Archive for Global Disease Alerts
PRO/AH> African swine fever – Europe (45): Belgium (LX) wild, spread
African Swine Fever -- BelgiumSince [13 Sep 2018], 28 cases of African swine fever [ASF] have been detected in wild boars found dead in the Etalle region, in the province of Luxembourg.Coordinated actions between different agencies are being taken to prevent the spread of the virus at the level of wildlife and hog farms. The competences are indeed divided between the regions for all the wildlife and the FASFC for all that concerns domestic pigs. Under a mutual agreement between the AFSCA and the Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Undiagnosed die-off, Asiatic lion – India (Gujurat)
Undiagnosed -- IndiaSeven more Asiatic lions rescued from Gir national park forest, near Gujarat's Junagarh, have died due to a mysterious illness. They were undergoing treatment for a deadly virus attack at a rescue centre. A total of 21 lions have died so far in Dalkhania range's Sarasiya in Gir forest since [12 Sep 2018], the state government said.Talking to ANI [Asian News International], the chief conservator of forest (wildlife) Junagarh said, "No lions were found dead in any other area. We Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Poliomyelitis update (46): (India, Papua New Guinea) trivalent vaccine, fatal
Polio -- IndiaAt least 3 batches of polio vaccines containing 1.5 lakh [150 000] vials have been found contaminated with type 2 polio virus, putting at risk India's "polio free" status as children born after April 2016 -- when the type 2 virus was withdrawn worldwide including in India -- do not have immunity to this particular virus, sources said.The health ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have stepped up surveillance, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana where Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Anthrax – Ukraine: (OD) bovine, human
Anthrax -- UkraineA spell of anthrax is observed in a village in Saratsky district, Odessa region, southern Ukraine. The local police reported this on [Tue 2 Oct 2018]. According to preliminary data, the source of the disease is a domestic cow, who was slaughtered for meat. 5 people who skinned her suffered the symptoms and were taken to hospitals; they are under the supervision of doctors. Their lives are beyond danger.The local government ruled to conduct anti-epidemic measures due to the emergency Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Plague – Madagascar (06)
Plague -- MadagascarMadagascar health officials reported in an update [of] Wed 26 Sep 2018 that the plague case count has now risen to 22 cases in 10 districts from 1 Aug 2018 to 24 Sep 2018. To date, 5 deaths have been reported.The 10 districts include Ambalavo, Ambatofinandrahana, Ambatolampy, Ambositra, Ankazobe, Antananarivo, Antsirabe, Arivonimamo, Fandriana, and Miarinarivo.Plague is known to be endemic in Madagascar and a seasonal upsurge (predominantly the bubonic form) usually occurs early Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Hepatitis A – USA (45): (KY,WV,NY)
Hepatitis A -- United StatesNumber of cases: 1395Demographics:Age range / 12-82Median age / 37Male / 835 (59.8%)Hospitalizations / 722 (51.7%)Deaths / 3Risk factors:Co-infection with hepatitis C (information available for 1145 cases) / 674 (58.9%)Co-infection with hepatitis B (information available for 1145 cases) / 127 (11.1%)Reports illicit drug use (information available for 1204 cases) / 918 (76.2%)Homeless / 153 (11%)--communicated by:ProMED-mail[Date / Cases / New cases per Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Babesiosis, bovine – Croatia: (PG) OIE
Babesiosis -- CroatiaInformation received on 30 Sep 2018 from Dr Damir Tudan, assistant to minister, chief veterinary officer, Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate, CRO Ministry of Agriculture, Zagreb, CroatiaSummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 19 Jul 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 13 Sep 2018Reason for notification: recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: 2005Manifestation of disease: clinical diseaseCausal agent: _Babesia Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Lumpy skin disease – Europe (04): Russia (KU,OM) bovine, OIE; Kazakhstan, RFI
Lumpy Skin Disease -- RussiaInformation received on [and dated] 28 Sep 2018 from Dr Nikolay Vlasov, deputy head, Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Ministry of Agriculture, Moscou, RussiaSummaryReport type: Follow-up report No. 13Date of start of the event: 29 Jun 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 11 Jul 2018Reason for notification: recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: 14 Mar 2018Manifestation of disease: clinical diseaseCausal agent: lumpy skin Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Anthrax – Kazakhstan (03): (EK) bovine, human, quarantined exports
Anthrax -- KazakhstanThe quarantine, introduced because of anthrax in the East Kazakhstan region, will be removed on [5 Oct 2018], said Tursyn Kabduldanov, deputy chairman of the Committee for Veterinary Control and Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan."In case of anthrax, quarantine lasts only 15 days. It is not foot and mouth disease, nor nodular dermatitis. Quarantine is removed after the last case of cattle [animal death in fact as cases are not always clear. Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (100): Bulgaria (PD) poultry, H5N8, OIE
Avian Influenza H5N8 -- BulgariaInformation received on [and dated] 30 Sep 2018 from Dr Damyan Iliev, chief veterinary officer & deputy executive director, Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Sofia, BulgariaSummaryReport type: immediate notification (final report)Date of start of the event: 19 Sep 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 19 Sep 2018Date event resolved: 28 Sep 2018Reason for notification: recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: 17 Aug Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Crimean-Congo hem. fever – Pakistan (18): (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh)
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever -- PakistanA 17 year old boy from Dhaki Sahib Gul Mohallah of Charsadda district died of Congo virus in a hospital in Peshawar on Friday [28 Sep 2018]. His uncle told media persons here that his nephew, a 10th grade student, had fallen ill and been admitted to Tangi hospital. From there he was referred to rural health centre, Jamalabad, Harichand, where his hepatitis test result came positive, he said. Afterwards, he was moved to a hospital in Peshawar where he remained Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (99): China (GZ) poultry, HPAI H5N6, OIE
Avian Influenza H5N6 -- ChinaInformation received on 30 Sep 2018 from Dr Zhang Zhongqui, director general, China Animal Disease Control Centre, Veterinary Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China (People's Rep of)SummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 7 Sep 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 29 Sep 2018Report date: 29 Sep 2018Reason for notification: recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: 23 Oct 2017Manifestation of disease: clinical Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Chikungunya (05): Africa (Sudan) spread, mixed outbreak susp, RFI
Chikungunya -- SudanHospital patients in Kassala suffering from chikungunya fever have been transferred to health centres to "show a decrease of their numbers in the main hospitals", witnesses claim. A government official in Kassala state justified the action to move a number of chikungunya patients away from the main hospitals by saying it "aims to transfer the patients to health centres to ensure access to the service for free."Eyewitnesses told Radio Dabanga that the hospitals in Kassala town Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola update (101): Congo DR (NK,IT) cases
Ebola -- DR CongoThe coordinator of the response, Dr Ndjoloko Tambwe Bathe, held a press conference this Sun 30 Sep 2018 in Beni. He returned to the impact of the dead city days [general strike] on the activities of the response:- The contact follow-up coverage rate decreased from 98 per cent to less than 50 per cent during the general strike.- There has been a slowdown in active case-finding in health facilities and in the community due to lack of team mobility.- There has been a slowdown in monitoring Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Equine herpesvirus – New Zealand: equine, research
Equine Herpes Virus -- New ZealandEvidence suggests that horse transportation may lead to increased shedding, transmission and reactivation of equine herpesvirus-2 (EHV-2).Transporting horses is known to increase the risk of respiratory disease, with the sustained higher head position believed responsible for opportunistic bacterial proliferation in the lower respiratory tract. However, immunosuppression and stress are also suspected to play a role in transport-related disease and are associated Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed deaths, bovine – Myanmar: (RA) RFI
Undiagnosed -- MyanmarHundreds of cattle in Minpya Township upper Pan Myaung Gyi creek in Rakhine state has reportedly died from an unidentified disease during this month [September 2018], according to locals.Farmers in the region usually sent their cattle, after ploughing season, to the nearby hills and mountains for pasturing. The owners will go up to the hills to check on their cattle once a week. On one of their routine checks, the owners found many dead cattle spread across the area. Some cattle Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Meningitis, meningococcal – USA (02): (CA) college, sg B
Meningitis - Neisseria -- United States"The purpose of declaring an outbreak is to determine when appropriate public health interventions should be considered. In contrast to previous guidance in which a threshold of 3 cases of the same serogroup with an attack rate of more than 10 cases per 100 000 population during a 3- month period was used to define both organization- and community-based outbreaks, the current guidance does not recommend the use of an absolute threshold. However, the following Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola update (100): Congo DR (NK,IT) case update, survivors, suspect cases
Ebola -- DR Congo- The last confirmed case reported to Butembo [North Kivu] is a woman who started the symptoms around 20 Sep 2018. At first, family members, who are supporters of national deputy Crispin Mbindule Mitono, refused to transfer her to the Ebola treatment center (ETC) and hid her. The family refused to see the teams of the response in the absence of the members of the "Standing Parliament", a pressure group of the Furu district in Butembo.- When the condition of the patient deteriorated, Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (19): Asia (India)
Dengue -- India1. Malavige GN, Huang L-C, Salimi M, et al. Cellular and cytokine correlates of severe dengue infection. PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(11): e50387. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050387; .2. Low JG, Ong A, Tan LK, et al. The early clinical features of dengue in adults: Challenges for early clinical diagnosis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2011; 5(5): e1191. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001191; .3. Ray U, Dutta S, Mondal S, Bandyopadhyay S. Severe dengue due to secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: A case Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies (50): Europe, PEP; Asia, human, animal
Rabies -- MalaysiaRef: Parize P, Dacheux L, Larrous F, Bourhy H. The shift in rabies epidemiology in France: Time to adjust rabies post-exposure risk assessment. Euro Surveill. 2018; 23(39): pii=1700548. Received: 2 Aug 2017; Accepted: 11 Feb 2018Abstract. The epidemiology of rabies in France and western Europe has changed during the past 22 years. In France, rabies in non-flying terrestrial mammals was declared to be eliminated in 2001, and the risk of rabies is now limited to contact with bats, Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> MERS-CoV (39): Saudi Arabia (QS, RI) South Korea
MERS -- Saudi ArabiaNewly confirmed cases since last ProMED-mail update [16 Sep 2018]: 4 casesCase No. 18 - 1752MERS in Buraidah city: 66-year-old male in Buraidah city, Qaseem regionContact with camels: noCase classification: unknownDate of report: 19 Sep 2018Date of outcome update: 19 Sep 2018Current status: deceasedCase No: 18 - 1753MERS in Afeef city: 50-year-old male in Afeef city, Riyadh regionContact with camels: noCase classification: primary, community acquiredDate of report: Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> West Nile virus (48): Europe (Germany) equine
West Nile Virus — Germany
PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease – Israel (08): (HZ) bovine, st O
Foot and Mouth -- IsraelFoot-and-mouth disease [FMD]: Tamir Goshen [acting director, Veterinary Services] distributed yesterday [Fri 28 Sep 2018] a circular informing of an outbreak of FMD in a bovine fattening herd in Moshav Shaal, Golan Heights, affecting vaccinated fattening beef calves.--Communicated by:ProMED-mail[According to preliminary unofficial information, the FMD virus involved is serotype O. Final lab results are expected to be completed after the termination of the Sukkot (Jewish Feast Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Yellow fever – Africa (17): Liberia (GK) susp.
Yellow Fever -- LiberiaThe National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and partners is investigating a suspected case of yellow fever in Grand Kru County.According to a release issued in Monrovia, the suspected case is a 2-year-old female from Farina Town, Barclayville Health District. There has been no death or new cases reported. The suspected case has been managed and is in good health.A blood specimen has been collected and sent to the Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Hand, foot & mouth disease update (08): Viet Nam (HC)
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease -- VietnamOver the last 4 weeks, there have been a total of over 500 admissions due to hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) at Children's Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, a significant increase compared to previous months. Of the hospitalizations, 38 had severe diseases (grade 2B1 or above) (PMID: 23194699), and one was fatal. Sequence analysis of the viruses collected from a subset of severe patients revealed that all enterovirus A71 strains belonged to subgenogroup Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola update (99): Congo DR (NK, IT) case update, risk, preparedness, unrest
Ebola — DR Congo
PRO/AH/EDR> West Nile virus (47): Americas, USA, equine
West Nile Virus -- United StatesSeveral cases of West Nile virus are now being reported in animals across New York, and local animal owners are being asked to vaccinate their horses. According to the state Department of Agriculture, 5 horses got the disease, including one in Canandaigua. An exact location was not given, but the horse is recovering.A Monroe County resident died earlier this month from the virus.Public-health officials say the risk will continue through the 1st heavy frost.--Communicated Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> West Nile virus (45): Europe (Germany) wild bird, OIE
West Nile Virus -- GermanyInformation received on [and dated] 28 Sep 2018 from Dr. Karin Schwabenbauer, Ministerial Director and Chief Veterinary Officer, Directorate of Animal Health, Animal Welfare, [Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture] (BMEL), Bonn, GermanySummaryReport type: Immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 26 Sep 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 26 Sep 2018Reason for notification: 1st occurrence of a listed diseaseManifestation of disease: Clinical diseaseCausal agent: Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Newcastle disease, poultry – USA (14): (CA) OIE
Newcastle Disease -- United StatesInformation received on [and dated] 27 Sep 2018 from Dr. John Clifford, Official Delegate, Chief Trade Advisor, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, USASummaryReport type: Immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 19 Sep 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 25 Sep 2018Reason for notification: Recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: 16 Sep 2003Manifestation of disease: Clinical Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Eastern equine encephalitis – USA (24): (NJ, WI) equine
Eastern Equine Encephalitis -- United StatesA 12-year-old gelding in Gloucester County, New Jersey, has tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), the state Department of Agriculture (NJDA) reported 21 Sep 2018. This is the 5th confirmed case of EEE in New Jersey so far in 2018. The horse had not been vaccinated against EEE in 2018 and was euthanized on 13 Sep 2018, the NJDA said.The other 4 cases in 2018 occurred in August and September and were in Monmouth, Ocean, and Camden counties. Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Trachoma – Iran: WHO, eliminated as a public health problem
Trachoma -- IranThe World Health Organization (WHO) has validated the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Iran. By achieving this milestone, the country becomes the 3rd in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region, after Oman in 2012 and Morocco in 2016, to overcome this centuries-old disease."WHO is pleased to have supported the Islamic Republic of Iran through the validation process," said Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. "But this achievement Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> C. diphtheriae – UK: toxigenic, cutaneous, ex Ghana, resp. diphtheria in contact
Diphtheria -- United KingdomIn early 2017, a UK-born person in their 20s [years of age] presented with a skin ulcer on the foot 3 weeks after returning from Ghana. The patient had last received a diphtheria-containing vaccine in 2013, completing the recommended course. MALDI-TOF of a cutaneous swab identified _Corynebacterium diphtheriae_. Real-time PCR ascertained the species and presence of the diphtheria toxin gene. An Elek test confirmed toxigenicity. The isolate was macrolide-sensitive and penicillin-resistant. Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Yellow fever – Africa (16): Republic of Congo, vaccination
Yellow Fever -- Republic of CongoThe Republic of Congo, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, started today [26 Sep 2018] a vaccination campaign to control the spread of yellow fever in the port city of Pointe Noire and surrounding areas. More than one million people from 9 months of age are expected to be vaccinated in this 6-day campaign.The vaccination campaign uses doses from the global emergency yellow fever vaccine stockpile managed by the International Coordination Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Peste des petits ruminants – Iran: (AL) wildlife
Peste des petits ruminants -- IranOvine rinderpest [see comment] commonly known as peste des petits ruminants (PPR) or sheep and goat plague, is a highly contagious animal disease affecting small ruminants. Once introduced, the virus can infect up to 90 percent of an animal herd, and the disease kills anywhere from 30 to 70 percent of infected animals. The PPR virus does not infect humans.Unfortunately, the infectious disease casualties in Taleqan [county] amounted to 15, so far, Fardin Hakimi, chief Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Blastomycosis – USA: (NY) Capital Region, 2007-2017
Blastomycosis -- United StatesIn October 2017, the New York State Department of Health was alerted by Albany-area infectious disease physicians about local cases of blastomycosis, including multiple severe infections, in the state health department's Capital District, an area where _Blastomyces_ spp. fungi are not considered endemic. The majority of patients reported no travel to regions where blastomycosis is known to be endemic, prompting a state investigation of the disease. Blastomycosis is reportable Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Hepatitis E – China: (HK) human, rat virus, 1st rep
Hepatitis E -- ChinaAbstract--------Zoonotic potential of a rat-derived hepatitis E virus (HEV), designated as HEV-C1, remains unknown. To evaluate the risk for HEV-C1 infection in humans, paired sera of 208 hospitalized febrile patients collected from 2001 to 2003 in Hanoi, Viet Nam, were examined for IgG antibodies to HEV-C1 and genotype 1 HEV (HEV-1), which is common in humans. IgG antibodies to virus-like particles (VLPs) of HEV-C1 and/or HEV-1 were detected from 99 of the 208 convalescent sera Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Aspergillosis – USA: multidrug resistance
Aspergillosis -- United StatesThe environmental mold _Aspergillus fumigatus_ is the primary cause of invasive aspergillosis. In patients with high-risk conditions, including stem cell and organ transplant recipients, mortality exceeds 50%. Triazole antifungals have greatly improved survival (1); however, triazole-resistant _A. fumigatus_ infections are increasingly reported worldwide and are associated with increased treatment failure and mortality (2). Of particular concern are resistant _A. fumigatus_ Read more [...]
PRO/PL> Bacterial wilt, banana – Africa
Other Plant Disease -- Worldwide/UnknownIn Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda, the top factor affecting banana production, according to a survey, was banana _Xanthomonas_ wilt (BXW), a bacterial disease that affects all types of bananas. [The disease] is detrimental to a crop and has far-reaching consequences for food security. Researchers have indicated that BXW can result in 100 percent loss of banana stands if not properly controlled.In early 2018, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Yellow fever – Africa (18): Liberia (GK) comment
Yellow Fever — Liberia