Disease

Malaria in Burundi: 2 million cases in first three months

On March 13, the Burundi government declared a malaria outbreak and the data on the outbreak shows the cases continue to mount in the East African country. According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the cumulative number of malaria cases reported during the first 10 weeks of 2017 is 1,960,620 with 869 deaths.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

Between 23 February and 16 March 2017 the national IHR focal point of Saudi Arabia reported 18 additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) including two fatal cases. Four deaths among previously reported MERS cases were also reported.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Qatar

On 21 March 2017 the national IHR focal point of Qatar reported one additional case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Zika in US pregnant women

Of the 250 pregnant women who had confirmed Zika infection in 2016, 24 – or about 1 in 10 of them – had a foetus or baby with Zika-related birth defects, according to a new Vital Signs report from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Measles in Nova Scotia

Thirteen measles cases have now been confirmed in the province, all believed to be linked in this most recent outbreak. All of the cases currently confirmed have been linked in some way – primarily with people having been in the same location as someone who was infected with measles.

Leprosy: Rare case reported in Iowa

Leprosy is still found in the United States where a couple hundred cases are reported annually mostly from Florida, Texas, Louisiana and California. It is not an infectious disease you see everyday in Woodbury County, Iowa, or in Iowa generally.

Leishmaniasis outbreak reported in Cameroon

The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) of Cameroon reported in mid-February cases of acute fever and rash syndrome of unknown etiology being reported from the Far North and North regions of the country.

The major clinical manifestations of the illness included skin rash, persistent fever, malnutrition, anemia, hepato-splenomegaly and adenopathy. Laboratory results by the Centre Pasteur of Cameroon in Yaoundé have since shown this illnesses were due to cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Retrospective investigation indicated that 48 cases with similar clinical features including 17 deaths (case fatality rate of 35.4%) had been registered between January 2016 and 24 March 2017.