H5N1

India: Multiple attacks launched to fight dengue fever in Madurai

Via The Hindu: Multiple attacks launched to fight dengue fever in Madurai. Excerpt:

A series of measures has been initiated in Madurai district on Friday to fight the threatening dengue fever. 

While the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) here has set up a special 50-bed ward to treat dengue cases, the Government Hospital at Melur intensified its fever surveillance and treatment in the badly affected Melur block. 

N. Mohan, GRH Dean, said on Friday that Ward 205 in the hospital’s main campus has been completely revamped and earmarked for admitting dengue patients, both confirmed and suspected cases. 

“Dengue positive cases are still coming in and patients are being referred to us from various places. Patients who are recovering soon are discharged and the special ward will help in giving focused attention to deal with dengue fever cases,” he said. 

The exclusive 50-bed ward, which was earlier used for orthopaedics, has been refurbished to give a complete new look. Special steps have been taken to keep mosquitoes away from this ward. If fever patients continued to be on the rise, the GRH authorities are ready to provide additional space for admitting the dengue suspected persons for treatment. 

In Melur block, the Joint Director of Public Health P.Vadivelan reviewed the mosquito control activities meant to reduce the breeding sources. 

“Our team of health inspectors and village health nurses had concentrated in A.Vellalapatti village visiting homes and remove mosquito breeding sources in backyards. The work will continue in that village on Saturday,” he said. 

The Government Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital at Tirumangalam too had joined the drive against dengue by distributing medicines in affected areas on Friday. 

A.Gopalakrishnan, Principal in-charge, has said that the college staff had conducted dengue prevention camps at Mohamadiapuram in Melur block and also in Thirumangalam area. Homoeopathic medicines to prevent dengue fever were distributed to 1,600 persons. Another homoeopathy camp will be conducted in Therkutheru.

I doubt that a homeopathic campaign against dengue will do much good.

Aftermath of hurricane Sandy leaves Haiti facing new disaster

Via The Guardian, a long, unhappy report from Port-au-Prince: Aftermath of hurricane Sandy leaves Haiti facing new disaster. The conclusion:

On the radio, people hear how the US has suffered as a result of Sandy and they sympathise. But, although it was the same storm, its impact seems to have played out in two different worlds. 

Reports that electricity was slowly being restored in New York contrasted here with villages that had no electricity to begin with. 

Dieula Geffrard lost her home and her husband in the 2010 earthquake. The refugee tent she and her four children moved into afterwards was destroyed by a storm the same year. 

Her portable home in Kafou Desruissaux, about an hour's drive from Port-au-Prince, has now been inundated with mud. 

"My home wasn't strong enough to withstand the floods, which took away my bed, clothes and shoes," she says. 

She counts herself lucky, though, to be alive. After the waters subsided, she found the body of her neighbour, the town tailor. "This place has been forgotten," says Geffrard, "Please help us."

DR Congo: 21 days without a new Ebola case

Via Mediacongo.net: :21 jours sans nouveaux cas de virus Ebola in RDC. [21 days without a new Ebola case in DR Congo] Excerpt, with my translation:

La République démocratique du Congo (RDC) traverse 21 jours sans enregistrer des nouveaux cas de l’épidémie de fièvre hémorragique Ebola, épidémie qui frappe la province Orientale, a déclaré vendredi le Dr. Félix Kabange, ministre de la Santé publique, au cours d’un point de presse à Kinshasa. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo has gone 21 days without recording any new cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, an epidemic that has struck Orientale province, according to a Friday statement by Dr. Felix Kabange, minister of public health, at a press conference in Kinshasa.

"Sur 77 cas déclarés, 36 décès, dont 27 femmes et 9 hommes, tel est le bilan de cette épidémie et aucun nouveau cas n’a été déclaré depuis 21 jours alors que le virus de cette fièvre hémorragique a une période d’incubation comprise entre 2 et 21 jours. Nous attendons encore 21 jours pour annoncer la fin officielle de l’épidémie de fièvre hémorragique Ebola", a, indiqué Dr. Kabange.

"Out of 77 confirmed cases, 36 have died," Dr. Kabange said. "They include 27 women and 9 men; that is the total of the epidemic, and no new case has been confirmed after 21 days. The virus of this hemorrhagic fever has an incubation period of 2 to 21 days. We are waiting for 21 days before announcing the official end of the Ebola epidemic."

Haiti: 1.8 million affected by Sandy -- UN

Via the UN News Centre: UN relief agency estimates 1.8 million Haitians have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. Excerpt:

Some 1.8 million Haitians have been affected by Hurricane Sandy, the United Nations relief agency said today after its first assessment of the situation in the region, adding that food security remains an urgent concern in the Caribbean nation. 

Initial data collected by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) showed Hurricane Sandy, which ploughed through the Caribbean country before hitting the eastern coast of the United States, killed 60 people and significantly damaged critical infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals in addition to destroying thousands of homes. 

“Floodwater had been receding since Sunday but more than 18,000 homes have been flooded, damaged or destroyed,” an OCHA spokesperson, Jens Laerke, told reporters in Geneva, adding that food security remains a main concern as the country is now struggling with the combined impact of hurricanes Sandy and Isaac, which hit in August, as well as drought. 

Preliminary data estimated that food security had been severely affected, Mr. Laerke said, with up to two million people at risk of malnutrition. 

In addition to food insecurity, OCHA said it is concerned about the nearly 350,000 people that are still living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a result of a devastating earthquake which hit the country in January 2010. Mr. Laerke noted that while most vulnerable IDPs in camps that had been evacuated before the storm have returned home, some 1,500 people remain in 15 hurricane shelters. 

Because of the impact of the hurricane, OCHA said it is now considering an emergency revision of the Consolidated Appeal (CAP) to accommodate increased needs. 

During the same briefing, a spokesperson for the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported that access to health services and restocking supplies was limited as rivers had become impassable and roads had been obstructed. It also warned that poor sanitary conditions could increase the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, which is still endemic in the country. 

The WHO spokesperson said there has already been an increase in cholera alerts, especially in the south, and added that field teams are monitoring the situation closely. WHO is also working with the Government in the area to ensure that health supplies could be delivered to treatment centres that had been damaged by strong winds and flooding, he added.

US: Sandy's aftermath in New York City

Via The New York Times: Sandy’s Aftermath: Live Storm Updates. Excerpt:

As power starts to return for thousands of New Yorkers, the city’s health department issued safety guidelines that it hopes will help residents avoid problems. 

“When reoccupying a building that lost water due to the power outage, residents and occupants should let their water run until it is cold and clear,” the department said. “In buildings where water tanks were depleted, owners have been directed to flush them before resuming water supply to the building.” 

The department said people should throw away any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, mayonnaise or leftovers) that has been above 41 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours or more. 

People should also throw away any food (including packaged food) that was touched by flood water. 

“Given that many residents have been without power since Sunday or Monday, we recommend that all perishable food be thrown away – whether it was in your refrigerator or freezer,” the department said.

CDC: Meningitis update for November 2

CDC has published its HAI - Multistate Meningitis Outbreak - November 2, 2012 Case Count. The tally now stand at 395 cases of fungal meningitis, 9 peripheral joint infections, and 29 deaths—one more than yesterday.

Marburg in Uganda: CDC update

Via the CDC: Marburg in Uganda - Travelers' Health. Excerpt:

The Ugandan Ministry of Health (MOH) has reported an outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever in the Kitumba subcounty of the Kabale and Ibanda Districts in southwestern Uganda.  As of October 28, 18 cases and 9 deaths have been reported. Nine of the cases are laboratory confirmed. 

The city of Kabale is within several miles of the outbreak. Kabale is often a stopping point for people visiting both Lake Bunyonyi and the Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks, which are famous for mountain gorilla tracking. This city is also a transportation hub, with roads leading to both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

CDC is working closely with the Ugandan MOH and the World Health Organization (WHO) to control the outbreak. CDC does not recommend any travel restrictions at this time.

Canada: New case of E. coli related to XL Foods reported

Via The Globe and Mail: New case of E. coli related to XL Foods reported. Excerpt:

A new case of E. coli has been linked to the XL Foods Inc. plant in Alberta at the centre of a massive beef recall. 

The Public Health Agency of Canada says the latest case is in Quebec, bringing the total number of confirmed cases across the country to 17. 

The agency says the person became ill last month and has since recovered. 

The announcement comes a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency gave the plant the green light to resume operating after being closed since Sept. 27.

The E. coli outbreak appears to have had zero consequences for the owners of the plant, whose management has been taken over by a big Brazilian company.

Canada: British Columbians reminded to get their flu shot

A news release from the B.C. government: British Columbians reminded to get their flu shot. Excerpt:

B.C.'s Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid and provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall got their flu shot today to demonstrate the importance of getting vaccinated as part of the provincial influenza immunization campaign. 

Clinics are now open throughout the province, and eligible British Columbians are able to get immunized at a wide variety of locations - from dedicated flu clinics, to their doctor's offices, or local pharmacist. Specially trained pharmacists have been able to offer immunizations for three years. More than 2,000 community pharmacists throughout B.C. are authorized to provide the flu vaccine this year.

I popped in to my physician's office this morning and got my shot.

US: Second dengue case in Florida

Via BayNews9.com: Dengue fever case confirmed in Osceola County. Excerpt:

A 41-year-old woman has dengue fever, according to Osceola County Health Department. 

The health department says they do not know if the woman traveled outside the country at all, but they say was confirmed through lab tests. 

The health department is also working to confirm a second case of dengue fever in a 73-year-old man. 

The health department is warning people to be careful with mosquitoes and mosquito bites. Dengue is a viral disease transferred by a breed of mosquito common in the tropical and the southeastern United States. Reported cases in Florida are rare. It is not spread from person to person. 

A Seminole County man had a confirmed case of dengue fever.