Infectious disease surveillance update

Abstract

Ten deaths have been reported in the 19 registered cases of human monkeypox in Central African Republic as of Sept 28. The first case of this outbreak was recorded on Aug 17, 2016. Rapid intervention teams are being sent to support the villages affected in the prefecture of Basse-Kotto. This report is the fourth outbreak of monkeypox in Central African Republic, the last outbreak started in December 2015 and lasted until January 2016. Since a cryptosporidium outbreak was first detected in Ohio, USA, in late July, more than 820 cases of the diarrhoeal disease have been reported so far. The cases are from three counties in Ohio: Columbus, Franklin, and Delaware. Infection with the protozoan parasite presents from asymptomatic infections to life-threatening diarrhoea, with asymptomatic cases being the potential cause of continued transmission. The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the host body for long periods of time and that makes it very tolerant to chlorine disinfection. The outbreak has been linked to swimming pools. Public health measures are being implemented that include advising those with symptoms to avoid pools or water parks, and staying home from work, school, or day cares. Health officials in Vietnam have recorded 49 deaths caused by rabies so far this year. Most of these deaths have been reported in the northern mountainous regions of the country. Those who died are reported to not have gone to medical facilities to receive the required post-exposure vaccination. The majority of cases of rabies are from the bite of an infected dog or cat, and in Vietnam there are 400 000 cases of such incidents per year. Another two deaths caused by West Nile fever virus have been reported by the National Public Health Institute in Romania. This report brings the total number of deaths to eight out of the 77 reported cases in the 2016 transmission season so far, beginning May 1 and finishing Sept 22. This number is an increase from the 19 total cases reported for the 2015 transmission season. Most cases have been reported from Brăila with 17 cases and Bucharest with 16 cases. As of Sept 29, 171 cases of West Nile fever have been reported within the European Union.