031021 – World Health Report

This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international health risks 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

• Americas * CDC * Dengue is a risk in many parts of Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Some countries are reporting increased numbers of cases of the disease. Travelers to the Americas can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.
• China * Communicable disease threats report, 28 February-6 March 2021, week 9 * Influenza A(H9N2). Update of the week. Since the previous update on 28 January 2021, and as of 26 February 2021, three new sporadic human cases of influenza A (H9N2) virus infection have been reported in China in children younger than five years old. All three cases had mild symptoms and recovered, and none were hospitalised. Only one case had a known exposure to backyard poultry; exposure to birds is unknown for the other two. No further cases were detected among contacts of these cases.
• China * GC.CA * Medical care is widely available in urban areas, but not in remote areas. Ask doctors and dentists to use sterilized equipment. Medical care in clinics offering international standard services to foreigners is much more expensive. Payment is expected at time of service. Medical evacuation can be very expensive and you may need it in case of serious illness or injury. Make sure you get travel insurance that includes coverage for medical evacuation and hospital stays.
• Europe * Communicable disease threats report, 28 February-6 March 2021, week 9 * Influenza. Update of the week. Week 08/2021 (22 February- 28 February 2021). Influenza activity remained at interseasonal levels. The influenza season in the European Region has usually been designated as having started by this point in the year but, despite widespread and regular testing for influenza, 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 reporting 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.
• Saudi Arabia * Communicable disease threats report, 28 February-6 March 2021, week 9 * Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Update of the week. Since the previous update on 2 February, and as of 1 March 2021, five MERS-CoV cases, including three deaths, have been reported by Saudi Arabian health authorities.
• Yemen, Bangladesh * Communicable disease threats report, 28 February-6 March 2021, week 9 * Cholera. Update of the week. Since the last update on 5 February 2021, new cholera cases have been reported worldwide. The countries reporting the majority of new cases since the previous update are Yemen and Bangladesh. A list of all countries reporting new cases since our previous update can be found below.

Ebola

• 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, 28 February-6 March 2021, week 9 * Ebola. Update of the week. Since last week’s report on 26 February 2021, and as of 3 March 2021, three new confirmed cases and no new deaths have been reported by the WHO in the North Kivu province of the DRC, from the Butembo health zone. These are the first cases reported from this health zone, which is centred around the already affected health zones, and contains the second largest city (Butembo) in North Kivu. These cases were known contacts from the sixth case. So far, two cases have recovered. As of 3 March, 856 contacts and healthcare workers have been vaccinated since the start of the outbreak. However, a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs describes major challenges in the response, including contact tracing and acceptance to the response, especially vaccination acceptance.
• 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, 28 February-6 March 2021, week 9 * Ebola. Update of the week. Since last week’s CDTR report on 26 February 2021, and as of 3 March 2021, eight new confirmed cases and three new deaths have been reported by the WHO from the N’Zerekore prefecture, N’Zerekore region, Guinea. Five healthcare workers have so far been among the infected. Two suspected cases are currently in isolation in the Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in N’Zerekore. Two further vaccine shipments were sent over the past week, therefore in total 32 960 vaccines have been deployed to Guinea. The total number of people vaccinated as of 3 March 2021 stands at 1 489; of which 188 are contacts, 962 are contacts of contacts and 339 are probable contacts. According to the WHO, challenges include inadequate coordination in N’Zerekore, community resistance to response measures, and the need for additional staff to strengthen field operations, which is limited by insufficient funds. Governmental representatives of Guinea and the six bordering countries held a meeting on 2 March, in which it was agreed to unify the response by setting up a coordination mechanism, increasing surveillance and screening at border crossings and in high-risk communities, as well as facilitating import regulations for vaccines.
• Guinea * GOV.UK * The FCDO now advises against all but essential travel to the N’Zerekore Region of Guinea based on the current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease reported there.

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.