Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (20 February 2005)
USA, Thailand: new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
In USA, the New York health authority is worried about a new highly resistant strain of HIV. This strain of HIV, resistant to 3 out of 4 classes of anti-HIV drugs, was diagnosed in a middle-aged male. The patient was a frequent drug abuser, who reported unprotected intercourse with multiple male sex partners. He first developed symptoms in November last year, diagnosed to have HIV in December and developed to AIDS in January this year.
In Thailand, a probable mutated HIV subtype-E has been discovered and is so far not treatable by any drug.
(Source: Chinanews.com 13/2/05, Central News Agency 15/2/05)
The Ugandan health officials reported 10 cases of cholera with 2 deaths in Busia (eastern Uganda). In Hoima district (western Uganda) 10 cases were also reported and there were 6 cases in the Gulu (northern Uganda) in the last few weeks. In Kasese (eastern Uganda), there were also cases reported. The health authority in Zimbabwe had issued a cholera alert following an outbreak in Manicaland, in which 20 cases had been reported while 4 people died since late January.
(Source: ProMED-mail 15/2/05)
Guinea: Traveller contracted malaria
The Department of Health received notification of a confirmed imported case of malaria. The patient had recent travel history to Guinea and was in now stable condition.
(Source: Department of Health, HKSAR 14/2/05)
Africa: Meningococcal meningitis [update]
In Sudan, the Federal Ministry of Health reported that since early February, a total of 250 cases and 19 deaths of meningococcal meningitis were found in Blue Nile, Gadaref and Khartoum States. Three specimens had been confirmed for Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A. The outbreak appeared to be decreasing and mass vaccination campaigns had been implemented in the villages affected in Blue Nile and Gadaref States.
In eastern Chad, more than 70,000 people had been vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis following the meningitis outbreak in 3 refugee camps, representing a nearly 90 percent coverage rate.
(Source: ProMED-mail 8/2/05, World Health Organization 14/2/05)
Australia (New South Wales): Legionnaires’ disease
Authorities were investigating the cause of 6 suspected and 9 confirmed cases of legionnaires' disease in Wollongong city, located about 80 km south of Sydney. These victims had visited Wollongong's Central Business District (CBD) before getting the disease. Although three air conditioning towers in Wollongong's CBD were tested positive for legionella bacteria less than a week ago, it was still uncertain if they were the cause.
(Source: ProMED-mail 16-17/2/05)
Philippines: Meningococcal meningitis [update-6]
The health authority of Philippines confirmed that there are 7 new cases of meningococcal meningitis from 24 January to 8 February. Three cases occurred in Baguio City, two in Benguet Province, and two in Mountain Province. No death case was reported.
(Source: Central News Agency 11/2/05)
Timor-Leste: Dengue fever [update-2]
As of 15 February, 215 cases of dengue fever and 20 deaths were reported. More than 75% of the reported cases had clinical features compatible with dengue hemorrhagic fever. Most of the cases were reported in Dili. Other affected area included Baucau, Liquica, Maliana and Manatuto.
(Source: World Health Organization 15/2/05)
Southeast Asia: Dengue fever [update]
Thailand’s public health officials reiterated that there were more than 1,500 cases of dengue fever across the country during the week from late January to 5 February, including one death, double the figure of same period last year. Most of the dengue fever cases were reported in big cities or communities with a high population density.
As of mid February, a total of 5,813 dengue fever cases, including 121 deaths, had been reported in Indonesia. Jakarta had the highest number of dengue fever cases (1715) in the country with 20 deaths. West Java province had the 49 deaths from 1,415 cases.
In Malaysia, in the sixth week of dengue fever outbreak, the number of new dengue cases nationwide was 963, with a drop of 475 cases compared with the fifth week. However, Sabah recorded an increase of 7 new cases to 68.
Singapore Ministry of Health announced that, as of mid February 1,531 cases of dengue fever and 43 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever were reported, an increase for more than 3 fold when compared with the same period last year.
(Source: ASEAN Disease Surveillance.Net 14 & 18/2/05, Xinhua News Agency 19/2/05)
[Editor Note: Travellers visiting dengue fever areas should adopt anti-mosquito measures for health protections and may seek advice from travel health practitioners.]
Taiwan: Dengue fever [update-21]
There were 6 confirmed local cases of dengue fever in Kaohsiung county this month. The local health authority would provide insecticide for residents to control the spread of the disease.
(Source: Central News Agency 18/2/05)
Mainland: Infectious diseases statistics in 2004
The top five infectious diseases reported in year 2004 were: tuberculosis, hepatitis B, dysentery, gonorrhoea and hepatitis A. They made up 85% of total infectious diseases reported. The top five killers were: rabies, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, AIDS and neonatal tetanus, accounting for about 80% of all death cases.
There was no large infectious outbreaks occurring in 2004, but there were some small-scaled localized diseases outbreaks e.g., measles, haemorrhagic fever, dengue fever and influenza.
(Source: Ministry of Health, China 18/2/05)
Mainland: Meningoccocal meningitis [update-3]
The Mainland reported 40 new cases of meningococcal meningitis in 14 provinces from February 9 to 15. The top five provinces most affected by the disease were: Jiangsu (5 cases), Zhejiang (5), Guangdong (5), Shandong (4) and Henan (4). There was no case found in Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang.
Guangdong province reiterated that there were sporadic and localized outbreaks of the disease, occurring mainly in areas around the construction site of Guangzhou University City. All university returnees had to receive vaccination against the disease after the Lunar New Year holiday.
(Source: Xinhuanet 16/2/05, Ministry of Health, China 17/2/05)
Southeast Asia: Avian influenza [update-25]
So far in Asian countries, there were 55 confirmed cases of avian influenza in humans, with 42 deaths and the first human case was reported in Cambodia last month.
In Vietnam, new outbreaks among poultry were reported in provinces of Long An, Bac Lieu, Hai Duong and Haiphong. Nearly 7,000 birds had been culled.
In Thailand, one suspected human case of avian influenza was reported in Phitsanulok province. However, despite the threat, the government official planned to withdraw the proposal of culling about 10 million ducks and an emergency plan to cope with the spread of avian influenza.
Investigations done on two children who died of avian influenza last year in southern Vietnam showed that the virus could be found in spinal fluid, faeces, blood and not just in the lung. These indicated that the disease can attack all parts of the body and the number of human cases may have been underestimated.
(Source: ProMED-mail 13-16/2/05, New England Journal of Medicine 17/2/05)
Democratic Republic of Congo: Plague
The World Health Organization announced that from late December last year to mid February this year, 61 diamond-mine workers were killed by pneumonic plague and hundreds more infected in Kisangani, the third biggest city in the northern part of Congo. So far, no cases of bubonic plague had been reported.
(Source: World Health Organization 18/2/05)