Category: TRAVEL ALERTS

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NEW YORK (Reuters) Aug 29 – A total of 1,590 cases of West Nile virus, including 66 deaths, were reported through late August this year in the United States, the highest human toll reported by that point in the calendar since the mosquito-borne disease was first detected in the country in 1999, health officials said on Wednesday.

Source:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/770025?src=mp

 

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THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION WEBSITE…


No WNV activity reported, light green areas that represent any WNV activity* , dark green circles that represent disease cases, and dark green triangles that represent presumptive viremic blood donors.

* Includes WNV human disease cases, presumptive viremic blood donors, veterinary disease cases and infections in mosquitoes, birds, and sentinel animals.
† Presumptive viremic blood donors have a positive screening test which has not necessarily been confirmed.

Map shows the distribution of WNV activity* (shaded in light green), human infections (dark green circles), and presumptive viremic blood donors (dark green triangles) occurring during 2012 by state. If West Nile virus infection is reported from any area of a state, that entire state is shaded.

According to the CDC,

  • When you are outdoors, use insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient. Follow the directions on the package.
  • Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these times or consider staying indoors during these hours.
  • Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
  • Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.

Serious Symptoms in a Few People.

About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness.

High fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.

Milder Symptoms in Some People. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.

No Symptoms in Most People. Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.

How Does West Nile Virus Spread?

  • Infected Mosquitoes. Most often, WNV is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread WNV to humans and other animals when they bites

How Soon Do Infected People Get Sick?

People typically develop symptoms between 3 and 14 days after they are bitten by the infected mosquito.

What Else Should I Know?

If you find a dead bird: Don’t handle the body with your bare hands. Contact your local health department for instructions on reporting and disposing of the body.

SOURCE:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/Mapsactivity/surv&control12MapsAnybyState.htm

COPY AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR THIS INFORMATION IN OTHER LANGUAGES:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factsheet.htm

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(Reuters) – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Monday advised people to avoid shaking hands, casual sex and do-it-yourself burials to reduce the chance of contracting the deadly Ebola virus after an outbreak killed 14 people and put many more at risk.

Symptoms:

The incubation period can range from 2 to 21 days but is generally 5–10 days. Symptoms are varied and often appear suddenly.

Initial symptoms

  1. Include high fever (at least 38.8°C; 101.8°F)
  2. Severe headache
  3. Muscle, joint, or abdominal pain
  4. Severe weakness
  5. Exhaustion
  6. Sore throat
  7. Nausea
  8. Dizziness
  9. Internal and external bleeding.

Before an outbreak is suspected, these early symptoms are easily mistaken for malaria, typhoid fever, dysentery influenza, or various bacterial infections, which are all far more common and reliably less fatal.

Ebola may progress to:

  • Diarrhea
  • Dark or bloody feces
  • Vomiting blood
  • Red eyes due to distension and hemorrhage of sclerotic arterioles
  • Petechia, maculopapular rash, and purpura.
  • Other, secondary symptoms include hypotension (low blood pressure)
  • Hypovolemia
  • Tachycardia

The interior bleeding is caused by a reaction between the virus and the platelets that produces a chemical that will cut cell-size holes into the capillary walls.

Diagnosis:

Methods of diagnosis of Ebola include testing saliva and urine samples. Ebola is diagnosed with an Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) test.

Treatment:

There are currently no proven Ebola treatment options that can kill the Ebola virus. However, Ebola treatment can include the following supportive care such as:

  1. Intravenous (IV) fluids to maintain fluids and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and chloride
  2. Oxygen and devices that help with breathing
  3. Medications to control fever, help the blood clot, and maintain blood pressure
  4. Antibiotics to prevent secondary infections from bacteria
  5. Good nursing care

Source:

http://ebola.emedtv.com/ebola/ebola-treatment.html