Current Travel Health News

With the arrival of the rainy season, Cholera was hitting Angola once again. Since the beginning of November, the number of patients has continued to rise and more than 1 400 cases have been reported so far. The mortality was high.

 

(Source: ProMED-mail 1 December 2006)

An outbreak of Cholera has occurred in Delta State of Nigeria, killing no fewer than 10 persons including 2 pregnant women living in the Powerline area.

 

Nearly 400 000 people have been affected by the flooding in Lower Juba of Somalia, particularly around the towns of Buaale, Jilib and Jamaame. The number of diarrhoeal cases in the flood-affected area was on the increase and Cholera has been confirmed in Jilib district.

 

South Korea confirmed H5N1 Avian Influenza outbreaks at two poultry farms within one week after the country had been free from the disease for the past three years. The first affected poultry farm located in North Cholla province and the second one was 3 kilometers from it.

 

In Sri Lanka, it was suspected that more than 5 000 people have been infected with Chikungunya Fever. The disease had spread rapidly in Kalmunai, Mannar, Batticaloa, Puttalam and parts of Colombo.

 

An outbreak of E. Coli O157 infection has been reported in central New Jersey of the USA, with 11 confirmed cases and at least 6 suspected cases over the past 2 weeks. The victims, from towns in Middlesex, Somerset and Monmouth counties, were primarily children. Investigators have yet to determine the source of outbreak.

 

(Source: ProMED-mail 3 December 2006)

In USA, 8 human cases of Q Fever were reported in southeast Iowa and northwest Illinois in the last six months, making a total of 11 cases so far this year. This represented a significant increase in the number of cases as compared with only 4 cases reported in the previous 3 years.

 

As of 20 November, at least 35 persons have contracted Shigellosis in Wyoming of USA. The majority of the cases have been among elementary school-aged children and least 12 local children have been hospitalised over the past few months.

 

[Editor’s note: Shigellosis, a bacterial gastrointestinal infection, causes diarrhoea, fever, stomach cramping, and sometimes bloody stools. Shigellosis can be spread directly from person-to-person easily.]

 

At least 8 people have died and more than 200 others have been hospitalised in Uganda after a Cholera outbreak erupted in the capital Kampala. Many of the cases were from markets in the slum areas. Cholera cases had also been reported in the western border districts of Bundibugyo and Kasese.

 

(Source: ProMED-mail 1 December 2006)

Cholera outbreaks have been reported in Zambia with the onset of the rains. Since 15 October, an outbreak of 9 confirmed cases have occurred in an area called Chililachembe Fishing Camp in Lukanga Swamps. In addition, more than 85 new cases have been reported in Chiengi district of Copperbelt Province where 5 people have so far died of the disease. Another outbreak occurred at Lupiya village of Luapula Province near the Democratic Republic of Congo border. As of 20 November, there were 115 cases and 5 deaths.

 

To control the epidemic, the Ministry of Health appealed the Government to close the border between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Copperbelt Province and Luapula Province.

 

(Source: ProMED-mail 28 November and 1 December 2006)