Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (19 January 2009)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human
The Ministry of Health in the Mainland announced a confirmed case of human infection with the H5N1 Avian Influenza. The case was a 16-year-old male from Hunan. He had onset of symptoms on 8 January 2009 in Guizhou and was brought to Hunan for hospitalization on 16 January 2009. His condition was critical at the moment. The case had contact with diseased and dead poultry prior to his onset.
(Source: Ministry of Health, China 19 January 2009)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human
The Ministry of Health in the Mainland announced a confirmed case of human infection with the H5N1 Avian Influenza. The case was a 27-year-old female from Shangdong. She had onset of symptoms on 5 January 2009 and died on 17 January 2009.
(Source: Ministry of Health, China 18 January 2009)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human
The Ministry of Health in the Mainland announced a confirmed case of human infection with the H5N1 Avian Influenza. The case was a 2-year-old female from Shangxi. She had onset of symptoms on 7 January 2009 in Hunan and was brought back to Shanxi by her grandparents on 11 January 2009. Her condition was critical at the moment.
(Source: Ministry of Health, China 17 January 2009)
Egypt reported a human case of Avian Influenza. The case was a 21-month-old girl from the village of Kerdasa on the western edge of Cairo. She was in hospital in a stable condition. She had contact with infected birds.
In the past 3 years, Egypt reported a total of 52 human cases and 23 had died.
(Source: ProMED-mail 13 January 2009)
Nepal: Avian Influenza, poultry
In Nepal, the first outbreak of Avian Influenza among poultry was reported in Jhapa.
(Source: ProMED-mail 16 January 2009)
A Dengue Fever outbreak occurred in the Bolivian Amazon region. This epidemic has spread in Beni and Pando province, with 450 and 100 cases reported respectively.
In Brazil, a total of 127 000 people in Rio de Janeiro were sickened by Dengue Fever in 2008, up from 25 000 in 2007. In 2008, deaths from dengue fever nearly quadrupled the previous year to 106.
In north eastern Australia, Dengue Fever sickened more than 100 people. In Cairns alone 97 people were ill, while 350 km south in Townsville, an unrelated outbreak of a different strain of the virus struck 6 people.
(Source: ProMED-mail 13 January 2009)
Maldives: Acute Febrile Disease
In Maldives, an outbreak of acute febrile disease affecting more than 1 000 people was reported in Laamu Atoll. The outbreak may be due to Dengue Fever or Chikungunya Fever.
(Source: ProMED-mail 14 January 2009)
(Source: ProMED-mail 14 January 2009)
India: Meningococcal Meningitis
In India, an outbreak of Meningococcal Meningitis with 132 deaths was reported in Meghalaya.
(Source: ProMED-mail 17January 2009)
Uganda: Meningococcal Meningitis
In Uganda, outbreaks of Meningococcal Meningitis were reported in Arua and Hoima districts.
(Source: ProMED-mail 15 January 2009)
Argentina reported another fatal case of suspected Yellow Fever. The victim was a 36-year-old woman from Misiones. She died with symptoms compatible with the disease on 11 January this year. In addition, a man 45 years of age from Paraguay with recent travel history to Misiones was also diagnosed with the disease.
(Source: ProMED-mail 15 January 2009)
The Ministry of Health, Guinea reported two confirmed cases of Yellow fever in the health district of Faranah. The onset of symptoms for both cases was the beginning of November 2008. Another 21 suspected cases were reported, of which three died.
(Sources: World Health Organization 14 January 2009)
In Cameroon, an outbreak of Measles affecting more than 160 people with 3 deaths was reported in Extreme-Nord province.
(Source: ProMED-mail 14 January 2009)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 14 people have died of Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever since November 2008. Moreover, 43 people have been infected with Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever and 199 others were under observation.
(Source: ProMED-mail 11 January 2009)
In Zimbabwe, there has been an outbreak of Anthrax affecting some 200 people with 8 deaths since November 2008.
(Source: ProMED-mail 16 January 2009)