Aktuelle Epidemien in Afrika

[Alexander]

Choleraausbruch in Angola kostet 1500 Menschenleben

GENEVA, June 7 (Reuters) - Die Choleraepidemie in Angola hat bisher 1500 Todesopfer gefordert. 41000 Cholerfälle sind bisher bekannt, so die WHO.
mehr Reuters

Grüsse
Alexander

[Alexander]

Lungenpest breitet sich im Osten Kongos aus

Im Osten der Demokratischen Republik Kongo breitet sich nach Angaben der Hilfsorganisation Ärzte ohne Grenzen die Lungenpest aus. Mehr als 20 Menschen seien bereits an der leicht übertragbaren Erkrankung gestorben. Seit Ausbruch der Epidemie in der Provinz Ituri registrierte die Organisation rund 150 Krankheitsfälle. Betroffen sei mittlerweile eine Region mit rund 100.000 Einwohnern. mehr...

Grüsse
Alexander

[Birgitt]

Gelbfieber in Togo - update
WHO - 11.01.2007

As of 15 December, the Ministry of Health Togo has reported 3 cases of yellow fever (males, ages 9, 15 and 20 years) from the region of Savanes and Kara (see previous report). All cases are alive and were laboratory confirmed by the Institute Pasteur in Dakar. To avoid further spread, an initial joint Ministry of Health/WHO country office investigation team, sent to the field, recommended a vaccination campaign in response to the outbreak. A mass vaccination campaign will be carried out in the affected regions with 1 550 000 vaccine doses from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) Emergency Stockpile. The vaccination campaign will be conducted with the support of WHO, European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) and UNICEF.

[Birgitt]

Rift-Tal-Fieber in Kenia - update 2
WHO - 15.01.2007

As of 12 January 2007, 220 suspected cases, including 82 deaths of Rift Valley Fever virus (case-fatality ratio 37.2%) have been reported in North Eastern Province and Coast Province, Kenya. Fifty-six cases, including 12 deaths have been laboratory confirmed by Kenya Medical Research Institute.

Garissa district in North Eastern Province remains the main affected area with 132 suspected cases and 54 deaths. Fifty-eight cases including 10 deaths have also been reported from Ijara district in North Eastern Province. In neighbouring Coast Province, 15 cases and 12 deaths have been reported in Wajir district and 15 cases and 6 deaths in Tana River district.

The Kenyan Ministry of Health is coordinating a mulitsectoral response in collaboration with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development and with United Nations partners including FAO, UNICEF and WFP, as well as with other nongovernmental partners. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and national societies from Finland, Germany and Japan are also working with the Kenyan Red Cross to contain the disease.

The Kenyan Ministry of Health is carrying out clinical case management, and Rift Valley Fever wards have been established in Garissa Provincial Hospital as well as in Ijara district. Over 8000 animals have been vaccinated under the supervision of the Kenyan Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development and FAO. Vector control spraying, human and animal surveillance and social mobilization activities are continuing.

Additional technical assistance is also being provided by an international team from the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). An 11-member team from GOARN partner institutions, and WHO (Country Office, Regional Office for Africa, and Headquarters) is supporting the Ministry of Health, provincial and district health authorities in implementing public health measures to control the outbreak. GOARN partners include: a mobile laboratory team and 2 epidemiologists from the Public Health Agency of Canada (National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control and Canadian Field Epidemiology Programme ), a technical expert on Rift Valley Fever and a case management/infection control expert from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) and the School of Pathology of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and a 2-3 member social mobilization team from the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) and WHO Centre for Vulnerability Reduction, (WMC), Tunisia. WHO has also received offers of further technical assistance from GOARN institutions.

CDC-Kenya is coordinating bilateral assistance from the US Departments of Agriculture, Defense and Health and Human Services (HHS).

[Birgitt]

245 Menschen erkrankt
Rift Valley Fieber in Kenia
15.01.2007

Mindestens 90 Menschen sind während einer Fieber-Epidemie im Nordosten Kenias gestorben. Insgesamt seien 245 Menschen am Rift Valley Fever (RVF) erkrankt, berichteten kenianische Medien. Die Epidemie war vor etwa einem Monat während der ungewöhnlich starken Regenzeit ausgebrochen.

Die Fieberkrankheit wird durch Mücken von Tieren auf Menschen übertragen. Die WHO hatte ein Team entsandt, um Tiere in den betroffenen Gebieten zu impfen. Die amerikanische Hilfsorganisation USAID warnte vor einer Versorgungskrise, da Schlachthäuser und Viehmärkte aus Gesundheitsgründen geschlossen wurden. Besonders betroffen ist die Grenzregion zwischen Somalia, Kenia und Äthiopien, in der viele Nomaden mit großen Viehhirten leben.

Zum Schutz stehen zwei wirksame und gut verträgliche Impfstoffe zur Verfügung. Reisende ohne Impfschutz, die in den nächsten Wochen die RFV-Endemiegebiete besuchen, sollten dringend darauf achten, einen wirksamen Insektenschutz zu gewährleisten und auf tropentaugliche Kleidung zu achten ... mehr bei n-tv

[Birgitt]

Meningococcal disease in Uganda
WHO - 24.01.2007

From 1 January to 21 January 2007, the Ministry of Health has reported 241 suspected cases including 16 deaths (case-fatality rate, 6.6%) in Arua/ Maracha-Terego, Koboko, and Yumbe districts, an area bordering South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The population in the affected districts consists of both refugees and nationals living in rural, densely populated settlements. Three cerebrospinal fluid specimens have tested positive for Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A by latex test ... mehr

____________

Was sind Meningokokken

[Birgitt]

Yellow fever in Togo - update 2
WHO - 29.01.2007

A mass vaccination campaign is planned to take place in the next two weeks in the regions of Savanes and Kara where 3 cases of yellow fever have been laboratory confirmed (see previous report).

The most recent yellow fever mass vaccination campaign in this area was conducted in 1987 and as a result the population is highly susceptible to the disease. The current campaign will be carried out with 1 550 000 vaccine doses from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) emergency stockpile, through the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision for Yellow Fever Control. The campaign is targeting the population over 9 months in 11 districts in these two regions... mehr

[Birgitt]

Rift Valley Fever in Kenya and Somalia - update 3
WHO - 31.01.2007

Kenya

As of 30 January 2007, 411 suspected cases, including 121 deaths (case-fatality rate, 29%) have been reported in North Eastern Province, Coast Province, Eastern Province and Central Province (see map). One hundred and thirty-one cases have been laboratory confirmed.

The North Eastern Province has been the most affected, with Garissa district (175 suspected cases, 58 confirmed cases, including 57 deaths) and Ijara district (125 suspected cases and 22 confirmed cases, including 23 deaths) reporting the most cases and deaths. Sporadic cases have also been reported from districts in Eastern Province (Isiolo - 8 suspected cases, 3 confirmed cases) and from districts in Central Province (Kirinyanga - 4 suspected cases, 4 confirmed cases, including 1 death; Kajiado - 3 suspected cases, 1 confirmed case, including 3 deaths; Maragua - 1 suspected case, 1 confirmed case); Thika - 2 suspected cases, 1 confirmed case). Some of the cases from Central Province were diagnosed in Nairobi ... mehr

Somalia

As of 30 January 2007, WHO has reported 100 suspected cases, including 48 deaths, in Somalia (see map) with 1 case laboratory confirmed by the Kenyan Institute of Medical Research (KEMRI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/ International Emerging Infectious Program (CDC/EIP) in Kenya.

Médecins sans Frontières is facilitating transport of samples and the WHO country office has held training sessions with Somali medical officers on how to detect and contain the disease. However, the deteriorating security situation continues to hamper control measures in the affected area.



Quelle: WHO

[Birgitt]

Meningococcal disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
WHO - 02.02.2007

From 1 January to 31 January 2007, the Ministry of Health has reported 53 suspected cases including 6 deaths (case-fatality rate, 11.3%) in Adi health zone, Province Orientale, in the north-eastern part of the country, bordering Uganda. Two cerebrospinal fluid specimens have tested positive for Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A by latex test ... mehr

____________

Was sind Meningokokken

[Birgitt]

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA & DYSENTERY UPDATE 2007 (05)
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail, a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

In this update:
Africa
[1] Cholera - Somalia (Hiraan, Middle Shabele)
[2] Cholera - Nigeria (Delta)
[3] Cholera - Zambia (Lusaka, Eastern Province)
[4], [5] Cholera - Zimbabwe (Harare)
[6], [7] Cholera - Congo (Kouilou)
[8] Cholera - Angola (Luanda)

[Linking to maps in this update does not imply any political statement
about boundaries by ProMED-mail. - Mod.LL]

*****
[1] Cholera - Somalia (Hiraan, Middle Shabele)
Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007
From: Mary Marshall <tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>
Source: Reuters [edited]
<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L01884009.htm>


A suspected outbreak of cholera has killed up to 121 people in Somalia in
the past week, both hospital sources and local elders in Jowhar, Middle
Shabele said on Thu, 1 Feb 2007.

Doctors say some samples of watery diarrhea stools taken from the victims
had tested positive for cholera, with the worst affected region being the
central Hiraan area where at least 105 people have died.

In neighboring Middle Shabele region, 16 people are thought to have died
from the disease, which can be transmitted through contaminated food and
water. In both areas, nearly 200 people have been admitted to hospital with
suspected cases of cholera.

Both regions were badly hit by floods late in 2006.

"There is no hospital here. Victims are being taken care of by relatives,"
said Abdulle Adan, a local elder. "42 people have died this week in
Buuloberde from the outbreak. Some of the dead are being buried today."

"Some of the samples taken to (Kenyan capital) Nairobi for testing have
confirmed cholera," the director of Baladwayne hospital Mohamed Hussein
Halane told Reuters by telephone. "We have admitted 160 cases and 14 have
died in just a week."

[Byline: Ibrahim Mohamed]

--
Mary Marshall
<tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>

[ProMED thanks Mary Marshall for this posting.

A map of Somalia can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... omalia.pdf>. Both
Hiraan and Middle Shabele are administrative regions (gobolkas) in southern
Somalia. Hiraan has its western border with Ethiopia. Middle Shabele
(called Shabele Dhexe on the map) is east of Hiraan with the Indian Ocean
to its east. - Mod.LL]

******
[2] Cholera - Nigeria (Delta)
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: The Tide [edited]
<http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx ... ER%20DELTA>


Twelve persons have died in Delta State over an outbreak of cholera that
hit parts of the local governments in the state. The death of the people
followed [severe] shortage of drinking water in the affected areas. The
Tide reports showed that 7 of the victims died in the Power Line riverine
area near Asaba, while another 5 died in Bomadi Local Government Council of
the state.

The Health Ministry listed the areas most hit by the outbreak to include
Oshimili South, Oshimili North, Aniocha South, Bomadi and Burutu.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The Delta State can be found in southern Nigeria at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... igeria.pdf>. The delta
is that of the Niger River. - Mod.LL]

******
[3] Cholera - Zambia (Lusaka, Eastern Province)
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Zambia National Broadcasting Corp [edited]
<http://www.znbc.co.zm/media/news/viewne ... 1170256223>


Cholera has continued to take its toll in Lusaka. About 19 new cases have
been recorded in the last 24 hrs. Ministry of Health Spokesperson Canicius
Banda said the development has increased the number of individuals being
treated from cholera to 64. Dr. Banda also said 30 people who suffered
from cholera have been discharged in the last 24 hrs.

Dr. Banda said since the disease broke out in November 2006, 431 cases have
been handled in various health centers. He said out of the figure, 370
victims have been discharged and 10 have died. Meanwhile Dr. Banda said the
ministry of health has so far handled 167 cases of those affected that has
broken out in Sinda in Eastern province. He said 15 cases are currently
under treatment.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[A map of Zambia can be found at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... zambia.pdf>. Lusaka is in
the south-central part of the country bordering on Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The Eastern Province is east and north of the Lusaka area. - Mod.LL]

******
[4] Cholera - Zimbabwe (Harare)
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007
From: Thomas Schmidt <mediscon@web.de>
Source: IRIN [edited]
<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdes ... e00713.htm>


Four of 12 suspected cases of cholera have so far been confirmed in the
Zimbabwean capital, Harare, according to the city's director of health
services. The source of the disease may have been caused by a discharge of
untreated effluent into the reservoir supplying the capital with drinking
water 2 weeks ago.

However, other observers say that the failure to distribute water by the
Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has resulted in many people
drawing water from shallow wells, which are also suspected of harboring
cholera bacteria. Before President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF government
created ZINWA, which is wholly responsible for supplying water to Harare's
residents and industry, distribution was handled by the local municipality.

City director of health services Dr Prosper Chonzi confirmed to IRIN that
there was a cholera outbreak in the capital's eastern suburbs, where
water provision has been the most erratic, and said all cases of diarrhea
were being tested for cholera. "We suspect that the cholera outbreak could
have been caused by the contaminated water that residents are drinking --
most of them are fetching water from shallow unprotected wells, which are
easily contaminated."

The recent breakdown of the capital's largest sewage treatment plant
resulted in the discharge of 72 megalitres of raw sewage into the Mukuvisi
River, a tributary of Manyame River, which flows into Lake Chivero,
Harare's chief source of drinking water.

--
Thomas Schmidt
Executive Director, MediScon Worldwide
Hannover, Germany
<mediscon@web.de>

[ProMED thanks Thomas Schmidt for this posting. A link to a map of
Zimbabwe showing Harare can be found below in the next posting. - Mod.LL]

******
[5] Cholera - Zimbabwe (Harare)
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Independent Online [edited]
<http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1 ... 580866B251>


Nine people have caught cholera in 2 poor townships in Zimbabwe's capital,
most likely from drinking contaminated water in shallow wells due to a
breakdown in municipal services. More people have been forced to seek water
from more dangerous sources as the southern African nation suffers from
rocketing inflation, rising unemployment and poverty levels and shortages
of foreign currency, fuel and food.

The official Herald newspaper reported on Tue, 30 Jan 2007, that 9 people
from Tafara and Mabvuku townships were admitted to hospital after drinking
contaminated water. The 2 townships have faced intermittent water shortages
for years.

"Basically we suspect that the cholera outbreak could be from the
contaminated water the people in the area are drinking," Prosper Chonzi,
Harare's acting director of health services, told the paper. "Most of them
are drawing water from shallow wells, which are easily contaminated since
they are going for weeks without water," added Chonzi.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[ProMED thanks Mary Marshall (<tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>) who also
sent in the posting.

A map of Zimbabwe showing the capital city of Harare in the northeastern
part of the country can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... mbabwe.pdf>. - Mod.LL]

******
[6] Cholera - Congo (Kouilou)
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Independent Online [edited]
<http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss ... 860591B252>


A cholera epidemic that broke out in the Republic of Congo's economic
capital Pointe-Noire at the beginning of 2007 has killed 43 people, Health
Minister Alphonse Gando said Tue, 30 Jan 2007. Speaking on Radio Congo,
Gando said that 1826 cases and 43 deaths had been recorded since 5 Jan 2007
-- higher than the official tolls of 1236 and 41 published on Sat, 27 Jan 2007.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[A map of the area can be found linked to the following post. It is unclear
if the 2 deaths and 590 cases were new from the previous numbers released
only 3 days before. - Mod.LL]

******
[7] Cholera - Congo (Kouilou)
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) [edited]
<http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db9 ... enDocument>


An outbreak of cholera has killed 41 people in the port city of
Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo (ROC) since the beginning of Jan
2007, Health Minister Alphonse Gando said on Mon, 29 Jan 2007.

"Clinical observations and laboratory tests in Brazzaville have led us to
conclude that a cholera epidemic has broken out in Pointe-Noire and
surrounding areas," Gando said in a statement.

Pointe-Noire, ROC's 2nd largest city and the country's economic hub, is 500
km south of Brazzaville and has a population of an estimated 800 000. Gando
said by Mon, 29 Jan 2007, 1236 cases of cholera, including 41 fatalities,
had been reported.

To help residents of the cholera-affected area, the government has set up 3
large treatment centers providing free medical care.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[ProMED thanks Mary Marshall (<tropical.forestry@btinternet.com>) who also
sent in the posting.

The city of Pointe-Noire is in Kouilou province in southwestern Congo and
can be seen on a map of the country at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... /congo.pdf> - Mod.LL]

******
[8] Cholera - Angola (Luanda)
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Reuters. Com [edited]
<http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArt ... =L29193180>


Cholera cases have surged to "alarming" levels in Angola after deadly
floods left thousands of people without clean drinking water and access to
sewage facilities, aid workers said on Mon, 29 Jan 2007.

An average of 90 cases of the potentially fatal intestinal infection are
being reported each day in the province of Luanda, which includes the
capital, compared to an average of 15 to 20 cases before heavy rains
triggered floods last week.

"There has been a 5 fold increase in the number of cases in relation to a
week ago, which is a lot. Yes, it's quite alarming," said Mark van Boekel,
head of Medicins Sans Frontieres Holland in Angola.

But with parts of Luanda, including its slums, submerged in fetid water and
more rain forecast, aid workers say the outbreak may worsen in the coming
weeks and the death toll could eclipse that of the floods, which have
killed at least 90 people.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Luanda province and the country's capital, where the outbreak began in
early 2006, can be found in the northwestern part of the country can be
seen at: <http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... angola.pdf>. At
this point, only Lunda Sul in the northeast of the 18 provinces has not
reported cases. - Mod.LL]

[Birgitt]

RIFT VALLEY FEVER, OSTAFRIKA (13): KENIA
******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mailis a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Fri 2 Feb 2007
From: Joe Dudley <jdudley@eaicorp.com>
Source: allAfrica.com, The East African Standard (Nairobi) [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200702021002.html>


Sixteen people have died of Rift Valley fever in Baringo, Maragua and Taita
Taveta districts. Eleven died in Marigat, Baringo District, while 5 others
died in Taita, Taveta and Maragua districts, veterinary officers said on
Fri 2 Feb 2007. This brings the death toll from the disease to 150 since
the 1st case was reported in North-Eastern Province in January 2007.

Panic gripped Baringo residents as more people succumbed to the disease and
several patients were admitted to hospital. Veterinary officers have
imposed quarantine and ordered all butcheries closed after 2 more people
died on Thursday night. Villagers said 11 people had died even as
veterinary officers insisted it was 6.

An estimated 300 goats and sheep have died of a mysterious disease linked
to the spread of [Rift Valley fever] in the past week.

The clinical officer in charge of Marigat Sub-district Hospital, Rahab
Randall, said 4 people have died in the last week. "We have confirmed 4
deaths arising from the disease after samples we sent to the Kenya Medical
Research Institute (KEMRI) tested positive," said Randall. Randall said a
Standard Five pupil died while undergoing treatment at the Moi Teaching and
Referral Hospital while a middle-aged woman died at home.

Ngambo location chief, Mr Joseph Lenasheku, said many people were unable to
reach hospital due to heavy rains that rendered roads impassable. The body
of a 32-year-old woman, who died after feasting on meat from a dead sheep,
could not be taken to the mortuary due to the bad state of the roads.

In Nakuru, butcheries continued to suffer losses as residents avoided meat
fearing to contract Rift Valley fever. The manager of Gilanis Butchery, Mr
S A Haji said sales have since gone down. However, he assured his customers
that the meat was inspected and stamped by certified Government officers.
Mr Samson Keitany, a supervisor with Hygienic Butchery, said business had
been bad in the last 2 weeks. Keitany said he reduced his order to one cow
a week from 3. Gladys Njeri of Village Park Butchery said she reduced her
orders to 2 goats per day from 5. Butchers urged the Government to step up
vaccination and public awareness campaigns.

In Taita Taveta, 2 more people have succumbed to the disease. Two other
people are fighting for their lives at Taveta District Hospital. Those who
died included a Maasai herdsman and a woman at Salaita village in Taveta
division. Last month a Somali herdsman died at Kuranze Ranch in Voi
division. The Taita Taveta District medical officer of health, Dr Shem
Patta, said the victims died of a disease with symptoms similar to Rift
Valley fever. Dr Patta said one of those who died was treated in Tanzania
but died on return. The MOH said goats and cows were reportedly dying of an
unidentified disease. Patta said samples had been taken to KEMRI for
analysis. He said unrestricted movement in Taita could fan the rapid spread
of the disease. "We have set up an isolation ward in all public health
facilities, equipped workers with protective gear, and notified them of the
latest outbreak," said Dr Patta. He said the Government is educating the
public on the disease.

The District veterinary officer, Dr Julius Nkanata, said several animals
have died of an unidentified disease in the area. Samples have been taken
to Nairobi for tests.

In Maragua 3 more cases of the deadly fever have been reported. The Senior
Deputy Director of Medical Services, Mr Shanaz Sharif, said the samples
taken to KEMRI tested positive while those taken to Kirinyaga District
Hospital tested negative.

[Byline: Peter Mutai And Winnie Chumo]

--
Joseph P. Dudley, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist,
Biosecurity and Biosurveillance
EAI Corporation
Rockville MD 20852
USA
<jdudley@eaicorp.com>

[Despite the more optimistic assessments of international agencies (see:
Rift Valley fever - Eastern Africa (11): Kenya, Somalia 20070131.0398, and
Rift Valley fever - Eastern Africa (12): Kenya 20070201.0413) local opinion
is that the outbreak is still spreading.

An interactive map of Kenya locating some of the places mentioned in this
report can be viewed at
<http://www.alertnet.org/map/index.htm?c ... T,KE,SO&pc
odero/js/mw>, and a map of the administrative districts of Kenya is
available at <http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/ALN/aln57/bruins2.html>. - Mod.CP]

Quelle: promedmail

___________________

Was ist Rift Valley Fever

[Birgitt]

MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE UPDATE 2007 (05)
**************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail, a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

In this update:
[1] Sudan (Southern Sudan)
[2] Uganda (West Nile)
[3] Niger, serogroup X 2006

******
[1] Sudan (Southern Sudan)
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Reliefweb [edited]
<http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db9 ... enDocument>


From 1 to 28 Jan 2007, the Ministry of Health of the Government of
Southern Sudan has reported 666 suspected cases of meningococcal disease
including 70 deaths (case-fatality rate: 10.5 percent) from 7 out of 10
states in Southern Sudan. Some of these cases were also reported as early
as October 2006.

The population in the affected states includes returnees as well as
displaced people living in areas of difficult access and disperse
population settlements. A number of cerebrospinal fluid specimens have
tested positive for _Neisseria meningitidis_ serogroup A by culture as well
as by latex test.

Several field investigations have been conducted through mobilization of
rapid response teams, case management has been standardized in all the
affected states, community mobilization and health education are ongoing
and surveillance has been strengthened to ensure early case detection and
monitoring of the epidemic. A mass vaccination campaign targeting the
high-risk population in Warrab state, one of the most affected states
during this outbreak, has already started targeting over 45 000 people. The
WHO Country Office has provided the government with injection materials,
oily chloramphenicol, transport media and rapid test kits to control this
outbreak.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[A map of Southern Sudan showing the distribution of meningitis cases and
deaths in southern Sudan from 15 Oct 2006 to 28 Jan 2007 can be found at:
<http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Af ... penElement>.
- Mod.LL]

******
[2] Uganda (West Nile)
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: AllAfrica.com and New Vision (Kampala)[edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200702010147.html>


Meningitis is spreading fast in West Nile, leading to the postponement of
the beginning of the school term in the region. A total of 520 cases have
been reported, up from 342 cases announced last week in the districts of
Arua, Koboko and Yumbe, with 15 deaths registered.

As a result, the regional meningitis task force has directed that opening
of schools in Arua and Maracha-Terego districts be postponed by 2 weeks, to
allow mass vaccination. Schools countrywide were to open on Mon, 5 Feb 2007
for the new academic year.

In a circular copied to district leaders, Arua vice-chairman Kamilo Sabo,
said the postponement affected all government and private schools. The task
force, in collaboration with the WHO and Doctors without Borders, starts
mass vaccination on 2 Feb 2007 in Koboko, Omugo and Ayivu sub-counties,
which have the highest number of cases.

It will then roll to all affected sub-counties in Arua. The next 10 days
will cover Maracha/Terego, Koboko and Yumbe districts, medical sources
revealed.

[Byline: Patrick Alioni and Carol Natukunda]

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[A map of Uganda showing the affected areas in the West Nile Region in
northwestern Uganda can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... uganda.pdf>. - Mod.LL]

******
[3] Niger, serogroup X 2006
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2007
Source: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Clinical Infectious Diseases [edited]
<http://www.journals.uchicago.edu.newpro ... 086/511646>


In several recent meningococcal updates on ProMED, serogroup X was
discussed. The following is the abstract from Boisier P, Nicolas P, Djibo
S, et al: Meningococcal Meningitis: Unprecedented Incidence of Serogroup X
Related Cases in 2006 in Niger. Clin Infect Dis 2007;44: 657-63:

In Niger, epidemic meningococcal meningitis is primarily caused by
_Neisseria meningitidis_ (Nm) serogroup A. However, since 2002, Nm
serogroup W135 has been considered to be a major threat that has not yet
been realized, and an unprecedented incidence of Nm serogroup X (NmX)
meningitis was observed in 2006.

Methods. Meningitis surveillance in Niger is performed on the basis of
reporting of clinically suspected cases. Cerebrospinal fluid specimens are
sent to the reference laboratory in Niamey, Niger. Culture, latex
agglutination, and polymerase chain reaction are used whenever appropriate.
Since 2004, after the addition of a polymerase chain reaction-based
nonculture assay that was developed to genogroup isolates of NmX,
polymerase chain reaction testing allows for the identification of Nm
serogroup A, Nm serogroup B, Nm serogroup C, NmX, Nm serogroup Y, and Nm
serogroup W135.

Results. From Jan to Jun 2006, a total of 4185 cases of meningitis were
reported, and 2905 cerebrospinal fluid specimens were laboratory tested.
NmX meningitis represented 51 percent of 1139 confirmed cases of
meningococcal meningitis, but in southwestern Niger, it represented 90
percent. In the agglomeration of Niamey, the reported cumulative incidence
of meningitis was 73 cases per 100 000 population and the cumulative
incidence of confirmed NmX meningitis was 27.5 cases per 100 000 population
(74.6 cases per 100 000 population in children aged 59 years). NmX isolates
had the same phenotype (X : NT : P1.5), and all belonged to the same
sequence type (ST-181) as the NmX isolates that were circulating in Niamey
in the 1990s. Nm serogroup W135 represented only 2.1 percent of identified
meningococci.

Conclusions. This is, to our knowledge, the 1st report of such a high
incidence of NmX meningitis, although an unusually high incidence of NmX
meningitis was also observed in the 1990s in Niamey. The increasing
incidence of NmX meningitis is worrisome, because no vaccine has been
developed against this serogroup. Countries in the African meningitis belt
must prepare to face this potential new challenge.

--
ProMED-mail
promed@promedmail.org

[A map of Niger can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... /niger.pdf>. - Mod.LL]

Quelle: promedmail

_______________________

Infos Meningitis

[Birgitt]

53 Menschen in Kongo-Brazzaville an Cholera gestorben
04.02.2007

Brazzaville. AP/baz. Seit Mitte November sind in Kongo-Brazzaville mindestens 53 Menschen an Cholera gestorben. Dies geht aus offiziellen Zahlen hervor, die am Sonntag veröffentlicht wurden. Örtliche Regierungsbeamte erklärten indes, die tatsächliche Opferzahl sei vermutlich deutlich höher. Besonders betroffen war die Stadt Pointe Noire im Süden des mittelafrikanischen Landes. Die Choleraerreger seien dort nach heftigen Regenfällen in das Wassersystem gelangt, sagte der Vertreter der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO), Nafo Faoumata Traore. Mehr als 2800 Krankheitsfälle seien seit November in Pointe Noire registriert worden ... mehr

Gruß :?

Birgitt

[Birgitt]

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA & DYSENTERY UPDATE 2007 (06)
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail, a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

In this update:
Africa
[1], [2] Cholera - Congo (Kouilou, Pool)
[3] Cholera - Somalia (Hiraan)
[4] Cholera - Uganda (Ntungamo)
[5] Cholera - Angola (Benguela)
[6] Cholera - Zimbabwe (Harare)

*****
[1] Cholera - Congo (Kouilou, Pool)
Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: International Herald Tribune [edited]
<http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/ ... holera.php>


At least 53 people have died of cholera since mid-November 2006 in
the Republic of Congo, according to official figures released Sun, 4
Feb 2007. Local officials said they believed the real toll was much
higher. The majority of the deaths have been in the southern
commercial hub of Pointe Noire, where WHO representative Nafo
Faoumata Traore said the contagion entered the city water system
after heavy rains.

A group organized by the government of the Central African country
and the WHO said the death toll includes a handful of cases in the
capital, Brazzaville, that appeared to involve people who had been in
Pointe Noire. More than 2800 cases of the potentially deadly
waterborne disease have been reported in Pointe Noire since 15 Nov
2006, said Henri Joseph Mpara, the head of the group.

Pointe Noire Mayor Roland Bouity Viodo said he believed many more
people had died than were reflected in the official statistics,
noting that the death toll only includes cases confirmed by medical centers.

Viodo noted that the city's main morgue has recorded a sharp increase
in deaths in recent months -- counting 650 bodies in Dec 2006 and 732
in Jan 2007 compared with a typical count of 400 to 450 bodies.

Republic of Congo, a former French colony to the west of the larger,
former Belgian colony Congo, had previously reported an outbreak of
deadly diarrhea in the region, often the 1st sign of cholera.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

The city of Pointe-Noire is in Kouilou province in southwestern Congo
and can be seen on a map of the country at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... /congo.pdf>.
Brazzaville is in Pool Province in southeastern Congo. - Mod.LL]

******
[2] Cholera - Congo (Kouilou, Pool)
Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Reuters [edited]
<http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L04459010.htm>


An outbreak of cholera in the Republic of Congo has reached the
capital Brazzaville, killing 4 people there and pushing the death
toll this year to 82, a senior medical official said on Sun, 4 Feb 2007.

Cases of the water-borne disease were first recorded in early Jan
2007 in the coastal oil-exporting city of Pointe Noire, 515 km (320
miles) from the inland capital. "Today we are at 82 dead and 2700
recorded cases, in Pointe-Noire and the surrounding area ... but
Brazzaville is also affected, with 4 dead out of 9 recorded cases
there," Damase Bozongo, director-general of the country's health
department, told Reuters.

The spread to Brazzaville in spite of the authorities' efforts to
control it has caused concern in the central African country. Last
week Health Minister Nestor Alphonse Gando appealed to people "not to
panic, to follow basic hygiene guidelines and to seek free treatment
in medical centers opened for the sick."

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

******
[3] Cholera - Somalia (Hiraan)
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: AllAfrica.com and IRIN [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200702050550.html>


At least 82 people have died in the past 10 days following an
outbreak of cholera in the towns of Beletweyne, Buulo Burte and
Jalalaqsi in the Hiraan region of central Somalia, medical sources
said on Mon, 5 Feb 2007.

"At least 82 people, 50 of them children, have died of cholera in the
3 districts," said Hassan Odawa, programme manager for the
International Medical Corps (IMC) in Beletweyne, the regional capital
of Hiraan. Cholera treatment centers, he added, were set up on 3 Feb
2007 in the affected districts by agencies dealing with the outbreak,
and by the Cholera Task Force for the region, of which the IMC is the
lead agency.

The outbreak was confirmed following tests carried out by AMREF in
the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. "We have had 110 cases in the 3
districts since last week," Odawa said. "In Beletweyne, 15 cases,
with 2 deaths. In Buulo Burte we had 38 cases with one death. In
Jalalaqsi we had 57 cases with 12 fatalities."

Odawa said at least 1229 cases have been recorded, with 150 deaths
since the outbreak on 5 Jan 2007, of "what was thought at the time to
be watery diarrhea".

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[A map of Somalia can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... omalia.pdf>.
Hiraan is an administrative region (gobolka) in southern Somalia and
has its western border with Ethiopia. - Mod.LL]

******
[4] Cholera - Uganda (Ntungamo)
Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: SomaliNet [edited]
<http://somalinet.com/news/world/East%20Africa/7185>


At least 19 people have died and 188 others been admitted following
an outbreak of cholera in a Ugandan western district of Ntungamo
since the beginning of January 2007.

Ten people died from health units while 9 others are suspected to
have died in their homes, Ntungamo District Health Inspector Francis
Twesigye said at the beginning of the week. "More than 8 cases of
cholera patients were reported daily since the outbreak, until 28 Jan
2007 when only 3 were registered," he said. He said the last death
was reported on 25 Jan 2007 adding that cholera treatment centre had
been opened at Rubaare Health Center IV.

[Byline: Bonny Apunyu]

[Ntungamo is located in the southwestern part of the country. Its
southern border is with the country of Rwanda. Ntungamo can be found
on a map of Uganda at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... uganda.pdf>. - Mod.LL]

******
[5] Cholera - Angola (Benguela)
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Angola Press [edited]
<http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=506648>


So far in January 2007, 792 cases of cholera, from which 22 resulted
in deaths, were registered by the provincial health department in the
9 districts of the southern Benguela province.

The fact was revealed by the health director in Benguela, Antonio
Bento who was speaking in the 1st meeting of the health sub-group
that includes the technical co-ordination of humanitarian aid and
partners of the sector, in which he expressed worry with the
spreading of the cholera epidemics in the province. The source
stressed that the situation in worrying, thereby, greater attention
should be paid to the disease, apart from other endemic illness
existing in Benguela.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Benguela is located in west-central Angola with its western border
being with the Atlantic Ocean. It can be found on a map of Angola
at: <http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... angola.pdf>. - Mod.LL]

******
[6] Cholera - Zimbabwe (Harare)
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: News24 [edited]
<http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/New ... 62,00.html>


Reports say that 19 people have contracted cholera in the Zimbabwean
capital, Harare, in the first outbreak of the often-deadly disease in
the city in a year. The 19 were from the impoverished eastern
townships of Mabvuku and Tafara, where residents had gone without
clean running water for days and had been using unprotected wells.

The 1st cholera case was diagnosed last Thu, 26 Jan 2006. Since then,
the number of those affected had risen steadily. Reports suggested
the cholera germ was brought by truck drivers from Malawi. Reports
said those who had contracted cholera were being treated in dedicated
wards at an infectious diseases hospital in Harare. Earlier this
week, the health minister toured an informal settlement near Mabvuku,
where some of the latest cholera cases were believed to have taken
place. It was reported that more than 330 families were staying in
tents and shelters at Caledonia Farm settlement, sharing just 69 toilets.

An outbreak of cholera in Harare's Glen View township killed 3 people
in January 2006, forcing the authorities to temporarily shut down the
capital's main food and vegetable market.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[A map of Zimbabwe showing the capital area of Harare in the
northeastern part of the country can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/ma ... mbabwe.pdf>. - Mod.LL]

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Birgitt]

RIFT VALLEY FEVER, OSTAFRIKA (14): TANZANIA
*********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Tue 6 Feb 2007
From: Joe Dudley <jdudley@eaicorp.com>
Source: France24, Agence France Presse (AFP) [edited]
<http://www.france24.com/france24Public/ ... 2&cat=null>


Rift Valley fever, which has swept across Kenya, has spread to
neighboring Tanzania, killing 2 people, officials said. The deaths
were reported in the northern Arusha region last week, raising fears
of an outbreak, the area's regional commissioner Evans Balama told
AFP. "Two people have died of Rift Valley fever in Teradi village," he said.

The Health Ministry said the World Health Organization and government
doctors had been deployed in the area to combat the disease, which is
mainly spread by mosquitoes. The fever has killed at least 162 people
and infected hundreds in Kenya since it was first diagnosed in
mid-December [2006].

Victims of Rift Valley fever usually experience fever, generalized
weakness, back pain, dizziness, vomiting of blood and extreme weight
loss at the onset of the illness. Many patients recover within up to
a week but others die, experts say.

The fever was 1st [reported] in Kenya's Rift Valley region in the
1930s but has since been recorded elsewhere in Africa.

--
Joseph P. Dudley, Ph.D.
EAI Corporation
12530 Parklawn Drive
Suite 350
Rockville MD 20852
USA
<jdudley@eaicorp.com>

[The northern Arusha region of Tanzania is adjacent to the region of
Kenya experiencing the current outbreak of Rift Valley fever.
Appearance of cases of Rift Valley fever is not unexpected,
therefore, and it is evident that the outbreak has not yet been
contained. A map of Tanzania can be viewed at
<http://www.uhuru7.com/images/tanzania_rel_2003.jpg>. - Mod.CP]