Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (3 July 2005)
In the Philippines, Dengue Fever cases dropped to only 13 in Iloilo City in the first half of 2005, compared with 80 cases in the same period last year.
Vietnam's southern Mekong Delta had detected 8 300 Dengue Fever cases, including 10 fatalities in 2005 so far.
In Singapore, there were about 300 cases per week in June, more than double the weekly average of 136 cases in the last 3 months. Anti-dengue measures were intensified.
(Source: ProMED-mail 1 July 2005)
Indonesia: Poliomyelitis [update-3]
Up to 30 June, the total number of Poliomyelitis cases in Indonesia was 66. A new case was identified from Lampung Province on the island of Sumatra. This was the first case ever on the island. A large immunisation campaign had been held since 26 June in Central Java. The next immunisation campaign would start in Lampung and Central Java in August.(Source: ProMED-mail 27 June 2005, World Health Organization 1 July 2005)
Since 3 April 2005, 698 Typhoid Fever cases had been detected in Kelantan, Malaysia. The floods in Kelantan at the end of 2004 were believed to be one of the major causes for the Typhoid in 2005.
(Source: ProMED-mail 27 June 2005)
Vietnam: Avian Influenza, human
The Ministry of Health in Vietnam had confirmed an additional case of human infection with H5N1 Avian Influenza. The case occurred in the northern province of Ha Tay in May 2005. The newly confirmed case brought the total, in Vietnam, since mid-December 2004 to 60 cases, of which 19 were fatal.(Source: World Health Organization 28 June 2005, ProMED-mail 30 June 2005)
Vietnam: Japanese Encephalitis
A hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam reported that the number of children in Vietnam's northern region hospitalised for Japanese Encephalitis increased by 20-30% compared with same period last year.(Source: ProMED-mail 26 June 2005)
Mainland (Gansu): Viral Encephalitis
According to the Mainland health authority, 83 children were diagnosed to have Viral Encephalitis in two hospitals in Tianshui city of Gansu province from March to June this year. The possibility of the cases relating to Japanese Encephalitis or recent Japanese Encephalitis vaccination was ruled out.In Guangxi's Beihai city, there were reports that 8 children were hospitalised due to Japanese Encephalitis, among which 2 of them died.
(Source: ProMED-mail 26 June 2005, ASEAN Disease Surveillance 28 June 2005)
Mainland (Anhui): Hepatitis A vaccination adverse effect
In Sixian county of Anhui province of the Mainland, a 6-year-old girl died of respiratory failure and serious infection on 23 June after receiving Hepatitis A vaccine. More than 300 children who also received the vaccines were admitted into hospitals and claimed ill. Their symptoms included numbness and difficulties in breathing. Most of them had been discharged.Health Minister Gao Qiang said it was too early to draw any conclusion on whether the tragedy was related to the vaccines or not, and the incident could be the result of psychosomatic factors. The government had banned the use and sale of that Hepatitis A vaccine produced by a Hangzhou company. It also investigated the cause of the incident and would also check other vaccines across the country.
(Source: Promed-mail 29 June 2005, Xinhuinet News 4 July 2005)
Japan: Avian Influenza, poultry
Japan reported that H5N2 type Avian Influenza had been detected in a poultry farm in Mitsukaido, Ibaraki Prefecture, where about 800 chickens had died since April. The authorities began culling the remaining 25 000 chickens currently kept in the infected farm and disinfecting the site. The poultries in 5 farms nearby were found carrying the antibody to bird flu, but the type of virus had yet to be confirmed.
(Source: ProMED-mail 26 June 2005, 1 July 2005)
In Uganda, the health officials reported an outbreak of Cholera since the beginning of June. A total of 584 people were affected with 22 deaths. Affected areas included Kampala, Arua, Gulu and Nebbi.
In eastern Zimbabwe, at least 14 people were killed and 203 people were hospitalised in an outbreak of Cholera that began in early May. The outbreak was thought to have originated from Mozambique.
In Guinea-Bissau, the health officials confirmed an outbreak of Cholera since the beginning of June. A total of 1 000 people were affected and 10 people were killed.
In Somalia, 15 children died in one day in an outbreak of suspected Cholera. The victims came from a district, about 380 km south of Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia.
In Ghana, an outbreak of Cholera claimed 2 lives and affected 6 others.
In the capital of Kenya, Nairobi, the health officials reported an outbreak of Cholera since the beginning of June. So far, 20 people were affected and 4 people were killed.
In Senegal, there was an upsurge of Cholera cases after a 2-month lull in a lingering epidemic that began in 2004. There were 1 790 new cases and 31 deaths were reported countrywide between 6 and 22 Jun 2005. The ministry said the worst-hit areas in June 2005 were the Diourbel region and the Fatick region.
(Source: ProMED-mail 1 July 2005)
Health officials said that Dengue Fever had killed at least 30 people and infected 1 487 persons in Yemen over the past 4 weeks. Infections were reported in the southern provinces of Shabwa, Aden, Abyan, Dalaa, Hadhramout and Houdieda. The worst affected area was the Red Sea province of Houdieda, situated about 230 kilometres southwest of the capital Sanaa.
(Source: ProMED-mail 1 July 2005)
In Pakistan, an outbreak of Cholera had killed 17 people in Marzipura, Amin Colony, Chiragh Park and adjacent areas. The outbreak was caused by supply of contaminated water, due to mixing of water from sewerages with water for regular use.
(Source: Promed-mail 1 July 2005)
According to the Ministry of Health, 5 220 cases of Dengue Fever had been reported in Costa Rica in the first five months of 2005, a 72% increase compared with the same period last year.
(Source: ProMED-mail 1 July 2005)
Kansas reported the first human case of West Nile Virus infection in USA in 2005.
In USA, since the first ever case reported in New York in 1999, the virus had made nearly 17 000 Americans ill and killed more than 650. In 2004, 2535 human cases and 98 deaths were reported.
(Source: Promed-mail 26 June 2005)