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Articles Tagged ‘outbreak’

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Meningitis Outbreak Predicted in Africa

Thursday, November 1st, 2007

There is a predition of the worst meningitis outbreak in 10 years, coming to Africa.
Prediction of the worst meningitis outbreak in 10 years is not by loonies who think the sky is falling. Reasons for this potential outbreak are due to the rainy season ending early, in central Africa.

There is a region of Africa known as the “meningitis belt” that can be seen here on Adventure Doc Meningitis. There is also some information about meningitis and the vaccine there, too.

Travelers going to Africa or any other gathering of people who could be carrying meningitis, such as the Hajj, in December, need to be prepared.

The meningitis vaccine covers 4 types of Nisseria Meningitis (A, C, Y, W-135). These are the most common strains you will run into in Africa. Unfortunately there is a “B” type that is not covered by the vaccine. The “B” type happens to be one of the most common strains in North America and Europe.

Posted in Outbreaks and Updates, Travel Health | 1 Comment »

Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Italy

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

The north-eastern area of Italy has recently been dealing with an outbreak of Chikungunya virus, for the last 2-3 months. The villages of Castiglione di Ravenna and Castiglione di Cervia in the province of Ravenna appear to be the center of the outbreak. There have been approximately 131 suspected cases, since July of 2007. More cases are under investigation, and testing results are still pending.

The center of the outbreak is believed to be traced back to a visitor, to the area, from Kerala, India. The mosquito Aedes albopictus is a new immigrant to Italy and is a know vector for this viral disease and mosquito “season” in the area is expected to run through mid-November. The chance of more transmissions in the area is likely.

Chikungunya Virus is a self-limiting (it goes away on its own) disease that is characterized by fevers, arthritis and a rash, mainly on the chest and back. The arthritis can persist for months, after the infection subsides and fevers generally last 10 days. The illness has been known to progress into hemorrhagic (bleeding) complications, similiar to Dengue Fever. More about hemorrhagic viruses can be found on the Adventure Doc page: Adventure Doc Hemorrhagic Viruses

To avoid this illness, protect yourself from mosquito bites! The diagnosis is made by serology from a blood sample.

You can view the Promed update here

Posted in Outbreaks and Updates, Travel Health | 1 Comment »

Malaria in Kingston, Jamaica

Thursday, October 25th, 2007

A few more cases of malaria have been confirmed in Kingston, Jamaica, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 370. The outbreak started in fall of 2006 and involves Plasmodium Falciparum, the most severe type.

Malaria is not normally found on Jamaica and the CDC is advising chloroquine, as prophylaxis, for those staying overnight in Kingston. The other areas of Jamaica are not considered at risk.

The Jamaican government is working to control vectors (mosquitoes) by spraying and destroying possible breeding grounds.

This is believed to be a temporary problem, but the advice is still to take prophylaxis for people sleeping in Kingston, for now.

Here is a CDC link for more information:
CDC Malaria in Kingston, Jamaica

Hope this helps!

Posted in Outbreaks and Updates | No Comments »