09.12
Raden Rahmad
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09.00Raden RahmadNo comments
19.56Raden RahmadNo comments
An opinion piece appeared yesterday in JAMA (see JAMA Viewpoint: Emerging Zika pandemic requires more WHO action now) urging that a meeting be called.
WHO Media Statement on Zika virus
Geneva 28 January 2016--WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, will convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations.
The Committee will meet on Monday 1 February in Geneva to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Decisions concerning the Committee’s membership and advice will be made public on WHO’s website.
Outbreak in the Americas
In May 2015, Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus disease. Since then, the disease has spread within Brazil and to 24 other countries in the region.
Arrival of the virus in some countries of the Americas, notably Brazil, has been associated with a steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a poorly understood condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, sometimes resulting in paralysis.
A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth defects and neurological syndromes has not been established, but is strongly suspected.
WHO action
WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas (PAHO) has been working closely with affected countries since May 2015. PAHO has mobilized staff and members of the Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN) to assist ministries of health in strengthening their abilities to detect the arrival and circulation of Zika virus through laboratory testing and rapid reporting. The aim has been to ensure accurate clinical diagnosis and treatment for patients, to track the spread of the virus and the mosquito that carries it, and to promote prevention, especially through mosquito control.
The Organization is supporting the scaling up and strengthening of surveillance systems in countries that have reported cases of Zika and of microcephaly and other neurological conditions that may be associated with the virus. Surveillance is also being heightened in countries to which the virus may spread. In the coming weeks, the Organization will convene experts to address critical gaps in scientific knowledge about the virus and its potential effects on fetuses, children and adults.
WHO will also prioritize the development of vaccines and new tools to control mosquito populations, as well as improving diagnostic tests.
19.35Raden RahmadNo comments
But worldwide there are well over 3,500 species of mosquito, and at least 175 of those can be found in the United States. Most do not transmit disease, but other non-Aedes species can and do carry diseases like Malaria (Anopheles) and West Nile (Culex).
The keyword is `possibility', as all of this is speculative and nothing has been proven yet. But one never knows until one looks.
Fiocruz investigating whether mosquito can also transmit zika
01.27.16 at 19:20 Folhapress
KLEBER NUNES RECIFE, PE (Folhapress) - Researchers at Fiocruz Pernambuco are investigating whether the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus, also known as mosquito or muriçoca, can transmit the virus zika. The restlessness of experts came to realize that the French Micronesia in 2007, when the first outbreak was recorded, there was a tiny population of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that is the vector of the disease in Brazil, and an alarming infestation of Culex. "In wild environments it was the zika virus found in other types of Aedes and Culex. Why in the urban area would be only one vector? Is that what we want to understand," said Constance Ayres, entomologist and research coordinator.
To verify the transmission of the virus zika, the researchers infected Culex mosquitoes 200. Everyone gets the salivary glands and the digestive tracts examined. "If found the zika these materials, particularly in the salivary gland, we have a strong indication that the Culex is also vector of the disease. Then one field research will need to confirm. Otherwise, we will consider how the insect gene that blocks the action of the virus [in Culex], "said Ayres. The conclusion of this research phase shall be disclosed until the end of February.
Depending on the outcome, actions to combat the spread of disease caused by zika virus can change completely. "Unlike the Aedes aegypti mosquito, Culex lays its eggs in dirty water, like drains and sewers. Then, you need to prioritize sanitation throughout the country," she said. The mosquito has different habits of Aedes, which, according to Ayres, increase the need for the population to redouble care not to be infected. "While the Aedes aegypti feeds on human blood during the day, Culex do so at the night," he said.
18.14Raden RahmadNo comments
As discussed many times before, many Chinese provinces only release information in EOM epidemiology reports, and so we often learn about their cases weeks after the fact.
28 January 2016
CHP closely monitors two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Mainland
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (January 28) closely monitoring two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
According to the Health and Family Planning Commission (HFPC) of Guangdong Province and the HFPC of Hunan Province, the 74-year-old male patient lived in Meizhou, Guangdong, while another 33-year-old male patient, with poultry contact history, lived in Yongzhou, Hunan.
(Continue . . .)
New human H7N9 case reported in east China
Source: Xinhua 2016-01-28 17:31:12 [More]
HANGZHOU, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Another human H7N9 avian flu case has been confirmed in east China's Zhejiang Province, several other provinces have also reported cases this winter.
The patient is a 59-year-old woman from Gaoxin District in Shaoxing City, she has been hospitalized, according to the Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission on Thursday.
The patient had purchased a hen from Dahutou Village and had killed it herself, according to the commission.
Sporadic human H7N9 cases have been reported in Shanghai, Hunan, Guangdong and Fujian. There have been two fatalities, one in Zhejiang and another in Guangdong.
H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in March 2013 in China. It is most likely to strike in winter and spring.
03.04Raden RahmadNo comments
The overall mortality rate is believed to be in the 1%-2% range, although it runs much higher (15%-20%) among those sick enough to be hospitalized.
Casual contact (including skin-to-skin contact without exchange of body fluids) does not spread Lassa virus. Person-to-person transmission is common in health care settings (called nosocomial transmission) where proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is not available or not used. Lassa virus may be spread in contaminated medical equipment, such as reused needles.
Lassa Fever – Nigeria
The National IHR Focal Point of Nigeria has notified WHO of different outbreaks of Lassa fever occurring in the country.
Details of the outbreaks
Between August 2015 and 23 January 2016, 159 suspected cases of Lassa fever, including 82 deaths, were reported across 19 states. Investigations are ongoing and a retrospective review of cases is currently being performed; therefore, these figures are subject to change.
The 4 most affected states are Bauchi, Edo, Oyo and Taraba, which account for 54% of the confirmed cases (n=54) and 52% of the reported deaths (n=34). The remaining 15 States have reported less than 5 confirmed cases.
Samples of 54 cases, including 34 deaths, were confirmed for Lassa fever by reverse transcription polymerase-chain reaction (RT-PCR). All samples tested negative for Ebola virus disease, Dengue and yellow fever.
To date, 4 health care workers were laboratory-confirmed for Lassa fever; of these 4 cases, 2 passed away. It is important to note that these cases are not considered as cases of hospital-acquired infection as no confirmed or suspected cases were reported in the 4 different health facilities where these health care workers were employed.
As of 21 January, 2,504 contacts had been listed and 1,942 are currently being monitored. A total of 562 contacts have completed follow up. So far, none of the contacts have tested positive for Lassa fever.
Public health response
The WHO country office is supporting the Federal Ministry of Health (MoH) in coordinating the response, especially regarding surveillance (including active surveillance and contract tracing), case management, infection prevention and control, and sensitization of community and health workers. WHO and MoH have identified a need to reinforce trainings for clinicians and community sensitization.
Background
Lassa fever is endemic in Nigeria and causes outbreaks almost every year in different parts of the country, with yearly peaks observed between December and February. The disease is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. It is transmitted to humans from contacts with food or household items contaminated with rodent excreta. The disease is endemic in the rodent population in parts of West Africa. Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in the hospital environment in the absence of adequate infection control measures. Diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential.
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