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RABIES, HUMAN, VAMPIRE BATS - PERU (LORETO), SUSPECTED
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Fri 6 Nov 2009
Source: La Republica, Lima [translated by Mod.MPP, edited]
<http://www.larepublica.pe/regionales/06/11/2009/envian-brigadas-de-salud-loreto-por-posible-brote-de-rabia>
Health brigades sent to Loreto for possible rabies outbreak
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The Ministry of Health (MINSA), through the Regional Health Authority
(Diresa) Loreto, sent crews with specialized personnel to the Morona
District of Loreto, [to investigate a] possible outbreak of rabies
transmitted by the bite of bats that have caused the deaths of 5 people
from the Huambisa ethnic group.
In this regard, the coordinator of the MINSA Zoonosis Health MINSA, Dr Ana
Maria Navarro, said that after learning of the events there was immediate
coordination with the Department of Epidemiology of the Diresa to form an
intervention brigade in the area.
This group consists of infectious disease physicians, epidemiologists,
veterinarians, laboratory staff and environmental health staff and
immunizations, aimed at determining the existence of a rabies outbreak as
well as investigating the epidemiological situation in the area, in
addition to vaccinating those people in the communities that had been
exposed to bat bites.
"Our staff is taking all necessary equipment for the intervention [control
measure], such as 700 doses of rabies vaccine, syringes, scalpels, masks
and materials to catch the vampire bats on which they have to do the
analyses," she said.
Ana Maria Navarro, explained that there will be a search for people at risk
of rabies in the communities with evidence of bat bites. In addition, the
staff will be reactivated and the community surveillance chain will be
strengthened in those areas [zones] with a risk of transmission of wildlife
rabies, by training health promoters and teachers in the communities visited.
On the other hand, there will be coordination with the Education sector
authorities to reactivate the implementation of Sentinnel Surveillance in
the school population in schools in the area and will work in educating the
public about the control and prevention of human rabies transmitted by bats.
--
communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
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[In several South American countries, vampire bat rabies is a problem for
both livestock and the human population. There are 3 species of vampire
bats, the most important disease-transmitter being _Desmodus rotundus_.
Protection of livestock has depended on the use of bovine vaccines and/or
use of anticoagulants, such as diphenadione or warfarin, which can be
administered to bovines as slow-release boluses, or mixed with grease and
applied to the skin. Vampire bats suffer fatal hemorrhages in their wing
capillaries as a result of ingesting bovine blood containing anticoagulant,
or during grooming to remove adherent grease.
Humans can be protected by vaccination with standard human rabies vaccine,
or less effectively by protective netting at night. In outbreaks of vampire
bat rabies in Brazil children were the most vulnerable to infection. The
vulnerability of children was assumed to have been a consequence of greater
depth of sleep and reduced awareness of attack by vampire bats.
An image of the common vampire bat _Desmodus rotundus_ can be accessed at
<http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/common-vampire-bat.html>.
A map showing the location of Loreto in the interior of northern Peru can
be accessed at
<http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/peru/map/m527862/iquitos.html>.
- Mod.CP]
[see also:
2007
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Rabies, human, vampire bat - Peru (03) 20070306.0786
Rabies, human, vampire bat - Peru (02) 20070131.0395
Rabies, human, vampire bat - Peru 20070123.0299
2005
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Rabies, human, vampire bats - Peru (03): discussion 20050121.0212
Rabies, human, vampire bats - Peru (02): discussion 20050120.0193
Rabies, human, vampire bats - Peru 20050118.0170]
..................mpp/cp/ejp/sh
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