Paraguay's elite hit in worst
dengue outbreak
 A
Supreme Court justice, soccer players and a senator have
all come down with dengue in
Paraguay, as the worst outbreak in the
country's history hit the well-off as well as its usual
victims among the poor.
10 people have died, and more than 15,000 have been
infected in the last 2 months with the mosquito-born
virus, which causes high fever, headache, severe muscle
and joint pain and, in its worst form, potentially fatal
internal bleeding.
Paraguay, which never had a dengue death before this
outbreak, and neighboring Brazil and Bolivia have
declared health alerts as they all fight major dengue
outbreaks that could be linked to unusually hot and
rainy weather.
Some stores in Asuncion have run out of mosquito
repellents; citronella oil bracelets are all the rage,
and radios are full of a new song with lyrics about the
dengue carrier: the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Dengue infections have increased 4-fold in the last 3
decades, according to the World Health Organization.
Most dengue is in Southeast Asia and the Western
Pacific, but incidence and severity is increasing
rapidly in Latin America.
Arsenic Alert issued on "Jermuk"
mineral water products
3 types of Jermuk mineral water products
produced in China have been recalled because they
contain excessive arsenic.
The products are labeled;
- "Jermuk Original Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
Fortified With Natural Gas From The Spring"
- "Jermuk Sodium Calcium Bicarbonate and Sulphate
Mineral Water"
- "Jermuk, Natural Mineral Water Sparkling"
The US Food & Drug Administration has issued a
warning to consumers not to drink the products.
Did you know ...
New Fluid
Restrictions on Flights I
expect most people in the community will be
aware but just in case here is the link to
the Government website about the new fluid
restrictions for international flights.
Fluid restrictions info - click here.
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Cook Islands - Dengue
Health officials in the Cook Islands are trying
to contain an outbreak of dengue fever on
Rarotonga.
So far, there have been almost 700 confirmed
cases of the mosquito-borne disease.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious virus that
attacks your liver. While it won't kill you, it can
make you sick enough to lose many weeks off work.
You might have to stay off alcohol for 6 months, and
you would feel tired, lousy and feverish. Your skin
even turns yellow. Your friends and family can catch
it from you as well.
You can contract Hep A easily from one dodgy meal. We
can give you a vaccine before you travel to prevent
Hep A – one less thing to worry about. Find your
nearest TMA
clinic or ring 1300 42 11 42.
China: Rabies kills 61 in Hunan province
61 people in central
China's Hunan Province have died from
rabies in the 1st 2 months of the year (2007),
leading the vice governor to call for a cull of dogs
in the province. Rabies killed 443 people in Hunan
in 2006.
The one child policy in china is believed to have
contributed to the increasing number of pet dogs.
Low vaccination rates are blamed for the rabies
epidemic in the province.
Rabies is contracted from infected animals -
mostly dogs - it is a risk if you are bitten, licked
over an open wound or scratched with the animals
teeth. Travellers can be vaccinated before a
bite or after a bite - but once bitten, they need to
be vaccinated within 24 hours to prevent rabies. The
rabies virus can lie dormant for many years after a
bite but the disease is always fatal once symptoms
appear.
According to WHO, about 55,000 deaths from rabies
(mostly children) are reported annually around the
world. |
The
Travel Medicine Alliance