tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45629520052501732922024-02-19T00:10:14.842-05:00The bite of a mosquitoNews and views about vector-borne diseasesKrisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-26114601214362676182011-08-26T10:08:00.002-04:002011-08-26T10:28:59.008-04:00New professional websiteI created a new professional website at:
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<br />One subpage of this website also allows you to follow the most recent news on my Twitter feed.
<br />Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-89002650427066006372008-08-21T22:02:00.001-04:002008-08-21T22:02:10.537-04:00First West Nile cases of the year confirmed in New York City<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3dksd-dJjim9IH3N35FNsRegvFOfQgZINokSpUphZU79sbsJGScO2HhKT2IRGI5WcJKP1SWN6Ln9LzlMUrantTONonFZ3FJtlW5-59E9E9BZAII0Eqp40Ik3ltmQDL8ogzUi0z6KCOBu/s1600-h/images-730538.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3dksd-dJjim9IH3N35FNsRegvFOfQgZINokSpUphZU79sbsJGScO2HhKT2IRGI5WcJKP1SWN6Ln9LzlMUrantTONonFZ3FJtlW5-59E9E9BZAII0Eqp40Ik3ltmQDL8ogzUi0z6KCOBu/s320/images-730538.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237156550689995154" /></a></p><div dir="ltr">The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2008/pr056-08.shtml">confirmed</a> that two New Yorkers tested positive for West Nile. The two patients, a 73 year-old woman in Queens and a 60-year old man in Bronx became ill in late July and were hospitalized in early August with encephalitis and meningitis, respectively. Both patients are recovering, the woman still in the hospital, while the man has already been discharged. While the man had left New York City recently, and thus could have been infected elsewhere, the woman have not left the Big Apple in a long time. According to the NYC-DHMH, last year, there were 18 confirmed cases of West Nile, and three of these patients died. Citywide vector surveillance shows an increased percentage of West Nile-positive mosquito pools relative to last year's numbers. This year, WN-positive mosquito pools have been found in Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island, with most positive pools in Queens and Staten Island. Numbers can be found <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2008/pr055-08.shtml">here</a>. Accordingly, the NYC-DHMH is conducting larvicide [probably Bti] in parts of Staten Island, the Queens and the Bronx, as well as adulticide treatments in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.<br> </div> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-57313925616456589412008-08-12T12:09:00.001-04:002008-08-12T12:09:31.930-04:00Imported case of chikungunya reported in Bologna, Italy<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAxL9HwbZSoXGPqxDwHzEBIbeh0zZkLbFG8lKXRAUOJpxqqnsJGQbsd61DLlGmc_FVSjBaV14fV8oSoQ56Z1i9p6nxDSf9IQMF_LpIx_yXBLmAA6MbUOsz8wTPLxQdBRkSoRqd9R5bvtI/s1600-h/Bologna-771932.bmp"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAxL9HwbZSoXGPqxDwHzEBIbeh0zZkLbFG8lKXRAUOJpxqqnsJGQbsd61DLlGmc_FVSjBaV14fV8oSoQ56Z1i9p6nxDSf9IQMF_LpIx_yXBLmAA6MbUOsz8wTPLxQdBRkSoRqd9R5bvtI/s320/Bologna-771932.bmp" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233664061040040322" /></a></p><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><a href="http://www.emilianet.it/Sezione.jsp?titolo=Torna%20dalle%20vacanze%20nello%20Sri%20Lanka%20con%20il%20virus%20Chikungunya,%20scatta%20la%20disinfestazione&idSezione=19714&idSezioneRif=2">EmiliaNet</a> and <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:2277755961226302::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,73510">ProMedMail</a> reports a confirmed imported case of chikungunya in a 50 year old Italian of Sri Lankan origin in Bologna, Italy. The imported case was detected following the patients visit to his doctor and his admission to Maggiore Hospital in Bologna with high fever, joint pains and widespread malaise. The symptoms started on August 1 2008, one day after his return from Sri Lanka. A chikungunya epidemic is raging on in Sri Lanka, with 10000-15000 cases <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1202:2277755961226302::NO::F2400_P1202_CHECK_DISPLAY,F2400_P1202_PUB_MAIL_ID:X,72689">reported</a> in June in Ratnapura district alone. According to the reports the patients condition is stable, and he will be discharged during the day. Considering that the viraemic period of chikungunya is <a href="http://www.ssi.dk/sw43535.asp">2-6 days</a> , I find it curious that he's not held in the hospital for isolation to prevent the dissemination of the disease. <br> Very prudently, a regional protocol was implemented to eliminate mosquito larvae (and hopefully adults) within a radius of 100 meters from the locations where the patient stayed between his arrival to Bologna and his hospitalization. <br> <br>Hopefully, the swift and commendable reaction of the Italian authorities will be sufficient to avoid the recurrence of the chikungunya epidemic that occured in Emilio-Romagna last year. However, this case might be just the tip of the iceberg as many mildly symptomatic cases might not get reported. This coincides with the <a href="http://ilrestodelcarlino.ilsole24ore.com/ferrara/2008/08/06/109807-chikungunya_territorio.shtml">seasonal increase</a> of the local <i>Aedes albopictus</i> population. This imported case re-emphasizes the threat of chikungunya emergence in all areas with competent vector species and climatic conditions (e.g. the South-Eastern United States).<br> <br></div><br></div> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-33575225458193954742008-08-07T15:21:00.001-04:002008-08-07T15:21:59.160-04:00Human West Nile cases increasing in the US<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdEDFL3rIlHkG-5eS0d7ld1TfV7keczG_atZ3DEAXltPHorss6r1uYO0Ni2fYx0Lxujyp5YneofEs4mOH1ojpO7_64jfdAmixjSgaKeSXwBApdmfHjbo-vn1Hu4YmNpkILuQbMDGK2nxP/s1600-h/WNV_comparison_2007_2008-719162.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdEDFL3rIlHkG-5eS0d7ld1TfV7keczG_atZ3DEAXltPHorss6r1uYO0Ni2fYx0Lxujyp5YneofEs4mOH1ojpO7_64jfdAmixjSgaKeSXwBApdmfHjbo-vn1Hu4YmNpkILuQbMDGK2nxP/s320/WNV_comparison_2007_2008-719162.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231858231845259282" /></a></p><div dir="ltr">Human West Nile cases are increasing according to <a href="http://diseasemaps.usgs.gov/wnv_us_human.html">ArboNet</a> and <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1042648784015425::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,73430">ProMedMail</a> (see figure). The total number of cases reported nearly doubled during the last week, and a similar trend is expected in the coming weeks. However, the total number of cases this year is significantly reduced compared to last year, and there were only two fatalities so far this year. At the same time, the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Center reported 26 West Nile-positive birds in Ontario. Nebraska, Nevada and Ohio reported their first confirmed human West Nile cases this year in the last few weeks.<br clear="all"> <br><br> </div> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-34463765334897382342008-08-04T16:55:00.001-04:002008-08-04T17:17:22.795-04:00Three more cases of chikungunya found in Singapore<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRhWAF8cWB9IN0rpKrRvKFIuW-ih100J-0tmkcfIp7tfd2sskXd11iI0LO3Ei_i4_mCrfah3iR1YFwKcKWoID5E-dsu9mreRJemKvfxQm69CeW4BByAt66zHyrsqrBQCADr-CPhhC6TKr/s1600-h/Kranji_Way_Singapore-714944.PNG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRhWAF8cWB9IN0rpKrRvKFIuW-ih100J-0tmkcfIp7tfd2sskXd11iI0LO3Ei_i4_mCrfah3iR1YFwKcKWoID5E-dsu9mreRJemKvfxQm69CeW4BByAt66zHyrsqrBQCADr-CPhhC6TKr/s320/Kranji_Way_Singapore-714944.PNG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230769009614096370" /></a></p><div dir="ltr">Three more cases of chikungunya have been found in Singapore, reports <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:8063251134951460::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,73387" target="_blank">ProMedMail </a>based on the <a href="http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/6465320.html" target="_blank">People's Daily Online</a>. The total number of chikungunya cases so far has been 48 in 2008. The three new cases involve 2 foreign workers and a local delivery driver. Local transmission of the virus is assumed, as the patients have not left Singapore recently. The two foreign workers are treated in hospital, but the Singaporean driver was allowed to return to work.The Ministry of Health is carrying out active case detection in the location of these cases. The press release on the website of the Ministry of Health of Singapore also reveals that mosquito breeding sites have been found in the premises of 10 factories in the area, and the mosquito control has been initiated. The first case of chikungunya was reported in Singapore in January 2008. Mod TY on ProMedMail adds that the continuing chikungunya activity in Singapore, in spite of active efforts of breeding site reductions, represents a risk of introduction to countries which have significant populations of competent Aedes mosquitoes (such as the US), due to the significance of Singapore in terms of international trade and travel. Interestingly, the location of chikungunya cases mentioned in the report (Kranji Way) is quite close to the city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia. One would not be surprised to see additional chikungunya cases in that city.<br> <div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><br> </div><br></div> </div><br><br clear="all"><br><br> </div> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-51916429551287635902008-07-23T08:05:00.001-04:002008-07-23T08:07:42.867-04:00Poll: Chikungunya in the South-Eastern United States<div dir="ltr">Do you think a chikungunya epidemic is credible threat in the South-Eastern United States? <br><br>On one hand, a competent vectors (Aedes albopictus) is present, climatic conditions are favorable, and international tourism offers plenty of opportunities for the importation of this disease. However, the human density is low compared to parts of the world where chikungunya epidemics occured, and the American lifestyle (driving cars, air-conditioning and window screens) limits the contact with vectors. <br> <br>Please indicate your opinion using the online poll on the right. I will report back on its results.<br clear="all"><br><br> </div> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-2641901185387767182008-07-07T15:25:00.001-04:002008-07-17T22:05:31.057-04:00First isolation of WNV in the Caribbean from sentinel chickens and mosquitoes<a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1709843681419418::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,73039" target="_blank">ProMedMail</a> carries an interesting report on the first isolation of WNV from IgM seropositive sentinel chickens and mosquitoes in Puerto Rico (see the original paper in the <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/4/666" target="_blank">American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene</a> as well as in the <a href="http://journal.paho.org/?a_ID=1171#Top" target="_blank">Pan American Journal of Public Health</a>). According to these sources, seroconversions started on June 4th 2007, peaked at 45% during June and July, and then fell steeply in August to 2%. However, seroconversions continued to occur at a low rate (2-6%) until October. Quite surprisingly, the article states that only 3 out of 4370 previously analyzed blood samples from dead birds, horses, pigs, monkeys and people were seropositive for IgG antibodies. Thus, sentinel chickens seem to be a highly valuable tool to detect the local activity of West Nile virus. <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1709843681419418::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,73039" target="_blank">ProMedMail</a> also refers to an earlier review article in the <a href="http://journal.paho.org/?a_ID=307" target="_blank">Pan American Journal of Public Health</a> on the spread of West Nile in Latin America. That paper invokes an interesting hypothesis for the apparent lack of human and equine cases of neuroinvasive West Nile in Latin America. They conjecture that a virulent strain of West Nile would be less likely to reach South America as it inhibits the reservoir bird to complete its difficult journey through the Caribbean. Apparently, a similar pattern is documented for St Louis Encephalitis virus where South American strains are less viremogenic than North American strains. <br> <div class="gmail_quote"><br> </div><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-82010468665539903902008-06-12T09:27:00.001-04:002008-07-17T22:05:49.983-04:00Latest update on West Nile situation in North America<div class="gmail_quote">In Canada, no human cases or seropositive dead birds were reported so far this year. However, in the US, according to <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&controlCaseCount08_detailed.htm">CDC</a> and <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:3148414920324658::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,72797">ProMedMail</a>, 5 states (Arizona, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas) reported a total of 8 West Nile cases in humans up to the 10th of June 2008. Six of these cases were classified as West Nile fever while 2 were neuroinvasive. Fortunately, no fatalities occurred so far. On <a href="http://diseasemaps.usgs.gov/wnv_us_human.html">ArboNet</a>, the most recent case appears to be in May 2008 (21st epidemiological week) in Texas. Additionally, Alabama reported an equine infection (March 2008, 10th epidemiological week), while California and South Carolina reported WN-positive dead birds (the latest confirmed cases on the 22nd and 18th week, respectively). California and Florida reported WN seroconversion in sentinel animals (5th and 12th week, respectively). West Nile-positive mosquito pools have been reported from California (21st week), Illinois (23rd week), Indiana (23rd week), Louisiana (23rd week) and Texas (22nd week).Weeks given are the latest week for which West Nile positive pools have been found for that state. Louisiana had a total of 251 positive mosquito pools reported up to 9th June 2008. <br> <br><br></div><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-64328570165092533152008-05-22T12:50:00.001-04:002008-07-17T22:06:46.465-04:00Yellow fever in Central African Republic<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBm7QuYJCYVL3JkMGm88epwvWxBbtgJYDn4n6Hy9r-oXLlvqTG9pMjcqBq1BgOhZjw841mErTmw9XxvBKRhacW6XEE-ibMhmd0n729c6WRLClU0-mfkJEKTcfBWhzCSIyDWSwkJRJvSq7/s1600-h/Bozoum-710059.bmp"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBm7QuYJCYVL3JkMGm88epwvWxBbtgJYDn4n6Hy9r-oXLlvqTG9pMjcqBq1BgOhZjw841mErTmw9XxvBKRhacW6XEE-ibMhmd0n729c6WRLClU0-mfkJEKTcfBWhzCSIyDWSwkJRJvSq7/s320/Bozoum-710059.bmp" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203245551611515234" /></a></p><div class="gmail_quote">The <a href="http://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_05_20/en/index.html" target="_blank">WHO EPR Disease Outbreak News</a> and <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:8351023575819094::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,72597" target="_blank">ProMedMail</a> reported 2 laboratory confirmed cases of yellow fever on the 15th May 2008 in Bozoum sub-prefecture, Ouham-Pende Prefecture of the Central African Republic. The Ministry of Health initiated an epidemiological investigation, and requested 64 931 doses of yellow fever vaccine from the <a href="http://www.who.int/csr/disease/yellowfev/global_partnership/en/index.html">Global Emergency Stockpile of Yellow Fever Vaccine</a>, which is funded by the <a href="http://www.gavialliance.org/">GAVI Alliance</a>. The target population in the Bozoum sub-prefecture was estimated to be 55 035 people, which the Ministry of Health plans to vaccinate during a 3-day campaign starting on the 26th May. Mod. CP in the ProMedMail report notes that it would be important to know whether the 2 laboratory confirmed cases were isolated cases or potentially represent the start of an urban epidemic. <br> </div>Hopefully the global emergency stockpile which was <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKL271565520080227">depleted in February</a> following mass immunizations in South America have been adequately replenished to be able to provide supplies.<br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-77672983864259024232008-05-19T13:33:00.001-04:002008-07-17T22:07:16.894-04:00First case of West Nile fever in Texas in 2008<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXoaI0ojuUGMLfzbuAy4Md_JK3Qk1n4zS9_26GIGDZ0VHDlEpdRwB_O0xKA8kR5sVYUKX0FShYMMqzfw691KEndU4otB2OMmwi0u3LdM2rDRQ8SLKnKJsJbZV01MHMyBzf6LFh1rUVx9V/s1600-h/200px-Map_of_Texas_highlighting_Montgomery_County.svg-718647.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXoaI0ojuUGMLfzbuAy4Md_JK3Qk1n4zS9_26GIGDZ0VHDlEpdRwB_O0xKA8kR5sVYUKX0FShYMMqzfw691KEndU4otB2OMmwi0u3LdM2rDRQ8SLKnKJsJbZV01MHMyBzf6LFh1rUVx9V/s320/200px-Map_of_Texas_highlighting_Montgomery_County.svg-718647.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202143497049368066" /></a></p>The first case of West Nile Fever in 2008 has been reported in Texas, Montgomery County, according to <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:2950300069497253::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1010,72552">ProMedMail</a> and the <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5780494.html">Houston Chronicle</a>. The report states that although West Nile season typically starts in the summer, with mid-August through<br> mid-September being peak months because they're the hottest and driest months, it is not unusual to see cases as early as March and as late as December. However, one wonders how many cases of asymptomatic or mild West Nile infections must have been already gone unreported in the same area, given that 80% of infected people do not have any symptoms, and whether this early start signals an increased West Nile activity for Texas this year. Last year, Texas reported 170 neuroinvasive and 90 fever cases, and 17 deaths, according to state health records. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map of West Nile virus activity (as of 6 May 2008; <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/Mapsactivity/surv&control08Maps.htm" target="_blank">http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/Mapsactivity/surv&control08Maps.htm</a>) as well as <a href="http://diseasemaps.usgs.gov/wnv_us_human.html">ArboNet</a> shows that 2 human cases have been reported in Mississippi, one in Arizona, and one in Tennessee.<br> <br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-56184709230113865052008-05-16T16:38:00.001-04:002008-07-17T22:08:58.559-04:00News focus on Aedes albopictus in current issue of ScienceThere is an <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/320/5878/864">excellent News Focus article on the global spread of <i>Aedes albopictus</i></a> by Martin Enserink in the current issue of Science. The article gives the historical background of the spread of this mosquito, and highlights its potential public health consequences. Admirably, a clear distinction is made in regards to <i>Aedes aegypti</i>, the yellow fever mosquito. It's very interesting to see the differences in the judgment of different experts (notably Duane Gubler and Didier Fontanille) in terms of the level of risk attributed to <i>Aedes albopictus</i>. One aspect that I was lacking from this article was raising the possibility of a chikungunya outbreak in the South-Eastern United States. Nonetheless, this article is an excellent read and is highly recommended for anyone interested in mosquitoes and the diseases they spread.<br clear="all"> <br><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-41013184624209448722008-05-15T12:00:00.001-04:002008-07-17T22:10:37.936-04:00Predictive study for Ross River Virus infections in the Darwin area of Australia publishedSusan P Jacups of Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia publishes an elegant <a href="http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2008.02095.x">study</a> in the upcoming issue of Tropical Medicine and International Health about predictive indicators for Ross River virus infection in the Darwin area of tropical North-Eastern Australia. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_River_virus">Ross River virus</a> is an Alphavirus, a close relative of chikungunya and Barmah Forest Virus, causing similar symptoms of fever, joint pain and rash. The study is based on the statistical analysis of laboratory confirmed cases of RRV infection between 1991 and 2006 as well as climatic, tidal and mosquito data collected from 11 trap sites weekly in the study area. The authors identified the best predictors of RRV infections using three multivariate Poisson models. The best global model included rainfall, minimum temperature and the average monthly trap numbers of three implicated mosquito species populations (<i>Culex annulirostris, Aedes vigilax, Aedes notoscriptus</i>), and explained 63.5% of the deviance while predicting disease accurately. The model also indicated that predicted anthropogenic global climatic changes may increase RRV infections. My favourite point is that the predictors in the global model, since they all have a lag time of either 1 or 3 months, can be used as an early-warning system for potential RRV outbreaks. Such location-specific early-warning systems are badly needed for other vector-borne diseases, such as e.g. West Nile, dengue and chikungunya.<br> <br><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-39643065483795642102008-05-14T17:27:00.001-04:002008-07-17T22:11:10.527-04:00Dengue epidemic raging on in Rio de JaneiroThis years dengue epidemic is raging on in Rio de Janiero, with 76,385 cases reported in the city alone until 9th May this year, according to <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:2039715726556588::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,72514">ProMedMail</a> (see also <a href="http://jbonline.terra.com.br/extra/2008/05/09/e090517806.html">here</a>). In the whole state of Rio, 134,643 cases have been reported so far. In the state of Rio, 106 deaths occured due to dengue, with 3 additional cases between 4th and 10th May. 64 of these deaths occured in Rio de Janeiro.<br> <br>At the same time, the governor of the state Rio Grande do Norte declared a <a href="http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/0,,MUL464281-9981,00-RN+DECRETA+EMERGENCIA+POR+CAUSA+DA+DENGUE.html">state of emergency</a> due to the 19,157 dengue cases, 78 DHF cases and 2 deaths reported until 3rd May this year in 154 cities in the state.<br clear="all"> <br><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-54452949560697004262008-05-07T17:24:00.001-04:002008-05-07T17:24:22.086-04:00New issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene availableThe 2008 May issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is now <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/content/vol78/issue5/?etoc%20">available</a>.<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><dl><dt>Particular papers of interest (to me) are:</dt> <br><br> <dt>Management of Travelers with Fever and Exanthema, Notably Dengue and Chikungunya Infections </dt><dd>Patrick Hochedez, Ana Canestri, Amélie Guihot, Ségolène Brichler, François Bricaire, <font size="-1">AND</font> Eric Caumes</dd> <dd>Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008;78 710-713<br><a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/5/710?etoc" target="_blank">http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/5/710</a><br></dd><br><br> <dt>Evaluation of Mosquito Densoviruses for Controlling <i>Aedes aegypti</i> (Diptera: Culicidae): Variation in Efficiency due to Virus Strain and Geographic Origin of Mosquitoes </dt><dd>Supanee Hirunkanokpun, Jonathan O. Carlson, <font size="-1">AND</font> Pattamaporn Kittayapong</dd> <dd>Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008;78 784-790<br><a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/5/784?etoc" target="_blank">http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/5/784</a><br></dd><br> <dt>Experimental West Nile Virus Infection in Jungle Crows (<i>Corvus macrorhynchos</i>) </dt><dd>Hiroaki Shirafuji, Katsushi Kanehira, Masanori Kubo, Tomoyuki Shibahara, <font size="-1">AND</font> Tsugihiko Kamio</dd> <dd>Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008;78 838-842<br><a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/5/838?etoc" target="_blank">http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/5/838</a></dd></dl></div></div><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-5215418583609653492008-05-07T13:04:00.001-04:002008-05-07T13:04:25.008-04:00Yellow fever in Peru and Ecuador<div class="gmail_quote">Two cases of sylvan yellow fever have been reported between 20-26 April 2008 in Peru, according to <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1667791167871945::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,72444">ProMedMail</a>, based on the <a href="http://www.oge.sld.pe/boletines/2008/17.pdf">Epidemiological Bulletin</a> of the Ministry of Health of Peru.<a href="http://www.oge.sld.pe/boletines/2008/17.pdf" target="_blank"></a> The 1st case was a 23-year-old unvaccinated man from the Loreto department, while the 2nd case is a 21-year-old man of unknown vaccination status from Tocache Nuevo (Tocache district and province), San Martin department. He became ill between 6-12 Apr 2008. Since the beginning of 2008, there were 13 reported yellow fever cases in Peru, including 3 confirmed mortalities, 6 probable, and 4 discarded cases. Mod TY of ProMedMail asserts that from a public health point of view, it is fortunate that the reported sylvan yellow fever cases didn't spread into a major urban yellow fever outbreak.<br> <br>Also, the CDC updated its <a href="http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentYellowFeverEcuador.aspx">yellow fever risk map</a> for Ecaudor, following the recommendation of the Ecaudor Ministry of Health of yellow fever vaccination for all travelers to the following provinces in the Amazon Basin: Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza,<br> Sucumbios, and Zamora-Chinchipe. This is in addition to the current recommendation for yellow fever vaccination for travelers going to areas along the eastern slopes and to the east of the Andes Mountains. At present, yellow fever vaccination is only required for travelers entering Ecuador if they are greater than one year of age and if they are coming from a country in the yellow fever <a href="http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-YellowFever.aspx#667">endemic zone</a>.<br> <br> <br><br></div><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-14633150276594064412008-04-09T14:05:00.001-04:002008-04-09T14:05:34.210-04:00Breaking news: Chikungunya back in KeralaProMedMail reports based on the <a href="http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/chikungunya-cases-reported-again-from-kerala_10035988.html">Thaindian News</a>, that 6 cases of chikungunya have been confirmed in Vatakara and 9 cases confirmed in Maruthonkara, both in Kozhikode district, in the northern part of Kerala state, India. The outbreak was reported Tuesday (04/08/2008), following heavy and untimely rains. The index case appear to be a person who travelled from Tamil Nadu [Is there an outbreak as well in Tamil Nadu? No report on that available.] A high density of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes was noted at the location of the outbreak, and a campaing to reduce the mosquito density has been initiated. According to the report, Kozhikode district, specifically the town of Kodenchery reported a large number of cases last year.<br> <br>According to <a href="http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/chikungunya-in-kerala-due-to-climate-change-who_10035395.html">another report</a> in the same journal, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the deputy regional director of WHO SEARO (South-East Asian Region), the chikungunya outbreaks in Kerala in the last two years is directly attributable to climate change. The report claims that 100 fatalities and more than 100,000 [or rather 1,000,000] chikungunya cases occured in Kerala state. Kerala State put together an action plan to control disease, with each district allocated 500,000 Rs for prevention.<br> <br>These news are very disconcerting as last year the first cases in Kerala have been <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1202:1211609196383052::NO::F2400_P1202_CHECK_DISPLAY,F2400_P1202_PUB_MAIL_ID:X,37549">reported</a> more than a month later than this year. Unless vector control campaigns are much more successful than previously, another huge outbreak of chikungunya in the region is expected this year. This will also enable the importation of chikungunya to Europe and the US, where transmission by local Aedes albopictus is a real possibility. <br> <br>Click <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=14.944785,88.59375&spn=33.023508,82.265625&t=h&z=4&msid=101629064854130762601.00044a7467b3d2a587c6d">here</a> to see the location of these outbreaks.<br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-212146744806744502008-04-07T17:11:00.001-04:002008-04-07T17:11:17.329-04:00More information on the dengue outbreak in Rio de JanieroDuring the weekend, CNN ran two additional articles on the dengue outbreak in Rio de Janiero containing some additional information. According to the <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/04/04/brazil.dengue/index.html">first report</a>, 2000 soldiers and firefighters joined the fight against dengue, some of them going door-to-door to educate the public about source-reduction. Additional to the 67 fatalities already reported, 58 suspected deaths are also investigated. An average of 1.4 cases of dengue are reported per minute (that's 2016 cases per day). 400 patients are admitted to one of the field hospitals, of which 65% have dengue. The reported fatalities are also broken down with 21 due to DHF, 14 due to DSS, while 32 due to the 'more common form of the disease' [possibly these cases do not satisfy all the requirements of the WHO DHF/DSS classification]. According to an article in the newspaper <a href="http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/mat/2008/04/02/menina_de_tres_anos_morre_com_dengue_hemorragica_em_sergipe-426646316.asp">O Globo</a> and <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1524248387992156::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,72117">ProMedMail</a>, the public health infrastructure in Rio de Janeiro has collapsed under the pressure of the dengue outbreak, amplified by an influx of patients from the countryside. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/07/brazil.dengue/index.html">CNN also reports</a> of the difficulty in vector control in Caxias neighborhood of Rio, which is ruled by drug dealers who don't let authorities and outsiders into their territory. Residents are feeling neglected and probably in need of basic public health services. <br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-18738500482579510162008-04-03T14:46:00.001-04:002008-04-03T14:46:58.001-04:00Dengue situation worsening in Rio de Janiero<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQq7grxb6LOnaQ_j7NXNR_1EC8S0IadlUbUL7A43ifCHbtkN88SzmGrwFpx_iC5D3fpAIHNhqz8yBlCVZAcNTgBNmEkuUaxKW8gwNbcSw1laWmyJdz29cHRpmgpHaUB3TD_Q7KLKKDihz/s1600-h/Rio_Brazil-718003.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQq7grxb6LOnaQ_j7NXNR_1EC8S0IadlUbUL7A43ifCHbtkN88SzmGrwFpx_iC5D3fpAIHNhqz8yBlCVZAcNTgBNmEkuUaxKW8gwNbcSw1laWmyJdz29cHRpmgpHaUB3TD_Q7KLKKDihz/s320/Rio_Brazil-718003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185092477208026322" /></a></p>CNN carries today a tragic <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/04/03/brazil.dengue/index.html#cnnSTCText">report</a> on the worsening dengue situation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. According to the report, the number of dengue fever cases this year has reached 57,010 , while the number of DHF cases exceeded 513. There were 67 deaths connected to dengue so far, with more than half of those in children below the age of 13. Judged by the report, the public health infrastructure is clearly overwhelmed, with patients transported to 3 military field hospitals near the city (see shocking images at the same CNN report). Authorities are considering to invite assistance from Cuba, where physicians are very experienced at treating dengue. Average hospital waits range from 8 to 28 hrs at different hospitals in the city. Earlier this week, the government also asked other Brazilian states to send hundreds of their physicians to help save the population in Rio. The Brazilian army is also contributing to the efforts. I would encourage any reader of the blog from the region to submit their firsthand reports.<br> <br><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-34629856433243418092008-04-02T16:19:00.001-04:002008-04-02T16:19:15.168-04:00New issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene publishedA <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/content/vol78/issue4/?etoc">new issue </a>of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene has been published. I wish UGA would have a subscription for it such that I could access the articles as they come out. It has a number of interesting articles, but I 'd just like to highlight a few here:<br> <br><dl><dt> Ephantus J. Muturi, Peter Burgess, <font size="-1">AND</font> Robert J. Novak </dt><dd><strong>Malaria Vector Management: Where Have We Come From and Where Are We Headed?</strong> <br>Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008 78: 536-537. <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/full/78/4/536">[Full Text]</a> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/reprint/78/4/536">[PDF]</a> <br></dd></dl> Anna M. Winters, Bethany G. Bolling, Barry J. Beaty, Carol D. Blair, Rebecca J. Eisen, Andrew M. Meyer, W. John Pape, hester G. Moore, <font size="-1">AND</font> Lars Eisen <strong><label for="hw_tropmed_toc_78_4_654">Combining Mosquito Vector and Human Disease Data for Improved Assessment of Spatial West Nile Virus Disease Risk</label></strong> <br> Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008 78: 654-665. <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/4/654">[Abstract]</a> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/full/78/4/654">[Full Text]</a> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/reprint/78/4/654">[PDF]</a> <br><dl><dd></dd><dd>Roberto Barrera, Elizabeth Hunsperger, Jorge L. Muñoz-Jordán, Manuel Amador, Annette Diaz, Joshua Smith, Kovi Bessoff, Manuela Beltran, Edgardo Vergne, Mark Verduin, Amy Lambert, <font size="-1">AND</font> Wellington Sun <strong><label for="hw_tropmed_toc_78_4_666">First Isolation of West Nile Virus in the Caribbean</label></strong> <br>Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008 78: 666-668. </dd><dd> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/4/666">[Abstract]</a> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/full/78/4/666">[Full Text]</a> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/reprint/78/4/666">[PDF]</a> <br></dd><dd></dd><dd><br></dd><dd>William K. Reisen, Ying Fang, <font size="-1">AND</font> Aaron C. Brault <strong><label for="hw_tropmed_toc_78_4_681">Limited Interdecadal Variation in Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) and Avian Host Competence for Western Equine Encephalomyelitis Virus (<i>Togaviridae: Alphavirus</i>)</label></strong> <br>Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008 78: 681-686. </dd><dd> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/4/681">[Abstract]</a> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/full/78/4/681">[Full Text]</a> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/reprint/78/4/681">[PDF]</a> <br></dd><dd><br></dd><dd>Christopher D. Paddock, Susana Fernandez, Gustavo A. Echenique, John W. Sumner, Will K. Reeves, Sherif R. Zaki, <font size="-1">AND</font> Carlos E. Remondegui <strong><label for="hw_tropmed_toc_78_4_687">Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Argentina</label></strong> <br>Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008 78: 687-692. </dd><dd> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/4/687">[Abstract]</a> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/full/78/4/687">[Full Text]</a> <a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/reprint/78/4/687">[PDF]</a> <br></dd><dd><br></dd><dd><br></dd></dl><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-65769571090141332242008-03-26T11:06:00.001-04:002008-03-26T11:06:11.173-04:00Fungi vs insects 1:0In a <a href="http://www.nature.com/hdy/journal/v100/n4/full/6801092a.html">recent paper in Heredity</a>, Alex Kraaijeveld and Charles Godfray show that Drosophila melanogaster has little chance in developing resistance to fungal pathogens such as <i>Beauveria bassiana. </i>This is significant as the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W7G-4HWX90V-2&_user=655127&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000033918&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=655127&md5=0f483e4e9cfc0d88286f8674a62ddf08">same fungi</a> and the related <a href="http://www.malariajournal.com/content/2/1/29"><i>Metarhizium anisopliae</i></a> are targeted to be used as biopesticides against disease vectoring mosquitoes (such as <i>Anopheles</i>) and other insect pests. In this paper, in a long-term artificial selection experiment for 15 generations, selected flies did not have higher overall fitness after infection compared with control lines. However, late-life fecundity increased in the selected lines, which may indicate evolved tolerance of the fungal pathogen. Nonetheless, this increase was balanced by decreased early-life fecundity in the selected lines. More importantly, in the absence of fungal infection, selected lines had lower overall fitness than control flies. In general, the paper demonstrated that <i>Drosophila</i> have a weak selection response to the fungal infection. If this is true to insects in general and to mosquitoes in particular, this might suggest that resistance to such fungal pesticides will not evolve easily and rapidly. This might give us just another novel tool for vector control, which is badly needed to reduce vector-borne diseases globally. <br> <br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-61988098524803006992008-03-25T17:15:00.001-04:002008-03-25T17:15:55.289-04:00More on the dengue outbreak in Rio de JaneiroNews of a large dengue outbreak are starting to circulate on the Internet. <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:2776507948638550::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,71933">PromedMail reported</a> today that in addition to the 47 confirmed mortalities due to dengue in Rio de Janeiro since the start of the year, an additional 49 cases of death are suspected to be due to the disease. <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aaN6afDH3.YE&refer=latin_america">Bloomberg.com</a> also reports that 2053 dengue cases have been reported on a single day (March 20, 2008), which is much higher (cc. 84) cases per hour than was previously reported (51 cases of dengue per hour). This outbreak is very alarming, and surely overwhelms the public health infrastructure of the city. In the same report, Edmilson Migovski, a professor of infectious diseases at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is quoted saying that part of the reason of this large outbreak is that the 'virus is becoming more virulent'. Although I haven't seen any report of any dengue serotypes evolving higher virulence, Prof. Migovski might have meant that DHF/DSS is occuring due to pre-existing herd immunity to heterologous serotypes in the population. It would be interesting to know what is the dominant serotype of this outbreak. The Asian variant of DEN-2 is known to cause more serious disease as well as DHF/DSS.<br> <br><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-965167731830106292008-03-24T12:00:00.001-04:002008-03-24T12:00:50.249-04:00Dengue outbreak in Brazil<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/03/20/dengue.fever.ap/index.html">CNN reports</a> that there is a dengue outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, that has already affected 32,000 people [possibly reported dengue fever cases] and claimed at least 47 lives [probably since the start of this year]. The number of deaths is already higher than it was in 2002, the last officially recognized epidemic year. According to the Federal Health Minister, Jose Gomes Temporao, 51 new cases are reported every hour [I can only imagine how much this can overburned the health system]. A crisis center will open today in Rio state to coordinate response from federal, state government and the armed forces to combat the disease. <br> <br>Although <a href="http://www.promedmail.org">ProMedMail</a> doesn't have a corresponding report, <a href="http://www.paho.org/English/AD/DPC/CD/eid-eer-2008-03-21.htm">PAHO </a>has a similar news item with more information. It seems that while the number of dengue cases nationally is 40% less than last year [probably due to a lack of a huge outbreak like last year in Paraguay], the dengue prevalence has more than doubled this year compared to last year in Rio de Janeiro.<br> <br><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-81467710807706458632008-03-20T17:14:00.001-04:002008-03-22T01:09:57.643-04:00ICEID 2008On March 18th, I visited the International Conference of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID 2008) in the Hyatts Regency Hotel, in Atlanta, GA. Even though I was only able to attend half a day of this conference, I felt that it was incredibly useful and highly worth the trip from Athens to Atlanta. In general, the meeting was very well organized, with several concurrent sessions in the morning. I was able to attend 3 sessions on arboviral disease. <br> <br>At first, Thomas Monath from the Kleiner <a href="http://www.kpcb.com/news/articles/2006_02_16b.html" target="_blank">Perkins Caufield and Byers Pandemic and Biodefense Fund </a>talked about the challenges and possible solutions of dengue control. Tom Monath has been a major force behind the development of dengue vaccines, personally working on the ChimeriVax dengue vaccine at Acambis. He gave a thorough introduction to dengue and then summarized the status of the dengue vaccines under development. He mentioned that there is a lot of genetic plasticity within dengue serotypes, which was unknown to me. Also, he acknowledged that there is a prolonged convalescence period even for dengue fever, characterized by weakness and fatigue, which is usually not included in the burden of disease studies. He featured a highly useful and intuitive diagram showing the variety of societal, economic, ecological and evolutionary components that lead to the increasing incidence and geographic range of dengue. In terms of the US, he acknowledged that dengue is present in south Texas, and has the potential to spread further north. On one of his maps, northern Argentina was shown to have <i>Aedes aegypti</i>, which I wasn't aware of either (although not surprising given the proximity of Paraguay and Brazil). He also warned about the widespread distribution of <i>Aedes albopictus</i> in the US, which is although less capable vector of dengue as <i>Aedes aegypti</i> is, could nonetheless drive an epidemic in Hawaii in 2001. He mentioned that <i>Aedes albopictus</i> might be present on the west coast of the US, however, this is not mentioned in the <a href="http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/vbz.2006.0562">recent paper on the distribution of <i>Aedes albopictus</i></a> (although I might have misunderstood). <br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-45588851467686754972008-03-14T13:04:00.000-04:002008-03-22T01:09:44.827-04:00Chikungunya outbreak in Sri Lanka rages on<div class="gmail_quote"><a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:3443811685502559::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,71820">ProMedMail </a>reports that the chikungunya outbreak in Sri Lanka is ongoing. The number of cases mentioned is the same as in an <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:4028468754543727::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,71721">earlier report</a>. The importance raising of public awareness and insanitary conditions [ample breeding sites] are cited in the current report. While these are undoubtedly important, I hope that the response to the epidemic is not left solely to the affected public. Isolation of infectious patients from bites of susceptible mosquitoes and immediate and major reduction of the adult and larval mosquito population by all available means is the only solution, unless the authorities want to let the epidemic run its course.<br> <br></div><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4562952005250173292.post-24771228858185232182008-03-13T16:11:00.001-04:002008-03-22T01:10:37.350-04:00African Horse Sickness outbreak reported in South Africa<div class="gmail_quote"><a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1444327522109666::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,71807">ProMedMail reports</a> that there is an outbreak of African Horse Sickness in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape of South Africa.<br> Mod AS. adds that African Horse Sickness is endemic and seasonal in these areas. Authorities have imposed an embargo on the movement of horses into the province. <a href="http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/biosecurity/ag-biosec/anim-disease/ahs.html">African Horse Sickness</a> is caused by an orbivirus, which is phylogenetically similar to bluetongue virus, and is vectored by the same <i>Culicoides</i> biting midges (e.g. C. imicola) that spread bluetongue. This is a life-threatening disease with fever, internal bleeding, attacking the internal organs, and causes high rates of mortality. It is therefore understandable that the EU placed a ban on importing horses from the affected area a few years ago. I suppose the European horse industry does not want to have it's own bluetongue.<br> </div><br> Krisztian Magorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00871097769124947345noreply@blogger.com0