Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (25 September 2005)
In Nizhniy Novgorod of Russia, 822 people, including 150 children and teenagers, had been treated in hospital on suspicion of Hepatitis A virus infection. The majority of the patients were from the Sormovskiy district.
(Source: ProMED-mail 21 September 2005)
In Benin, the Cholera outbreak which started in Cotonou in early June had spread to Oueme region. A total of 210 cases including 4 deaths had been reported between 6 June and 4 September.
In Burkina Faso, a total of 615 Cholera cases including 9 deaths had been reported in Ouagadougou town between 8 August and 4 September.
In Guinea, 1 956 Cholera cases including 72 deaths had been reported between mid-July and 4 September.
In Guinea-Bissau, 14 303 Cholera cases including 252 deaths occurred between 6 June and 11 September.
In Mali, 158 Cholera cases including 20 deaths had occurred between 20 June and 24 July.
In Mauritania, a total of 2 640 Cholera cases including 55 deaths had been reported from 6 regions between the 20 July to 21 September.
In Niger, a total of 431 Cholera cases including 44 deaths had been reported between 13 July and 19 September from regions including Tahoua and Tilaberi.
In Senegal, a total of 23 325 Cholera cases including 303 deaths were identified the cholera outbreak started early this year
(Source: World Health Organization 23 September 2005)
Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire: Yellow Fever
In the southeast of Burkina Faso, 4 cases of Yellow Fever including one death had been confirmed near the border with Cote d’Ivoire. The fatal case came from Bouna region in Cote d’Ivoire. A mass vaccination campaign was being prepared in both countries to protect the population at risk and to prevent the spread of the disease to densely populated urban settings.
(Source: World Health Organization 22 September 2005)
India and Nepal: Japanese Encephalitis [update-4]
In northern India and neighbouring Nepal, the death toll of the Japanese Encephalitis outbreak had passed 1 000. Since the end of July, 781 encephalitis deaths were reported in Uttar Pradesh of India. In Nepal, the death toll was 252, with another 1 510 being treated.
(Source: ProMED-mail 21 September 2005)
In Ibaraki prefecture of Japan, 21 additional outbreaks of H5N2 Avian Influenza had been detected in poultry farms since 23 August and the number of infected farms was 31 in total at present.
(Source: ProMED-mail 25 September 2005)
In Hunan province of the Mainland, 95 students of a middle school in Liuyang city fell ill. Initial investigation revealed that the disease might be Influenza. Seventeen students were in relatively serious condition. The other had been discharged from hospital and returned to school.
(Source: ProMED-mail 20 September 2005)
Indonesia: Poliomyelitis [update-10]
In Indonesia, 4 new Poliomyelitis cases were confirmed from Banten and Lampung provinces, bringing the total number to 260.
(Source: World Health Organization 20 September 2005)
Indonesia: Avian Influenza, human [update]
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia had confirmed an additional human case of H5N1 Avian Influenza. The case was an 8-year-old boy who remained in hospital for management. Current investigations in Indonesia had not produced any evidence that the H5N1 virus was spreading easily from person to person. The number of people under observation for bird flu symptoms had risen to 17.
(Source: World Health Organization 22 September 2005, ProMED-mail 24 September 2005)
Indonesia: Hong Kong traveller contracted Dengue Fever
The Department of Health confirmed the nineteenth imported case of Dengue Fever this year. The patient had travelled to Indonesia in late August and developed fever, vomiting and skin rash before returning to Hong Kong. She was in stable condition.
(Source: Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR 21 September 2005)
Singapore: Foreign traveller contracted Dengue Fever
The Department of Health confirmed the eighteenth imported case of Dengue Fever this year. The patient came from Singapore and arrived in Hong Kong in mid-September. She developed fever, muscle pain and skin rash a few days before coming to Hong Kong. She was in stable condition.
(Source: Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR 20 September 2005)