Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (28 August 2005)
In Akushinskiy district of Dagestan, Russia, 7 agricultural workers were infected with Brucellosis. They were thought to have been infected from cattle. Export of meat and dairy products to other areas of the republic was suspended.
(Source: ProMED-mail 26 August 2005)
In Russia, 58 cases of Tularemia were reported in Ryazan so far this year. Only 4 cases were reported in the region last year.
(Source: ProMED-mail 22 August 2005)
[Editor’s Note: Tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” is a disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. Tularemia is typically found in animals, especially rodents, rabbits, and hares. Tularemia is usually a rural disease. Typically, people become infected through the bite of infected insects (commonly ticks), handling infected sick or dead animals, eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or inhaling airborne bacteria. Symptoms may be different according to the modes of transmission. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache, skin ulcer, enlargement of lymph node, eye pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough etc. The disease is treatable with antibiotics.]
In West Africa, 8 countries had been reported to be affected by Cholera outbreaks started several weeks ago, with more than 30 000 cases and over 500 deaths so far.
Burkina Faso: 295 cases including 8 deaths. Ouagadougou town was worst hit.
Guinea: 571 cases including 32 deaths.
Guinea-Bissau: 9 047 cases including 172 deaths. The regions of Bissau and Bimbo were most affected. Over 100 new cases continue to be diagnosed daily.
Liberia: 703 cases including 29 deaths.
Mali: 158 cases including 20 deaths.
Mauritania: 717 cases occurring in 4 regions (Brakna, Guidimakha, Nouakchott, and Traza). Nouakchott was worst hit.
Niger: 125 cases including 15 deaths in Bouza, Tahoua region.
Senegal: 3541 cases reported since mid-June, an average of 400-500 new cases per week.
Whereas in eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 300 people had contracted Cholera, including 16 deaths.
In Uganda, around 1 000 cases of Cholera were reported, affecting Gulu, Kotido, Jie and Masindi regions.
(Source: ProMED-mail 26 August 2005)
In Zhanibekskiy district of the western Kazakhstan, 5 people were hospitalised with a preliminary diagnosis of Anthrax.
(Source: ProMED-mail 28 August 2005)
Undiagnosed disease was reported in Kenya. At least 8 people were dead in Dandu division of Mandera District. Most victims died within 12 hours after developed symptoms including excessive vomiting, diarrhoea and headache. Six other people were being treated in Mandera District Hospital, 300 km away.
(Source: ProMED-mail 23 August 2005)
[Editor’s Note: Mandera district locates at the border between Ethiopia and Somalia, which is always threatened by shortage of food or armed robberies. Currently, it is not visited by ordinary package tour from Hong Kong. More information was required to suggest the cause of this outbreak. Visitors should remain vigilant against personal, environmental and food safety, and should not travel alone in the region.]
As of 22 August, 88 cases of Malaria had been reported in the capital city Bishkek and the Chuysk region of Kyrgyzstan. Most cases were in the city of Bishkek.
(Source: ProMED-mail 23 August 2005)
Health officials in Yemen had detected 50 new cases of Poliomyelitis, on top of the 369 cases already confirmed in the country. Yemen had launched a nationwide immunisation campaign for vulnerable children.
(Source: ProMED-mail 22 August 2005)
Angola: Marburg Haemorrhagic Fever [update-15]
As of 23 August, the Ministry of Health in Angola reported a total of 374 cases of Marburg Haemorrhagic Fever, including 329 deaths. The majority of cases and deaths were reported in Uige Province.
(Source: ProMED-mail 24 August 2005)
Angola: Poliomyelitis [update]
As of 23 August, 7 Poliomyelitis cases had been reported in Angola. Five provinces had been affected: Bengo, Benguela, Luanda, Lunda Sul and Moxico.
(Source: World Health Organization 25 August 2005)
In Venezuela, there were 20 323 Dengue Fever cases so far this year. The worst affected areas were Carabobo, Apure, Mida, Barinas and Thira.
(Source: ProMED-mail 24 August 2005)
In Iran, more than 800 persons were infected with Cholera and 11 died since early August. Tehran, Qum and Gulstan were most affected.
(Source: ProMED-mail 26 August 2005)
In India, Uttar Pradesh government had declared an epidemic for Japanese Encephalitis in most areas of Uttar Pradesh. As of 21 August, the total number of cases was 500 and 167 of them had died. Most of the victims were children aged between 1 and 13.
(Source: ProMED-mail 25 August 2005)
Indonesia: Poliomyelitis [update-8]
As of 24 August, 5 new Poliomyelitis cases were reported in Indonesia, bringing the total number of cases to 225. The affected provinces were West Java, Central Java, Banten, Lampung and Jakarta.
(Source: World Health Organization 25 August 2005)
Nepal: Japanese Encephalitis, suspected
In southwest Nepal, a suspected outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis had killed at least 20 people in the past week, and more than 60 new cases were reported.
(Source: ProMED-mail 22 August 2005)
Thailand: Hong Kong citizen contracted Dengue Fever
The Department of Health confirmed the thirteenth case of imported Dengue Fever this year. The patient returned from Thailand in mid-August and developed fever, skin rash, muscle pain and joint pain one day later. He was hospitalised and was in stable condition.
(Source: Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR 24 August 2005)
[Editor’s Note: Travellers to the Thailand should adopt anti-mosquito measures. Residents are encouraged to stay alert to the threat of Dengue Fever and help in the reduction of mosquito breeding sites.]
In Cambodia, so far this year, 4 300 children were estimated to have contracted Dengue Fever, and 68 of them had died of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever.
Indonesia had reported 605 Dengue Fever deaths this year. In Jakarta, at least 31 new patients were admitted with no new reports of fatalities. There had been a total of 12 036 Dengue patients in Jakarta with 60 deaths this year.
In Singapore, a total of 7 403 Dengue Fever cases had been reported during the first eight months of this year.
The Philippines had reported 197 deaths and 14 738 cases of Dengue Fever this year. The number of reported cases amounted to a 20% increase over previous year.
(Source: ProMED-mail 24 August 2005, ASEAN Disease Surveillance 24 & 25 August 2005 )