Wüstenschiff

MEASLES - AFRICA (19): ZAMBIA
*****************************
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: Mon 28 Jun 2010
Source: Zambian Watchdog [edited]
<http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/2010/06/ ... ng-worse=/>.


Zambia has recorded 1600 cases of measles since the disease broke out a
week ago. Director of Public Health and Research at the Ministry of Health
Victor Mukonka disclosed this in an interview with ZNBC [radio] over the
weekend.

Dr Mukonka, however, claimed that the disease is under control. He didn't
say how many people have died so far. He said all patients are receiving
treatment in isolation centres, which have been set up.

Dr Mukonka said the Ministry of Health will embark on a countrywide
campaign and immunisation against measles in the 3rd week of July 2010.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), measles is one of the
leading causes of death among young children, even though a safe and
cost-effective vaccine is available. In 2008, there were 164 000 measles
deaths globally, nearly 450 deaths every day or 18 deaths every hour. More
than 95 per cent of measles deaths occur in low-income countries with weak
health infrastructures. Measles vaccination resulted in a 78 per cent drop
in measles deaths between 2000 and 2008 worldwide.

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

[On 15 Jun 2010, the number of measles cases in Zambia was reported to be
817, and the number of fatalities to be 33. As of 28 Jun 2010, the number
of cases has increased to 1600, approximately. The number of deaths is not
stated in the above press report, but it is likely that more than 50
children have died now during the course of this outbreak. Further
information is awaited.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Zambia can be accessed at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/017q>. - Mod.CP]

Deutschland - Masern
28.06.2010

Seit Jahresbeginn bis einschließlich der Anfang Juni wurden dem RKI 378 Masern-Fälle gemeldet. Die meisten kamen aus Nordrhein-Westfalen (123), gefolgt von Baden-Württemberg (80), Berlin (74) und Bayern (32). Der Impfstatus sollte bei Kindern, aber auch Jugendlichen und Erwachsenen überprüft und ggf. ergänzt werden. / Quelle: crm

Deutschland - Masern
05.07.2010

Seit Jahresbeginn bis Mitte Juni wurden dem RKI 414 Masern-Fälle gemeldet. Die meisten kamen aus Nordrhein-Westfalen (134), gefolgt von Baden-Württemberg (86), Berlin (74) und Bayern (45). Der Impfstatus sollte bei Kindern, aber auch Jugendlichen und Erwachsenen überprüft und ggf. ergänzt werden. / Quelle: crm
_________________

Sambia - Masern
05.07.2010

Der Ausbruch im südlichen Afrika hat auch in Sambia zu erhöhten Erkrankungszahlen geführt. Bis Ende Juni wurden mehr als 1.600 bestätigte Infektionen berichtet, sowie mehr als 50 Todesfälle. Impfschutz beachten. / Quelle: crm

MEASLES - AFRICA (20): ZAMBIA
****************************
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: Fri 9 Jul 2010
Source: The Post Online [abbreviated & edited]
<http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_art ... leId=11347>


Zambia has so far recorded 3000 cases of measles in the current
outbreak with 62 deaths registered, Health Ministry permanent
secretary Dr Peter Mwaba has confirmed. And Dr Mwaba has disclosed
that adults with weak immune systems, like HIV [human
immunodeficiency virus] patients, are susceptible to measles.

Speaking to journalists in Lusaka on Thursday [8 Jul 2010], Dr Mwaba
said there were still sporadic cases of measles in the country,
though the situation was being contained. "As of Monday [5 Jul 2010],
we had over 62 mortalities, and [the number of] those infected is
close to 3000. Those are already controlled, [no longer] infectious,
and they have been discharged from most of the centres. From the time
of the outbreak, we have seen over 2000[?] cases, out of which we
have over 60 mortalities," Dr Mwaba said.

"The flooding in Zambia obviously made some parts inaccessible,
meaning that we could have lost out on immunizing some of these
children, but we have continued with our routine immunization. But
now, most of the centres have vaccines, and we will mop up with child
week, where we hope to reach most of the children. We have doubled
our efforts."

And Dr Mwaba during the media briefing also disclosed that adults
with depressed immunity were also at risk of catching measles. "We
have patients who are between 6-9 months getting most of these
attacks. But also interestingly, we have seen that among adults,
those that are immune compromised are also affected; we are getting a
few cases among them, but the bulk are among children," Dr Mwaba
said. "Those are usually the ones infected with HIV/AIDS and those
whose immunities are low for one reason or the other."

Dr Mwaba said since the epidemic had spread in southern Africa,
Zambia would ensure that it conducts immunizations even in border
areas. "It is important that we put the epidemic in this context;
it's ravaging around southern Africa. I think that even as we are
doing our own measures of control here, we also need to look at the
border areas so that we immunize those that are in our areas, so the
child week may go as far as mopping up bordering areas," Dr Mwaba said.

"This is an epidemic; you expect to have sporadic new cases. We will
only be able to control [it] once we have immunized every child, and
I think this is why it is important that the civil society and the
public take advantage of the immunization that we do. We will also
immunize against polio. If people don't take their children to
immunization, we lose out, and we have an epidemic like what we have
right now."

He said the routine immunization exercise would help immunize many
children and urged parents to take their children for immunization.

Health minister Kapembwa Simbao had, a fortnight ago, sent an urgent
appeal to donors and cooperating partners for urgent assistance to
enable government to carry out a comprehensive immunization programme
against measles and save lives. This was barely a week earlier after
President Rupiah Banda told donors that Zambia did not need their help.

Measles is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus,
specifically a paramyxovirus classified in the genus _Morbillivirus_.
Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, running nose, red eyes and
a generalized erythematous rash. Measles is spread through
respiration (contact with fluids from an infected person's nose and
mouth, either directly or through aerosol transmission) and is highly
contagious; 90 percent of people without immunity sharing a house
with an infected person will catch it. The infection has an average
incubation period of 14 days (range 6 to 19 days), and infectivity
lasts from 2 to 4 days prior until 2 to 5 days following the onset of the rash.

[Byline: Chibaula Silwamba and Florence Bupe]

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

[In previous ProMED-mail posts, the number of measles cases in Zambia
was reported to be 817 (with 33 fatalities) on 15 Jun 2010 and 1600
(number of fatalities not known) on 28 Jun 2010. By 5 Jul 2010, the
number of cases had doubled again to approximately 3000 (with 62
fatalities). The Zambian authorities seem confident that the epidemic
has peaked, and hopefully their confidence will be justified. A
comprehensive vaccination campaign is underway, but provision for
regular vaccination in subsequent years will be essential to prevent
a recurrence.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Zambia can be accessed
at: <http://healthmap.org/r/017q>. - Mod.CP]

Deutschland - Masern
19.07.2010

Seit Jahresbeginn bis Ende Juni wurden dem RKI 472 Masern-Fälle gemeldet. Die meisten kamen aus Nordrhein-Westfalen (143), gefolgt von Baden-Württemberg (91), Bayern (81) und Berlin (74). Der Impfstatus sollte bei Kindern, aber auch Jugendlichen und Erwachsenen überprüft und ggf. ergänzt werden. / Quelle: crm
_____________________

Sambia - Masern
19.07.2010

Der Ausbruch im südlichen Afrika hat auch in Sambia zu erhöhten Erkrankungszahlen geführt. Bis Anfang Juli wurden 3.000 Infektionen berichtet, sowie 62 Todesfälle. Impfschutz beachten. / Quelle: crm

Simbabwe - Masern
02.08.2010

Bei dem seit September letzten Jahres bestehenden Masern-Ausbruch sind 9.455 Verdachtsfälle und 517 Todesfälle gemeldet worden. Bis auf Bulilima sind alle Distrikte betroffen. Die massiven Impfkampagnen zeigen bereits Wirkung. Nach Beendigung der Impfmaßnahmen sind bisher nur ca. 303 Erkrankungsfälle aufgetreten, Todesfälle gab es nicht mehr. 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

MEASLES - AFRICA (21): ZAMBIA
*****************************
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: Fri 6 Aug 2010
Source: sify.com news, IANS report [edited]
<http://sify.com/news/measles-outbreak-k ... jceae.html>


Measles outbreak kills 110 in Zambia
------------------------------------
An outbreak of measles in Zambia has affected more than 6200 people
and claimed at least 110 lives, the Zambian Health Ministry has
reported. Currently, the total number of people affected by the
disease in the country stands at 6252, Ministry of Health
spokesperson Kamoto Mbewe was quoted as saying by the Zanis news
agency Thu 5 Aug 2010. Mbewe said the capital city of Lusaka was the
worst hit with 106 deaths recorded out of 4928 cases, according to a
Xinhua [news agency] report.

Mbewe asked the people not to panic as the Ministry is doing
everything possible to address the issue and that an immunisation
programme was on in full swing.

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

[On Fri 9 Jul 2010 the Zambian Ministry of Health reported
approximately 3000 cases of measles and 62 deaths. At that time [8
Jul 2010] speaking to journalists in Lusaka, Dr Mwaba said there were
still sporadic cases of measles in the country, though the situation
was being contained. 4 weeks later with 6252 cases and 110 deaths
this has proved to have been an over-optimistic statement.

Most of the cases (79 percent) and most of the deaths (96 percent)
have occurred in the capital Lusaka contradicting the assertion that
the scale of the outbreak is partly a consequence of inability to
reach outlying districts with vaccine due to flooding. It would
appear that the outbreak is still far from resolved.

Lusaka is located in the east of Zambia. The HealthMap/ProMED-mail
interactive map of Zambia can be accessed at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/017q >. - Mod.CP]

MEASLES - INDIA (JAMMU AND KASHMIR) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
***********************************************************
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: Thu 12 Aug 2010
Source: Chennai online [edited]
<http://news.chennaionline.com/newsitem. ... YNAME=NATL>


A child died and at least 12 others have been taken ill due to measles at a
village in Billawar tehsil [sub-district] of [Kathua] district, a health
official said here today [12 Aug 2010].

Over a dozen of people were taken ill over the past week due to measles at
Nathi village, about 250 km [155 miles] from Jammu [the state winter
capital], chief medical officer (CMO) Kathua Dr Ashok Chandyal said. Among
these, a child died yesterday [11 Aug 2010] before he could receive
treatment, he said, adding that a team of doctors along with medical
supplies have been sent to the area to treat the affected.

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

[The vaccination status of the deceased child and the other victims is not
revealed. Information on measles vaccine coverage in this troubled region
and in India in general would be welcomed.

A map of the states of India showing the location of the state of Jammu &
Kashmir can be accessed at
<http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/india/i ... al-map.htm>. The
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of India is available at
<http://healthmap.org/r/02v_>. - Mod.CP]

MEASLES - AFRICA (22): MALAWI
*****************************
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: Mon 16 Aug 2010
Source: Reuters Health [edited]
<http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html>


Measles kills 197 people in Malawi since January
------------------------------------------------
A measles outbreak has killed 197 people in Malawi since the start of
this year [2010], the highest number recorded in Malawi in the last
decade, a senior health ministry official said Sunday [15 Aug 2010].
A total of 54 people died during the last outbreak of the viral
disease in this southern African country in 2000.

"About 77 000 people have been infected and 197, mostly children,
have died in the last 7 months," Dr. Storn Kabuluzi, director of
preventive health services at the department of health, told Reuters.
Measles is an infectious disease characterized by a high temperature
and red spots all over the body.

Large and deadly outbreaks of measles in 30 African countries
threaten to reverse gains made against the viral disease in the past
2 decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in May [2010].
More than 1100 deaths from measles have been reported among 64 000
known cases in Africa over the last year, it said. Chad, Nigeria and
Zimbabwe have had the largest outbreaks.

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

[A previous report from Malawi on 17 Jun 2010 listed about 12 000
case of measles and 70 deaths. Over the past 2 months these figures
have nearly quadrupled to 77 000 cases and 197 deaths. These
statistics confirm the WHO warning that despite the low cost and
effectiveness of the vaccine the gains made in measles control over
the past 2 decades in Africa are now in jeopardy.

In May 2010 the total for the whole of the African continent was 64
00 cases and 1100 deaths, a case-fatality rate higher than that
currently observed in Malawi.

A map of Malawi showing its geographical location in relation to its
neighbours can be viewed at
<http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/m ... wi_map.htm>. The
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Malawi is available at
<http://healthmap.org/r/01am>. - Mod.CP]

MEASLES - AFRICA (23): NIGERIA
*******************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

[1]
Date: Fri 20 Aug 2010
Source: AllAfrica, This Day report [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/201008200001.html>


The Federal Government has expressed fears over the sudden increase
in the reported cases of measles in some parts of the country from
455 confirmed cases in 2009 to 4771 as at yesterday [Thu 19 Aug
2010]. The minister of health, Prof Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu,
raised the concern at the opening of the stakeholders' meeting on the
integrated measles eradication campaign in Abuja yesterday.

As part of quick response measures to arrest the situation, Chukwu
said the Federal Government had ordered vaccines/syringes worth over
NGN 2.1 billion [USD 14 million], with additional NGN 2.7 billion
[USD 18 million] used for logistics and personnel cost to commence a
new phase of the immunisation campaign. The minister, who was
represented by the permanent secretary in the Ministry, Mr Linus
Awute, said the Ministry had received reports indicating a sharp rise
in the number of cases of measles in most parts of the country. He
said the government's efforts to stamp out the disease risked being
eroded if action was not taken to address the situation.

"We have received reports that as at this time last year, 2009, we
had 455 confirmed cases of measles as against 4771 in 2010, which is
a 10-fold rise in the number of cases," he said. Chukwu said the
country had since 2005 battled to eliminate the disease, mobilising
almost every instrument to achieve the 52 million vaccinated children
in the process. He explained that as a result of the intense
campaign, the incidence of measles [had been] brought down from 18
000 to one per million. He also noted that the campaign against
measles had in the past years recorded an impressive mark leading to
67 per cent reduction in mortality rate thereby helping to boost
Africa's ability to achieve the global target of 90 per cent
mortality reduction.

While lamenting the latest state of affairs, the minister said the
government's policy is to avert every death as much as possible no
matter the constraints. "We as leaders will not stand by and watch
with helplessness this kind of situation. Otherwise the future of our
country will be at risk. As a nation, we are committed to providing
the vaccines and over the years we have lived up to this commitment.
"In order to avert this epidemic, the government is ready to provide
these vaccines/syringes estimated to cost NGN 2.1 billion [USD 14
million]. Buying the vaccines alone cannot get it to the children; we
need to mobilise transport, logistics, personnel, data, material, and
the whole country. About NGN 2.7 billion [USD 18 million] is required
for the operations," he said.

Out of the estimated budget, the minister said development partners
had expressed willingness to shoulder 50 per cent of the
responsibility, while the Federal Government, states, and local
governments would provide the remaining funds. He solicited the
support of other relevant ministries in the effort to mobilise the
nation to ensure a successful immunisation exercise, which has been
fixed for between January and February next year [2011].

The Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency
(NPHCDA), Dr Muhammed Pate, said the immunisation campaign against
measles was being embarked upon to avoid any further escalation of
the disease. "We do not want by 2011 to say we have accumulated cases
of measles. By next year [2011], we could start having thousands of
cases and we do not want that to happen. This is why we want to
prevent it," he said.

The stakeholders' meeting comprised the federal Ministry of Health,
Members of the National Assembly, Commissioners for health from
states, local government chairmen, WHO, UNICEF, and Red Cross as well
as the special assistant to the President on Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs).


[Byline: Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Adebiyi Adedapo]

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

******
[2]
Date: Fri 20 Aug 2010
Source: Yahoo News, Reuters report [abbreviated, edited]
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100820/hl_ ... ia_cholera>


"Recent cholera cases are mainly from the northeastern part of the
country," said Dr Henry Akpan, head of epidemiology in Nigeria's
ministry of health, adding that 4665 cases had been recorded in
Africa's most populous nation since January [2010].

As well as cholera, Nigeria is also fighting a measles epidemic. The
disease, characterized by a high temperature and red spots on the
body, has killed more than 1400 people in Africa this year [2010] in
some of the most serious outbreaks seen for a decade. Health Minister
Onyebuchi Chukwu said Nigeria had confirmed 4771 cases in 2010, a
10-fold increase on the same period last year [2009]. He said
government would provide NGN 2.1 billion naira (USD 14 million) of
vaccines and syringes to combat the epidemic.

[Byline: Nick Tattersall]

--
Communicated by:
Dr Farukh Paul, Analyst
Dr Barry Dyer, Manager
Medical Information and Analysis
International SOS UK Ltd.
Landmark House
Hammersmith Bridge Road
London W6 9DP
UK
<barry.dyer@internationalsos.com>

[ProMED-mail thanks Barry Dyer for drawing attention to this
information. In May 2010 the total for the whole of the African
continent was 64 00 cases of measles and 1100 deaths. These large and
deadly outbreaks of measles in 30 African countries threaten to
reverse gains made against the viral disease in the past 2 decades,
the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in May [2010].

More than 1100 deaths from measles have been reported among 64 000
known cases in Africa over the last year, with Nigeria, Chad, and
Zimbabwe having had the largest outbreaks. The preceding reports
quantify the current extent of the outbreak in Nigeria, but
information on the case/fatality ratio in Nigeria is lacking.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Nigeria is available at
<http://healthmap.org/r/007*>. - Mod.CP]

Malawi - Masern
23.08.2010

Das Gesundheitsministerium meldet 77.000 Masern-Erkrankungen landesweit, offiziell sind 197 Patienten an den Folgen der Infektion gestorben. Damit haben sich die offiziell gemeldeten Zahlen seit Juni nahezu vervierfacht. Die Regierung hat für 7 Millionen Impfdosen ca. 4.2 Millionen US Dollar investiert. Es sollen mindestens 6 Millionen Kinder zwischen 6 Monaten und 15 Jahren geimpft werden. 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

MEASLES - AFRICA (24): ZAMBIA
*****************************
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: Thu 9 Sep 2010
Source: Post Zambia [edited]
<http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_art ... leId=13570>


Eastern Province health director Dr Kennedy Malama said the province has
recorded 6 deaths from measles. In an update early in the week, Dr Malama
said Lundazi district recorded 4 measles deaths while Nyimba recorded 2.
"As I mentioned, Lundazi [reported] 1086 [cases], Nyimba 345, Chadiza 125,
Katete 123, Chipata 105, Petauke 91, Chama 30, and Mambwe 3, giving us a
total of 1908," Dr Malama said.

He urged the general public to ensure that all the children were immunised
against measles. "We need to support the health workers as they undertake
the immunisation campaign when they are doing their outreach programmes.
Let me mention that we have seen that measles does not only affect children
in the province; we have some adults who have actually been affected by
measles," Dr Malama said.

He appealed to parents to ensure that all their children received
vaccination not only for measles but all the immunisations which were due.
"As we have indicated before, if a child is immunised it's not automatic
that that child is protected. When you immunise 100 children, there are
about 5 to 15 percent children who cannot be protected, and that's why we
are doing repeat immunisation so that even those who were immunised years
back, when the campaign comes they can still be immunised like we recently
did during the child health week," Dr Malama said.

He said the Ministry of Health had some challenges in the province because
some sections of the population were not very supportive in taking their
children for vaccinations. "Some, on religious basis, have denied the
children access to these immunisations but the consequences in some cases
have been very, very clear. So we once again appeal to all the stakeholders
to embrace immunisation. It's the only magic bullet we have to ensure that
all our children are immunised, and if we did that, we are going to see
fewer measles cases," said Dr Malama.

[byline: Christopher Miti]

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

[Apparently, these case numbers are just for the Eastern province. The 6
Aug 2010 ProMED-mail report (archive number 20100806.2669) quoted he
Ministry of Health as saying that measles in Zambia has affected more than
6200 people and claimed at least 110 lives. The current report indicates
that the measles outbreak in Zambia continues. One hopes that the
vaccination campaign will slow transmission of this preventable virus disease.

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Zambia can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/r/017q >. - Mod.TY]

MEASLES - AUSTRALIA (06): (QUEENSLAND) ex SOUTH AFRICA
******************************************************
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 14 Sep 2010
Source: ABC News [edited]
<http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... ion=justin>


Measles outbreak alarms health authorities
------------------------------------------
Health authorities across New South Wales and Queensland are urging
residents to make sure they are immunised against measles. A spate of
outbreaks across the eastern seaboard [of Australia] has doctors
worried that a pandemic that was raging in South Africa during the
World Cup is quietly spilling across the Indian Ocean. GPs [General
Practitioners] say the reluctance by some parents here to immunise
their children has put the public in danger of a major outbreak.

Queensland Health officials believe the most recent case of measles
was contracted by an adult from north Queensland, who was returning
home on a flight from South Africa last month [August 2010]. Public
medical officer Dr Steven Donohue says since then another 2 people
have been infected in Townsville after they came into contact with
the traveller.

"Measles is not a trivial illness -- this thing is the worst of the
childhood diseases [and] used to kill a lot of children," Dr Donohue
said. "In the last 2 weeks 7 cases were confirmed at Tweed Heads on
the New South Wales/Queensland border, and a local mine worker in
Moranbah to the south-west of Mackay contracted the disease. Another
2 [people] in Townsville are still waiting on results." Dr Donohue
says he is concerned the disease is spreading undetected, as the time
between contracting the virus and showing symptoms can be up to 2
weeks.

"You can walk past somebody with measles in a supermarket while
they're infectious and if you're not immune, then it's quite possible
for you to get this disease," he said. He says adults under the age
of 45 are most at risk, as they may not have received a vaccination.
"Basically anyone born during or after 1966 should be checking if
they received 2 doses of MMR [measles, mumps and rubella] vaccine and
if not, then our advice is to go along to your GP and get a free
additional dose of MMR just to make sure," Dr Donohue said.

Townsville GP network chairman Dr Kevin Arlett says there has been a
reduction in vaccinations over the last decade, and that could be
disastrous. "Because a lot of people haven't seen these diseases,
there's been a whole generation basically who hasn't seen a lot of
these infectious diseases," he said. "People are feeling a little bit
blase about it perhaps, but they're also being fed some information
by some of the anti-vaccination lobby groups suggesting that
vaccinations are more dangerous than the disease itself."

He says the Australian public may have forgotten what toll the
measles disease can take on the human body. "It can lead to all sorts
of problems, but as [with] most viral infections it affects the whole
body so you can end up with problems of the lungs, you can end up
with problems with the brain and that's obviously where disasters
occur."

[Byline: Josh Bavas]

--
Communicated by
HealthMap alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Current measles activity includes outbreaks in several countries in
southern Africa. Over the past year, high numbers of measles cases
have been reported in many countries, including Lesotho, Malawi,
Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Several
hundred deaths have also been reported. Travellers attending the FIFA
World Cup in South Africa in June/July 2010 were warned of the risk
of measles virus infection and advised to review their vaccination
status. Despite this recent cases of measles in Australia appeared to
have been introduced by this route.

Because of this risk of measles in both developed and developing
countries, all international travelers should be up to date on
immunizations, irrespective of their travel destination. Measles
virus remains active and contagious in the air or on infected
surfaces for up to 2 hours. It can be transmitted by an infected
person from 4 days prior to the onset of the characteristic rash to 4
days after the rash erupts. It is possible that persons travelling in
the same aircraft as the imported cases of measles also may have been
exposed to measles virus infection.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Australia can be accessed at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/00cS>. - Mod.CP]

MEASLES - AFRICA (25): ZIMBABWE
*******************************
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: Fri 23 Sep 2010
Source: The Herald, via allAfrica.com [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/201009230363.html>


Measles Outbreak Claims 70
------------------------------------
A suspected fresh measles outbreak has hit some parts of the country
[of Zimbabwe], reportedly killing about 70 children over a 2-week
period. Health officials yesterday [22 Sep 2010] confirmed that 24
children died of measles in Chiweshe in Mazowe District, while
traditional leaders and officials from the district administrator's
office covering some parts of remote Mbire area recorded 40 deaths in
Mashonaland Central.

Epidemiology and disease control director in the Ministry of Health
and Child Welfare Dr Portia Manangazira yesterday confirmed the
outbreaks reported in Mudzerengi Village in Mbire District and the
Chiweshe area. "We noted a significant decline in the measles cases
as early as 2 weeks post-campaign (the national immunisation campaign
held in May 2010). "There are, however, areas that have continued to
report cases of measles since the start of the outbreak because the
communities have continued to evade health authorities. "The
persistent refusal by some segments of society means these closed
communities have large numbers of unvaccinated children," Dr Manangazira said.

She said a number of factors could have contributed to the recurrence
of measles, chief among them the general decline in routine
immunisation and persistent refusal by some people. "Of note is the
Madida sect of Matabeleland South Province and apostolic sects in
Mazowe District of Mashonaland Central who chased away the campaign
teams. "In fact, in these areas by the time of the post-campaign
coverage surveys, they were already having outbreaks," Dr Manangazira said.

She said the provincial medical directorate for Mashona-land Central
had already dispatched a team to Mazowe and Mbire to respond to the
crisis. However, Mashonaland Central Governor and Resident Minister
Advocate Martin Dinha last Friday [17 Sep 2010] expressed
disappointment over the health officials' response to the outbreak.

"We started receiving reports of deaths due to the suspected measles
outbreak on (last) Tuesday and the numbers are continuing to grow.
These cases were reported through our rural leadership structures and
we have since communicated with the relevant ministry (of Health and
Child Welfare) but they are responding slowly," said Adv Dinha. "I am
not happy with the response from the Ministry of Health and Child
Welfare to this issue because the community reported that no
intervention has so far been done by health officials yet we alerted
them of the outbreak," he said.

Measles is considered an outbreak when a cluster of 5 or more
suspected cases or at least 3 confirmed positive cases in a district
or health facility within a month have been reported. Measles is a
highly contagious viral respiratory infection that causes high fever,
skin rash, running nose, watery eyes and a cough. The disease mainly
affects children under the age of 5 years. In unvaccinated children,
measles can cause severe diarrhoea leading to dehydration, blindness
to those with inadequate vitamin A, inflammation of the middle ear,
brain damage and death due to pneumonia.

The last wave of measles outbreaks claimed more than 400 children
mainly from apostolic sects, prompting Government and its partners to
launch a national immunisation campaign.

[Byline: Paidamoyo Chipunza]

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

[Measles virus infection continues to kill many children in Zimbabwe.
Over a period of 2 weeks, 70 children have died. Most of the deaths,
according to the government, were in communities that decline
vaccination on religious grounds.

A map showing the administrative regions of Zimbabwe can be accessed at
<http://www.mapsofworld.com/zimbabwe/zim ... l-map.html>.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Zimbabwe is available at
<http://healthmap.org/r/00aK>. - Mod.CP]

MEASLES - AFRICA (26): ZIMBABWE (MASHONALAND CENTRAL)
*****************************************************
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: Mon 27 Sep 2010
From: All Africa, The Herald (Zimbabwe) report [summ., edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/201009271107.html>


Over 100 children belonging to the Johane Marange Apostolic sect in
Mbire District, Mashonaland Central Province, were last week [week of
20 Sep 2010] forcibly immunised against measles following an outbreak
that claimed several children over the past month.

A home-based care worker in Mudzengerere village, Mr Fibion Rupiya,
sought assistance from the police and health officials after realising
that several children belonging to the sect who were dying had
suspected symptoms of measles. "This outbreak apparently started a
month ago in Katsande Ward but we did not know that it was measles. A
lot of children belonging to this sect died, some were clandestinely
buried and we cannot really account for the number of deaths. "When
the number of children dying among the same group continued to grow,
we suspected measles but were ignorant of its symptoms so we sought
assistance from health officials and the police (to get access into
the community)," said Mr Rupiya.

He said a team of health officials immunised the children last week on
Monday and Tuesday [20-21 Sep 2010]. "Some children were locked up in
bedrooms and others were hidden in the bush but we assisted them in
identifying homes where we knew there were children who should be
immunised," Mr Rupiya said. Some of the women members of the sect
whose children were immunised against their doctrine, applauded
authorities for forcing all children to be immunised saying their
husbands were not willing to discuss the subject. One woman said she
had so far lost 4 children to measles, but her husband insisted that
holy water would save them. The Mudzengerere woman said she learnt
that immunisation worked when one of her children was immunised at
school in May [2010] without the family's knowledge. She said when a
fresh outbreak attacked the child this month [September 2010], it was
mild but her other child who had never been immunised before died
after contracting the disease. She had already lost 2 children during
the initial outbreak in February and March [2010]. The 2 had never
been immunised before.

Dr Yevai Chiradza and his team were on the ground when The Herald
visited the area on Friday [17 Sep 2010] but could not give details of
their assessment of the situation referring all questions to the
provincial medical director. He only said they were conducting
follow-up visits to assess the situation. Village head Mr Chigada
Mudzengerere said the crisis could have been averted if there were
proper communication systems in place in Mudzengerere Village. Mr
Mudzengerere said there were no telephones in the area making it
difficult to call for assistance when tragedy struck. He appealed for
assistance to build a satellite clinic in the village that is home to
nearly 500 people.

At least 70 children died of measles in Mashonaland Central recently.
About 24 deaths were confirmed by health officials in Chiweshe, while
the remainder were reported in Mbire.

[Byline: Paidamoyo Chipunza]

--
Communicated by:
Thomas James Allen
<tjallen@pipeline.com>

[The current measles outbreak in Zimbabwe remains uncontained with the
recent deaths of 70 children in Mashonaland Central province during a
2 week period (see ProMED-mail post, archive no. 20100924.3460). It
remains to be seen whether the forcible vaccination of a few children
belonging to religious sect will have any effect on the course of the
outbreak.

A locator map of Zimbabwe can be found at
<http://joshdawkins.files.wordpress.com/ ... we_map.jpg>
A map showing Mashonaland Central province (in yellow at the top) is at
<http://www.peterhouse.org/assets/images ... ces-01.gif>
- Mod.CP]