AUSTRALIA: Whooping cough hits WA, FNQ; Dengue in Top End
BOLIVIA: Rabies alert for La Paz; Deadly start to dengue season
BRAZIL: Dengue in Rio; Surveys identify country’s high risk regions
CANADA: Norovirus – nothing to write home about
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Measles deaths mount in Orientale
HAITI: Cholera epidemic assumes epic proportions
INDONESIA: Warning over Chikungunya; Bold plan to eradicate malaria
MALAYSIA: Sharp rise in dengue
MARSHALL ISLANDS: Dengue flares on Ebeye Island
MICRONESIA: Yap bears dengue burden
PAKISTAN: First polio case of the year
PERU: Dengue hits Pasco region
PHILIPPINES: Flooding leaves legacy of dengue, diarrhoea
RUSSIA: Measles continues in Chechnya
SRI LANKA: 2012 begins with 7 dengue deaths
UKRAINE: Imported cases behind measles epidemic
UNITED KINGDOM: Gearing up for healthy Olympics
AUSTRALIA: Whooping cough hits WA, FNQ; Dengue in Top End
DOMESTIC travellers, especially those with children, should be aware of sharp increases in rates of whooping cough (pertussis) in Western Australia and Far North Queensland. WA had 3597 cases last year, compared to 1458 in 2010, while Queensland recorded 8819 of the 37,880 cases recorded across Australia last year. Queensland’s tropical far north had 745 cases to December, 544 more than the previous year. The two states are the latest to experience an epidemic that has swept the country since 2008. Read more.
THE Northern Territory government has warned an estimated one-in-10 properties at Tennant Creek has Aedes mosquitoes capable of transmitting dengue. While no local residents have the disease, 7 cases were reported in Darwin last week. Read more.
Advice to travellers: Spread by airborne droplets, whooping cough is highly contagious. Infants are at particular risk when travelling to areas with high rates of the disease. Travelvax Australia advises both international and domestic travellers to check their immunisation status for whooping cough and other childhood diseases 6 weeks before departure.
BOLIVIA: Rabies alert for La Paz; Deadly start to dengue season
RABIES has surfaced in the cities of La Paz and Trinidad, with a total of 20 receiving precautionary post-exposure treatment following dog bites. The incidents are the latest involving the disease: canine and human cases were recorded in Oruro Department in December, as well as in Cochabamba in October. Read more (ProMED alert, Jan 13)
WITH Bolivia’s wet season just beginning, dengue has already caused 5 deaths and as many as 40,000 infections, according to a media report. Public areas are being sprayed to eliminate mosquito breeding sites. Read more.
Advice to travellers: Dengue continues to be a risk for travellers to tropical regions of Latin America, as confirmed by this and other country alerts from the region this week. Travellers are at risk in any urban setting and there is no vaccine or preventative medication. Cover up and apply an insect repellent containing effective active ingredients, such as DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, to exposed skin at all times when outdoors.
Generally, the risk of rabies is low for short-stay travellers, rising for those staying extended periods – especially if travelling in rural areas. However, all travellers should avoid contact with wild and domestic animals and obtain urgent post-exposure treatment if bitten by any animal, especially dogs. Increasingly, bats are a vector for rabies in the Americas.
BRAZIL: Dengue in Rio; Surveys identify country’s high risk regions
RIO de Janeiro recorded 64 cases of dengue in the first week of the year, 20 of them in the northern Leopoldina zone. Read more (ProMED alert, Jan 17).
AUTHORITIES have begun identifying Aedes aegypti breeding sites where significant dengue outbreaks could occur. They include Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo State, 7 municipalities in Parana State, Campo Grande (Mato Grosso do Sul state), and Ilheus (Bahia State). Read more (ProMED alert, Jan 17).
CANADA: Norovirus – nothing to write home about
MORE than 60 of 370 delegates at a journalism conference became ill and11 were hospitalised with severe nausea, stomach pains and vomiting following an outbreak of Norovirus at a hotel in Victoria (British Colombia) on the weekend. It is suspected contaminated food caused the outbreak. Read more.
Advice to travellers: Norovirus is a common cause of infectious gastroenteritis. Although generally short-lived, it can lead to more serious complications. Travellers should wash their hands before eating and practice good hygiene.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Measles deaths mount in Orientale
Measles is killing as many as 5 children a day in Ubundu (Orientale province), the latest area to be affected by a massive year-long epidemic. More than 100,000 cases were recorded in 2011, with Katanga, Maniema, South-Kivu, Eastern, and Western Kasai provinces hardest hit. Read more.
Advice to travellers: Australian travellers who have not had measles, nor received two documented doses of live virus vaccine, should consider vaccination – regardless of their destination. It is also advisable to check your immunisation status for childhood diseases such as whooping cough, diphtheria, mumps, and polio, as part of their pre-travel medical preparations.
HAITI: Cholera epidemic assumes epic proportions
WITH 520,000 cases and almost 7000 deaths, the cholera epidemic that began in October 2010 is now ranked as one of the biggest in a single country in modern history. Read more
TWITTER was faster, and at least as accurate as traditional surveillance methods in detecting and tracking Haiti’s cholera epidemic, a study has revealed. Read more.
INDONESIA: Warning over Chikungunya; Bold plan to eradicate malaria
AN 8-week long Chikungunya fever outbreak (235 cases) in Depok (West Java) is under control, but the government has warned of further outbreaks as the peak of the rainy season approaches. Last year, only 2242 Chikungunya infections were recorded, compared to 53,899 in 2010. Read more.
THE government has an ambitious plan to eradicate malaria on Java by 2015, from Kalimantan and Sulawesi by 2020, and from eastern Indonesia by 2030. Read more.
Advice to travellers: As with dengue fever, there is no vaccine or preventative medication for Chikungunya fever. The mosquito-borne disease is prevalent throughout Asia and parts of Africa. Preventing bites is important: Cover up and apply an effective insect repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus to exposed skin any time you are outdoors. Malaria is widespread in Indonesia, although the main tourist areas of Bali are considered low risk. Travellers should contact Travelvax’s advisory service (1300 360 164) for an overview on malaria prevention recommendations for their journey.
MALAYSIA: Sharp rise in dengue
SENIOR health officials are concerned over a 26% rise in dengue cases in 2012, with 440 cases recorded in the first week alone. Selangor, Johor, and Perak were worst affected. Read more.
MARSHALL ISLANDS: Dengue flares on Ebeye Island
WHILE dengue is in decline in Majuro, the number of cases (41 confirmed) reported on nearby Ebeye Island has been steadily increasing since Christmas. The islands have had 714 cases since early October. Read more.
MICRONESIA: Yap bears dengue burden
THERE have now been 1078 type 2 dengue cases since September, with 1-in-10 residents needing hospital treatment. The majority have been on Yap (839 cases), followed by Fais Island (158), Ulithi Atoll (77), Eauripik Island (2), and Woleai Atoll (2). Read more.
PAKISTAN: First polio case of the year
LAHORE has recorded a case of polio – the ninth of the year – casting fresh doubt over the government’s ability to control the disease. Pakistan has now recorded 189 cases: In contrast, neighbouring India is being praised for achieving 12 months free of the disease. Read more.
PERU: Dengue hits Pasco region
THERE have been 33 confirmed and 55 suspected cases of dengue fever in Pasco region (Constitucion district, Oxapampa Province). Read more. Promed, Jan 16.
PHILIPPINES: Flooding leaves legacy of dengue, diarrhoea
HEALTH officials in Cagayan de Oro city (Misamis Oriental province) are alarmed at a recent surge in dengue following recent flooding. There have been cases of diarrhoea among children living in evacuation centres. Read more.
RUSSIA: Measles continues in Chechnya
A WIDESPREAD measles outbreak across 27 regions of Chechnya is continuing into 2012. Officially, 25 children are being treated, although the actual figure is almost certainly much higher, according to a media report. Read more (ProMED alert, Jan 15).
SRI LANKA: 2012 begins with 7 dengue deaths
AFTER almost 28,112 cases and 185 deaths last year, dengue shows no sign of abating in 2012. More than 674 cases and 7 deaths were recorded in the first 12 days, with Colombo and the Gampaha district among the worst affected. The government has threatened to prosecute householders who do not co-operate with a new anti-dengue drive involving the army and police. Read more.
UKRAINE: Imported cases behind measles epidemic
DISPLACED migrants from Italy may have sparked a major measles epidemic involving 1118 cases – more than half of them children – in the Lviv Oblast (region) in the 6 weeks to January 11. Read more (ProMED alert, Jan 15).
UNITED KINGDOM: Gearing up for healthy Olympics
BRITAIN is preparing a major campaign to prevent disease outbreaks during the Olympics. Measures already in place include what’s been described as the world’s biggest health surveillance system, which will alert medics to the first signs of unusual illness. Rapid testing procedures have also been developed to identify bacteria or viruses that cause infectious diseases, or contaminate food. Read more.
Travelvax Australia compiles this weekly bulletin of global travel health alerts, risk assessments and advice for the information of Australian travellers and the travel industry. Please contact our travel health advisory service on 1300 360 164 for broad destination-specific advice and vaccination recommendations. Recommended vaccines, travel medication, trip-specific advice and accessories are available during a medical consultation with a travel health professional at any of Travelvax Australia’s 32 clinics. Visit our website or call 1300 360 164 for details.