News Briefs Archive

China (Hong Kong) — Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease
A 35–year–old woman with the first case of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) in China died on 20 Feb 2002. Doctors believed the woman contracted the disease when she lived in Britain from 1985 to 1992 and again from 1997 to 2001. She returned to Hong Kong for medical treatment in January 2001.

Japan (Seoul) — Food Poisoning
As of 03 March 2002, 53 Japanese tourists staying at a Seoul hotel were hospitalized after developing food–poisoning symptoms. The patients, employees of a Japanese cosmetic company, were on a four–day training and sightseeing trip in South Korea. According to reports, they ate Korean–style barbecued beef together on 02 March 2002 in Seoul.
[Promed 03/04/02]

US (South Dakota) — Chronic Wasting Disease
The first case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a deadly disease that causes brain damage in deer and elk, was announced on 03 March 2002 in a deer in Fall River County of South Dakota, United States. The disease, which is contagious, but cannot be transmitted to humans or animals other than deer and elk, has previously been detected in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. Due to reports of CWD in a Nebraska region 10 miles near the South Dakota border, officials had anticipated the occurrence of CWD in their state and have been monitoring the situation closely for several months. The infected deer was one of 77 to be tested for CWD in Fall River County. An additional 50 to 100 deer in the area will be collected and tested. States with identified CWD cases have not closed down deer or elk hunting seasons and have used informed hunters in a number of deer management units.
[Promed 03/04/02]

2. UPDATES

Gabon — Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Gabonese Ministry of Public Health and Population reported on 04 March 2002 that 60 cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever had been confirmed in Gabon. Forty–nine of those cases have died. Follow–up continues.
[World Health Organization http://www.who.int/disease–outbreak–news/n2002/march/6march2002.html]

China (Hong Kong) — Avian Influenza
Avian influenza was confirmed on 03 March 2002 in a chicken farm located in Pak Sha, an area outside the Kam Tin quarantine. Officials began slaughtering chickens after 100 were confirmed to have died of H5 influenza. Officials will depopulate the farm in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Twenty–three farms were previously placed under quarantine in the Kam Tin area on 05 Feb 2002 following an outbreak where health workers destroyed 860,000 birds in an effort to prevent the spread of avian influenza disease. The department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation will continue to monitor chicken farms in the Pak Sha area as well as those in other parts of Hong Kong.
[Promed 02/24/02; 03/05/02]

United States — Unexplained Rash
Health departments in the United States have been investigating the occurrence of an unexplained rash that began on 04 Oct 2001 and has been seen in 14 states. The number of affected children ranges from 10 to approximately 600 in each of the 14 states. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that the cause of the rash is still unknown. Although still under investigation, CDC officials believe that a common cause of the rashes is unlikely. The rash has been described by the CDC as consisting of reddened spots on the face, neck, hands or arm, sometimes in a network–like pattern. It has been reported to last from a few hours to two weeks and has not accompanied other signs of illness.

The majority of cases have been seen in school children between five and 10 years of age, although a few teachers and school staff have been affected. Investigations at five schools have not revealed any environmental sources, but several children were relieved of the rash when they left school and acquired it again when returning. There are no reports from states that document a common cause or demonstrate existence of the same rash. State and local health departments, in collaboration with CDC, continue to investigate reports of rashes among groups of schoolchildren. It possible that an increase in rashes may be due to increased surveillance, but no comparable data is available prior to October.
[Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002;51:161𤪔 Reuters Health 02/28/02]