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Published Date: 2007-01-12 00:00:00
Subject: PRO/EDR> Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (02)
Archive Number: 20070112.0147

CHOLERA, DIARRHEA & DYSENTERY UPDATE 2007 (02)
**********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
In this update:
Africa
[1] Cholera - Djibouti
[2] Cholera - Uganda (Kisoro)
[3] Cholera - Zambia (Lusaka)
[4] Cholera - Angola
[5] Cholera - Angola (Huambo)
[6] Cholera - Congo DR (South Kivu)
Asia
[7] Diarrhea, amoebic dysentery - Philippines (N. Samar)
[8] Cholera - worldwide - WHO WER notifications
*****
[1] Cholera - Djibouti
Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: News24.com [edited]
<http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2051811,00.html>

At least 5 people have died after a cholera
outbreak erupted in a village south of the tiny
Red Sea state of Djibouti, health officials said on Sun, 7 Jan 2007.
They said the deaths occurred in the past 3 days
and 40 suspected cases have been put under
medical supervision in Yoboki village near the border with Ethiopia.
"An emergency team headed by the the health
minister has been formed and dispatched to the
area where the first case was detected," said
Amar Abdo Ahmed, a medical official.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[The country of Djibouti, located where the Red
Sea meets the Gulf of Aden and bordering both
Ethiopia and Somalia, and can be found on a map
of Africa at: <http://kcm.co.kr/bethany/c_maps/djibouti-1.gif>. - Mod.LL]
******
[2] Cholera - Uganda (Kisoro)
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: AllAfrica.com and The Monitor [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200701110869.html>

One person has died and 30 others admitted to
Kisoro Hospital after a cholera outbreak in a
refuge camp at Bunagana in Kisoro district.
The district LC5 Chairman Philemon Mateke asked
over 7000 Congolese refugees currently camped at
Nyakabande Camp to maintain maximum sanitation to
avoid the pandemic breaking out in their camp.
He said they should observe precautionary
measures like washing hands after visiting the
toilet, avoiding raw foods, and to always use
clean utensils if they are to have good health.
"I have received a report that 3 people from this
camp have been rushed to Kisoro hospital with
symptoms similar to those of cholera patients.
You must exercise maximum care," Dr Mateke said.
He gave the refugees 2 days to prepare to return to their homes.
He said they had talked to the province governor
and he assured them that the place is now safe for their return.
However, the refugees protested saying they
should be taken to gazetted [official?] refugee
camps in Uganda; others opted to remain at
Nyakabande despite the disease and food shortage.
Dr Mateke said he has been told by Kisoro
Hospital officials that the over 30 cholera
patients admitted are improving steadily and the
majority of them are Congolese nationals.
[Byline: Robert Muhereza]
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[A map of Uganda showing Kisoro at the extreme
southwestern tip of the country can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/uganda.pdf>. - Mod.LL]
******
[3] Cholera - Zambia (Lusaka)
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: XinHuaNet [edited]
<http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LZEG-6X6R5Z?OpenDocument>

Cholera was discovered in Lusaka for the 1st time
with one person having died of it in the Zambian
capital city on Thu, 4 Jan 2006, a spokesman of
the country's Health Ministry said here on Fri, 5
Jan 2007. Canisius Banda, a spokesman, said that
12 other patients have been admitted to clinics in Lusaka.
There have been cases of cholera reported in some
other parts of the country, with Chiengi in
Luapula Province suffering the most from the
water-borne disease. Zambia closed its border
with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in
November 2006 to prevent spread of cholera after
5 people died of it in Chiengi which borders DRC. The border has been reopened.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Lusaka is in southern Zambia and can be found on
a map at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/zambia.pdf>. - Mod.LL]
******
[4] Cholera - Angola
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: International Federation of Red Cross
And Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) [edited]
<http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVOD-6X6H2L?OpenDocument>

Cholera cases in Angola have been rapidly
increasing, from 50 cases per day in September
2006 to 80 cases per day in October 2006. A total
of 57 570 cases, with 2354 deaths, have been
reported since the beginning of the epidemic in
February 2006. The continued increase of cases,
particularly in provinces that did not have
cholera before, confirms high vulnerability of
communities attributed to limited access to water
and sanitation (WatSan) as well as deteriorated public health conditions.
A total of 260 volunteers in Huila, Uige, Kwaza
Norte, Benguela, Luanda, Kwanza Sul and Malange
provinces were trained in social mobilization.
The volunteers reached 10 253 households with
health and hygiene education activities and
distributed 22 374 information, education and
communication (IEC) materials on cholera
prevention as well as 19 771 liters of
hypochlorite for water purification. The
established partnership with stakeholders,
particularly the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) and the Ministry of Health (MoH), has
been strengthened through collaboration in
planning and implementation. This operation is
aligned with the International Federation's
Global Agenda, which sets out 4 broad goals to
meet the Federation's mission to "improve the
lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[A map of Angola can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/angola.pdf>. - Mod.LL]
******
[5] Cholera - Angola (Humabo)
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: AllAfrica.com and Angola Press Agency (Luanda) [edited]
<http://allafrica.com/stories/200701110786.html>

One more person died of cholera, among 5
diagnosed with the disease over the last 24 hours
by the health authorities on the outskirts of Huambo city, central Angola.
The source told Angop that with the new cases,
the figure reaches 459, with 34 deaths, since the
outbreak of the disease in November 2006 in Huambo province.
The cases recorded over the last 24 hours were
reported in the suburbs of Macolocolo (where the
cholera outbreak started), Canhe, Cuca and Sao Lu� all in Huambo's outskirts.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[A map of Angola showing the location of Huambo
province can be found at:
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/angola.pdf>. - Mod.LL]
******
[6] Cholera - Congo DR (South Kivu)
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: International Federation of Red Cross And
Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) [edited]
<http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/AMMF-6X5JNS?OpenDocument>

Cholera has become endemic in areas surrounding
Kivu and Tanganyika lakes of the South Kivu
Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, since
it first hit in 1998. In 2006 alone, 3 outbreaks
were registered. The first occurred in Uvira
during week 10, affecting 760 people and killing
10 others. The 2nd occurred in Fizi and Uvira
from week 28 to week 36, affecting 541 and
killing 3 people. The 3rd outbreak hit Bukavu
(with 700 000 inhabitants) as from week 41. From
then, the number of cases has been increasing and
the epidemic line was crossed during week 44,
with over 65 cases registered. 142 cases were
registered in week 47 (with no deaths) in 3
health zones of Bukavu; 126 in Kadutu, 4 in
Bagira and 12 in Ibanda. By week 48, the number
of cases increased to 246 and 10 deaths,
translating to a case fatality rate (CFR) of 4 percent.
This situation is exacerbated by poor access to
potable water, precarious hygiene and sanitation
conditions as well as failure to respect
prevention measures, especially in the suburbs of
Kadutu which is the most affected area. In
addition, the slow down of sensitization
activities that were initiated during the last
outbreak by "community relays" and Red Cross
volunteers contributed to the resurgence of the disease.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Sud-Kivu (South Kivu) can be found on a map of
Congo DR at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sud-Kivu>. - Mod.LL]
*****
[7] Diarrhea, amoebic dysentery - Philippines (N. Samar)
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2007
From: Brent Barrett <salbrent@sbcglobal.net>
Source: Philippine Information Agency [edited]
<http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&fi=p070109.htm&no=77&r=&y=&mo=>

Department of Health (DOH) Region 8 Director
Benita Pastor confirmed reports on the outbreak
of diarrhea and amoebiasis diseases in the
flood-stricken municipalities of Northern Samar.
In an interview with the Philippine Information
Agency, Director Pastor said that the DOH
disaster team was in Northern Samar on 2 Jan 2007
in order to conduct Rapid Assessment of the area,
health status of the families, health needs and
the magnitude of damage to health infrastructure and other lifeline.
Director Pastor said, the Epidemiology and
Surveillance Team of the Department of Health in
the region reported the occurrence of amoebiasis
and diarrhea cases in the province. About 27
cases were reported in Catarman, 38 in Mondragon,
80 cases in San Roque and 5 in Lapinig. All in
all, the team reported 163 cases, Director Pastor informed.
--
Brent Barrett
Indianapolis, Indiana
<salbrent@sbcglobal.net>
[Northern Samar is a province of the Philippines
located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its
capital is Catarman and is located at the
northern portion of the island of Samar, which
can be found at:
<http://www.oxfam.org.au/world/asia/philippines/philippines.jpg>
ProMED thanks Brent Barrett for this notice. - Mod.LL]
******
[8] Cholera - worldwide - WHO WER notifications
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007
From: Marianne Hopp <mjhopp12@yahoo.com>
Source: WHO Epidemiological Record [edited]
<http://www.who.int/wer/2007/wer8201_2/en/index.html>

Notifications of cholera received from 5 to 11 Jan 2007
-------------------------------------------------------
Country / Dates / Cases / Deaths
Africa
Angola 8 - 16 Dec 2006 / 1348 / 21
Congo DR 18 Sep - 12 Nov 2006 / 2617 / 25
Senegal 16 Oct - 26 Nov 2006 / 302 / 6
Guinea 20 Nov - 31 Dec 2006 / 59 / 0
Niger 13 Nov - 24 Dec 2006 / 5 / 2
Tanzania 30 Oct - 26 Nov 2006 / 1241 / 10
Asia
India 8 Oct - 18 Nov 2006 / 159 / 1
Americas
USA 5 Jun - 31 Jul 2006 / 5 (1i) / 0
i = imported
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[More information regarding the cases reported to
WHO from the USA would be appreciated by ProMED,
particularly relating to the non-imported cases.
_V. cholerae_ can be acquired along the Gulf
Coast, and cases have been reported from Hawaii. - Mod.LL]

See Also