to be in alert status: San Salvador, La Libertad, La Paz, and San Vicente. Fortunately, dengue haemorrhagic fever cases are still low, with only 19 cases reported this year, compared with 24 in 2003.
(Source: ProMED-mail 24/3/04)
Health authorities in Vietnam reported 4199 cases of dengue fever since the beginning of the New Year, a 90 % increase compared to the same period last year. Seven deaths were reported so far. The worst-affected areas were in the southern Mekong Delta region, including Ho Chi Minh City.
(Source: ProMED 24/3/04)
Dengue fever: Indonesia [update-6]
The dengue fever epidemic that struck the nation 3 months ago continues in some provinces in Indonesia. In East Kalimantan, 1028 people had been hospitalized, with 18 deaths. In Aceh, 110 people had been affected. In East Java, 62 local residents were affected so far this year.
Only 2 provinces in Indonesia have been declared dengue-free, namely South Sumatra and North Sulawesi provinces.
(Source: ProMED-mail 24/3/04)
The government of Buenos Aires reported the occurrence of more than 160 cases of hepatitis A, with one death. The government is investigating the cause of the outbreak.
(Source: ProMED-mail 21/3/04)
The Ministry of Health, Mozambique has reported over 15,000 cholera cases and 85 deaths in the First 12 weeks of the year in seven provinces (Maputo, Gaza, Sofala, Zambesia, Nampula, Inhambane, Tete).
(Source: World Health Organisation 23/3/04)
[Editor Note: Compared with the last report on 21 Mar 04, the number of cases has increased by another 6 000 and the number of deaths by 9.]