Current Travel Health News

As of 1 August 2010, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18 449 deaths.

For more information, please visit WHO's website.

(Source: World Health Organization 6 August 2010)

Indonesia reported at least 76 fatal cases of human Rabies in Bali in the past 2 years. The latest victim was a 43-year-old Balinese woman and she died on 3 August. In addition, around 34 000 dog bites were reported in the first 7 months of this year alone across Bali. There had been a significant increase as compared to 28 000 dog bites in the whole of 2009. The Indonesian government aims to vaccinate all dogs in Bali by the end of this year to control the spread of rabies. About 300 000 dogs had been vaccinated since 2008, and ten of thousands of stray dogs have been culled.

(Source: ProMED-mail 6 August 2010)

(Editor’s notes: Travellers should avoid contact with animals, including dogs, cats, monkeys and bats. Immunisation (both pre-exposure and post-exposure), combined with thorough wound cleaning, is the most reliable methods of preventing rabies. Travellers visiting Bali with prolonged stay or anticipated contact with animals should seek medical consultation for pre-travel health advice and pre-exposure rabies vaccination if indicated. )

Indonesia has announced one new human case of H5N1 Avian Influenza. The victim was a 34-year-old female from Tangerang district, Banten Province. She developed symptoms on 2 July, was hospitalized on 4 July and died on 7 July. A total of 168 cases with 139 deaths have been reported in Indonesia so far.

(Source: World Health Organization 3 August 2010)

As of 30 July, the Ministry of Health of Thailand has reported 45 379 cases of Dengue Fever this year, of whom 43 died.

As of 27 July, 35 human cases of West Nile Virus Infection have been reported in the USA this year. In addition, 3 human deaths from Eastern Equine Encephalitis had been reported from Florida during July 2010. Eastern Equine Encephalitis is a rare disease in humans, with around 6 cases occurring annually. Most cases are reported from southeastern Georgia, southern Alabama, the Carolinas and Florida.

 

(Source: National Travel Health Network and Centre, UK 5 August 2010)

As of 6 August, Greece reported 11 human cases of West Nile Virus Infection, of which 2 were laboratory confirmed cases.

(Source: National Travel Health Network and Centre, UK 9 August 2010)

India has reported 6 fatal cases of Malaria in Mumbai since August 2010. The latest victims of malaria include a 50-year-old man, a resident of Goregaon, and a 16-year-old boy, a resident of Haji Ali. Over 45 deaths have been reported due to Malaria so far this year. Furthermore, the total number of malaria patients admitted to various city hospitals has reached to 988 since August.

 

(Source: ProMED-mail 8 August 2010)

Peru reported at least 31 human cases of Plague with 1 death so far in the region of La Libertad. The victim was a 14-year-old boy and he died of bubonic plague on 26 July. Most of the infections are bubonic plague, with 4 cases of pneumonic plague.

Germany reported 396 cases of Hantavirus Infection in the first four months of this year. The number of cases had considerably increased as compared with the same period last year. The majority of infections were reported in the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

(Source: National Travel Health Network and Centre, UK 2 August 2010)

In Brazil, a suspected outbreak of Measles affecting 216 people has been reported in Para state.

(Source: ProMED-mail 7 August 2010)

In Russia, an outbreak of Anthrax affecting 6 people including 1 death has been reported in a farm in Omsk. The victims were hired to process horse meat in the farm where horses were found death in June. The horse meat had been sent to Moscow and other regions in the country.

(Source: ProMED-mail 5 August 2010)