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Re: Meningitis confirmed in Kisangani Congo
And a ProMed post. The speculation by the ProMed moderator about type A bacteria is incorrect; an earlier article in this thread indicates that bacteria are type C.
Archive Number 20091213.4233
Published Date 13-DEC-2009
Subject PRO/EDR> Meningitis, meningococcal - Congo DR: (HC)
MENINGITIS, MENINGOCOCCAL - CONGO DR: (ORIENTALE)
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
[1]
Date: Wed 12 Dec 2009
Source: China View [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/02/content_12574856.htm>
Ten students at Maikazo Institute in Tshopo district in Kisangani,
the main town in Orientale province of the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC), died in one week from an unknown disease, with
meningitis-like symptoms, the Congolese radio reported on Tuesday [1
Dec 2009?]. The last case of death came on Tuesday morning at the
Mangobo general hospital, where 3 of these students had been admitted
since Saturday [28 Nov 2009?], when 9 others died a few hours after
they had been taken to the hospital, Dr. Cecile Edambulu, chief
medical doctor in Tshopo zone, told the radio.
"The children had symptoms of headache, fever and convulsions. Upon
arrival at the health center, they died. The symptoms that they
showed made us think they were suffering from meningitis," Edambulu
explained. According to hospital sources, similar cases were
identified in Makiso and Mangobo districts in the neighborhood of
Tshopo. The children had been taken to Mangobo and Kisangani
hospitals, they reported.
The provincial education minister, Polydore Latigo, has decided to
momentarily close down Maikazo Institute. "This is a preventive
measure to allow the administrative and medical authorities to carry
out investigation on the situation," he said. The mayor of Kisangani
has brought together all education and health partners in the town to
find a way to curb the spread of the disease while awaiting the
results of tests on the samples taken to the capital Kinshasa and
South Africa to determine the type of the virus.
[Byline: Xiong Tong]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
******
[2]
Date: Tue 8 Dec 2009
Source: Irin (UN Integrated Regional Information Ne2rks) Africa [edited]
<http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=87364>
An outbreak of meningitis that killed more than a dozen students from
the same school last week has spread throughout the city of
Kisangani, in central Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said
Monday [30 Nov 2009?]. The strain of the meningococcal [serogroup] C,
which was confirmed last week, had infected at least 100 people
throughout the port city on the Congo River, said the Minister of
Health, August Mopipi, on 7 Dec 2009. He visited the city to assess
what local leaders have called an "epidemic". By 6 Dec 2009,
according to hospital officials and the UN radio service in
Kisangani, 17 had died from the bacterial infection, all students at
the local Maikazo Technical Institute.
"It's a source of hope that this deadly disease remains curable,"
Mopipi said, adding that more than 40 of the cases had been cured.
The minister said the government was working on distributing
vaccinations but warned they could be "prohibitively" expensive.
According to Kisangani mayor Guy Shilton, crisis meetings between
hospitals, local government authorities and religious leaders had
been organized and an "emergency protocol" had been put in place,
providing for the distribution of drugs. "Once the epidemic is
declared, we will attack it in every way possible," Shilton said.
The 1st fatalities took place at the Maikazo Technical Institute,
when 9 students from the school died at end-November 2009 after being
checked into the local hospital. According to the UN, doctors said
the patients all had signs of meningitis, but it could not be
confirmed. A 10th student died a week ago, and the school was closed
down by the state minister of education. "It's a preventative and
temporary measure," said Minister Polydor Latigo, "but we need to
investigate the problem safely." Andre Kitenge, a press officer for
the UN in Kisangani, said that while all deaths related to the
outbreak were from the school, cases in other parts of Kisangani were
"prevalent".
Kisangani, one of the largest cities in the Congo, lies in the middle
of Africa's "meningitis belt". During the dry season, it infects
hundreds more people than the global average of 3 per 100 000.
According to the World Health Organization, an affordable vaccine is
supposed to be on the way, but for poor and densely populated areas
such as Kisangani, it still poses a serious threat. An outbreak of
meningitis at the beginning of 2009 across the "belt" infected nearly
25 000, according to the UN, and killed more than 1500.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
[Orientale is a province in the northeastern corner of the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). The 2005 Constitution divided Orientale
Province into 4 new provinces: Ituri, Haut-Uele, Tshopo, and Bas-Uele
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo>).
The provincial capital of Tshopo is Kisangani.
Eastern DRC has been the site of ongoing civil unrest. From an USAID
report: "regional armed conflict across the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC) has resulted in an estimated 5.4 million deaths since
1998. Most deaths occurred due to indirect consequences of fighting,
such as disease, malnutrition, and neonatal- and pregnancy-related
complications. Overall, the decade of fighting displaced more than 3
million Congolese across eastern and southern DRC and hindered access
to agricultural land and traditional markets. Poverty continues to be
widespread, and the Congolese health care system has eroded due to a
lack of resources and looting of medical assets"
(<http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/countries/drc/template/fs_sr/fy2009/drc_ce_sr04_08-06-2009.pdf>).
Numerous cases of meningococcal meningitis are reported in the
African region known as the "Meningitis Belt" each year during the
dry season, between December and June, and every 8-12 years large
outbreaks occur
(<http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-Menin.aspx>). The
"Meningitis Belt" extends from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia and
Eritrea in the east (<http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no10/03-0170.htm>).
During the 1st 11 weeks of 2009 (1 Jan-15 Mar 2009), a total of 24
868 suspected cases, including 1513 deaths were reported to WHO by
countries of the meningitis belt. The current epidemic has been the
deadliest outbreak since 1996, and 1/3rd of the world's emergency
vaccine stockpile for meningococcal vaccine has been consumed
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_West_African_meningitis_outbreak#cite_note-reuter-1>).
More than 85 percent of the cases occurred in one epidemic focus that
encompasses Northern Nigeria and Niger and is due primarily to
_Neisseria meningitides_ serogroup A
(<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_03_25/en/index.html>).
Although, the DRC is not considered a part of the usual African
meningitis belt
(<20090124.0310,Y">http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1989031435171910::::F2400_P1001_BACK _PAGE,F2400_P1001_ARCHIVE_NUMBER,F2400_P1001_USE_A RCHIVE:1202,20090124.0310,Y>),
outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis, some of which have been
confirmed to be due to meningococcus serogroup A, have occurred in
the past (see ProMED posts listed below).
A map of the DRC is available at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/drcongo.pdf>. Maps
of the African bacterial meningitis belt can be found at
<http://www.medic8.com/images/map4-9.gif> and
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Meningitis-Epedemics-World-Map.png>.
- Mod.ML]
[see also:
Meningitis, meningococcal - Nigeria (03) 20090509.1731
Meningitis, meningococcal - Chad (02) 20090424.1544
Meningitis, meningococcal - Chad 20090416.1439
Meningitis, bacterial - Africa (02): Nigeria, WHO meningitis region
20090313.1038
Meningitis, meningococcal - Nigeria (02): WHO 20090305.0916
Meningitis, meningococcal - Nigeria: WHO 20090220.0709
Meningitis, bacterial - Africa: WHO meningitis region, 2008 20090124.0310
Meningitis, meningococcal - Uganda (02): (MSI) 20090120.0249
Meningitis, meningococcal - Uganda: (ARU, HOI) 20090115.0170
2008
----
Meningitis, meningococcal - Central African Republic: RFI 20080212.0567
Meningitis, meningococcal - Africa: W. Africa, Congo DR 20080125.0309
2002
----
Meningitis, meningococcal - Congo DR (North Kivu) 20021129.5928
1998
----
Meningitis advisory - Burundi & Congo, Dem.Rep. 19981219.2411
1997
----
Meningitis - Democratic Republic of Congo (03) 19970903.1868
Meningitis - Democratic Republic of Congo (02) 19970814.1701
Meningitis - Dem.Rep.Congo (ex-Zaire) 19970717.1501]
.............................................ml/msp/mpp
And a ProMed post. The speculation by the ProMed moderator about type A bacteria is incorrect; an earlier article in this thread indicates that bacteria are type C.
Archive Number 20091213.4233
Published Date 13-DEC-2009
Subject PRO/EDR> Meningitis, meningococcal - Congo DR: (HC)
MENINGITIS, MENINGOCOCCAL - CONGO DR: (ORIENTALE)
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
[1]
Date: Wed 12 Dec 2009
Source: China View [edited]
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/02/content_12574856.htm>
Ten students at Maikazo Institute in Tshopo district in Kisangani,
the main town in Orientale province of the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC), died in one week from an unknown disease, with
meningitis-like symptoms, the Congolese radio reported on Tuesday [1
Dec 2009?]. The last case of death came on Tuesday morning at the
Mangobo general hospital, where 3 of these students had been admitted
since Saturday [28 Nov 2009?], when 9 others died a few hours after
they had been taken to the hospital, Dr. Cecile Edambulu, chief
medical doctor in Tshopo zone, told the radio.
"The children had symptoms of headache, fever and convulsions. Upon
arrival at the health center, they died. The symptoms that they
showed made us think they were suffering from meningitis," Edambulu
explained. According to hospital sources, similar cases were
identified in Makiso and Mangobo districts in the neighborhood of
Tshopo. The children had been taken to Mangobo and Kisangani
hospitals, they reported.
The provincial education minister, Polydore Latigo, has decided to
momentarily close down Maikazo Institute. "This is a preventive
measure to allow the administrative and medical authorities to carry
out investigation on the situation," he said. The mayor of Kisangani
has brought together all education and health partners in the town to
find a way to curb the spread of the disease while awaiting the
results of tests on the samples taken to the capital Kinshasa and
South Africa to determine the type of the virus.
[Byline: Xiong Tong]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
******
[2]
Date: Tue 8 Dec 2009
Source: Irin (UN Integrated Regional Information Ne2rks) Africa [edited]
<http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=87364>
An outbreak of meningitis that killed more than a dozen students from
the same school last week has spread throughout the city of
Kisangani, in central Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said
Monday [30 Nov 2009?]. The strain of the meningococcal [serogroup] C,
which was confirmed last week, had infected at least 100 people
throughout the port city on the Congo River, said the Minister of
Health, August Mopipi, on 7 Dec 2009. He visited the city to assess
what local leaders have called an "epidemic". By 6 Dec 2009,
according to hospital officials and the UN radio service in
Kisangani, 17 had died from the bacterial infection, all students at
the local Maikazo Technical Institute.
"It's a source of hope that this deadly disease remains curable,"
Mopipi said, adding that more than 40 of the cases had been cured.
The minister said the government was working on distributing
vaccinations but warned they could be "prohibitively" expensive.
According to Kisangani mayor Guy Shilton, crisis meetings between
hospitals, local government authorities and religious leaders had
been organized and an "emergency protocol" had been put in place,
providing for the distribution of drugs. "Once the epidemic is
declared, we will attack it in every way possible," Shilton said.
The 1st fatalities took place at the Maikazo Technical Institute,
when 9 students from the school died at end-November 2009 after being
checked into the local hospital. According to the UN, doctors said
the patients all had signs of meningitis, but it could not be
confirmed. A 10th student died a week ago, and the school was closed
down by the state minister of education. "It's a preventative and
temporary measure," said Minister Polydor Latigo, "but we need to
investigate the problem safely." Andre Kitenge, a press officer for
the UN in Kisangani, said that while all deaths related to the
outbreak were from the school, cases in other parts of Kisangani were
"prevalent".
Kisangani, one of the largest cities in the Congo, lies in the middle
of Africa's "meningitis belt". During the dry season, it infects
hundreds more people than the global average of 3 per 100 000.
According to the World Health Organization, an affordable vaccine is
supposed to be on the way, but for poor and densely populated areas
such as Kisangani, it still poses a serious threat. An outbreak of
meningitis at the beginning of 2009 across the "belt" infected nearly
25 000, according to the UN, and killed more than 1500.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
[Orientale is a province in the northeastern corner of the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). The 2005 Constitution divided Orientale
Province into 4 new provinces: Ituri, Haut-Uele, Tshopo, and Bas-Uele
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo>).
The provincial capital of Tshopo is Kisangani.
Eastern DRC has been the site of ongoing civil unrest. From an USAID
report: "regional armed conflict across the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC) has resulted in an estimated 5.4 million deaths since
1998. Most deaths occurred due to indirect consequences of fighting,
such as disease, malnutrition, and neonatal- and pregnancy-related
complications. Overall, the decade of fighting displaced more than 3
million Congolese across eastern and southern DRC and hindered access
to agricultural land and traditional markets. Poverty continues to be
widespread, and the Congolese health care system has eroded due to a
lack of resources and looting of medical assets"
(<http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/countries/drc/template/fs_sr/fy2009/drc_ce_sr04_08-06-2009.pdf>).
Numerous cases of meningococcal meningitis are reported in the
African region known as the "Meningitis Belt" each year during the
dry season, between December and June, and every 8-12 years large
outbreaks occur
(<http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-Menin.aspx>). The
"Meningitis Belt" extends from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia and
Eritrea in the east (<http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol9no10/03-0170.htm>).
During the 1st 11 weeks of 2009 (1 Jan-15 Mar 2009), a total of 24
868 suspected cases, including 1513 deaths were reported to WHO by
countries of the meningitis belt. The current epidemic has been the
deadliest outbreak since 1996, and 1/3rd of the world's emergency
vaccine stockpile for meningococcal vaccine has been consumed
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_West_African_meningitis_outbreak#cite_note-reuter-1>).
More than 85 percent of the cases occurred in one epidemic focus that
encompasses Northern Nigeria and Niger and is due primarily to
_Neisseria meningitides_ serogroup A
(<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_03_25/en/index.html>).
Although, the DRC is not considered a part of the usual African
meningitis belt
(<20090124.0310,Y">http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1989031435171910::::F2400_P1001_BACK _PAGE,F2400_P1001_ARCHIVE_NUMBER,F2400_P1001_USE_A RCHIVE:1202,20090124.0310,Y>),
outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis, some of which have been
confirmed to be due to meningococcus serogroup A, have occurred in
the past (see ProMED posts listed below).
A map of the DRC is available at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/drcongo.pdf>. Maps
of the African bacterial meningitis belt can be found at
<http://www.medic8.com/images/map4-9.gif> and
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Meningitis-Epedemics-World-Map.png>.
- Mod.ML]
[see also:
Meningitis, meningococcal - Nigeria (03) 20090509.1731
Meningitis, meningococcal - Chad (02) 20090424.1544
Meningitis, meningococcal - Chad 20090416.1439
Meningitis, bacterial - Africa (02): Nigeria, WHO meningitis region
20090313.1038
Meningitis, meningococcal - Nigeria (02): WHO 20090305.0916
Meningitis, meningococcal - Nigeria: WHO 20090220.0709
Meningitis, bacterial - Africa: WHO meningitis region, 2008 20090124.0310
Meningitis, meningococcal - Uganda (02): (MSI) 20090120.0249
Meningitis, meningococcal - Uganda: (ARU, HOI) 20090115.0170
2008
----
Meningitis, meningococcal - Central African Republic: RFI 20080212.0567
Meningitis, meningococcal - Africa: W. Africa, Congo DR 20080125.0309
2002
----
Meningitis, meningococcal - Congo DR (North Kivu) 20021129.5928
1998
----
Meningitis advisory - Burundi & Congo, Dem.Rep. 19981219.2411
1997
----
Meningitis - Democratic Republic of Congo (03) 19970903.1868
Meningitis - Democratic Republic of Congo (02) 19970814.1701
Meningitis - Dem.Rep.Congo (ex-Zaire) 19970717.1501]
.............................................ml/msp/mpp
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