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Published Date: 2006-03-03 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/EDR> Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2006 (10)
Archive Number: 20060303.0675

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA & DYSENTERY UPDATE 2006 (10)
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
In this update:
Africa
[1] Cholera - Ghana (Central Region)
[2,3] Cholera - Angola (Luanda)
[4,5] Cholera - Sudan (Central Equatoria State)
[6] Cholera - Congo DR
[7] Cholera - Zimbabwe
[8] Cholera - Worldwide - WHO WER Notifications
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[1] Cholera - Ghana (Central Region)
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: African News Dimension [edited]
<http://www.andnetwork.com/app?service=direct/0/Home/$StorySummary$1.$DirectLink$1&sp=l20692>

Cholera outbreaks at Ekumfi Immuna, Arkra, and Ekumpoano, all in the
Mfantseman District, have claimed 3 lives and over 15 others are receiving
treatment at Otuam and Essuehyia health centers. Mr Francis Zuradam
Saareson, the district disease control officer, and Mr Samuel Sosi, the
district director of health, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in an
interview at Saltpond.
Mr Saareson said a number of the health personnel have been dispatched to
the affected communities to bring the situation under control. Mr Sosi
appealed to people of the area, especially those in the coastal towns, to
observe personal and environmental hygiene. The District Director urged
them to ensure that they washed their hands with soap after attending to
nature's call or after attending to an infected person. He advised them to
eat their food hot and always protect the food from flies.
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[The Mfantseman District (sometimes spelled Mfantsiman) is located along
the coastline of the Central Region. It stretches for about 21 kilometers
along the coastline for about 13 km inland. The district capital is
Saltpond. It is bordered to the west and to the north west by
Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District, to the east by the Gomoa District and to
the south by the sea A map of the regions of Ghana can be found at:
<http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pinetreeweb.com/ghana-map-pol1996.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.pinetreeweb.com/bp-prempeh-large-map.htm&h=1244&w=996&sz=365&tbnid=rbquarlIVVAJ:&tbnh=150&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dghana%2Bmap%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D&oi=imagesr&start=1>
- Mod.LL]
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[2] Cholera - Angola (Luanda)
Date: Sun 26 Feb 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Prensa Latina [edited]
<http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B396A3736-A185-4E40-B4CD-BAE3D02D7D69%7D)&language=EN>

Cholera that began 10 days ago in a neighborhood in Luanda has extended to
several areas of the capital, causing the death of 16 people and over 90
have been treated in hospital.
Minister of health Sebastian Veloso told press Sat, 25 Feb 2006, that the
disease is spreading despite measures taken in the capital to stop it. He
noted that the malady, which began in Boavista neighborhood, has extended
to Ilhia (Luanda island), Viana, and Mutamba.
The Ministry of Health has tightened sanitary measures in this capital by
giving precise instructions to fight the disease.
--
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[Maps showing the location of Angola in Africa and the location of the
capital can be found at:
<http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/ao.htm> - Mod.LL]
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[3] Cholera - Angola (Luanda)
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: XinHuaNet.com [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-03/02/content_4248269.htm>

9 more cases of cholera, including 1 death, have been registered in Luanda,
capital of Angola, bringing the number of cases to 113 since the outbreak
of the disease in the city on 13 Feb 2006, Angolan news agency Angop
reported on Thu, 2 Mar 2006.
The Angolan Ministry of Health was quoted as saying that 11 people have
died so far in the capital. The report said that the situation is worrying
enough, but still does not require external aid, for it is still possible
to solve it internally. The report said that 2 cholera treatment centers
will be set up very soon in Luanda.
The residents in the capital are advised to treat the water before being
consumed in accordance with the rules stated by the health authorities.
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[4] Cholera - Sudan (Central Equatoria State)
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: African News Dimension [edited]
<http://www.andnetwork.com/app?service=direct/0/Home/$StorySummary.$DirectLink$2&sp=l20596>

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has started an emergency intervention in
southern Sudan in response to a severe cholera outbreak in Juba town.
The first suspected cases in the region were reported at the end of Jan
2006 in the town of Yei, south west of Juba. Since then the disease has
spread quickly. On 6 Feb 2006, the first suspected case was identified in
Juba. The cholera outbreak was confirmed a few days later. After 15 days,
by 21 Feb 2006, 1864 cases and 45 deaths recorded.
After mounting an emergency response in Yei, MSF's new emergency
intervention will focus on Juba, a town of more than 250 000 inhabitants
and designated the capital city of southern Sudan after the 2005
North-South peace agreement. The objective of the intervention is to reduce
mortality of infected cases and to stop the spread of the disease. An MSF
team is already working in a Cholera Treatment Center (CTC) set up in Al
Shaaba pediatric hospital. MSF will ensure adequate treatment in the CTC,
train local health staff, establish clear treatment protocols, and ensure
regular supplies.
MSF is planning to increase the capacity of the CTC, and, if necessary, set
up new structures in order to handle the significant number of new cases.
For the time being, another CTC is in Juba teaching hospital, but it has
already reached full capacity.
Apart from the case management, the MSF team is working toward a
comprehensive strategy to respond to the outbreak. It is coordinating with
others to ensure an effective referral system, accurate surveillance of the
evolution of the outbreak, provision of safe drinking water, safe burials,
and disinfection of patient homes. Since cholera is not endemic to the
region, it is expected that the population will have limited knowledge
about the transmission and prevention of the disease. Therefore, emphasis
will also be put on educational activities.
The epidemic is affecting a non-endemic urban area where the population
relies heavily on polluted water from the river Nile. For all these
reasons, a large outbreak can be expected. MSF currently has 11
international staff working on the ground, to be reinforced with 7 more
people before this weekend. More than 70 tons of medical and logistics
materials will be sent to Juba in the coming days.
--
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[A map of Sudan showing how far south Juba is can be found at:
<http://www.pnm.my/mtcp/images/maps/Sudan-map.jpg> - Mod.LL]
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[5] Cholera - Sudan (Central Equatoria State)
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Mail and Guardian [edited]
<http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/&articleid=265468>

The death toll from a suspected cholera outbreak in southern Sudan has
risen to 89 amid continued efforts to stem the epidemic, the WHO said in a
statement Mon, 27 Feb 2006. The UN's health agency said 4906 cases of acute
watery diarrhea were reported, 89 of them fatal, over the past month.
The outbreak has hit 2 major southern Sudanese towns, the administrative
capital Juba and Yei near the border with Uganda. Cholera was confirmed in
a number of deadly diarrhea cases. Health officials have warned of
catastrophe if cholera spreads through Juba, a city of about 250 000 people
that relies almost entirely on untreated water from the heavily polluted Nile.
South Sudan, whose infrastructure was largely destroyed by a 21 year civil
war, suffered deadly outbreaks of meningitis and yellow fever in recent
months.
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[6] Cholera - Congo DR Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: XinHuaNet.com [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-03/02/content_4247328.htm>

A cholera outbreak in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) has claimed 14 lives, the UN mission to the country confirmed on Wed,
1 Mar 2006. Since Oct 2005, a total of 1185 cases of cholera have been
reported in 2 areas in eastern DRC around Lake Tanganyika and 14 patients
have died.
The local residents' habit of drinking unpurified water from the lake has
been blamed for causing the outbreak of cholera.
At present, the UN mission distributes 40 000 liters of drinking water
every day to local residents to prevent the spread of the disease.
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[7] Cholera - Zimbabwe
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006
Source: African News Dimension [edited]
<http://www.andnetwork.com/app?service=direct/1/Home/$StorySummary$0.$DirectLink$2&sp=l21393>

Health officials in Zimbabwe have said that a cholera outbreak in 2 central
districts of the country has killed 6 people and infected 137 others.
The epidemic broke out in the districts of Gokwe and KweKwe, and officials
said they were battling to control the outbreak, the latest in a series to
hit Zimbabwe. Officials said quarantines had been established in all
affected areas, and hoped to bring the outbreak under control shortly.
International aid agencies had been drafted to help battle the outbreak,
which officials have blamed on heavy rains, which washed dirt into drinking
water sources. "Red Cross and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare are
working hand-in-hand to keep the situation under control," an official from
the international aid agency said.
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[8] Cholera - Worldwide - WHO WER Notifications
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2006
From: Marianne Hopp <mjhopp12@yahoo.com>
Source: WHO Epidemiological Record
<http://www.who.int/wer/2006/wer8109/en/index.html>

Notifications of cholera received from 24 Feb to 2 Mar 2006
-----------------------------------------------------------
Country/Dates/Cases/Deaths
No notifications during this time period
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See Also