Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (13 August 2007)
Up to 6 Aug, Beijing reported19 cases of Rabies. Among them, two were local cases and17 were imported from other provinces.
(Source: Xinhuanet 8 Aug 2007)
In Northern Samar of the Philippines, at least 255 cases of Dengue Fever with 2 deaths have been reported since the beginning of this year.
In Vietnam, nearly 33 000 cases of Dengue Fever have been reported in the country since the beginning of this year. Among them, 35 had died. The disease has been spreading rapidly in the central and southern Mekong Delta provinces.
In Singapore, 322 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in the last week of July. There were 41 cases less than that in the previous week.
About 25 000 Dengue Fever cases and nearly 300 children died of the disease have been reported in Cambodia so far this year.
(Source: ProMED-mail 6 August 2007)
Indonesia: Avian Influenza, human
On 13 August 2007, Ministry of Health of Indonesia confirmed a human case of H5N1 Avian Influenza. A 29-year-old woman from Tukad village in Jembrana District of Bali Province died of the disease on 12 August. Chickens raised by the woman had died suddenly before and were confirmed H5N1 positive. The woman’s five-year-old daughter had played with chicken and died on 3 August from pneumonia. Another 2-year-old girl who was the neighbour of the 29-year-old woman was being treated as a suspected case of Avian Influenza.
(Source: Indonesia National Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, 13 August 2007)
In Thailand, 66 cases of Cholera have been reported in Mae La refugee camp since late June this year. In the nearby town of Mae Sot, some 300 cases of Cholera were treated in a local hospital in the past two months.
(Source: ProMED-mail 10 August 2007)
Vietnam: Avian Influenza, human
In Vietnam, a 15- year-old student died from Avian Influenza in Thanh Hoa province, bringing the country’s total number of cases this year to 7 and the death toll to 4. The victim's family had kept ducks at their home.
(Source: ProMED-mail 7 August 2007)
Timor-Leste : Security Concern
Timor-Leste has announced the formation of a new government on 6 August 2007, This year, there have been outbreaks of violence and large-scale demonstration around the capital, Dili, and also an underlying threat from terrorism in the country. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom has recently reviewed the travel advice to East Timor and advised against all but essential travel to East Timor.
(Source: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom 7 Aug 2007)
Health authorities of India reported an outbreak of Hepatitis E in Ishber and Harwan areas of Kashmir. Health expert suggested that people in affected areas should not drink tap water unless it was boiled for at least 20 minutes.
[Editor’s note: Hepatitis E is one form of hepatitis caused by Hepatitis E virus. It has similar clinical course as Hepatitis A. The incubation period ranges from 15 to 64 days. Hepatitis E is primarily transmitted by food or water contaminated with Hepatitis E virus such as from infected person’s fecal material.]
(Source: ProMED-mail 6 August 2007)
Health officials in Arizona reported that a pair of prairie dogs in a suburb died of bubonic Plague. They warned the local people to avoid contact with wild animals and to treat their pets for fleas.
(Source: ProMED-mail 12 August 2007)
Russia: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (update)
A total of 224 cases of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever with 4 deaths have been reported in the Southern Federal District of Russia so far this year. The situation in the Stavropol, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions remained unsatisfactory.
(Source: ProMED-mail 8 August 2007)
Russia: Tickborne Encephalitis
A total of 1 588 cases of Tickborne Encephalitis with 33 deaths have been reported in Russia so far this year. The largest numbers of cases were recorded in Krasnoyarsk Krai (180), Altay Krai (43) and Novosibirsk Region (127). The corresponding figure for 2006 was 934.
[Editor's note: Tickborne Encephalitis is a viral infection. It is transmitted by bite of infective ticks or by consumption of infected milk. Patients may present with fever, malaise, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, confusion, and paralysis. In general, 1 to 2 percent of the cases died of the disease. Travellers should adopt measures similar to anti-mosquito measures to avoid tick bite and avoid consumption of unpasteurised milk. Vaccine is available in some endemic area.]
(Source: ProMED-mail 10 August 2007)
In southern Ukraine, three children had died from Rabies in the Zaporozhye Region so far this year. The disease there was mainly transmitted by fox.
(Source: ProMED-mail 11 August 2007)
In Georgia, 7 people died from Rabies in the half of this year. Health officials claimed that all the deaths were due to delayed referral for treatment.
(Source: ProMED-mail 11 August 2007)
In Hovsgol Province, a 14-year-old child died from Plague in Tsetserleg County and was suspected to have contracted the disease through contact with a dog or marmot. A total of 69 contacts were isolated for observation and none of them developed fever so far. Mongolia has a high incidence of Plague. Cases have been reported in almost all provinces.
(Source: ProMED-mail 7 and 9 August 2007)
Angola: Poliomyelitis (update)
In Angola, four new cases of Poliomyelitis were reported in Luanda and Benguela provinces, bringing the total number of cases in the country this year to 10.
(Source: World Health Organization 9 August 2007)
The health officials of Tanzania reported an outbreak of Cholera with 19 hosipitalised cases and 10 deaths in the northern Mara region.
(Source: ProMED-mail 10 August 2007)
Togo: Avian Influenza, poultry
In Togo, there was again report that poultry was died of H5N1 Avian Influenza in the farm east of the capital, Lome again.
(Source: Central News Agency 12 August 2007)
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, as of 25 July , 2 104 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in 2007. In the State of Sao Paulo, 57 261 cases of Dengue Fever with 15 deaths were reported by the end of June this year, which exceeded the 50 027 cases with 6 deaths reported in the entire year of 2006.
(Source: ProMED-mail 6 August 2007)
The Health Official of Honduras has reported 10 944 cases of Dengue Fever so far this year. Among them, 570 were confirmed Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever cases.
(Source: ProMED-mail 6 August 2007)
In Comoros, an outbreak of Cholera has occurred in Grand Comoros since July this year. Dozens of cases and 8 deaths have been recorded so far.
(Source: Xinhuanet 8 Aug 200 and ProMED-mail 10 August 2007)
Federated States of Micronesia: Zika Virus Infection (update-1)
The most recent suspected case of Zika Virus Infection was reported on 17 July at Yap Island of the Federated States of Micronesia. The outbreak of Zika virus infection in this country has resulted in 99 confirmed and 54 probable cases up till now.
[Editor’s Note: Like Dengue Fever virus, Zika virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes causing similar but milder symptoms. It is not spread directly from person-to-person. The symptoms include fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis and pain in small joints of the hands and feet.]
(Source: ProMED-mail 7 August 2007)