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Archive Number |
20020916.5329 |
Published Date |
16-SEP-2002 |
Subject |
PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF updates (36): 16 Sep 2002 |
DENGUE/DHF UPDATES (36): 16 SEP 2002
************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
In these updates:
[1] & [2] Taiwan
[3] Singapore
[3] Malaysia
******
[1]
Date: Mon 9 Sep 2002
From: Pablo Nart <p.nart@virgin.net>
Source: Taiwan News (via Newsline), Sat 7 Sep 2002 [edited]
So far this year, 3 people have been confirmed to have died as a
result of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Taiwan, the Department of
Health (DOH) reported yesterday. The 3 victims, residents of
Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County in southern Taiwan, were
confirmed to have died as a result of domestically-acquired dengue
hemorrhagic fever, according to officials from the DOH Center for
Disease Control (CDC).
The death toll marks the highest annual number of people killed by
locally-acquired dengue hemorrhagic fever in Taiwan in more than 10
years, the CDC officials said. According to CDC tallies, only one
person died of dengue hemorrhagic fever in each of 1995, 1998, and
2001. And even in 1988 when more than 4000 dengue fever cases were
reported around Taiwan, nobody died as a result of the fever.
As of Fri 6 Sep 2002, 1685 cases of dengue fever have been reported
island-wide since the outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease in
Kaohsiung and its neighboring regions in late Jun 2002, according to
the CDC. Of the 1685 reported cases, 26 have been cases of dengue
hemorrhagic fever, including the 2 women and one man who have already
died. Although a few cases have been reported in other parts of the
island, most of the dengue fever cases have been reported in
Kaohsiung, with 752 cases in Kaohsiung City and 878 cases in
Kaohsiung County.
******
[2]
Date: Mon 16 Sep 2002
From: Pablo Nart <p.nart@virgin.net>
Source: Taiwan News (via Newsline, Fri 13 Sep 2002 [edited]
Taiwan: Dengue Fever Cases Reach Highest Total Since 1988
---------------------------------------------------------
The number of people infected with dengue fever nationwide this year
is closing in on 2000 cases, reaching the highest total since 1988.
According to the [Taiwan] Center for Disease Control (CDC), there
have been 1924 cases of dengue fever reported so far this year, and
30 cases reported of the more serious dengue hemorrhagic fever. The
CDC said the epidemic is difficult to [control in the short term] and
asked hospitals to spend more effort in treating dengue hemorrhagic
fever, because the death rate could rise at the end of this epidemic
period. Experts also warned of the danger of dengue fever, as its
death rate could possibly rise from 1 percent to 50 percent in a
short period of time.
The tallies released by the CDC yesterday morning showed 1924 cases
of dengue fever nationwide, including 876 cases in Kaohsiung City,
991 cases in Kaohsiung county, and 57 cases spread out over the rest
of the country. According to the local media, however, the reported
cases in Kaohsiung City and County had reached 900 and 1000 cases,
respectively. The last serious epidemic of dengue fever occurred in
1988, with a record of 4389 cases reported. The CDC hopes the dengue
fever toll is not as serious as in 1988.
The deputy director-general of the CDC, Chiang Ying-lung, said the
tallies of reported cases came directly from doctors and were
believed to be accurate, but the CDC did not rule out the possibility
that some patients with the disease had shown only minor symptoms and
were therefore not diagnosed by physicians. The CDC has been
pressuring doctors recently to report dengue fever cases
expeditiously to more precisely control the spreading of the disease.
One National Taiwan University Hospital physician was recently fined
by the Taipei City Health Department for making a delayed report.
Chiang also said he was not willing to make any predictions, but
stressed that the most urgent task was to halt the spreading of the
epidemic and eliminate mosquitoes. Chiang reminded the public to wear
long-sleeve clothes and trousers to avoid being [bitten] by
mosquitoes. Chiang also worried that more people could become
infected as public election rallies are held and huge crowds gather
for the upcoming mayoral elections.
Huang Kao-bin, the convener of the infection control committee of
Kaohsiung Medical University, was pessimistic. Huang said the fever
had spread from Chienchen and Fengshan to other areas, and the past
few rainy days helped create perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
He predicted that the number of cases could reach as high as 5000.
However, officials from the Environmental Protection Administration
(EPA) said that there were signs that the number of mosquitoes were
on the decline in some areas of Kaohsiung, and that the cleanup and
inspection efforts were working. The EPA said they were more
concerned about an epidemic next year, explaining that a more serious
dengue epidemic usually occurs in the year following a year like this
one if prevention work is not carried out thoroughly. As a
consequence, the EPA is planning to start its mosquito cleanup effort
next year in February rather than May.
******
[3]
Date: Mon 9 Sep 2002
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: ABC News / Reuters, Sun 8 Sep 2002 [edited]
<http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20020908_284.html>
Singapore: Rise in Dengue Fever Cases
-------------------------------------
Singapore is waging war on mosquitoes after a jump in the number of
dengue fever cases and the deaths of 3 people in June and July 2002.
A mix of hot weather and regular downpours is being blamed for an
average of 440 cases a month since June compared with 318 during the
same period of last year. In 2001, 4 people died of the
mosquito-borne infection and 2 in 2000.
"The current rise is according to the El Nino phenomenon. This kind
of weather causes the mosquito to breed and mature faster; that's why
you have more mosquitoes," a National Environment Agency spokeswoman
said on Monday. El Nino, which has raised the surface temperature in
parts of the Pacific Ocean and contributed to a rash of smoky fires
raging in Indonesia, was the culprit behind a record 4300 cases of
dengue in Singapore in 1997. Health and environment officials do not
expect a repeat of this outbreak, largely because El Nino is not as
strong this year. But they are not taking any chances. To inhibit
mosquito breeding, the tropical island nation routinely clears
standing water, and pest control companies spray housing estates and
bush lands with an acrid chemical fog. This year, the environment
agency has stepped up its public education program island-wide and
distributed sachets of insecticide to residents in the northeast of
the city state, whose gardens and potted plants are seen as prime
breeding grounds.
Symptoms of dengue, caused by one of 4 closely related viruses, are
similar to a severe case of influenza. The condition is seldom
deadly, but dengue hemorrhagic fever is a potentially fatal
complication. The World Health Organization estimates there may be 50
million cases of dengue infection each year, with 2.5 billion people,
a fifth of the world's population, at risk.
******
[4]
Date: Mon 16 Sep 2002
From: Pablo Nart <p.nart@virgin.net>
Source: New Straits Times, Fri 13 Sep 2002 [edited]
<http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/20020913082943/Article/>
Malaysia: Dengue Alert in Federal Territory and 4 States
-----------------------------------------------------------
On Thu 12 Sep 2002, 4 States and the Federal Territory issued a
dengue alert in view of the alarming 142.8 per cent increase in cases
since January 2002 compared to the same period in 2001. The States of
Selangor, Perak, Kelantan, and Johor have appealed to the public to
place Abate in water tanks, flower pots, septic tanks, and under
refrigerators and to discard unwanted containers, bottles, and
plastic bags. Health officials are identifying _Aedes_ breeding
locations in and around construction sites, basements, lift wells,
and trenches.
There were 17 341 cases reported by the end of last month with 16 258
being dengue fever and the rest dengue haemorrhagic fever cases.
There were 34 deaths during the period. Selangor topped the list with
4993 cases followed by Federal Territory (4094), Johor (1576) and
Perak (1521). There were only 7110 reported cases last year, 3723 in
2000, and 4718 in 1999. State health department officials attributed
the increase in cases to a stretch of wet weather followed by a short
dry spell recently.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall public relations officer Sariffuddin Ibrahim
said the [appearance of a] new dengue virus, dengue virus type 3, was
serious and had already claimed 4 lives this year. The deaths were
reported in Desa Tasik Sungai Besi, Rumah Panjang Pudu Ulu in Cheras,
Kampung Sungai Penchala, and Kampung Sejahtera. "We have issued a
dengue alert in high risk dengue outbreak areas such as Setiawangsa,
Keramat Wangsa, Datuk Keramat, Taman Melati, Desa Tun Hussein Onn,
and Kampung Baru." He said DBKL had also put up banners alerting
people besides conducting gotongroyong and fogging activities
involving 4 million houses. Sariffuddin said they had embarked on
house-to-house checks and water sampling to contain the spread of the
disease.
Selangor deputy health director (public health) Dr Rahimah Mohd
Ariffin said [as of 7 Sep 2002], 5189 dengue cases had been reported
of which 298 were dengue hemorrhagic fever. This is 82.6 percent more
than the number of cases reported during the same period last year.
There were 7 deaths reported so far. The area under the Selayang
Municipal Council topped the list with 1212 cases and 3 deaths,
Subang Jaya Municipal Council (982 with 2 deaths), Shah Alam City
Council (639, one death), Petaling Jaya Municipality (517, one
death), Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (379), Klang Municipal Council
(334), Kajang Municipal Council (303), Hulu Selangor (233), Sepang
(195), Kuala Langat (129), Sabak Bernam (113), Klang (102), and Kuala
Selangor (51). Dr Rahimah also urged those suffering from sudden high
and incessant fever, red spots on the skin and severe pain in the
bones, muscles, joints, eyeballs, and head to seek immediate
treatment. Those experiencing hemorrhaging, loss of appetite,
vomiting, and stomach ache should also seek medical help.
[Byline: Annie Freeda Cruez]
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[see also:
Dengue/DHF updates (01): 14 Jan 2002 20020115.3265
Dengue/DHF updates (33): 26 Aug 2002 20020826.5151
2001
----
Dengue/DHF - Malaysia 20010613.1147
Dengue - Singapore 20010712.1345
Dengue/DHF - Singapore (02) 20010812.1906
Dengue/DHF updates (01): 8 Jan 2001 20010108.0064
Dengue/DHF updates (21): 18 Dec 2001 20011218.3058
2000
----
Dengue, declining - Malaysia 20000416.0543
Dengue - Singapore: background 20000318.0378
Dengue - Singapore: mosquito breeding places 20000305.0302
1999
----
Dengue - Malaysia (Sarawak) 19990125.0119
Dengue - Malaysia (Sarawak) (02) 19990718.1206
Dengue - Malaysia: 1998 19990130.0134
Dengue - Malaysia: 1998 (02) 19990224.0249
Dengue - Malaysia: control 19990204.0162
Dengue/DHF - Malaysia: update 19990725.1248
Dengue/DHF - Singapore: Summary for 1998 19990227.0273
1998
----
Dengue - Malaysia (Petaling Jaya) 19980811.1575
Dengue - Malaysia (Sarawak) 19980307.0435
Dengue - Malaysia (Sarawak) (02) 19980806.1514
Dengue - Singapore 19980704.1241
Dengue/DHF - Malaysia (Perak) 19980916.1857
Dengue/DHF - Malaysia (Sarawak) 19980714.1327
Dengue/DHF - Malaysia: 1997 19980415.0689
Dengue/DHF - Singapore 19980513.0941
Dengue/DHF - Singapore (03) 19981121.2243
Dengue, imported - Taiwan 19980711.1313
Dengue, imported - Taiwan ex S.E. Asia 19980805.1503
Dengue, indigenous - Taiwan 19980828.1716
Dengue/DHF, imported - Taiwan ex Thailand 19980828.1714]
............mpp/cp/pg/lm
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