http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert...t=dis&lang=eng
10/2/06
A deadly epidemic feared to be pneumonic plague has broken out in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. There are dozens of suspect cases and up to 20 deaths in the outbreak, which a WHO team is investigating along with health ministry officials, WHO plague expert Eric Bertherat said. "There is an epidemic which we are trying to confirm is the plague in the northeast Ituri region," said Bertherat. Preliminary indications point to pneumonic plague, the most deadly and least common form of the disease, which can be spread by humans without involvement of fleas, he said. "It seems it could be the pneumonic form, which is extremely contagious with a high mortality rate of about 50 percent...At least several dozen cases are reported and up to 20 fatalities," Bertherat said. The outbreak is around Isiro, northeast of the eastern city of Kisangani in the remote, mineral-rich Ituri region. In early 2005, 150 cases of plague were confirmed in Zobia, north of Kisangani, half of them fatal, according to the WHO. Many of the miners working at the diamond mine in Zobia fled the outbreak and spread the highly contagious disease.
<code>
10/4/06
Update:
Medair leads an emergency response to control a suspected outbreak of pneumonic plague in the Democratic Republic of Congo.In mid-September, a Medair team received news of nine mysterious deaths to the south of Isiro, in the Uélé district of DRC. The team was returning from 5 days of monitoring the restoration of the road from Isiro to Nia Nia. Based on the information available, Medair suspected the deaths might be from pneumonic plague. They left immediately to coordinate with local health officials and conduct a thorough investigation.
Medair sent three treatment kits to respond to the suspected 60 to 90 cases of pneumonic plague. However, Medair's preliminary investigation discovered 517 suspected cases and 30 deceased within three different health zones. They immediately contacted the World Health Organization and medical authorities, informing them of the outbreak. As the first NGO on-the-ground handling the crisis, Medair responded with urgency. They dispatched teams with treatment kits to 15 different health centres and hospitals, provided a lab technician for clinical testing, two satellite phones for further communications, and trained local health officials to recognize symptoms and treat them accordingly.
Medair conducted secondary investigations from September 26 to October 2, finding an additional 47 suspected cases and seven more deceased, raising the death toll to 37 people. The infected people are displaying clinical features that are compatible with pneumonic plague. They are now being hospitalised or treated in health centres, and are responding well to initial treatments of medications and antibiotics.
This outbreak is particularly difficult to contain because of the inaccessibility of the affected areas. Most severely affected is the village of Bolebole, which cannot be reached by road. Access to Bolebole requires crossing a river by boat and then walking nearly four hours (20 km) through the marshy thickness of the jungle. Medair has a team in Bolebole, and their residents are providing assistance by transporting treatment kits to the village.
It now appears that the first case of this epidemic occurred in mid-August in the village of Zobia, where confirmed cases of pneumonic plague occurred back in February 2005. The contamination likely spread to Bolebole because of the continuous movement of workers to the gold and diamond mines in this surrounding area. Plague was previously unknown around here, so it took time to recognize the symptoms, and many people were infected before the problem could be identified.
Medair continues to pursue vigorous action to control and stop this deadly outbreak. They have sent additional staff and supplies from their other base in Bunia to reinforce substantial ongoing efforts. Different actors in the health sector are now contributing their own resources to help stem the tide of this epidemic. The coordinated efforts of different agencies will increase the effectiveness of this emergency response, helping restore health to this area of the DRC.
For more details, please contact: David Sauter Congo (DRC) Desk Officer (English, French) Phone: +41 (0)21 694 3535 david.sauter(at)medair.org </code>
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10/2/06
A deadly epidemic feared to be pneumonic plague has broken out in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. There are dozens of suspect cases and up to 20 deaths in the outbreak, which a WHO team is investigating along with health ministry officials, WHO plague expert Eric Bertherat said. "There is an epidemic which we are trying to confirm is the plague in the northeast Ituri region," said Bertherat. Preliminary indications point to pneumonic plague, the most deadly and least common form of the disease, which can be spread by humans without involvement of fleas, he said. "It seems it could be the pneumonic form, which is extremely contagious with a high mortality rate of about 50 percent...At least several dozen cases are reported and up to 20 fatalities," Bertherat said. The outbreak is around Isiro, northeast of the eastern city of Kisangani in the remote, mineral-rich Ituri region. In early 2005, 150 cases of plague were confirmed in Zobia, north of Kisangani, half of them fatal, according to the WHO. Many of the miners working at the diamond mine in Zobia fled the outbreak and spread the highly contagious disease.
<code>
10/4/06
Update:
Medair leads an emergency response to control a suspected outbreak of pneumonic plague in the Democratic Republic of Congo.In mid-September, a Medair team received news of nine mysterious deaths to the south of Isiro, in the Uélé district of DRC. The team was returning from 5 days of monitoring the restoration of the road from Isiro to Nia Nia. Based on the information available, Medair suspected the deaths might be from pneumonic plague. They left immediately to coordinate with local health officials and conduct a thorough investigation.
Medair sent three treatment kits to respond to the suspected 60 to 90 cases of pneumonic plague. However, Medair's preliminary investigation discovered 517 suspected cases and 30 deceased within three different health zones. They immediately contacted the World Health Organization and medical authorities, informing them of the outbreak. As the first NGO on-the-ground handling the crisis, Medair responded with urgency. They dispatched teams with treatment kits to 15 different health centres and hospitals, provided a lab technician for clinical testing, two satellite phones for further communications, and trained local health officials to recognize symptoms and treat them accordingly.
Medair conducted secondary investigations from September 26 to October 2, finding an additional 47 suspected cases and seven more deceased, raising the death toll to 37 people. The infected people are displaying clinical features that are compatible with pneumonic plague. They are now being hospitalised or treated in health centres, and are responding well to initial treatments of medications and antibiotics.
This outbreak is particularly difficult to contain because of the inaccessibility of the affected areas. Most severely affected is the village of Bolebole, which cannot be reached by road. Access to Bolebole requires crossing a river by boat and then walking nearly four hours (20 km) through the marshy thickness of the jungle. Medair has a team in Bolebole, and their residents are providing assistance by transporting treatment kits to the village.
It now appears that the first case of this epidemic occurred in mid-August in the village of Zobia, where confirmed cases of pneumonic plague occurred back in February 2005. The contamination likely spread to Bolebole because of the continuous movement of workers to the gold and diamond mines in this surrounding area. Plague was previously unknown around here, so it took time to recognize the symptoms, and many people were infected before the problem could be identified.
Medair continues to pursue vigorous action to control and stop this deadly outbreak. They have sent additional staff and supplies from their other base in Bunia to reinforce substantial ongoing efforts. Different actors in the health sector are now contributing their own resources to help stem the tide of this epidemic. The coordinated efforts of different agencies will increase the effectiveness of this emergency response, helping restore health to this area of the DRC.
For more details, please contact: David Sauter Congo (DRC) Desk Officer (English, French) Phone: +41 (0)21 694 3535 david.sauter(at)medair.org </code>
<script type="text/javascript">linkset(document.getElementById('253') ,document.getElementById('zar253'));</script>
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