The airplane leased by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during public health emergencies saves lives – at a cost of one cent to each American each year. The plane plays a critical role in CDC’s ability to keep our nation safe and prepared.
The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional three cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. All three cases were fatal.
On 5 October 2006, the Ministry of Health reported 2 cases of yellow fever in the towns of Korhogo and Ouaragahio in C?te d’Ivoire. The cases, a 30-year-old man in Korhogo and a 16 year-old girl in Ouaragahio, are laboratory confirmed (IgM Elisa assay) by the Institut Pasteur, Abidjan, C?te d’Ivoire and by the regional reference laboratory, Institut Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal. To date, no fatalities have been reported.
One case of wild poliovirus type-1, due to an importation of virus from neighbouring Somalia, has been reported from a Somali refugee camp in northeastern Kenya. The 3-year old girl (who was born in Kenya and had not traveled to Somalia) had onset of paralysis on 17 September 2006. The case is in the district of Garissa in North Eastern Province bordering Somalia, where an outbreak of poliomyelitis has resulted in 216 cases to date since July 2005. Genetic sequencing indicates a virus of Nigerian origin, imported from Kismayo, Somalia; however, it is not possible to determine how long the virus has been circulating in Kenya. A joint national/international rapid response team is conducting a detailed clinical and epidemiological investigation.
From February 2006 to 10 October 2006, the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia has reported 151 districts in 8 states/provinces of India affected by chikungunya fever (see below). The affected states are Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Delhi. More than 1.25 million suspected cases have been reported from the country, which 752,245 were from Karnataka and 258,998 from Maharashtra provinces. In some areas reported attack rates have reached 45%.
All parties with an interest in the upcoming Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property are invited to present their views to web-based public hearings organized by the World Health Organization (WHO).
A significant and largely untapped global market exists for more effective and affordable tests to diagnose tuberculosis in low and middle income countries, where most TB cases today occur.
World Health Organization (WHO) and a group of more than 25 partner organizations unveiled a new strategy to fight some of the most neglected tropical diseases that destroy the lives and health of poor people.
Dauphin County Safe Kids Coalition, led by Penn State Children’s Hospital, reminds parents this Halloween that Oct. 31 is the most dangerous day of the year for child pedestrians. In fact, children are four times more likely to be killed while walking on Halloween than any other night of the year. It is essential for parents to prepare their children properly to stay safe while having fun.
What’s the best treatment for a cold? Some say rest and lots of liquids, others say to feed a cold and starve a fever. But what if a person has a cold with a fever? Does medication help?