Current Travel Health News

In Australia, north Queensland's Dengue Fever epidemic broke new territory. Dengue cases have been reported in Cairns(513), Townsville(70), Port Douglas(2) and for the first time at Yarrabah(2), Injinoo(1) and Innisfail(1).

(Source: ProMED-mail 2 March 2009)

In Indonesia, 2 suspected human cases of Avian Influenza infection were reported recently in Central Java and another 2 cases from Banten Province. In early 2009, 2 suspected human cases were also reported in Yogyakarta

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 and 27 February 2009)

An outbreak of H5N1 Avian Influenza which killed 730 birds was reported in a village in Phongsaly of Laos. The remaining 2 584 birds were culled.

(Source: World Organisation for Animal Health 26 February 2009)

Kenya announced her first Polio infection in 20 years, who was a 4-year-old girl from the country's remote border with Sudan.

The recent expansion of a prolonged outbreak of wild poliovirus type 1 in Sudan poses a very high risk of further international spread. It requires urgent and immediate outbreak response activities in the affected areas and heightened surveillance in countries at risk. Previously restricted to southern Sudan and western Ethiopia, the outbreak has now spread to northern Sudan, Kenya and Uganda. Two WPV1 cases have also been confirmed in northern Sudan (in Khartoum and Port Sudan).

A child is being treated for Polio in Amuru District 12 years since the last case was reported in Uganda. The victim was a 16-month-old baby boy who was admitted to the hospital with weakness in the limbs and has tested positive for Polio virus.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 February 2009 and World Health Organizaton 2 March 2009)

In Bolivia, 2 118 confirmed cases and more than 22 000 suspected cases of Dengue Fever were reported in the country. Out of which, 15 deaths due to Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever were reported. The seriously affected departments included Santa Cruz, Beni, Cochabamba and Pando.

In Brazil, 2 297 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in Rio de Janeiro so far this year and 4 242 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in Bahia in January this year.

In Paraguay, 173 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in the country so far this year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 February 2009)

In New Caledonia, 1 027 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in the country in the first 6 weeks of this year. The number was going up quickly.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 February 2009)