Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2015/12/news-scan-dec-15-2015
News Scan for Dec 15, 2015
More Hawaii dengue; Flu vaccine priming in kids; Cholera in DR Congo
Filed Under:
Dengue; VHF; Influenza Vaccines; Cholera
[h=3]Dengue fever cases in Hawaii rise to 149[/h] The number of locally acquired dengue fever cases on the big island of Hawaii has risen by 10 in a week, to 149 cases, the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) said in an update yesterday.
Of the confirmed cases, 132 are in Hawaii residents and 17 involve visitors. Most of the total cases (116, or 78%) have occurred in adults, while 33 cases (22%) involve children. Illness onset occurred from Sep 11 to Dec 7.
The HDOH has excluded 571 potential cases due to negative test results or failure to meet case criteria. "This is the first cluster of locally-acquired dengue fever since the 2011 outbreak on Oahu," the agency said in the update. That outbreak involved four cases.
High- and moderate-risk areas for dengue fever currently lie along the west, south, and east coasts of the big island. State health officials continue to conduct vector-control activities and monitor for imported cases, the HDOH said.
A spokesperson for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald that the outbreak is shaping up to be the largest in a non-endemic area of the United States since 1946.
Dec 14 HDOH update
Dec 13 Hawaii Tribune-Herald story
[h=3]Study shows value of two-dose flu vaccine priming in young kids[/h] Children who received two doses of flu vaccine during a previous flu season were better protected against the H3N2 and B strains of influenza, according to a study last week in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.
CDC and other US researchers analyzed data during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons on vaccination history and vaccine effectiveness (VE) in 2,768 patients 6 months to 8 years old from clinics in five states that are part of the Flu VE Network.
They found that in both seasons and against H3N2 and B influenza illness separately, VE point estimates were consistently higher for children who had received two doses in the same prior season than for those who had not (VE range of 58% to 80% vs. 33% to 44%, respectively). And the odds getting an H3N2 illness despite being vaccinated were 2.4-fold higher among those who had not received two earlier doses.
The investigators also noted that children who were immunized in the previous season but missed their flu vaccination in the study season appeared to benefit from residual protection of the earlier flu shot. Flu VE in that group was about 40%.
The study findings support CDC recommendations that children 6 months through 8 years old get two doses of flu vaccine at least 1 month apart in the first year they are vaccinated, the CDC said in a press release, adding, "The study also reinforces the importance of examining influenza VE among children within the context of prior vaccination history and priming."
Dec 9 Ped Infect Dis J abstract
Dec 11 CDC news release
[h=3]Cholera cases in DR Congo approach 20,000[/h] Cases of cholera in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached at least 19,705 this year, up from just under 4,000 on Oct 22, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.
The country's Ministry of Health said five provinces have reported cases: South Kivu (4,906 cases), ex-Katanga (4,565), Maniema (3,971), North Kivu (3,294), and ex-Oriental (2,969). The high number of cases in South Kivu is particularly worrisome, the WHO said, because several camps housing refugees from Burundi are located there.
"Furthermore, there are concerns that the epidemic in Maniema could spread to other provinces of the country as observed during the 2011 cholera epidemic when areas of Kinshasa were also affected," the agency said.
Public health response efforts include intensified surveillance, bolstering of cholera treatment centers, and water sanitation, the WHO noted.
Dec 15 WHO update
News Scan for Dec 15, 2015
More Hawaii dengue; Flu vaccine priming in kids; Cholera in DR Congo
Filed Under:
Dengue; VHF; Influenza Vaccines; Cholera
[h=3]Dengue fever cases in Hawaii rise to 149[/h] The number of locally acquired dengue fever cases on the big island of Hawaii has risen by 10 in a week, to 149 cases, the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) said in an update yesterday.
Of the confirmed cases, 132 are in Hawaii residents and 17 involve visitors. Most of the total cases (116, or 78%) have occurred in adults, while 33 cases (22%) involve children. Illness onset occurred from Sep 11 to Dec 7.
The HDOH has excluded 571 potential cases due to negative test results or failure to meet case criteria. "This is the first cluster of locally-acquired dengue fever since the 2011 outbreak on Oahu," the agency said in the update. That outbreak involved four cases.
High- and moderate-risk areas for dengue fever currently lie along the west, south, and east coasts of the big island. State health officials continue to conduct vector-control activities and monitor for imported cases, the HDOH said.
A spokesperson for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald that the outbreak is shaping up to be the largest in a non-endemic area of the United States since 1946.
Dec 14 HDOH update
Dec 13 Hawaii Tribune-Herald story
[h=3]Study shows value of two-dose flu vaccine priming in young kids[/h] Children who received two doses of flu vaccine during a previous flu season were better protected against the H3N2 and B strains of influenza, according to a study last week in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.
CDC and other US researchers analyzed data during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons on vaccination history and vaccine effectiveness (VE) in 2,768 patients 6 months to 8 years old from clinics in five states that are part of the Flu VE Network.
They found that in both seasons and against H3N2 and B influenza illness separately, VE point estimates were consistently higher for children who had received two doses in the same prior season than for those who had not (VE range of 58% to 80% vs. 33% to 44%, respectively). And the odds getting an H3N2 illness despite being vaccinated were 2.4-fold higher among those who had not received two earlier doses.
The investigators also noted that children who were immunized in the previous season but missed their flu vaccination in the study season appeared to benefit from residual protection of the earlier flu shot. Flu VE in that group was about 40%.
The study findings support CDC recommendations that children 6 months through 8 years old get two doses of flu vaccine at least 1 month apart in the first year they are vaccinated, the CDC said in a press release, adding, "The study also reinforces the importance of examining influenza VE among children within the context of prior vaccination history and priming."
Dec 9 Ped Infect Dis J abstract
Dec 11 CDC news release
[h=3]Cholera cases in DR Congo approach 20,000[/h] Cases of cholera in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached at least 19,705 this year, up from just under 4,000 on Oct 22, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.
The country's Ministry of Health said five provinces have reported cases: South Kivu (4,906 cases), ex-Katanga (4,565), Maniema (3,971), North Kivu (3,294), and ex-Oriental (2,969). The high number of cases in South Kivu is particularly worrisome, the WHO said, because several camps housing refugees from Burundi are located there.
"Furthermore, there are concerns that the epidemic in Maniema could spread to other provinces of the country as observed during the 2011 cholera epidemic when areas of Kinshasa were also affected," the agency said.
Public health response efforts include intensified surveillance, bolstering of cholera treatment centers, and water sanitation, the WHO noted.
Dec 15 WHO update