Wüstenschiff

KRIM-KONGO HÄMORRHAGISCHES FIEBER - TÜRKEI
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Date: 10 Jun 2007
Source: Gulfnews.com [edited]
<http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Turkey/10131256.html>


An outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in Turkey has sickened 133 people
and killed 7 of them so far this year [2007], the Health Ministry
said yesterday [9 Jun 2007].

The number of cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) from
January to May [2007] was 13 percent higher than for the same period
in 2006, the ministry said.

Last year [2006], 27 of the 438 people who contracted the disease
died, Mehmet Ali Torunoglu, acting chief of the ministry's Department
of Communicable Diseases, said yesterday [9 Jun 2007].

"Definitely, there's an outbreak," said Dr Onder Ergonul, an
associate professor at Marmara University and a CCHF expert. A warmer
climate, which Turkey has experienced in recent years, could mean a
larger tick population that could in turn infect more people with the
disease, Ergonul said.

Authorities at the World Health Organization said they did not
believe there was anything unusual about the outbreak at the moment,
since CCHF occurs regularly in Turkey.

Turkey's 1st known outbreak of the disease was in 2002, and the
country has since adopted stronger surveillance systems, which may
account for the increased number of reported cases.

The Health Ministry has used acaracide, a chemical used against
parasites, to reduce the tick population in the Black Sea and Central
Anatolia regions, where more than 90 percent of the cases have been
reported.

The ministry has also worked to minimize agricultural workers' direct
contact with livestock, thus decreasing their chances of exposure to
the disease.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[ProMED thanks Rapporteur Joseph Dudley for submission of a similar report.

It is not clear from this report whether CCHF virus exposure was from
infected farm animals or from viremic blood of infected people. It
would be interesting to know how effective the acaracide treatment
has been in reducing tick populations.

A map of Turkey can be accessed at:
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_e ... _pol83.jpg>.
- Mod.TY]

SALMONELLOSIS, SEROTYPE ENTERITIDIS, MAYONNAISE - JORDANIEN
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Date: Wed 20 Jun 2007
Source: PoultrySite.com [edited]
<http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultryne ... -in-jordan>


Following alarm caused by an outbreak of salmonella poisoning in
Jordan involving 300 people, the Jordanian Ministries of Agriculture
and Health quickly organized a seminar in Amman for table egg and
broiler producers.

The outbreak was caused by _Salmonella [enterica_ serotype]
Enteritidis following the consumption of homemade mayonnaise from
local fast food outlets -- known as "Shawerma" outlets -- prepared
under questionable hygiene conditions.

Such was the importance attached to this event, in addition to major
poultry integrators, it was attended by 10 veterinarians involved in
zoonosis and veterinary services from the Ministry of Agriculture,
Professor Kalel Shawbka from the University of Jordan and Dr Mohamed
Al Nator from Jordan University of Science and Technology, as well as
veterinarians and advisers from the private sector.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[Exactly when this significant outbreak of salmonellosis occurred and
where in Jordan it was located were not stated in the posting. The
eggs in the mayonnaise, a thick, stable emulsion made from egg yolks
and vegetable oil, are certainly likely to be the vehicle.

A map of the Middle East showing Jordan, east of Israel and west of
Saudi Arabia and Iraq, can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... deastr.pdf>.
- Mod.LL]

SALMONELLOSIS, CHICKEN, REFUGEE CAMP - JORDAN (AMMAN AREA)
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[1]
Date: Tue 14 Aug 2007
Source: Jordan News Agency (PETRA) [edited]
<http://www.petra.gov.jo/nepras/2007/Aug/14/3000.htm>


The number of food poisoning cases that resulted from consuming
chicken shawarma in Baqaa, Jordan, has risen to 237, Director General
of the Balqa Health Department Khalid Hiari said.

Hiari added that a total of 120 cases were still hospitalized with 65
cases in Al Hussein Hospital in Salt, 45 cases in Prince Hamzah
Hospital, 2 in Al Israa Hospital and 8 in the Islamic Hospital.

The government on Sun 12 Aug 2007 imposed a ban on sales of chicken
shawarma meals until stricter measures are enforced to prevent
reoccurrence of food poisoning cases.

Salmonella-contaminated shawarma dishes were the cause of the cases
reported in Baqaa since last Fri 10 Aug 2007.

--
Contributed by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

*****
[2]
Date: Sun 12 Aug 2007
Source: Middle East Times [edited]
<http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?St ... 2002-4312r>


Nearly 200 people were treated for food poisoning in Jordan, after
eating salmonella-tainted chicken sandwiches from a fast food
restaurant in a Palestinian camp, officials said Sun 12 Aug 2007.
Minister of public sector development Mohammed Zuneibat told the
state-run Petra news agency that the government had opened an
investigation after 176 people were stricken from eating chicken
shawarma sandwiches Sat 11 Aug 2007.

"The chicken used to make the shawarma sandwich was not cooked
properly, and contained salmonella," Zuneibat said.

The restaurant in the Baqaa camp just north of Amman, Zuneibat said,
had passed inspections on 4 separate occasions in July 2007.

In 2006, hundreds of Jordanians were treated for food poisoning after
eating shawarma sandwiches, prompting the authorities to crack down
on fast food restaurants.

--
Contributed by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Brent Barrett

[Shawarma is thinly sliced cuts of meat, like chicken, beef, goat,
lamb, and sometimes turkey, rolled into a large piece of flatbread or
pita that has been steamed or heated. Inside the pita, foods like
hummus, tahini, pickles, and vegetables are added.

A map of Lebanon showing the location of Amman can be found at:
<http://geology.com/world/jordan-map.gif>.
- Mod.LL]

WEST NILE FIEBER - ISRAEL (NORTH DISTRICT)
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Date: Wed 5 Sep 2007
From: Raul Raz, Bibiana Chazan <raz_r@clalit.org.il>


4 cases of West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis were diagnosed at the
Ha' Emek Medical Center, Afula [North District], Israel

During the last 3 weeks, 4 inhabitants of the Afula surroundings were
hospitalized due to fever, headache, confusional state, and stupor.
These inhabitants included 2 females (58 and 64 years old) and 2
males (40 and 66 years old). [Of these,] 2 were immunocompromised
(one with colon carcinoma after chemotherapy, and the 2nd after
kidney transplantation); one suffered from diabetes mellitus type 2,
and the last was a healthy patient. One of them recalls a mosquito
bite one week before the fever started.

After hospitalization, a complete work-up was done: CT (computerized
tomography) and EEG (electroencephalography) did not show
abnormalities. Lumbar puncture was compatible with viral
encephalitis; Gram stain, spinal fluid cultures, and PCR [polymerase
chain reaction] for herpes simplex virus [HSV] were negative. All of
them received empirical treatment with Acyclovir IV... Because of a
more severe clinical presentation, the kidney transplant patient
received IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin -- 0.5 g/kg/day for 4 days).

The diagnosis of WNV was confirmed by seroconversion in serum and CSF
(cerebrospinal fluid) samples. [Seroconversion means that there were
no WN antibodies in serum or CSF taken during the acute phase of
illness, but they were present in those fluids taken during
convalescence. - Mod.JW]

All the patients completely recovered and were discharged without
neurological signs or symptoms.

--
Prof. Raul Raz
Dr. Bibiana Chazan
Infectious Disease Unit
Ha 'Emek Medical Center
Afula, Israel
<raz_r@clalit.org.il>

[ProMED-mail thanks Prof. Raul Raz and Dr. Bibiana Chazan for this
report. Israel has sporadic human West Nile virus cases. - Mod.TY

Afula, south of Nazareth, in the Northern District of Israel, can be
located on the map at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... israel.pdf>. - CopyEd.MJ]

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA & DYSENTERY UPDATE 2007 (45)
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Cholera, possible - Grenzbereich Syrien/Iran (refugee camp)
Date: Sun 7 Oct 2007
Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) [edited]
<http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74682>


Despite the efforts of the Iraqi government and WHO to contain a recent
cholera outbreak, the disease has already spread to half of the country and
has also crossed the border into Iran, according to WHO and Iranian
authorities. Refugee camps on Iraq's borders and inside Iran, Syria, and
Jordan have been warned of the outbreak by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

"Many of us are suffering from diarrhea. Doctors are not always available
and this week we discovered that 2 men who were at our camp for a short
period of time are now in Baghdad being treated for cholera," said a 36
year old displaced woman living in a camp on the Iraqi-Syrian border.

"We are living in an unhygienic environment. Toilets are close to our
living quarters, vegetables and beans are not washed properly. We're
therefore vulnerable to catching the disease," she added.

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The original URL also contains a photograph of a child who is "suspected
of having cholera". Other countries neighboring Iraq are going to the alert
to detect cases of cholera within their boundaries, including Jordan
(<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007- ... 842297.htm>) and
Saudi Arabia
(<http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQB ... e5Ll37fM8g>). These
countries are located on the western borders of Iraq although most of the
Iraqi cases are reported in the eastern (and primarily north eastern) part
of the country. A map of Iraq showing its borders can be found at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... e/iraq.pdf>. - Mod.LL]

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA & DYSENTERY UPDATE 2007 (50)
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*****
Diarrhea - Yemen: (Hodeidah)
Date: Sun 21 Oct 2007
Source: News Yemen [edited]
<http://www.newsyemen.net/en/view_news.a ... 10_21_6930>


Tens of people in the districts of al-Dhoha, al-Zaidia, al-Qanawis,
al-Zahra, and al-Lohaiya of Hodeidah have been plagued with diarrhea,
but no deaths registered by the districts public health offices, a
medical source said.

The reason of diarrhea refers to [perhaps - Mod.LL] changes in the
digestive system as the time of meals changed after the holy month of
fasting, Ramadan, the source told NewsYemen. The source did not offer
definite number of plagued people in infected areas, but said that
field teams have visited the affected areas, which have diarrhea
infections every year, according to the source.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[A map of Yemen can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... /yemen.pdf>.
Hodeidah refers to extreme western Yemen bordering the Red Sea. - Mod.LL]

FOODBORNE ILLNESS, HUMMUS - JORDANIEN: (JERASH)
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[1]
Date: Sat 27 Oct 2007
Source: Agence France-Presse (AFP) [edited]
<http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/071027/w ... _poisoning>


The number of people hit by food poisoning in Jordan after eating hummus
(ground chickpeas) from a restaurant in Jerash south of the capital, rose
Sat 27 Oct 2007, to nearly 300, the health minister said. Salah al-Mawajdeh
told state-run Petra news agency that more than 90 people suffering from
diarrhea and fever have been taken to Jerash and Amman hospitals. He said
the health authorities have shut down the restaurant and are currently
investigating the possibility of an outbreak of salmonella or cholera.
"They are in stable health condition now and might be discharged in the
coming few hours," the minister said. Earlier, the head of the Jerash
public hospital Yousef Qoqaji told AFP that 206 people had been treated for
food poisoning and that salmonella was probably the cause.

In August [2007], 176 people were treated for salmonella poisoning after
eating tainted sandwiches from a restaurant in the Baqaa Palestinian camp
northwest of Amman, prompting the authorities to crack down on fast food
outlets.

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail rapporteur Brent Barrett

******
[2]
Date: Mon 29 Oct 2007
Source: ChinaView, Xinhua News Agency report [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007- ... 972034.htm>


Health authorities said the situation was improving with only dozens of new
cases admitted on Sun 28 Oct 2007, raising the total number of suspected
food poisoning cases in northern Jordan's Jerash Governorate to 338, The
Jordan Times reported on Mon 29 Oct 2007.

Yousef Qoqazeh, director of Jerash Public Hospital, was quoted as saying
that only 10 citizens were still receiving treatment in the hospital out of
the 52 who were admitted on 27 Oct 2007. "The patients' conditions are
stable and they are expected to be discharged within 24 hours," said Qoqazeh.

On Fri 26 Oct 2007, hundreds of residents in the village of Sakeb,
suffering from fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, were rushed to Jerash Public
Hospital with authorities initially blaming the problem on food poisoning
from a local restaurant, which was closed down as a precautionary measure.

Jerash governor, Ali Azzam, said initial tests carried out on potable water
samples taken from the village turned out negative. "We also sent hummus
and water samples to the National Laboratories in Amman and to the King
Abdullah I Hospital in Irbid to carry out more sophisticated tests to
determine the cause of the incident," he said, adding that results normally
need 48 to 72 hours.

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Hummus is a creamy puree of chickpeas and tahini (sesame seed paste)
seasoned with lemon juice and garlic, and is a popular spread and dip in
Greece and throughout the Middle East. It can be garnished in many ways,
including sprinkling paprika, parsley, cumin (popular in Egypt), pine nuts
(traditional in Palestinian hummus), tomatoes, cucumber, thinly sliced
onions, sauteed mushrooms, or with whole chickpeas over the top before
drizzling with olive oil. Hummus was the vehicle for a large outbreak of
salmonellosis in Chicago, IL, USA earlier this year (2007).

The etiology of this relatively large outbreak is not entirely clear but
several sources have implicated salmonellosis. ProMED-mail has posted 2
previous outbreaks of salmonellosis in Jordan in 2007. The apparent rapid
recovery of the hospitalized individuals, however, might suggest a
norovirus etiology.

A map of Lebanon showing the location of Jerash can be found at
<http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/middle-east/jordan/>. - Mod.LL]

Israel - Masern
14.11.2007

180 Erkrankungssfälle wurden in diesem Jahr in Jerusalem und Bnei Brak registriert, vorwiegend bei Kindern. Sie gehören zu ultra-orthodoxen Gemeinschaften, die die Impfung ablehnen. Die kontinuierliche Krankheitswelle auf niedrigem Niveau ist im Spätsommer d.J. aufgeflackert, nachdem zwei Besucher aus London mit frischen Masern an einer Hochzeitsparty teilnahmen, worauf in der betroffenen Kommunität zahlreiche Neuerkrankungen auftraten. Nach dem deutschen Impfkalender sind 2 MMR-Impfungen für alle Kinder vorgesehen. Ein fehlender Impfschutz kann auch später jederzeit, z.B. anlässlich einer Reise, nachgeholt werden. / Quelle: crm

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA & DYSENTERY UPDATE 2008 (11)
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Cholera - Yemen: (Hajjah)
Date: Mon 18 Feb 2008
Source: Yemen Times [edited]
<http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1130&p=health&a=1>


Cholera is threatening the lives of citizens in Hajjah governorate's
Bani Qais district. Bani Qais locals say they are being threatened by
cholera, with the epidemic having killed 40 area residents since late
2007. Local council member Sheikh Yahya Hafja stated, "This disaster
is a tragedy. I appeal to concerned authorities and both local and
international organizations to intervene quickly to stem this problem."

Although Yahya Ghailan, head of the Epidemic Surveillance Department,
was on vacation, he agreed to comment on the situation, explaining
that the disease first appeared in the district in October 2007,
beginning in Mistaba, northern Hajjah and a district on the
Yemeni-Saudi border, before moving on to Bani Qais and Khairan
districts. "3 children from the same family, ages 5, 8, and 10, died
of cholera on 15 Dec 2007," Ghailan noted, adding that the Bani Qais
Health Department has recorded 16 deaths since the disease's
appearance in the district. "The problem still exists, with the most
recent death being a female on 27 Jan 2008," he added.

A Bani Qais health worker requesting anonymity said 40 deaths have
been observed due to cholera, with the main reason being water
contamination, adding that Health Department records are inaccurate
because several deaths have occurred at home. However, health worker
Ali Ahmed denies the existence of the disease, maintaining that
talking about it will affect tourism in that area.

[Byline: Siraj Al-Deen Al-Muqri]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[A map of Yemen can be found at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... /yemen.pdf>. Hajjah
is a region of western Yemen near the Red Sea. - Mod.LL]

Jemen - Darminfektionen
19.02.2008

Risiko für Durchfallerkrankungen landesweit. Cholera gibt es seit Anfang Januar im Bani Qais-Distrikt, Hajjah-Gouvernorat, im NW an der Grenze zu Saudi-Arabien. Polio durch Wildvirus Typ 1 hatte sich nach Reimport aus dem Sudan seit Februar 2005 erneut landesweit ausgebreitet; bis zum Jahresende wurden 478 Erkrankungen nachgewiesen. Nach flächendeckenden Impfkampagnen wurde 2006 nur noch 1 Fall entdeckt, im letzten Jahr bisher keiner. Hygiene und Impfschutz gegen Polio beachten. / Quelle: crm

SCREWWORM MYIASIS, HUMAN, ANIMAL - YEMEN, SUSPECTED, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
***************************************************************************
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Date: Thu 21 Feb 2008
Source: Big Medicine [edited]
<http://www.bigmedicine.ca/middleast.htm ... _livestock>


Specialized field teams in 3 provinces are trying to tackle the
spread of myiasis, the infestation of human or animal tissue with fly
larvae (maggots) -- a disease, which has not been seen in Yemen until
very recently.

Ghaleb al-Eryani, director-general of the General Department for
Animal Resources (GDAR) at Yemen's Ministry of Agriculture, told IRIN
[UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. - Mod.AS] on 18 Feb
2008 that about 1500 animals and 8 people [that] had contracted the
disease since it first appeared in December 2007 in al-Dhaher
village, Saada Province, near the border with Saudi Arabia.

"The disease was combated immediately... but later it spread to other
districts and the neighbouring province of Hajja," al-Eryani said,
adding that the disease had also hit al-Zahrah district in the
western province of al-Hudeidah.

"The teams have cured all the discovered cases by giving them
anti-parasite medicines and spraying parasiticide. Combating the
disease is very costly and beyond the government's capabilities. On
average, the infected animal or human needs USD 10 for the required
medicines," he said.

Myiasis is the infestation of tissue with fly larvae. It is
widespread in the tropics and subtropics of Africa and the Americas,
but occurs with significantly less frequency in most other areas of
the world. The disease is also known as 'fly-strike', 'fly-blown', or
'New World' [screwworm].

The GDAR said it had notified farmers not to move their animals
without the supervision of a veterinary officer for fear that they
might move to infected places.

Al-Eryani said people need to be aware of the disease; combating it
requires a clean and healthy environment. He said the poor could be
the most vulnerable as 75 percent of Yemen's 21 million inhabitants
live in rural areas and "almost all people in rural areas rear
animals in their houses. The environment encourages the spread of the
new disease."

"The situation is very worrying. The initial loss Yemen might face is
22 billion riyals [about USD 111 million] in terms of livestock.
There are 15 million sheep, 1.4 million cattle, and 250 000 camels in
the country," he added.

Epidemiology
------------
According to al-Eryani, the disease is caused by a fly known as
screwworm or 'New World' (because of its prevalence in the tropics)
-- a species of parasitic fly whose maggots eat the living tissue of
warm-blooded animals, including humans. The screwworm fly is about
twice the size of a regular house fly. It is greenish-blue in color
and has large reddish-orange eyes.

Infestations can occur in any open wound, including cuts, castration
wounds, navels of newborn animals, and wounds caused by tick bites.
The wounds often contain a dark, foul-smelling discharge. Screwworm
larvae feed only on living flesh, never dead tissue. Once a wound is
infested, the screwworm can eventually kill the animal or human,
literally eating it alive.

Screwworm females can lay up to 400 eggs at a time in the exposed
flesh of either animals or humans and they can hatch into larvae in
as little as 12 hours. A single adult female can lay as many as 2800
eggs during its 31-day lifespan. The hosts are usually mammals,
occasionally birds and, less commonly, amphibians or reptiles.

"This fly can fly over 120 km (75 mi) and deposit its eggs in
animal's or human's wounds. It also puts its eggs in the animal's
anus and vagina. Then the egg develops into a larva, which later
grows in the form of a snail," he said, adding that the infected
organ might need to be amputated. "The disease does not directly lead
to death but if not treated it causes death," he said.

Bristol University's Veterinary Parasitology and Ecology department
has described in detail the different forms of the disease.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Screwworms are fly larvae (maggots) that feed on living flesh. These
larvae infest all mammals and, rarely, birds. Two different species
of flies cause screwworm myiasis: New World screwworms (_Cochliomyia
hominivorax_, NWS) occur in the western hemisphere, and Old World
screwworms (_Chrysomya bezziana_, OWS) are found in the eastern
hemisphere. Both species are members of the subfamily _Chrysomyinae_
in the family _Calliphoridae_ (blowflies). "Screwworm myiasis" is an
OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) reportable disease.

The climatic requirements for these 2 species are similar, and they
could become established in either hemisphere. OWS and NWS have
adapted to fill the same niche, and their life cycles are nearly
identical. Female flies lay their eggs at the edges of wounds or on
mucous membranes. When they hatch, the larvae enter the body, grow,
and feed, progressively enlarging the wound. Eventually, they drop to
the ground to pupate and develop into adults. Screwworms can enter
wounds as small as a tick bite. Left untreated, infestations can be
fatal. Screwworms have been eradicated from some parts of the world,
including the southern United States, but infested animals are
occasionally imported into screwworm-free countries. These
infestations must be recognized and treated promptly; if the larvae
are allowed to leave the wound, they can pupate and introduce
themselves into the area.

Screwworms are very susceptible to freezing temperatures or long
periods of near-freezing temperatures. These organisms are seasonal
in some areas, and can spread into colder climates during the summer.

Screwworms can be eradicated from a region by repeatedly releasing
sterile male flies that mate with wild female screwworms to produce
unfertilized eggs. (Because it is usually impractical to separate
irradiated male and female flies, both males and females are usually
released.) This technique leads to a reduction in screwworm numbers
and eventually results in eradication. In addition, infested animals
are treated and their movements are controlled.

NWS are found only in the western hemisphere, primarily in the
tropical and semitropical regions of South America and the Caribbean.
They are rare above 7000 feet [2134 meters]. These parasites were
once widespread, but eradication programs have eliminated them from
the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Curacao,
and all of Central America. Screwworms were last reported in Panama
in 2005. An eradication program is ongoing in Jamaica. NWS were
detected in Libya in 1988, but have since been eradicated. This
eradication project, which involved the wide-scale releasing of
sterile male as described above, was supported by the FAO (UN Food
and Agriculture Organization).

_C. bezziana_ (OWS) can be found in Southeast Asia, the Indian
subcontinent, much of tropical and sub-Saharan Africa, and some
countries in the Middle East. The situation is changeable in the
Middle East; while Kuwait reported its last case in 1998,
infestations have recently occurred in Iraq and Iran. OWS have never
become established in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, or the Western
Hemisphere.

Occasional cases or outbreaks of screwworm are reported in
screwworm-free countries.

Humans can be hosts for screwworm larvae.

The newswire above on suspected cases in Yemen, in animals and
humans, does not provide information on the exact identity of the
screwworm involved. Its confirmation, including identification of the
fly species involved and any available further information, is
requested. If confirmed, immediate notification to the OIE should
follow and application of control/eradication measures is essential.
Neighbouring countries should carry out surveillance at the earliest.

Further information can be found in chapter 2.2.8 of OIE's Manual of
Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals
<http://oie.int/eng/normes/mmanual/A_00047.htm>, and in the Center
for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) at Iowa State University
College of Veterinary Medicine
website
<http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets ... yiasis.pdf>,
which includes illustrations. - Mod.AS]

[The western provinces of Saada (Sa'dah), Hajja (Hajjah), and
al-Hudeidah (Al Hudaydah), and can be located on the map of Yemen
available at
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_e ... n_2002.jpg>.
- CopyEd.MJ]

SCHISTOSOMIASIS - YEMEN
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Date: Tue 26 Feb 2008
Source: Yemen Observer [edited]
<http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10013772.html>


WHO: 3 million Yemenis infected with bilharzia
----------------------------------------------
The World Health Organization's (WHO) representative in Yemen, Ghulam R
Popal, said that there are 3 million Yemenis infected with bilharzias
[schistosomiasis], inflicting human and economic losses on the country. 20
per cent of the patients are suffering serious developments that are likely
to result in death.

In a Sana'a [capital of Yemen] workshop held last Wednesday [20 Feb 2008]
in preparation for a bilharzia eradication campaign that will be held on 11
Mar [2008], Rabani stated that the world had gotten rid of bilharzia, with
Yemen and Sudan being the only countries in the Middle East which are still
suffering from the disease, while other less developed countries have
managed to eradicate it.

Rabani pointed to countries such as Egypt and Afghanistan, places where the
bilharzia parasite was at one time more prevalent than in Yemen, and noted
that they managed to get rid of the disease through awareness campaigns.
Tunisian Riadh Bin Ismail, the WHO regional expert said, "The bilharzia
drug, called 'brazicontel' [praziquantel] has been approved by the WHO and
has no side effects if taken properly."

This eradication campaign changes the previous mechanism of shell
collection and preventing children from swimming in pools, which proved to
be more expensive, to one of giving the drug to children in the targeted
age group of 6 through 18 years. This age group is responsible for 90 per
cent of the disease's spread. Bilharzia treatment and prevention costs in
Yemen come to about USD 80 million each year.

Dr Abdulhakim al-Kahlani, General Epidemics Observatory manager in the
Health Ministry, said during his speech that this campaign is an important
factor in breaking the bilharzia life cycle because there will eventually
be no infected people who can contaminate stagnant water with the parasite.

Dr Abdullah Oshaish, bilharzia combat manager, explained that collective
curing targets 2 million of children at the school age. 31 per cent of
these do not go to school, pointing out that this year's [2008] campaign
aims at giving the drug to children living in 36 districts, spreading over
Taiz, Haja, al-Dhalie, al-Mahwait, Abian, and Dhamar. More than 40 media
people joined this campaign, organized by the Sana'a unit of WHO.

[byline: Abdul-Aziz Oudha]

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[There are an estimated 16 million people in Yemen. The most heavily
infected area is in the south around the city of Taiz (Arfaa F:
Schistosomiasis in the Republic of Yemen. Geneva, WHO, 1990 (WHO assignment
report No. YES/PDP/OOI, cited in: Nagi et al: Epidemiological, clinical,
and haematological profile of schistosomiasis in Yemen. Eastern
Mediterranean Health Journal 1999; 5: 177-81, available at
<http://www.emro.who.int/publications/emhj/0501/24.htm>). - Mod.EP

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula
can be accessed at <http://healthmap.org/promed?v=15.9,47.6,5>. - CopyEd.MJ]

Shigellosis (Baktenrienruhr) - Israel (Tel Aviv)
Date: Sun 13 Apr 2008
Source: Yeshiva World News (YWN) [edited]
<http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=16731>


Health officials report an alarming increase in the number of
toddlers infected with shigellosis, leading to dangerous symptoms,
including diarrhea, often bloody, fever, and stomach cramps. It is
most commonly found among toddlers not totally toilet trained and
nursing homes. Food can become contaminated by soiled fingers, caused
by the lack of proper hand washing, or from vegetables irrigated in
fields with sewage water [a practice unfortunately not uncommon in
some areas], or ingesting contaminated water. At times, the diarrhea
can become so serve that it demands hospitalization. Most of the
cases reported in Israel of late were found in the Greater Tel
Aviv/Sharon region.

[Byline: Yechiel Spira]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Brent Barrett

[The Tel Aviv area of Israel can be found on a map of the country at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... israel.pdf>.
The Sharon Plain is a region of central Israel's coastal plain with
Tel Aviv as its southern border. - Mod.LL]

Jemen - Dengue
04.06.2008

Mehr als 1.000 Erkrankungen wurden in letzter Zeit von örtlichen Gesundheitseinrichtungen aus der Provinz Shabwa südöstlich der Hauptstadt Sana'a gemeldet. Auftritte dieser grippeähnlichen Viruskrankheit sind in den küstennahen Gebieten im SW des Landes seit Jahren bekannt, Häufigkeit und Fallzahlen zeigen wie im benachbarten Saudi-Arabien steigende Tendenz. Schutz vor den vorwiegend tagaktiven Überträgermücken beachten. / Quelle: crm

DENGUE - YEMEN
***************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

******
Yemen
Date: Sun 8 Jun 2008
Source: The Media Line [edited]
<http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_d ... wsID=21762>


An outbreak of dengue fever has hit the southern Shabwa province of Yemen,
affecting hundreds since mid-May [2008], health officials say. The number
of cases reported so far is nearing 1000, and 5 have died as a result.

Dengue is a mosquitoborne infection caused by one of the 4 dengue viruses.
A severe form of the disease, dengue hemorrhagic fever, is most serious in
children. Symptoms appear 3-14 days after the infective bite and range from
mild fever to incapacitating high fever, pain behind the eyes, muscle and
joint pain, and rashes.

Health officials in Yemen say its spread is largely due to ignorance, a
lack of awareness and the fact that it is being treated as a normal fever,
according to IRIN (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks).

Stagnant waters and rainfall are worsening the situation. Field teams are
distributing mosquito nets and spraying breeding areas and homes.

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail rapporteur Brent Barrett

[Apparently, the dengue epidemic in Shabwah province, Yemen, continues (see
ProMED-mail archive no. 20080603.1776 of 3 Jun 2008). A map of Yemen
showing the location of that province can be accessed at
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_e ... n_2002.jpg>.
- Mod.TY]