Posted on

Health Information Update

Source: WHO, Event Information Site for IHR National Focal

Event Updates:  05-16 January 2018

Event Updated Country Hazard Disease Event Description IHR Assessment
2018-01-16 South Sudan Infectious Rift Valley Fever RVFV is endemic in parts of Sudan.  On 28 December 2017, the Eastern Lakes Ministry of Health reported a suspected viral hemorrhagic fever cluster to the National Ministry of Health and WHO. The initial cluster involved three deaths in Thonabutkok village, Yali Payam, Yirol East County with 7 December 2017 as the earliest date of onset. There was no history of close physical contact between the cases. None of the cases received a supervised burial and no samples have been collected.

 

Seven samples have been collected to date for testing at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) and all seven cases tested negative for Rift Valley Fever, Ebola, Marburg virus, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, and Sosuga viruses by reverse transcription PCR.

 

On 14 January two blood samples tested at the UVRI were positive for IgG against RVFV, one was IgG and IgM positive from suspected cases in Yirol West, this lead to 3 confirmed RVF cases, however 4 other were negative for both PCR and serology.

 

Blood samples from 7 animals ( sheep 2, goats 2 and cattle 3) have been collected and sent on 14th January to UVRI, for RVF testing and results are pending.

 Public Health Risk (PHR)
2018-01-16 Senegal Zoonosis Dengue Fever On 28 September 2017, the first 2 confirmed cases of dengue fever were reported via sentinel surveillance in the Louga region.  As of 7 January 2018, a total of 805 suspected cases including 138 confirmed cases (positive by PCR and IgM testing at Institute Pasteur Dakar) have been reported. No severe cases and no deaths have been reported.  Enhanced surveillance is ongoing only at the healthcare facilities in the Louga region. Public Health Risk (PHR)
2018-01-16 China Zoonosis Influenza due to identified avian or animal influenza virus On 6 January 2018, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China (NHFPC) notified WHO of one additional laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus in China.

 

To date, a total of 19 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) viruses have been reported to WHO through IHR notification since 2014.

 Public Health Risk (PHR)
2018-01-15 Namibia Infectious Acute hepatitis E The index case presented to Katutura Intermediate Hospital in Windhoek district, Khomas region in epidemiological week (EW) 41 (week ending on 13 October 2017) with signs and symptoms of acute viral hepatitis.

 

As of 8 January 2018, a total of 237 cases, including 21 with laboratory confirmation of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection, were seen at various health facilities in Windhoek.  All suspected patients tested negative for hepatitis A, B, and C, which are commonly tested at the local laboratories in Namibia.

To date, one positive case has died (a 26-year-old female who delivered a baby 4 days prior to her death on 19 November 2017; the status of the baby for laboratory confirmation is unknown). Confirmed cases have only been reported from Windhoek district. Havana and Goreangab Dam are informal settlements that have limited access to sanitation and safe water. Individuals aged 24-39 years have been the most affected age group.  Half (51.0%) of cases were female, and 3 cases were pregnant.

 Public Health Risk (PHR)
2018-01-13 Brazil Infectious Yellow Fever Following the Yellow Fever (YF) outbreak reported in Brazil in 2016/2017 with 777 laboratory confirmed human case and 261 deaths, a high number of YF epizootics have continued to be detected in Brazil, mostly in the south-eastern part of the country, including São Paulo municipality that were previously not considered to be at­-risk for YF.

 

The country has reported low yellow fever transmission in humans.  Between 1 July 2017 and 8 January 2018, 11 laboratory confirmed cases, including 4 deaths, were reported in Brazil. Additional 92 suspected cases reported during this period remained under investigation. The confirmed cases were reported in the states of São Paulo (8 cases, including 2 deaths), Rio de Janeiro (1 case), and Minas Gerais (1 fatal case), and in the Federal District (1 fatal case).  The probable sites of infection of all the confirmed cases are areas with documented epizootics in non-human primates (NHP).

 

In addition, between 1 July 2017 and 8 January 2018, a total of 2,296 epizootics in NHPs were reported in 21 states, including in areas that were previously not considered to be at risk for YF. The epizootics confirmed for YF were reported in four states (Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo); however, the majority (90%) of YF-confirmed epizootics was registered in São Paulo state.

 Public Health Risk
2018-01-05 Malaysia Infectious Corona Virus On 2 January 2018, the Malaysian IHR NFP notified WHO of a case of MERS-CoV.

 

The case is a 55 year old male who returned to Malaysia following Umrah pilgrimage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on 23 December 2017.

 WHO-NFP risk assessment ongoing

*A public health risk is something that is (or is likely to be) hazardous to human health or could contribute to a disease or an infectious condition in humans.