Outbreaks of infectious diseases reported today through the worldwide ProMed network include:
- Hand, foot & mouth disease in China, Macao S.A.R.
- Porcine enzootic reprodroductive and respiratory syndrome in Viet Nam
- Malaria in Africa as a result of substandard and counterfeit drugs
- Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Turkey
- Canine rabies restrictions have been lifted in England
- Human and bovine anthrax in Lima and Piura, Peru
Buck, what’s your feeling about how the outbreak in China will affect the Olympic Games?
John:
Bad as hand, foot and mouth disease is — it’s highly contagious and travels easily — the bigger threat in China is H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu. I’ve been gathering information and plan to post on it soon as it relates to people from all over the world traveling to and from the Olympics this summer. It’s enough of a threat that the Centers for Disease Control have a section on their travel Web site that specifically tells travelers to China how to avoid getting sick — especially with bird flu. We know that there have been dozens of cases of bird flu in China, but (surprise!) the world community thinks that the Chinese have not been fully disclosing the number of cases or their severity. What we do know is that worldwide the virus seems to be mutating into a drug-resistant form that is becoming more dangerous. A couple of years ago, there was about a 40% mortality rate. It’s up to 60% now, and in some clusters of cases, it’s been 100%.