031721 – World Health Report

This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international health risks, and other issues as reported by the linked official sources from the U.S. and other countries.

Please note the revision date (mmddyy) of this report, printed on the title of the post, and go to the direct sources listed for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.

Health

• Germany, Spain * Communicable disease threats report, 7-13 March 2021, week 10 * Measles. Update of the week. Since the previous monthly measles update in ECDC’s Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) on 12 February 2021, five new cases have been reported by two countries in EU/EEA: Germany (4) and Spain (1). In addition, updates are available for Ireland and Italy. Other countries did not report new cases of measles. So far in 2021, no new deaths have been reported by EU/EEA countries.
• Guinea * GOV.UK * A Yellow Fever certificate is required to enter the country. Please visit the National Travel Health Network and Centre’s TravelHealthPro website.
• Pakistan, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Guinea, Ethiopia, Mali, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote D’Ivore, Sudan, Tajikistan, Congo, Kenya * Communicable disease threats report, 7-13 March 2021, week 10 * Poliomyelitis. Update of the week. Since the previous CDTR update on 19 February 2021 and as of 2 March 2021, 41 cases of polioviruses (WPV1 and cVDPV2) have been reported, one of which was caused by the WPV1 strain and 40 by the cVDPV2 strain. Wild poliovirus (WPV1): One new case of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) caused by WPV1 has been reported in Pakistan. 13 WPV1 environmental samples have also been detected in Pakistan. Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV): 40 cases of AFP caused by cVDPV2 have been reported from 11 countries: Afghanistan (8), South Sudan (7), Guinea (6), Ethiopia (5), Pakistan (5), Mali (3), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2), Congo (1) , Côte D’Ivore (1), Sudan (1), and Tajikistan (1). 44 cVDPV2 environmental samples have also been detected: Pakistan (15), Afghanistan (14), Egypt (5), Liberia (3), Sudan (3), Congo (1), Ethiopia (1), Kenya (1), and Tajikistan (1).
• World * Communicable disease threats report, 7-13 March 2021, week 10 * Influenza. Update of the week. Week 09/2021 (1 March to 7 March 2021). Influenza activity remained at interseasonal levels. Of 1 026 specimens tested for influenza viruses in week 09/2021, from patients presenting with ILI or ARI symptoms to sentinel primary healthcare sites, three were positive. Influenza viruses were detected sporadically from non-sentinel sources (such as hospitals, schools, primary care facilities not involved in sentinel surveillance, or nursing homes and other institutions). Both influenza type A and type B viruses were detected. No hospitalised laboratory-confirmed influenza cases were reported in week 09/2021. The influenza epidemic in the European Region has usually reached its peak by this point in the year, but despite widespread and regular testing for influenza viruses reported influenza activity still remains at a very low level, likely due to the impact of the various public health and social measures implemented to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare seeking behaviours, healthcare provision, and testing practices and capacities in countries and areas of the European Region, which have negatively impacted on the collection of influenza epidemiologic and virologic data during the 2020-2021 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the influenza data we present will need to be interpreted with caution, notably in terms of seasonal patterns.

Ebola News

• Democratic Republic of the Congo * CDC * There is an outbreak of Ebola in the North Kivu (Kivu Nord) province in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Travelers to this area could be infected with Ebola if they come in contact with an infected person’s blood or other body fluids.
• Democratic Republic of the Congo * Communicable disease threats report, 7-13 March 2021, week 10 * Ebola. Update of the week. Since last week’s report on 5 March 2021, and as of 11 March 2021, one new probable case, who died, has been reported by WHO. This probable case was a community death and was reported on 11 March, so it is not yet known from where this case is being reported. Results from genome sequencing confirmed that the first cases were infected with the Zaire ebolavirus species and suggest that the ongoing outbreak is genetically linked to the 10th EVD outbreak that occurred between 2018 and 2020 in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces. The source of infection of the index case is currently unknown, and investigations are ongoing.
• Ebola in Guinea * CDC * There is an outbreak of Ebola in N’Zérékoré Prefecture of Guinea. Travelers to this area could be infected with Ebola if they come in contact with an infected person’s blood or other body fluids.
• Guinea * Communicable disease threats report, 7-13 March 2021, week 10 * Ebola. Update of the week. Since last week’s CDTR report on 5 March 2021, and as of 10 March 2021, one new confirmed case, who died, has been reported by WHO from the N’Zerekore prefecture, N’Zerekore region, Guinea. Two suspected cases are currently in isolation in the Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in N’Zerekore. Two people have recovered. As of 9 March, 302 contacts have been identified, 96% of which are being monitored. However, four contacts are displaced, three of them internal to Guinea (in Conakry, Lola and Tougué) and one outside of Guinea in Cote d’Ivoire. They are actively being sought. The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control announced Nigeria is at moderate risk of an EVD outbreak. Nigeria has initiated preparedness activities and is on alert mode.

Please note the revision date (mmddyy) of this report, printed on the title of the post, and go to the direct sources listed for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.