| Travel Alerts |
Current Travel Health Alerts
AUSTRALIA: New fatality as flu wanes/ BRAZIL: Ceara hit by dengue/ CAMBODIA: Dengue cases double/ CANADA: Legionnaires toll now 6; Sharp rise in over 30s syphilis/ CHINA: JE ‘imported’ into Hong Kong/ CONGO, Democratic Republic: Ebola kills 10; Cholera reported in capital/ COSTA RICA: Limon bears dengue burden
AUSTRALIA: New fatality as flu wanes
In Queensland, influenza has killed a third person in as many weeks as the flu season winds down. Queensland Health figures reveal 10,784 lab-confirmed cases to date – 1.8 times the five-year average. Read more.
BRAZIL: Ceara hit by dengue
Ceara State is experiencing its third worst dengue epidemic in its history this year, with 46,489 cases a high rate of 550 cases per 100,000 people. ProMED has gathered reports for the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo (Campinas, Aracatuba, Ribeirao Preto), Mato Grosso (Varzea Grande), Piaui, and Paraiba. Read more (translated ProMED post, August 28).
Advice to travellers: Spread by two types of aedes mosquitoes found in urban areas, dengue is mainly a risk for travellers during the daylight hours. As this week’ alerts show, Latin America and the Caribbean continue to be hard-hit by dengue. If you intend to visit these or any tropical regions, take measures to avoid mosquitoes and other biting insects. Cover up with long sleeved tops, long pants and shoes and socks when mosquitoes are most active; apply repellent containing an active ingredient, such as DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus when outdoors.
CAMBODIA: Dengue cases double
Cambodia’s dengue case numbers have risen to 27,590, with 111 deaths, more than double the 11,017 cases and 48 deaths during the same period last year. Read more.
Advice to travellers: Dengue is 'hyper endemic' in Cambodia, with cases the peak season extending from June to September. If you are travelling to Cambodia, take measures to avoid all insect bites and call Travelvax Australia (1300 360 164) for advice on malaria prevention and recommended travel vaccinations. Read more
CANADA: Legionnaires toll now 6; Sharp rise in over 30s syphilis
In Quebec, the Legionnaires disease death toll rose from 3 to 6 last week, while the number of people infected increased to 65. The source of the outbreak remains unknown. Read more.
CASES of syphilis have risen dramatically over the past two decades – from 177 in 1993 to 1750 in 2010 – and mainly in people over 30. Read more.
Advice to travellers: Legionnaires’ disease is not contagious and presents a low risk for most travellers. It is transmitted by breathing in contaminated mist or vapour, usually in spas and hot tubs.
CHINA: JE ‘imported’ into Hong Kong
Hong Kong has seen a rare case of Japanese encephalitis. A resident of mainland China who was infected in Chongqing earlier this month became ill after arriving on the island. Hong Kong is within Asia’s JE ‘belt’, but only 7 cases have been reported there in the last 20 years. Read more
Advice to travellers: The JE season is underway and Eastern China, including Hong Kong, is endemic for the virus. JE is transmitted by several species of Culex mosquitoes, which transfer the virus from infected wild birds (especially ardeids) to humans. The risk for short-stay travellers is low, but the case highlights the importance of using insect repellent and taking other measures to avoid bites at any time in endemic areas
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CONGO, Democratic Republic: Ebola kills 10; Cholera reported in capital
An outbreak involving the Ebola Bundibugyo strain has now sickened 15 people, killing 10, the WHO reports. Read more
FOUR cholera cases have been diagnosed in the capital, Kinshasa.
COSTA RICA: Limon bears dengue burden
There have been 6387 dengue cases to date this year, including 9 severe infections. Half the cases have been recorded in Limon province. Read more.
CUBA: Cholera surge tipped; Dengue death in Camaguey
Hurricane Issac’s passage over Cuba may dash official hopes of an end to the first cholera outbreak in 100 years. The outbreak led to 417 cases and 3 deaths, mainly in Granma Province, since early July. Read more.
A SCHOOL in Camaguey has become a makeshift hospital to cope with more than 400 cases of dengue, one of them fatal. Read more (translated ProMED post, August 28).
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Cholera, diarrhoea hits north; Dengue tally tops 2000
Cholera and acute diarrhoea from contaminated drinking water have sickened at least 550 people in the city of Tamboril in the northern province of Santiago. The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, where a two-year-old cholera epidemic has now claimed almost 7600 lives. Read more.
SOME 2123 dengue cases have been registered this year, including 87 severe cases and 8 deaths.
Read more (translated ProMED post, August 28).
EL SALVADOR: 1281 dengue cases last week
Dengue continues to rise rapidly, with 1281 suspected cases last week alone. As of the third week of August, there had been 20,068 confirmed or suspected cases – 80% among children. There have been 300 confirmed cases of DHF. Orange alerts have been posted in 32 municipalities. Cases numbers have been highest in San Salvador Department (State). Read more (translated ProMED post, August 28).
GUATEMALA: Escuintla a dengue hotspot
The health ministry the national dengue tally has now passed 400, including 21 cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and 5 deaths. Escuintla Department (state) has reported 16 of the DHF cases. Read more (translated ProMED post, August 28).
HONDURAS: Surge in dengue
More than 900 cases of dengue were reported over several days last week, bringing the national tally to almost 5000 (13 of DHF). Catacamas (Olancho Department) has recorded 115 classic and 16 DHF cases, while San Marcos (Ocotepeque) has reported more than 200 classic cases. Read more (translated ProMED post, August 28).
INDIA: Kolkata, Bhandara battle dengue; Malaria reported in north
Kolkata is facing its worst-ever dengue outbreak, with at least 2 deaths and hundreds reported of cases in recent days despite attempts to supress cases. Read more.
IN Bhandara (Mararashtra State), officials have been criticised for failing to curb outbreaks of dengue and Chikungunya fever. Read more.
THE two mosquito-borne diseases are also causing concern in the Ganjam district of Orissa State, with several cases in Boxipalli village. Read more.
AUTHORITIES are investigating 4 deaths from malaria at a training hospital in West Bengal State’s Bankura District last week. Read more.
MALARIA has also been reported in Pune (Maharashtra State) and in relief camps in the Bodoland Territorial Council(BTC) area of the far north east.
JAPAN: E. coli kills 7
A major food-poisoning outbreak in Hokkaido has killed seven people, including a 4-year-old child, and sickened more than 100 others. They ate pickled cabbage tainted with E. coli bacteria. Read more.
MALAYSIA: Parasite resurfaces on Tioman
Sarcocystis, a parasitic disease typically passed from animals to humans in undercooked meat, has again surfaced on Tioman Island. Five cases were recently reported among French travellers, 10 months after 33 travellers were infected while visiting the island. Read more (ProMED Alert, Aug 26.)
Advice to travellers: Choosing meat and other food that has been cooked to high temperatures reduces your risk of inadvertently consuming parasites or other pathogens passed on through faecal contamination or unhygienic handling. For travellers, the risk of sarcocystis is low. Read more
MEXICO: Rising dengue activity
Dengue has flared on Oaxaca’s coast – one of 14 states to report outbreaks this week. These include the states of Veracruz (Mazumiapan region), Yucatan, Jalisco, Baja California Sur (La Paz), Tamaulipas (Reynosa, Tampico, and Ciudad Madero), Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Quintana Roo (Playa del Carmen), Morelos (Zacatepec), Tabasco, Campeche, and Mexico. Oaxaca has declared a red health alert, however the international disease surveillance network, ProMED questions the high level of DHF cases (272) reported, compared to classic dengue (24) cases. Read more (translated ProMED post, August 28).
NEPAL: Mystery illness, typhoid hit districts
Four schoolgirls have died from an unknown disease at Khimna (Palanta, Kalikot district). Another 90 students and 20 villagers are ill, forcing closure of the school. Read more.
IN the Baglung district, hundreds of people are being treated for typhoid and an undisclosed ‘viral fever’, overwhelming local health facilities. It is a similar story in the Parbat district, where scores are ill with typhoid and the undisclosed illness.
Advice to travellers: As advised last week, Nepal’s monsoon peak is approaching, when cholera and gastro illnesses normally spike because of contaminated water sources. For most short-stay travellers, the risk of cholera is low. However, care in the selection of food and water is essential. Travelvax Australia’s travel health professionals can provide further advice on whether you should consider vaccination for your particular itinerary. Call 1300 360 164 - ideally 4- 6 weeks before departure. Read more
NEW ZEALAND: Gastro hits Canterbury
Gastroenteritis-contaminated drinking water has left more than 110 people sick in a small rural community around Darfield, in the Canterbury district. Read more.
NICARAGUA: Rains prompt dengue warning
There have been 1146 dengue cases to date this year, with numbers tipped to rise with seasonal rains in coming months. Outbreaks are occurring in the departments (states) of Leon (44 cases) and Masaya (40). Read more (translated ProMED post, August 28).
PARAGUAY: Dengue focus on Central Department
Dengue activity is centred on the Central Department, with 97 recent new cases – mainly from the Nemby, Fernando de la Mora, and San Antonio districts. Dengue types 2 and 4 are circulating in department and in the capital, Asuncion, while the national tally has now passed 28,128.
RUSSIA: Fatal anthrax in Siberia
One person has died from anthrax and 14 others hospitalised after handling the carcass of an infected cow in Druzhba, a village in the Altai region of Siberia. Read more.
SIERRA LEONE: Cholera claims 220
Cholera deaths continue to mount in 10 of the country’s 12 districts. The disease has now claimed 220 lives and infected more than 12,000. Read more.
UGANDA: Ebola toll now 17
An Ebola patient has died, bringing the number of deaths from the recent outbreak to 17. One other patient remains in isolation. Read more.
USA: West Nile spike; Dengue on border; Whooping cough deaths; Swine flu cases mount; Mangoes recalled over salmonella
Like Texas, Louisiana has seen a sharp rise in West Nile virus cases in the past week, including another 3 deaths. The 53 new cases bring the southern state’s total to 145 cases – 9 of them fatal. In 2002, Louisiana recorded 328 cases and 24 deaths. Read more.
MEANWHILE, Texas’ hard-pressed health officials are also concerned at reports of dengue on the USA-Mexico border for the first time. Read more.
IN TEXAS, 3 infants have died of whooping cough in recent months, bringing the state-wide toll to 5. Read more.
MORE human cases of swine flu have been reported, including three infections where the virus likely passed from person to person. Of the 276 infections detected in 10 states since July, most involved young children who had contact with pigs at state and county fairs. Read more.
LEGIONNAIRE’S disease has killed 2 guests of Chigago’s Marriott hotel and 6 others were infected over 6 weeks since mid-July. Read more.
FIRST rockmelons, now mangoes from Mexico are being withdrawn from sale because of a possible link to around 100 cases of salmonella in the USA and Canada. Read more.
Advice to travellers: Cases of West Nile virus are expected to continue for several more weeks. Travellers visiting states reporting human cases should take measures to avoid mosquito bites.