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HEPATITIS E VIRUS - SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
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A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Wed 5 Mar 2008
Source: The Gideon Database [edited]
<http://www.gideononline.com/>
Notwithstanding the recent episode in Uganda [see: ProMED-mail post
Hepatitis E virus - Uganda 20080304.0894], outbreaks of hepatitis E
in Sub-Saharan Africa are rarely reported. The following summary was
abstracted from the Gideon database (<http://www.GideonOnline.com>).
Botswana:
---------
1985 - An outbreak (245 cases) in Maun was ascribed to possible water
contamination.
Central African Republic:
-------------------------
2002 - An outbreak (48 confirmed cases) in Bangui may have been
caused by contaminated drinking water.
2004 - An outbreak (10 cases) in Bangui was caused by contaminated
water sold by a street vendor.
Chad:
-----
2004 - An outbreak (1442 cases, 46 fatal) was reported in Goz Amer
and Goz Beida - Sudanese refugee camps.
2005 - An outbreak (50 or more fatal cases) was reported in the area
of Goz Beida (eastern Chad).
Democratic Republic of Congo:
-----------------------------
2006 - An outbreak (341 cases, 13 fatal) was reported in Equateur Province.
Djibouti:
---------:
1993 - An outbreak of mixed hepatitis A and hepatitis E infection in
Djibouti City was caused by contaminated water.
Ethiopia:
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1988 to 1989 - An outbreak (423 hospitalized) of acute hepatitis E
was reported among military personnel in the north.
Ivory Coast:
------------
1986 - An outbreak was reported in Tortiya (northwestern region), the
1st well-documented outbreak of hepatitis E in Africa.
Namibia:
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1983 - An outbreak (201 known cases, 7 fatal - 6 of these pregnant)
was reported in the Kavango region.
1995 - An outbreak of presumed water-borne hepatitis E was reported
(no details given).
Somalia:
--------
1985 to 1986 - Outbreaks (2000 cases or more, 87 fatal) were reported
in 4 refugee camps. 40 (46 percent) of the persons who died were
pregnant women.
1988 to 1989 - An outbreak (11 413 cases, 346 fatal) was reported in
the Shebeli River in the Lower Shebeli region.
Sudan:
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1985 - An outbreak (63 fatal, including 11 pregnant women) was
reported among refugees.
2004 - An outbreak (6 861 cases, 87 fatal) was reported among
refugees in the Darfur region. In-hospital mortality rates as high as
17.8 percent were reported.
--
Communicated by:
Steve Berger
Geographic Medicine
Tel Aviv Medical Center
Israel
<mberger@post.tau.ac.il>
[ProMED-mail thanks Steve Berger for compiling this information and
making it available. The primary references are available from Steve
Berger on request.
A map of Sub-Saharan Africa is available at
<http://www.nric.net/images/afr.jpg>. - Mod.CP]
[See also:
Hepatitis E virus - Uganda 20080304.0894]
....................cp/ejp/dk
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