Disease

Typoid and Diarrhoea in Zimbabwe

Approximately 50 000 cases of diarrhoea have been reported in Zimbabwe in 2016 alone, with 30 deaths resulting from the deadly epidemic, the country's ministry of health and child care has revealed.

The health ministry disclosed that 48 843 cases of diarrhoea had been recorded since the beginning of 2016, with 10 604 of these having been reported last week, along with 8 deaths. 312 new cases of suspected typhoid were reported last week, with one death having been reported.

The revelation comes just one month after reports indicated that a deadly outbreak of typhoid fever had hit the country's capital, Harare.

Disease

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

Between 27 December 2015 and 13 January 2016, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 4 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.

Globally, since September 2012, WHO has been notified of 1,630 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 586 related deaths.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – United Arab Emirates

Between 11 and 14 January 2016, the National IHR Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates notified WHO of 2 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 1 death.

Human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus – China

On 18 January 2016, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO of 1 additional laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus.

Typhoid in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s capital city Harare has been rocked by a typhoid outbreak and authorities have deployed medical experts to determine the magnitude of the spread of the disease.

A report in Zimbabwe’s state-owned Herald newspaper on Wednesday said since last Friday health authorities in that country had confirmed three cases in Glen Norah, two in Hopley and one in Hatfield.

Swine Flu Outbreak in Eastern Europe

An outbreak of swine flu has killed 72 more people and is putting thousands more lives in danger as the deadly virus continues to spread across eastern Europe.

Up to 40,000 people are expected to contract the disease in the Ukaine capital Kiev, where residents are covering their faces with masks or scarves.

Schools have been closed for more than a week and some public gatherings have been banned as authorities struggle to head off the outbreak.

The Ukrainian health ministry has confirmed 72 swine flu deaths, of which 47 were in the past week.

The number of fatalities in areas of the Donetsk region held by pro-Russian rebels could be as high as 300, according to the intelligence service.

The virus has spread to many former Soviet countries, reaching epidemic levels in St Petersburg, Russia, where at least 30 people have died.

At least 18 people have also died in Armenia.

The respiratory disease, caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1, can be spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing.

El Salvador issues Pregnancy Advisory - Zika Virus

As worries intensify about the Zika virus due to its association with a rare paralysis syndrome and rise of birth defect called microcephaly, health officials are taking drastic measures to stop the disease.

In a stunning development in El Salvador, health officials have advised all women of reproductive age to delay pregnancy until 2018 due to concerns about possible birth defects linked to the virus. Earlier this month, the El Salvador Health Department disclosed they had found 492 Zika cases.

The spokeswoman for El Salvador health department confirmed they are advising women from becoming pregnant but have not issued any official guidelines or policy statements.

The El Salvador advisory comes after thousands of children in Brazil were born with a dangerous birth defect called microcephaly, where head and brain are not fully developed. In Brazil, the government has called in the military to assist with a nationwide push to eradicate the virus. The health minister said that the military and civil defence services would be called in to help health workers combat the virus, which is spread my mosquitoes.

Disease

Typhoid in Johannesburg, South Africa

The Gauteng Health Department has confirmed four cases of typhoid fever in Johannesburg, which has claimed the life of one person.

Two cases were identified at the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, while the other two were picked up at Edenvale Hospital. A 27-year-old Malawian woman died last week Sunday. It’s understood she had travelled to her home country for the holiday period last month - and returned to South Africa through Mozambique.

Meningitis Outbreak in Ghana

Two people have died after being infected with Pneumococcal Meningitis in the Offinso Municipality of the Ashanti region.

A week after the disease killed nine people in the Brong Ahafo region, five others died in Bole in the Northern region.

About 22 people have been confirmed dead out of the 57 reported cases since the beginning of the outbreak of the disease in the Northern and Brong Ahafo Regions.

Disease

Typhoid Outbreak in Malaysia

The health ministry today said they are still in the midst of identifying the source of a typhoid outbreak in Kuala Lumpur, as a total of 32 cases have been reported over the past two and a half months. No deaths have been reported.

Typhoid fever is transmitted through food or drinks contaminated with Salmonella typhii, and symptoms usually arise between one and three weeks after infection. These include lethargy, fever, stomach aches, constipation, headaches, diarrhoea and vomiting.

If left untreated, it could lead to complications such as bleeding and puncturing of the intestinal tract, brain inflammation, psychosis and other symptoms, or become a carrier without any symptoms.

Disease

Typhoid Fever 'Superbug' Spreading Around the World

An antibiotic-resistant strain of typhoid has spread around the world in recent years, causing health officials to lately sound the alarm.

While the disease can be prevented by a vaccine and treated with antibiotics, it can also prove fatal in up to 20 percent of patients who go untreated.

A single family of waterborne bacteria responsible for the disease, called H58, has not only developed resistance to multiple antibiotics, but it has become the dominant strain in many of the poorer countries in which about 30 million people become infected each year.

The Salmonella Typhi bacteria is contracted by drinking or eating contaminated material, and causes symptoms that include fever, nausea, abdominal pain and pink spots on the chest.

Outbreaks have been reported this year in western India, Zambia and Uganda.

Disease

Typhoid in Syria

Typhoid has broken out in an opposition-held region of Syria due to people drinking contaminated water from the Euphrates River.

An estimated 2,500 people in northeastern Deir al-Zor province are infected with the contagious disease, which causes diarrhoea and can be fatal.

Disease

Typhoid outbreak in Harare and Chitungwiza in Zimbabwe after people once again start eating their own faeces.

 

Insects

A plague of cockroaches has engulphed the southern Italian city of Naples. Hot weather and garbage left outdoors has caused the red insects to multiply exponentially. Pest control teams are spraying sewers around the clock in an attempt to avert a further spread of the insects which are carriers of typhoid and hepatitis.