Published Date: 2007-10-25 16:00:09
Subject: PRO/EDR> Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (51)
Archive Number: 20071025.3468
CHOLERA, DIARRHEA & DYSENTERY UPDATE 2007 (51)
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In this update:
Africa
[1] Cholera - West Africa
[2] Cholera - Mozambique: (Zambezia)
[3] Cholera - Congo DR: (Congo DR-Uganda border)
Asia
[4] Cholera - Nepal: (Saptari)
[5] Cholera, diarrhea - India: (Assam)
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[1] Cholera - West Africa
Date: Tue 23 Oct 2007
Source: Voice of America [edited]
<http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-10-23-voa43.cfm>
Nearly 300 people have died in a cholera epidemic in West Africa, and
thousands of others have been infected. Outbreaks this year [2007]
have left more than 250 dead in Guinea and 30 dead in Sierra Leone.
In Senegal, more than 2000 cases of cholera have been reported, says
Red Cross Health Manager for West and Central Africa, Aissa Fall
Gueye. This is a very high infection rate, she says, but not
exceptional for the West African country. Only 12 cases have been
fatal. She says Senegal has done a good job of responding to this
year's [2007] crisis. But she says the disease will continue to
plague the region if international donors and governments do not
shift their focus from disaster relief to long-term prevention.
It can also pass from person to person, which becomes a serious
problem as people move around the country. For example, in Senegal,
this year's [2007] first major outbreak was reported in Touba, after
rains caused the sewers to overflow. One week later, there was an
outbreak hundreds of kilometers away in Saint Louis, after a
religious gathering that was attended by many from Touba.
Gueye says health organizations and ministries need to stop acting
like firefighters, who wait to respond until the situation is already
in crisis. She says they need to be more proactive and they need
donor support to help them focus more strongly on prevention.
But community level action is not enough, says Belgium's Doctors
Without Borders West Africa Operational Coordinator, Sebastien Roy.
"The biggest increase of cases is probably linked to structural
reasons. Bad sanitation conditions, problems with the water supply
for the population, and with wide urbanization of the city," he noted.
In 2005, more than 1200 died in a massive outbreak that infected more
than 75 000 across West Africa.
[Byline: Naomi Schwarz]
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[A map of West Africa showing the countries involved can be found at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/westafrica.pdf>. - Mod.LL]
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[2] Cholera - Mozambique: (Zambezia)
Date: Tue 23 Oct 2007
Source: Independent Online [edited]
<http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20071025094843309C189263>
A cholera outbreak in Mozambique's central province of Zambezia
reported this week has resulted in the death of 2 people and the
hospitalisation of another 6.
Radio Mozambique reported on Thu 25 Oct 2007 that the outbreak in the
rural district of Morrumbala near the Malawian border was due to the
consumption of contaminated water. The station said out of the 29
cases reported in that province this week, 6 people who remained in
hospital were in a stable condition.
Cholera outbreaks are often reported in Mozambique's rural and urban
centres during the rainy season, which began this month [October 2007].
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[A map of Mozambique in showing the province of Zambezia in this
southeastern African nation can be found at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/mozambiq.pdf>. - Mod.LL]
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[3] Cholera - Congo DR: (Congo DR-Uganda border)
Date: Wed 24 Oct 2007
Source: Independent Online [edited]
<http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=136&art_id=nw20071024140006660C352343>
The latest clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo have driven 33
000 more people from villages in Nord-Kivu province and a cholera
outbreak is suspected, UN agencies reported on Wed 24 Oct 2007. About
25 000 people have been uprooted in the rugged Rutshuru highlands
about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the provincial capital Goma
and 8000 others have fled over the border into Uganda, UN officials estimated.
At Bunagana, a settlement on the border, officials had noted 2 cases
of suspected cholera, a fast-spreading water-borne disease, leading
the UN HCR [UN High Commissioner for Refugees - Mod.LL] to urge
people to move out of the zone to the "transit center with adequate
health facilities." HCR workers and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF -
Doctors without Borders) at Nyankabanda have finished building "7
collective shelters for 1500 people." MSF staff were vaccinating
children under 5 and the UN Children's Fund provided 2 10 000-liter
fresh water tanks.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[A map of Congo DR showing the location of Nord-Kivu in the east of
the country can be found at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/drcongo.pdf> - Mod.LL]
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[4] Cholera - Nepal: (Saptari)
Date: Thu 25 Oct 2007
Source: ChinaView, Xinhua News Agency report [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/25/content_6942085.htm>
Eradicated from Nepal 10 years ago, cholera [broke out] in Nepal
again, the Nepali national news agency RSS reported on Thursday 25 Oct 2007].
In Saptari district, some 190 km (118 miles) southeast of the capital
Kathmandu, cholera was found when it was sought to identify the cause
of outbreak of diarrhea that has been spreading in the district, an
epidemic scale for the past 6 weeks.
The bacterium of cholera was found after research was carried out by
a microbiological team. The team led by Dr. Rajendra Gurung of BP
Koirala Health Science Academy found cholera in 4 villages of Saptari
district, said District Public Health Office of Saptari. The
bacterium was found in the human excreta of diarrhea patients as well
as the water consumed by the patients.
So far, diarrhea that spread in the form of cholera has claimed 19
persons while 50 have been affected by disease. Most of them are
children [in this district or nation-wide. - Mod.LL]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
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[Saptari district is in the southern aspect for the Eastern region of
Nepal as can be found on a map of the country at
<http://ncthakur.itgo.com/map04.htm>.
Although most of the postings from Nepal just report on diarrhea with
fatalities, some previous posts have mentioned cholera in 2007 as
well as yearly since 2004. Just how much of the diarrhea or dysentery
reported from Nepal is cholera is unclear. - Mod.LL]
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[5] Cholera, diarrhea - India: (Assam)
Date: Wed 24 Oct 2007
Source: New India Press, Press Trust of India (PTI) report [edited]
<http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20071024073256&Page=P&Headline=Epidemic+diseases+claims+82+lives&Title=Nation&Topic=0>
At least 82 people have died in post-flood outbreak of cholera,
diarrhea, and gastroenteritis in the upper Assam districts of
Golaghat, Jorhat, and Sibsagar, particularly in the tea garden areas,
since September 2007.
Sources in the Golaghat district health department has said that 2968
people were affected by diarrhea and cholera, which claimed 36 lives.
39 people were currently undergoing treatment in hospital.
In Jorhat, 37 people had died of cholera and 22 others were in
hospital, while in neighboring Sibsagar district 9 persons lost their
lives due to diarrhea with nearly 200 others affected.
The health department officials said the worst affected were the tea
garden areas where unhealthy and unsanitary conditions prevailed.
"Asserting the garden authorities were not careful in providing safe
drinking water and hygienic living conditions with near non-existent
health care facilities," the sources said, the estate managements
only referred the affected workers to the government hospitals.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Assam state is in northeastern India and can be found on a map at
<http://www.nationsonline.org/bilder/map_of_india50.jpg>. - Mod.LL]
[The outbreaks discussed in this update can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
<http://www.healthmap.org/promed>. - Mod.LL]
See Also
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (50) 20071023.3450Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (49) 20071018.3405
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (48) 20071015.3377
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (47) 20071011.3340
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (46) 20071009.3316
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (45) 20071008.3309
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (44) 20071006.3300
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (43) 20071004.3286
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (42) 20071002.3254
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (41) 20070925.3175
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (40) 20070924.3164
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (30) 20070830.2856
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (20) 20070511.1509
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (10) 20070302.0737
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2007 (01) 20070105.0047
2006
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Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2006 (52) 20061229.3646
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2006 (50) 20061215.3528
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2006 (40) 20061006.2862
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2006 (30) 20060724.2037
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2006 (20) 20060512.1352
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2006 (10) 20060303.0675
Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update 2006 (01) 20060106.0040
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