Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (13 March 2005)
An outbreak of Lassa fever occurred in Nigeria, resulting in 10 deaths. Local government claimed the situation was being brought under control.
(Source: ProMED-mail 3/3/05)
There were 4 deaths related to a possible outbreak of leptospirosis in Puerto Cabello. Another 13 persons who presented with similar clinical history were currently isolated in hospitals.
(Source: ProMED-mail 2/3/05)
Health officials have warned of a potentially serious outbreak this year of West Nile virus that killed 27 people in California last year, because this winter's record rains have created prime breeding conditions for mosquitoes. One human case of the disease was confirmed in Los Angeles County this year. In the past week, diseases surveillance in Orange county indicated that the heavy rains have started the spread of the virus earlier than last year. In Oregon, hundreds of human cases could be diagnosed if the virus follows the pattern seen in other states this year. (Source: ProMED-mail 3/3/05)
Mainland: Infectious diseases statistics in February
Measles become the fifth commonest infectious diseases reported in February this year. The top 4 were tuberculosis, hepatitis B, gonorrhoea, dysentery and measles (see 20 Feb 05 Digest for figures last year). They made up 86% of total infectious diseases reported.
Meningococcal meningitis jumped into fourth place among the top five killers. Rabies, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and AIDS remain on the list. The 5 killers account for about 82% of all death cases.
(Source: Ministry of Health, China 10/3/05)
Thailand: tourist contracted Meloidosis
Three tsunami-related cases of meloidosis were reported in Finland. All 3 cases were tourists who were visiting Khao Lak on the southwest coast of Thailand when the tsunami struck in December last year. Two of them developed the disease due to contamination of wounds while the third one due to aspiration in muddy water.
(Source: ProMED-mail 3/3/05)
Thailand health officials instructed staff of the six provinces worst hit by the tsunami, Phangnga, Ranong, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun, to prevent epidemics particularly dengue fever. The World Health Organization warned that the risk of epidemics could continue in tsunami-affected areas for up to three months after the disaster.
(Source: ASEAN Disease Surveillance 7/3/05)
There were 9,459 cases of dengue fever in Singapore last year - the highest number recorded in a year. The rising trend of mosquito breeding in homes accounted for 60% of all breeding sites found prompting the government to spread the message of prevention.
(Source: ASEAN Diseases Surveillance 9/3/05)
Australia (Queensland): Dengue fever
There were 10 confirmed cases of dengue fever on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, since the outbreak was identified last week. Thursday Island is located about 1,000 km north of Cairns.
Health authorities said this outbreak of dengue type 4 posed a serious health risk to persons in the Torres. Persons who acquire dengue more than once are at higher risk of developing dengue haemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal.
(Source: ASEAN Diseases Surveillance 9/3/05)
Asia, UK: Avian Influenza [update-28]
There have been 69 cases with 46 deaths due to avian influenza (51 cases and 33 deaths in Vietnam, 17 cases and 12 deaths in Thailand, 1 death case in Cambodia) in Asian countries since January last year.
In Vietnam, provinces reported to have avian influenza cases this year include: Tay Ninh, Dong Thap, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang, Hau Giang, Hanoi, Thai Binh, Bac Lieu, Long An and Phu Tho. More humans were tested to have contracted the virus, which raised the concern of possibility of human-to-human transmission of the virus. Cases include a nurse who had taken care of patient infected with the virus and 2 elderlies living in Thai Binh province who did not show any symptoms of avian influenza. However, their family members also contracted the virus.
Besides Asian countries, 5 cases of suspected avian influenza were also reported in England. In order to prevent the introduction of the virus into their country, their microbiologists advised to ban the import of feathers from China because the feathers might be contaminated with the faeces of infected poultry.
Experts fear that if the virus mutates into a form that could easily jump between humans, it would kill millions in a global pandemic. In addition, an investigation showed that the virus could attack any parts of the body.
(Source: World Health Organization 7/3/05, ProMED-mail 7 & 9/3/05)
A research paper published in Nature estimated that there were around 515 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2002, nearly double previous estimates in 1998 by the World Health Organization. One third of the population in the world i.e. 2.2 billion people, are at risk from the malaria. The disease claims 1 million lives a year in sub-Saharan Africa alone, most of them children under 5 years old.
Of the 4 malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum is the most dangerous, which is prevalent throughout the tropics (including Southeast Asia), and has developed resistance to most anti-malarial drugs. Health experts worry about the situation in Southeast Asia. Many people with malaria do not go to clinics and many clinics do not submit disease figures. There are many more malaria cases in Southeast Asia than recognised before.
Global control of malaria relies on efficient public health measures, health education, provision of bed-nets and effective drugs to persons needed.
(Source: Nature 8/3/05)
Democratic Republic of Congo: Plague [update -3]
A total of 114 suspected cases of plague, including 54 deaths have been reported in Zobia, Oriental province since mid-December last year. Officials had initiated contact tracing of the cases and follow-up actions of their contacts to prevent further spread of the disease.
(Source: World Health Organisation 9/3/05)