About EINet
News
Briefs
Emerging
Infections Course
Data
Library
search
More
information
APEC
ISTWG
EINet home
|
Vol.
V, No. 04~ EINet News Briefs ~ Feb.
22, 2002
****A free service of the APEC Emerging Infections Network*****
The EINet listserv was created to foster discussion,
networking, and collaboration in the area of emerging infectious diseases
(EID's) among academicians, scientists, and policy makers in the AsiaPacific
region. We strongly encourage you to share their perspectives and experiences,
as your participation directly contributes to the richness of the "electronic
discussions" that occur. To respond to the listserv, use the reply function.
In this edition:
- Infectious disease information
- Notices
- Journal Articles
- How to join the EINet listserve
1. OVERVIEW OF INFECTIOUSDISEASE INFORMATION
Below is a semimonthly summary of AsiaPacific emerging infectious diseases.
ASIA
ChinaAvian Influenza
Avian Influenza H5N1 has been confirmed in chickens in Hong Kong.
As a result of the recent avian influenza outbreak, the third recurrence
in five years, approximately 860,000 chickens will have been slaughtered
by 22 Feb 2002. The virus is from the same H5N1 family as the 1997
influenza that passed to humans, but is not the same strain. On 08
Feb 2002 Hong Kong's Department of Environment scheduled a oneday
shutdown on poultry sales in order to prevent the spread of the avian
flu by disinfecting stalls. Chicken sellers in markets across Hong
Kong used blowtorches and highpowered water jets to eradicate the
virus. The slaughter of chickens in farms and markets as a result
of the epidemic is expected to cost at least five million HK dollars.
The outbreak originated at a Kam Tin farm and spread to many other
farms. A total of 25 farms have had cases of the virus in the current
outbreak and Hong Kong's remaining 121 chicken farms are thought to
be "safe". The government has ordered an investigation into
the outbreak.
[Promed 02/10/02, 02/09/02; Associated Press 02/20/02]
Indonesia (Banjarnegara) Malaria
An outbreak of malaria in November and December of 2001 that spread
from Banyumas and Cilacap to the Central Java regency has killed at
least 23 people in Banjarnegara. According to reports, hundreds have
been infected and villages of Kalitengah, Kaliajer, Merden, Karananyar,
and Purwonogoro regencies have been affected. The total number of
deaths in Kalitengah has reached 300.
[Promed 02/11/02]
Indonesia (Jakarta) Fear of Diarrhea and Dengue Hemorrhagic
Fever Epidemic
Health officials in Jakarta, Indonesia are worried about a possible
diarrhea and dengue hemorrhagic fever epidemic due to recent storms
across Indonesia. Torrential rains have created landslides and the
worst flooding in decades, ruining crops, causing many to leave their
homes, and killing at least 125 people. Reports stated on 14 Feb 2002
that at least 16 people, mostly children, have died over the past
few weeks of illnesses brought on by the heavy showers. These include
diarrhea, dengue fever, respiratory problems, malaria and hemorrhagic
fever. According to reports, floods rose to approximately 10 feet
in some areas on 14 Feb 2002, carrying piles of rotting garbage into
homes and contaminating water supplies. The diseases of concern can
also spread to those whose homes have not been flooded. Officials
are warning of more rain throughout Indonesia until the end of February.
[Reuters Health Online 02/14/02]
US Unexplained Rash
School children from seven states around the United States have broken
out in a rash of unknown causes. Health investigators believe the
rash, which is not considered to be a serious health risk, is due
a new or unidentified virus. Children in Pennsylvania, New York, West
Virginia, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington state reported rashes on various
parts of their bodies and as a result some schools were temporarily
closed. The simultaneous occurrence of an unknown rash in different
pars of the country has doctors baffled. An environmental company
in Quakertown Community School District in Pennsylvania collected
air and water samples and examined carpets, floor mats, vacuum bags,
and clothing, but all tested negative for contaminants. Explanations
for the rashes differ among school districts and some include an overactive
ventilation system, a mutation of fifth disease (erythema infectiosum),
an unidentified virus, or "hysteria". Fifth disease, which
is more common among children, is manifested as a blotchy rash on
the cheeks and spreads to the extremities. It is usually accompanied
by fever and malaise and is caused by a parvovirus.
[Promed 01/16/22]
RELATED NEWS
India (Chandigarh) Suspected Plague Outbreak
As of 19 Feb 2002, four people have died and at least 12 more cases
have been reported due to a suspected outbreak of plague in the town
of Rohru in India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh. A special
team from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) was
investigating the outbreak and tests were being carried out to determine
if the deaths were caused by the plague. The symptoms of pneumonic
plague, anthrax and any other respiratory infection are similar, so
the final diagnosis cannot be made until test results are determined.
Symptoms of pneumonic plague include high fever, chills, cough, breathing
difficulty, body pain, and blood in sputum. Incubation in humans is
approximately one to seven days after infection.
Prior to the determination of the official cause of death, doctors
at the Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla believed that the outbreak
was due to pneumonic plague. Tests carried out by the NICD have confirmed
the presence of Yersinia pestis in clinical samples. Himachal health
authorities believe the cause of infection might have been contact
with a wild animal because those affected had gone hunting prior to
the onset of disease.
As a preventive measure, the government distributed approximately
675,000 antibiotic capsules to 17,000 people and is keeping the area
under surveillance. Other measures taken include the fumigation of
affected villages and transport vehicles; a public education campaign;
and further administration of chemophylaxis to residents of neighboring
villages and health professionals. The Health Minister, J.P. Nadda,
has said no new cases of illness related to the outbreak have been
reported as of 08 Feb 2002 and according to the NICD, the outbreak
is under control. Local transport has resumed after it was temporarily
suspended last week. However, schools and colleges in the area remained
closed and government doctors are forbidden from going on leave. In
1994 more than 50 people in western India died due to a plague outbreak.
[Reuters 02/15/02 02/18/02; World Health Organization 02/20/02; Promed
02/17/02]
3. NOTICES
Argentina to Cut Pharmaceutical Costs
Argentina's Ministry of Health, Dr. Gines Gonzalez Garcia, announced that
he is planning to begin a drug policy allowing pharmacists to substitute
the higher cost prescribed medications with their generic drug equivalent.
The intent of the policy, which would decrease the cost of medicine, is
said to be the protection of patients. Pharmaceutical companies have said
that the reason medicine costs rose 10% to 20% during the week of 11 Feb
2002 was because of the importation of prescription drugs and the drop
in peso value. Generic drugs in Argentina are locally manufactured copies
of patented drugs that can be sold under another name. Manufacturers of
the lowcost drugs are not required to verify the bioequivalence or bioavailability
of the generic drug in comparison to the original one. On 02 Feb 02, President
Eduardo Duhalde said that the Health Ministry and the Army would produce
approximately 20 different generic products to be delivered in the health
centers that needed them most. News reports have stated that scientists
of the Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine in Buenos Aires
and a local pharmaceutical company will receive a $2,000,000 credit from
Nation Bank to start producing human insulin for the first time in the
country.
[Reuters Health Online 02/15/02]
World Health Day
The World Health Organization (WHO) has planned events for World Health
Day 2002; an annual event held on 07 April and created by the World Health
Organization to emphasize public health issues of worldwide concern. The
DirectorGeneral of the WHO, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, has announced
that the theme of World Health Day 2002 will be "Move for Health".
Several events will take place worldwide in cities such as Cairo, Washington
D.C., Sao Paulo, Madrid and Geneva. More information can be found at:
http://www.who.int/worldhealthday/index.en.shtml.
APEC Infectious Disease Side Meeting
Public health professionals will meet in the US in March 2002 for the
second International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID).
In addition to the ICEID meeting, a side meeting will be held in Atlanta,
Georgia on 24 March 2002 from
12נ p.m. An agenda will be available within the next few weeks and details
of the side meeting will be provided in a subsequent bulletin.
Information on APEC Network of Networks Meeting 2002
Information on the APEC Network of Networks meeting that convened in Seattle,
Washington on 28㪶 Jan 2002 will be available through the APEC website
on 4 March 2002. The website will contain a meeting agenda with links
to slide presentations, information on presenters, a participant list
and an executive summary. A direct URL will be available next bulletin
(8 March 2002).
4. JOURNAL ARTICLES
Malaria Genome Sequence
An international team of researchers, including the Sanger Centre in the
UK, the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) in the US, the US Naval Medical
Research Center (NMRC), and Stanford University in the US, is close to completing
their sequencing of the genome of Plasmodium falciparum, a malaria parasite.
The sequencing project began six years ago and results are expected to be
published in four to six months. Most of the P. falciparum sequence is currently
available in public databases. The same group is investigating other Plasmodium
species and is expecting results before the end of 2002. In addition, a
separate international team is planning on publishing the genome sequence
of Anopheles gambiae, an important malaria mosquito.
[Enserink M and Pennisi E. Researchers Crack Malaria Genome. Science 2002;295:1207]
Antimalarial Drugs
An article published in the 15 Feb 2002 edition of Science magazine details
a new class of inexpensive antimalarial drugs that are showing promise
in animal trials. The international team of researchers was led by biochemist
Dr. Henri Vial of the University of Montpellier II and the Centre National
de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). The new compound called G25 targets
the third stage of the malaria life cycle by inhibiting a parasites' ability
to create protective membranes when residing within red blood cells. Parasites
first enter the bloodstream as sporozoites and then infect liver cells
where they multiply and later emerge as merozoites. Merozoites, the target
of G25, infiltrate red blood cells and become trophozoites. Trophozoites
then reinvade the bloodstream and further colonize red blood cells. The
compound G25 has been shown to work on mutlidrugresistant strains of
Plasmodium falciparum.
[Wengelnik K, Vidal V, Ancelin ML, et al. A class of potent antimalarials
and their specific accumulation in infected erythrocytes. Science 200;295:1311.]
HIV Transmission Through Injection Drug Use in Thailand
An international team of researchers has found that government efforts
to reduce HIV infection in Thailand have led to a remarkable decrease
in sexually transmitted cases of HIV. However, transmission of the disease
through injection drug use continues to rise. Dr. Kenrad E. Nelson of
Johns Hopkins University in the United States and colleagues in Thailand
and Israel have published the results of their study in volume 29 of the
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The study measured risk
behaviors and HIV infection for eight groups of 21yearold randomly selected
male military recruits in northern Thailand between 1991 and 1998. The
investigators found a decrease in HIV prevalence among the recruits from
more than 11 % in 1991 through 1993 to 2.4 % by 1998. The percentage of
men who said they visited commercial sex workers went down from 80 % in
1991 to 38 % in 1998. In addition, in 1998, 96 % of men who have sex with
prostitutes used a condom during their last visit compared to 61 % in
1991. Although sexual transmission of HIV has decreased, HIV transmission
through drug use continues to increase. One percent of the study participants
reported injection drug use in 1991, while four % reported use by 1997.
In addition, the percent of HIVpositive men with a history of drug use
increased from 1 % in 1991 to 25.8 % in 1998.
[Nelson KE, Eiumtrakul S, Celentano DD, et al. HIV Infection in young
men in northern Thailand, 1991: Increasing role of injection drug
use. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 2002;29:62㫜.]
5. JOIN THE ELIST AND RECEIVE EINet NEWS
BRIEFS REGULARLY
The APEC EINet listserv was established to enhance collaboration among academicians
and public health professionals in the area of emerging infections surveillance
and control. Subscribers are encouraged to share their material with colleagues
in the AsiaPacific Rim. To subscribe (or unsubscribe), please contact
apecein@u.washington.edu. Further information about the APEC Emerging
Infections Network is available at http://www.apec.org/infectious.
|