http://www.promedmail.org/
Published Date: 2011-12-16 16:47:23
Subject: PRO/EDR> Malaria - Dubai: (RFI)
Archive Number: 20111216.3615
MALARIA - DUBAI: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
*****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: 15 Dec 2011Source: XPRESS [edited]http://gulfnews.com/about-gulf-news/al-nisr-portfolio/xpress
Malaria scare hits International City in Dubai
----------------------------------------------
Several cases of malaria have been reported in International City (IC)
in Dubai, doctors said. General practitioner Dr Fouziya Ayyub, who
works in IC, said dozens of residents could be infected by mosquitoes
thriving in dirty water bodies in the residential cluster.
"The stagnant waters are mosquito-breeding grounds. People get bitten
and fall sick. When I test them, it turns out to be malaria," said Dr
Fouziya. "As far as I know, there were zero malaria cases here. But
now I see about 2 or 3 cases per week." She added some cases appear to
be "local transmissions" rather than "imported" ones.
The UAE was declared malaria-free by the World Health Organisation in
2007, but there have been incidents of people getting infected abroad
and entering the country.
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) told XPRESS: "Like any other capital
cities where malaria transmission is eradicated, we do have cases of
imported malaria in the country... People can get the infections and
return to UAE. This is what we call imported malaria." It added: "All
cases reported to DHA in 2011 are cases of imported malaria; all the
cases are expatriates..."
However, Dr Fouziya said some patients had told her they had not
travelled outside the UAE "for a long time." If her suspicions are
true, this would be a case of local malaria transmission, she added.
XPRESS obtained some malaria-positive medical records dated November
through December [2011] from a Dubai clinic, but was unable to verify
how long the patients had stayed in the UAE at a stretch. However, one
Pakistani patient said he was "fine" when he travelled from his home
country to the UAE on 4 Oct 2011. "I was fine back home and doing well
when I landed here. I only fell sick earlier this month -- I was
surprised to find out it was malaria," the 25-year-old said.
Though malaria does not spread from person to person, Dr Fouziya said,
"I would advise people take preventive medicine against malaria and
vaccinations against typhoid because of the unhygienic conditions in
some places in International City and workers' camps."
Another physician, Dr Sarika Raut, said she was also aware of the
cases. "It's very surprising malaria cases have been reported there
recently," said Dr Raut, who practises in Jebel Ali.
Dr Fouziya said patients in IC were initially referred to hospitals
because clinics didn't stock malaria medicine. "We had to order the
pills and are now treating patients."
IC residents say they are under siege by mosquitoes. "We keep our
windows shut and don't step out on the balcony. I tell my children to
rush inside when the school bus drops them off," said an Indian mother
living near plot CBD17, where a water body several meters deep has
collected in a stalled construction site.
Did you know?
-------------
Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people globally each year and
its symptoms include high fever on alternate days, severe chills and
nausea.
A spokesperson from DHA (Dubai Health Authority) said, "Malaria
transmission is eradicated in the UAE and the country has a WHO
certificate of being malaria-free. UAE worked on eradication of
malaria disease since 1979 and WHO certified UAE-free of malaria in
May 2006.
"However, like any other cities where malaria transmission is
eradicated, we do have cases of imported malaria in the country.
"You may appreciate that Dubai's population is multi-cultural and
Dubai is a multi-ethnic society and there is considerable population
movement from UAE to countries where malaria is holoendemic or hyper
endemic. So the imported malaria is caused either by visiting friends
and relatives back home or during summer vacations to such countries.
Thus people can get infection and return to UAE. This is what we call
imported malaria.
"At DHA, we have a travel clinic covering all travel-related issues in
Al Mankhool Preventive Medicine Centre and Al Muhaisnah Medical
Fitness Centre, where clients are prescribed adequate chemoprophylaxis
and counselling on how to avoid mosquito bites and use mosquito
repellent creams when visiting such countries.
"All cases reported to DHA in 2011 are cases of imported malaria, all
the cases are expatriates and most are imported cases, especially from
India and African countries."
[Byline: Faisal Masudi, Staff Reporter]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>
[According to the just released World Malaria Report 2010
(http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/malaria_report_20101214/en/index.html),
Dubai reported no cases in 2010. A detailed travel history needs to be
obtained. The case referred above of malaria in a Pakistani national
returning some weeks before falling ill, illustrate the difficulty as
this case could easily have been infected in Pakistan. People from
malaria endemic countries can be asymptomatic gametocyte carriers and
may start a local transmission as seen in Greece earlier this year and
in Jamaica in 2006.
HealthMap location: http://healthmap.org/r/1yb7 - Mod.EP]
Published Date: 2011-12-16 16:47:23
Subject: PRO/EDR> Malaria - Dubai: (RFI)
Archive Number: 20111216.3615
MALARIA - DUBAI: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
*****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: 15 Dec 2011Source: XPRESS [edited]http://gulfnews.com/about-gulf-news/al-nisr-portfolio/xpress
Malaria scare hits International City in Dubai
----------------------------------------------
Several cases of malaria have been reported in International City (IC)
in Dubai, doctors said. General practitioner Dr Fouziya Ayyub, who
works in IC, said dozens of residents could be infected by mosquitoes
thriving in dirty water bodies in the residential cluster.
"The stagnant waters are mosquito-breeding grounds. People get bitten
and fall sick. When I test them, it turns out to be malaria," said Dr
Fouziya. "As far as I know, there were zero malaria cases here. But
now I see about 2 or 3 cases per week." She added some cases appear to
be "local transmissions" rather than "imported" ones.
The UAE was declared malaria-free by the World Health Organisation in
2007, but there have been incidents of people getting infected abroad
and entering the country.
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) told XPRESS: "Like any other capital
cities where malaria transmission is eradicated, we do have cases of
imported malaria in the country... People can get the infections and
return to UAE. This is what we call imported malaria." It added: "All
cases reported to DHA in 2011 are cases of imported malaria; all the
cases are expatriates..."
However, Dr Fouziya said some patients had told her they had not
travelled outside the UAE "for a long time." If her suspicions are
true, this would be a case of local malaria transmission, she added.
XPRESS obtained some malaria-positive medical records dated November
through December [2011] from a Dubai clinic, but was unable to verify
how long the patients had stayed in the UAE at a stretch. However, one
Pakistani patient said he was "fine" when he travelled from his home
country to the UAE on 4 Oct 2011. "I was fine back home and doing well
when I landed here. I only fell sick earlier this month -- I was
surprised to find out it was malaria," the 25-year-old said.
Though malaria does not spread from person to person, Dr Fouziya said,
"I would advise people take preventive medicine against malaria and
vaccinations against typhoid because of the unhygienic conditions in
some places in International City and workers' camps."
Another physician, Dr Sarika Raut, said she was also aware of the
cases. "It's very surprising malaria cases have been reported there
recently," said Dr Raut, who practises in Jebel Ali.
Dr Fouziya said patients in IC were initially referred to hospitals
because clinics didn't stock malaria medicine. "We had to order the
pills and are now treating patients."
IC residents say they are under siege by mosquitoes. "We keep our
windows shut and don't step out on the balcony. I tell my children to
rush inside when the school bus drops them off," said an Indian mother
living near plot CBD17, where a water body several meters deep has
collected in a stalled construction site.
Did you know?
-------------
Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people globally each year and
its symptoms include high fever on alternate days, severe chills and
nausea.
A spokesperson from DHA (Dubai Health Authority) said, "Malaria
transmission is eradicated in the UAE and the country has a WHO
certificate of being malaria-free. UAE worked on eradication of
malaria disease since 1979 and WHO certified UAE-free of malaria in
May 2006.
"However, like any other cities where malaria transmission is
eradicated, we do have cases of imported malaria in the country.
"You may appreciate that Dubai's population is multi-cultural and
Dubai is a multi-ethnic society and there is considerable population
movement from UAE to countries where malaria is holoendemic or hyper
endemic. So the imported malaria is caused either by visiting friends
and relatives back home or during summer vacations to such countries.
Thus people can get infection and return to UAE. This is what we call
imported malaria.
"At DHA, we have a travel clinic covering all travel-related issues in
Al Mankhool Preventive Medicine Centre and Al Muhaisnah Medical
Fitness Centre, where clients are prescribed adequate chemoprophylaxis
and counselling on how to avoid mosquito bites and use mosquito
repellent creams when visiting such countries.
"All cases reported to DHA in 2011 are cases of imported malaria, all
the cases are expatriates and most are imported cases, especially from
India and African countries."
[Byline: Faisal Masudi, Staff Reporter]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>
[According to the just released World Malaria Report 2010
(http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/malaria_report_20101214/en/index.html),
Dubai reported no cases in 2010. A detailed travel history needs to be
obtained. The case referred above of malaria in a Pakistani national
returning some weeks before falling ill, illustrate the difficulty as
this case could easily have been infected in Pakistan. People from
malaria endemic countries can be asymptomatic gametocyte carriers and
may start a local transmission as seen in Greece earlier this year and
in Jamaica in 2006.
HealthMap location: http://healthmap.org/r/1yb7 - Mod.EP]