Epidemic Hazard in Nigeria on Friday, 23 November, 2012 at 13:33 (01:33 PM) UTC.

No fewer than three persons have died while 42 others have been hospitalised in an outbreak of an ailment suspected to be cholera in Ede North and South Local Government Areas of Osun. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the affected people were struck with the sudden but profuse dual symptoms of vomiting and stooling. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Temitope Ilori, who confirmed the outbreak in a telephone interview, said officials of her ministry had been drafted to the town to assist the victims. She said the state government was working tirelessly to curtail the spread of the epidemic beyond the immediate environment where it had been reported. Ilori said the health personnel dispatched to the area had been mandated to check the spread and monitor the victims and the environment. "I will not tell you lies, there was an outbreak of cholera disease in the two Local Government Areas in Ede but we are in total control of the situation now. “The government has directed the Rural Water Environment and Sanitation Agency (RUWESA), officials of the Ministries of Health, and Environment and Sanitation to bring the situation under control.” Ilori, who confirmed that no fewer than three people had been found dead in the cholera infected area, expressed optimism that health officials would stem the development. Although the information on the hospitalisation of the victims was still sketchy as at the time of this report, all of them were said to be receiving medical attention within the ancient city. Some of the hospitals where the victims being treated included Muslim Hospital, Prime Hospital and Rombay Hospital ,among others, all in Ede.

- RSOE EDIS

Could Ebola now be airborne?

A doctor works in a laboratory on collected samples of the Ebola virus at the Centre for Disease Control in Entebbe.

London - Fears are growing that the most lethal form of the Ebola virus can mutate into an airborne pathogen, making the spread of the terrifying disease more difficult to check.

It was previously thought that the untreatable virus, which causes massive internal bleeding and multiple organ failure, could be transmitted only through contact with infected blood.

But now Canadian researchers have carried out experiments showing how monkeys can catch the deadly disease from infected pigs without coming into direct contact.

“Our findings support the hypothesis that airborne transmission may contribute to spread, specifically from pigs to primates, and may need to be considered in assessing transmission from animals to humans in general,” they said.

The findings come as scores of people in Uganda were isolated last week to prevent the spread of a new Ebola outbreak that has already killed three in the country.

Ebola causes fatal haemorrhagic fevers in humans and many other species of non-human primates. It was first reported in 1976 in Congo and is named for the river where it was recognised. There is no cure or vaccine.

The illness is characterised by fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat and weakness, followed by diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach pain, according to the US-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

“A rash, red eyes, hiccups and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients.”

The virus is known to be transmitted through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person, or objects that have been contaminated with infected secretions.

It is often spread during funerals where there has been an outbreak when the bereaved come into contact with an Ebola victim.

In some cases, it can trigger organ failure and unstoppable bleeding, killing a previously healthy adult within days.

One of the deadliest diseases known, it has killed two-thirds of the roughly 1 850 people who have been diagnosed with it.

Experts say this extreme virulence is its weak spot.

The virus can be contained because it kills its victims faster than it can spread to new ones.

However, if the disease is now airborne it could make containment more difficult.

Researchers at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg deliberately infected six piglets with the Ebola virus and put them in pens where macaque monkeys were housed in wire cages.

Within eight days all four monkeys had caught the virus through indirect contact, according to the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Dr Gary Kobinger from the National Microbiology Laboratory at the Public Health Agency of Canada took part in the study.

He told BBC News that they suspect that large droplets of moisture containing the virus were being exhaled with the piglets’ breath.

“They can stay in the air, but not long, they don’t go far,” he said. “But they can be absorbed in the airway and this is how the infection starts, and this is what we think, because we saw a lot of evidence in the lungs of the non-human primates that the virus got in that way.”

Further work is needed, but the findings are worrying as macaques are close genetic relatives to humans, said the researchers.

Fruit bats are a known “reservoir” for the Ebola virus, and people have also contracted the disease after handling infected chimps, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines.

But this research suggests that wild or domestic pigs could also be a natural host.

The latest outbreak of the disease in Uganda – in a district just 65km from the capital Kampala – comes roughly a month after the country declared itself Ebola-free following an earlier outbreak in a remote district of western Uganda.

The latest Ebola outbreak, officials say, is of the Sudan strain of Ebola and not linked to the previous one, of the Congo variety, which killed at least 16 villagers in July and August in the western district of Kibaale.

In addition to the three dead in the latest outbreak, up to 15 are being monitored for signs of the disease, officials said.

Ebola is especially feared in Uganda, where multiple outbreaks have occurred over the years, and news of it can cause patients to flee hospitals to avoid infection.

In 2000, in one of the world’s worst Ebola outbreaks, the disease infected 425 Ugandans and killed more than half of them in the country’s north. Another outbreak in 2007 killed 37 people in Bundibugyo, a remote district near the Congolese border.

– Daily Mail

Epidemic Hazard in Ghana on Thursday, 15 November, 2012 at 12:06 (12:06 PM) UTC.

The Tarkwa Government Hospital has recorded an increasing number of cholera cases from certain parts of the Tarkwa Nsueam Assembly. No death has been recorded yet. Victims who normally visit the hospital for treatment on the outbreak come mainly from areas such as Akyempim, Old Town, Cyanide, Bankyim, Nkamponase and Esuoso. Briefing the Ghana News Agency on the current situation of the epidemic on Wednesday, the Municipal Disease Control Officer, Mr. Ebenezer Tetteh said a total of 140 cases had been recorded since the disease was detected two weeks ago. He said his outfit was putting up the necessary measures to contain the outbreak and cited poor sanitation in the constituency as the major contributory factor. Mr. Tetteh said to curb the situation, which had become a yearly affair, the Assembly and the environmental department should create an appropriate dumping site for refuse to be properly disposed. The Municipal Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Christiana Babbie Annan Nunoo, announced that to support the Municipal Health Directorate in fighting the menace, the Assembly had set up a task force to carry out inspections at public places in the Municipality. The task force is made up of assembly members from the affected communities, municipal guards, representatives from the health directorate, environmental department and Tarkwa Nsueam assembly. They will visit factories of water producers, food vendors and dumping sites to access the sanitation condition.

- RSOE EDIS

Growing concerns over 'in the air' transmission of Ebola

Workers prepare to disinfect during a recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda.

Canadian scientists have shown that the deadliest form of the ebola virus could be transmitted by air between species.

In experiments, they demonstrated that the virus was transmitted from pigs to monkeys without any direct contact between them.

The researchers say they believe that limited airborne transmission might be contributing to the spread of the disease in some parts of Africa.

They are concerned that pigs might be a natural host for the lethal infection.

Ebola viruses cause fatal haemorrhagic fevers in humans and many other species of non human primates.

Details of the research were published in the journal Scientific Reports.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the infection gets into humans through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs and other bodily fluids from a number of species including chimpanzees, gorillas and forest antelope.

The fruit bat has long been considered the natural reservoir of the infection. But a growing body of experimental evidence suggests that pigs, both wild and domestic, could be a hidden source of Ebola Zaire - the most deadly form of the virus.

Now, researchers from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the country's Public Health Agency have shown that pigs infected with this form of Ebola can pass the disease on to macaques without any direct contact between the species.

In their experiments, the pigs carrying the virus were housed in pens with the monkeys in close proximity but separated by a wire barrier. After eight days, some of the macaques were showing clinical signs typical of ebola and were euthanised.

One possibility is that the monkeys became infected by inhaling large aerosol droplets produced from the respiratory tracts of the pigs.

One of the scientists involved is Dr Gary Kobinger from the National Microbiology Laboratory at the Public Health Agency of Canada. He told BBC News this was the most likely route of the infection.
"What we suspect is happening is large droplets - they can stay in the air, but not long, they don't go far," he explained.

"But they can be absorbed in the airway and this is how the infection starts, and this is what we think, because we saw a lot of evidence in the lungs of the non-human primates that the virus got in that way."
The scientists say that their findings could explain why some pig farmers in the Philippines had antibodies in their system for the presence of a different version of the infection called Ebola Reston. The farmers had not been involved in slaughtering the pigs and had no known contact with contaminated tissues.

Dr Kobinger stresses that the transmission in the air is not similar to influenza or other infections. He points to the experience of most human outbreaks in Africa.

"The reality is that they are contained and they remain local, if it was really an airborne virus like influenza is it would spread all over the place, and that's not happening."

Hidden host
 
The authors believe that more work needs to be done to clarify the role of wild and domestic pigs in spreading the virus. There have been anecdotal accounts of pigs dying at the start of human outbreaks. Dr Kobinger believes that if pigs do play a part, it could help contain the virus.
"If they do play a role in human outbreaks it would be a very easy point to intervene" he said. "It would be easier to vaccinate pigs against Ebola than humans."

Other experts in the field were concerned about the idea that Ebola was susceptible to being transmitted by air even if the distance the virus could travel was limited. Dr Larry Zeitlin is the president of Mapp Biopharmaceuticals.

"It's an impressive study that not only raises questions about the reservoir of Ebola in the wild, but more importantly elevates concerns about ebola as a public health threat," he told BBC News. "The thought of airborne transmission is pretty frightening."

At present, an outbreak of ebola in Uganda has killed at least two people near the capital Kampala. Last month, Uganda declared itself Ebola-free after an earlier outbreak of the disease killed at least sixteen people in the west of the country.

- BBC

Epidemic Hazard in Uganda on Wednesday, 14 November, 2012 at 15:10 (03:10 PM) UTC.

The deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever has broken out in the central Ugandan district of Luwero about one month after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the East African country free of the disease. Joaquim Saweka, the WHO country representative told Xinhua by telephone on Wednesday that the outbreak was confirmed on Tuesday following laboratory tests that turned out positive for the disease. “Yes that is true, we have dispatched one team to make preliminary assessment and also set up an isolation unit,” he said. The epicenter of the outbreak is in Sombwe Parish, Nyimbwa Sub County, Luwero district which is located about 40km north of the capital Kampala. Joseph Okware, the Luwero District Health Officer was quoted by Daily Monitor on Wednesday as saying that two people belonging to the same family had died of the disease over the weekend. The outbreak comes at a time when the country is still experiencing the deadly Marburg fever in several parts of western Uganda. In July this year the Ebola outbreak in the Midwestern Ugandan district of Kibaale left at least 20 people dead. Ebola victims present with symptoms like fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, measles-like rash, red eyes, and sometimes with bleeding from body openings.

- RSOE EDIS

Epidemic Hazard in Ghana on Friday, 02 November, 2012 at 14:23 (02:23 PM) UTC.

Six people have reportedly died as a result of the cholera outbreak in Ejura in the Ashanti Region within seven days. According to a local journalist in the area, Musah Inuwa, the Ejura Government Hospital has recorded more than twenty-six cholera cases during the week. An eighteen year old second year student of Ejura T.I. Ahmadiya Junior High School, Musah Dauda, was among the dead. The rest of the deceased are females. Musah Inuwa reports that the situation is getting out as many of the district assemblies are facing challenges with sanitation. He indicated that the senior medical doctor at the hospital is blaming the situation on the collapse of the operations of Zoomlion in the area.

- RSOE EDIS

Epidemic Hazard in Mauritania on Friday, 02 November, 2012 at 14:25 (02:25 PM) UTC.

Seventeen deaths have been reported from six regions of Mauritania, where the Ministry of Health (MoH) declared an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) on October 4. From September 16 to 30, a total of 34 cases of persons infected with the disease have been reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a press release. The last such case was notified on October 27 from Magta Lahjar in the Brakna region. Assaba, Hodh Chargui, Hodh Gharbi, Tagant and Trarza are the other affected regions. All the cases had history of contact with animals. In humans, 25 samples tested positive by ELISA and PCR at the National Reference Laboratory of the National Institute of Public Health Research (INRS) in Nouakchott and at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. In the animal population, analysis conducted by the National Veterinary Research Laboratory shows virus circulation in several regions of the Western African country. A multi-sector task force has been jointly established by the MoH and the Ministry of Rural Development to respond to this outbreak. WHO and partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), are working within the task force to strengthen epidemiological surveillance in both human and animal health, strengthen capacity in case management at health care facilities, strengthen health measures in slaughterhouses, and raise awareness among farmers. A multi-sector investigation team has been deployed to conduct a detailed outbreak investigation among humans and animals in the affected areas. An international team of experts will be deployed to provide technical assistance from November 3 to 10.

- RSOE Edis

Eastern Cape Sewage water a health risk after severe flooding

Doctors have warned of a possible disease outbreak in waterlogged parts of the Eastern Cape after severe flooding caused widespread damage to sewerage infrastructure.

Port Alfred National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) volunteer Darryl Olivier yesterday said he feared for his life when he vomited blood after he spent days helping to rescue people from sewage-contaminated water in a caravan park.

Although Olivier was hardest-hit, his girlfriend Jade Fraser and at least four other NSRI volunteers also suffered from diarrhoea and nausea after working in the water.

Olivier said he was warned by a doctor that there was a strong possibility he had an e coli bacteria infection that could have been fatal had it not been treated properly.

Local government and traditional affairs MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane and other officials raised fears earlier this week of possible health risks to the public from the large pools of contaminated water.

Qoboshiyane said the overflow of sewage into a water treatment plant in Grahamstown was life-threatening.

- Times Live

Epidemic Hazard in Uganda on Friday, 19 October, 2012 at 10:56 (10:56 AM) UTC.

Health experts have confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the western district of Kabale after samples from two relatives taken to the Uganda Virus Institute tested positive. Police Thursday stopped the burial of Boaz Turyahikayo a lecturer at Uganda Christian University and his sister Mildrid Asasira after it emerged that their family had lost four people from a mysterious disease in just a month. The other two are Lillian Banegura their mother and an elder brother Bernard Rutaro who passed away early this month. Dr. Patrick Tusiime the Kabale district health officer said a team from the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization is on its way to oversee the burial of the two victims. The Marburg virus was last reported in Uganda in 2008. It carries symptoms similar to those of Ebola that include fever, vomiting and internal bleeding.

- RSOE EDIS

Meningitis outbreak expands to 15 states with Pennsylvania case

A fungal meningitis outbreak linked to contaminated steroid injections expanded to 15 states on Monday as Pennsylvania reported its first case of the disease that has killed 15 people nationwide.

The Pennsylvania patient, who received an epidural steroid injection in July from medications supplied by New England Compounding Center (NECC) of Framingham, Massachusetts, is being treated in a hospital, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said.

The new case means that all but eight of the 23 states that received suspect medications from the Massachusetts specialist pharmacy have reported at least one case of fungal meningitis, a rare and deadly disease that has proven difficult to treat.

Over the weekend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its tally of cases, which sometimes lags reports from state health departments, showed 205 people stricken with the disease after receiving injections. Illinois and New Hampshire reported their first cases.

The suspect lots of steroid were shipped to 76 facilities in 23 states, including two locations in Pennsylvania.

"We have been working directly with the clinics to ensure that patients who received these injections are monitored and receive any necessary follow-up," said Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Michael Wolf.

Health authorities believe that nearly 14,000 people nationwide received injections from the potentially contaminated medication.

The state worst affected by the outbreak, Tennessee with 53 cases and six deaths, was holding an administrative hearing on Monday to determine whether to suspend the license of NECC.

At one hospital in Tennessee, St. Thomas in Nashville, more than 275 patients have undergone spinal tap tests, a painful procedure to determine if they have meningitis, and 33 people infected with meningitis have been treated.

The company faces an array of federal and state investigations. It has recalled the suspect medicines, surrendered its license to operate in Massachusetts and suspended operations. A sister company, Ameridose, also has suspended operations.

Meningitis is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include headache, fever and nausea. Fungal meningitis is not contagious.

The outbreak raised questions about how the pharmaceuticals industry operates. NECC engaged in a little-known practice called drug compounding that is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which generally oversees drug makers.

In compounding, pharmacies prepare specific doses of approved medications, based on guidance from a doctor, to meet an individual patient's need.

A Reuters investigation found that one NECC customer received solicitations from the company for bulk orders and failed to require proof of individual patient prescriptions as required by state regulations.

The emails support assertions made last week by state pharmacy regulators that the compounding firm, which was authorized to deliver products only in response to patient-specific prescriptions, had violated its license in Massachusetts.

Several states, including Michigan, Massachusetts, Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio, are investigating the company.

The 15 states reporting cases of meningitis are Tennessee, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, Idaho, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and Florida.

- Times Live

Meningitis outbreak expands to 12 states, 184 cases: CDC

(Reuters) - The deadly outbreak of fungal meningitis expanded to 12 states with the first case confirmed in Texas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday, bringing the total of cases to 184.

The number of deaths from the outbreak linked to injections of steroid remained at 14 on Friday, the CDC said.

Fifteen new cases of meningitis were reported on Friday including two in Florida, three in Indiana, one in Maryland, two in Michigan, two in New Jersey, one in Tennessee, one in Texas and three in Virginia. Of the 23 states that have received some of the steroid medication suspected of being contaminated, 12 have reported cases of meningitis.

The CDC said there was one additional case of an infection in a joint after an injection from the medication, which has not yet been confirmed as a fungus.

The widening outbreak has alarmed U.S. health officials and focused attention on regulations of pharmaceutical compounding companies such as the one that produced the drugs, the New England Compounding Center Inc in Framingham, Massachusetts.

The steroid is used as a painkiller, usually an epidural injection but also including some injections to joints. It could have been given to nearly 14,000 patients, authorities said.

Meningitis is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Patients show a variety of symptoms including severe headaches and fever. Fungal meningitis is not contagious.

- Reuters

Epidemic Hazard in Zambia on Friday, 12 October, 2012 at 15:30 (03:30 PM) UTC.

The diarrhoeal disease which broke-out last week and has since claimed over 14 lives of fishermen in Lukanga Swamps in Kapiri Mposhi district has been confirmed to be cholera. Kapiri Mposhi District Medical Officer, Charles Mwinuna confirmed to ZANIS today that according to the second-round of tests conducted on the samples obtained from the patients admitted at Waya clinic in the area, the diarrheal disease was confirmed cholera. Over 20 patients are admitted to Waya clinic after experiencing severe diarrhoea and vomiting. Dr Mwinuna said officers from the District Health Management Team have since been dispatched to Lukanga Swamps and were treating people with cholera symptoms. He also said precautionary measures were being taken to ensure that the disease does not spread to other areas in the district. Dr Mwinuna said the health personnel dispatched to Lukanga Swamps are also conducting further tests and contact tracing of the origin of patients admitted to the clinic and were sensitizing the community on hygiene and providing chlorine to households to reduce the chances of spreading the diarrheal disease. Fourteen people have so far died of the disease which was earlier mistaken to be severe diarrhoea. The diarrhoea and vomiting disease broke out at Kaswende, Waya, Kabosha and Ngwenya fishing camps on Lukanga Swamps. The bodies of the deceased are being buried at a cholera designated graveyard in the area Meanwhile, a traditional leader has appealed to the Ministry of Health to open-up cholera Centres in all fishing camps to treat patients and reduce chances of further spreading the diarrheal disease. Headwoman Agnes Chimbuleni noted that the disease has claimed many lives in the area because of the distances patients had to cover to Waya clinic from the fishing camps for treatment.

- RSOE EDIS

Epidemic Hazard in Zambia on Friday, 12 October, 2012 at 15:30 (03:30 PM) UTC.

The diarrhoeal disease which broke-out last week and has since claimed over 14 lives of fishermen in Lukanga Swamps in Kapiri Mposhi district has been confirmed to be cholera. Kapiri Mposhi District Medical Officer, Charles Mwinuna confirmed to ZANIS today that according to the second-round of tests conducted on the samples obtained from the patients admitted at Waya clinic in the area, the diarrheal disease was confirmed cholera. Over 20 patients are admitted to Waya clinic after experiencing severe diarrhoea and vomiting. Dr Mwinuna said officers from the District Health Management Team have since been dispatched to Lukanga Swamps and were treating people with cholera symptoms. He also said precautionary measures were being taken to ensure that the disease does not spread to other areas in the district. Dr Mwinuna said the health personnel dispatched to Lukanga Swamps are also conducting further tests and contact tracing of the origin of patients admitted to the clinic and were sensitizing the community on hygiene and providing chlorine to households to reduce the chances of spreading the diarrheal disease. Fourteen people have so far died of the disease which was earlier mistaken to be severe diarrhoea. The diarrhoea and vomiting disease broke out at Kaswende, Waya, Kabosha and Ngwenya fishing camps on Lukanga Swamps. The bodies of the deceased are being buried at a cholera designated graveyard in the area Meanwhile, a traditional leader has appealed to the Ministry of Health to open-up cholera Centres in all fishing camps to treat patients and reduce chances of further spreading the diarrheal disease. Headwoman Agnes Chimbuleni noted that the disease has claimed many lives in the area because of the distances patients had to cover to Waya clinic from the fishing camps for treatment.

- RSOE EDIS

Epidemic Hazard in Angola on Thursday, 11 October, 2012 at 13:12 (01:12 PM) UTC.

Ten people died of a measles outbreak from 17 September to the present date, in Menongue City, capital of the south-eastern Kuando Kubango Province, a fact that is worrying the local health authorities. ANGOP has learnt that most of the deceased are children below the age of two, but there is also the record of a 35-year old adult. According to the head of the Menongue Municipality health department, Carlos Jonas, who gave this information to ANGOP on Thursday, in view of this worrying reality, which includes the fact that this disease is highly contagious, the authorities have reinforced routine vaccination acts. From 17 September up to the present date the authorities recorded 320 cases of measles were recorded in Menongue City, a number that is considered very high considering the period of the outbreak. According to official sources ten people are currently in-patients in the central hospital for medical assistance, while others are getting ambulatory treatment.

- RSOE EDIS

Biological Hazard in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, 09 October, 2012 at 08:57 (08:57 AM) UTC.

Anthrax has killed hundreds of animals mostly in the communal parts of Manicaland within the past two months, and veterinary experts say the risk of the hemorrhagic infection may be greater with drought covering much of the province. Though there were no immediate reports of human deaths in the outbreak, health authorities in Manicaland have recorded several hospitalised cases following the consumption of infected carcasses.

Humans usually get anthrax through direct contact with infected livestock, often when spores get into a cut on the skin or eating infected carcasses. Without treatment, anthrax can be fatal, but early treatment with antibiotics is very effective. Dr Kurai Pride Kapondo, the acting provincial veterinary officer for Manicaland, confirmed the developments, adding that Anthrax cases have frequently been documented in Buhera, Mutare, Mutasa and Chipinge districts.

The movement of cattle from these affected districts has been suspended with immediate effect, and those caught moving animals from these affected areas will be penalised because the spread of the disease is partially blamed on illegal animal movements. Natural anthrax is endemic in Zimbabwe where its bacillus spores can live for decades in dry soil and are ingested by animals ruminating for remnants of vegetation in the driest months of September and October. Anthrax outbreaks happen occasionally in livestock herds and wild animals in Zimbabwe, usually in the Gonarezhou area.

Animals typically contract the disease by ingesting or inhaling spores that can survive in soil for decades. Once infected, livestock can die within hours. Anthrax bacteria react to drought and other harsh conditions by producing more spores, and experts said conditions are ripe for disease this year. A drought stretches throughout the entirety of Manicaland.

"The division of veterinary field services would like to inform the general public that there have been cases of anthrax in Manicaland Province. Anthrax is a notifiable disease and the division of veterinary services must be notified of suspected cases," said Dr Kapondo, adding that the disease presents itself as sudden death and animals are found with tarry blood oozing from the nose, mouth and anus. "Carcasses bloat and decompose very rapidly.

The carcasses of suspected anthrax cases should never be opened and the meat should never be consumed. Should a case of anthrax occur on your farm, you may help to stop the spread of infection by burning or burying dead animals, and disinfecting the place using the most effective disinfectants like quicklime, formalin or caustic soda," said Dr Kapondo.

The veterinary department is suffering from perennial shortage of vaccines and farmers are being encouraged to purchase their own vaccines.

- RSOE EDIS

Thousands treated after toxic gas leak in South Korea

More than 3,000 South Koreans near the southeastern city of Gumi have received medical treatment as the damage from a major toxic chemical leak continues to grow, media reports said Sunday.

An explosion at the factory of chemical maker Hube Global on September 27, which killed five people, led to the leak of hydrofluoric acid which has affected crops, livestock and villagers near the plant.

Nearly 3,200 people have so far been treated for nausea, chest pain, rashes, sore eyes or sore throats after apparently inhaling toxic fumes, Yonhap news agency said, citing data from the city government.

The explosion and leak affected nearly 80 firms, some of which were forced to shut plants. The esimated damage has increased to 17.7 billion won ($15.9 million) from 9.4 billion won previously reported, Yonhap and other media reports said.

The leak also damaged 212 hectares (524 acres) of farmland and affected 3,200 livestock, which showed symptoms similar to a cold.

About 300 villagers at Bongsan-ri and Imcheon-ri near the plant have been evacuated to temporary shelters after complaining of health risks, with some reporting blood in their saliva.

"We decided to move because the government overlooked us and did not come up with countermeasures," Park Myeong-Seok, the head of Bongsang-ri, was quoted by Yonhap as saying.

Some 1,200 residents remain in the villages where an acrid smell still hangs in the air and crops and trees have withered, Yonhap said.

A team of 26 government officials and experts is expected to announce on Monday the result of their three-day investigation.

- Times Live

US fungal meningitis infections rise to 47

An outbreak of rare fungal meningitis in the US has now affected 47 people in seven states, health officials say.

Doctors at about 75 medical clinics are being warned to alert patients who received suspect steroid injections.

Five people have died from the illness, which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has linked to products from a Massachusetts-based pharmacy firm.

Officials say they found contamination in a sealed steroid vial at the New England Compounding Center.

The firm recalled the steroid doses and has since shut down operations, but the vials have already been shipped to 23 states.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include severe headache, nausea, and fever as well as slurred speech and difficulty walking.

The fungal meningitis causing concern in the US is not infectious, the CDC says.
'Abundance of caution'

Confirming that 47 people were now affected - an increase of 12 in the space of 24 hours, the CDC said new cases were reported for the first time in Michigan.

In Tennessee, which has the majority of the cases, a total of 29 people have now fallen ill. There were six cases in Virginia, three in Indiana Indiana, two each in Maryland and Florida and one in North Carolina, the CDC said.

It is not yet clear how many patients may have been exposed to any contamination, and fungal meningitis can have a lengthy incubation period.

A briefing by the CDC and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday said a fungus linked to the steroid medication had been identified in tests of five patients.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we advise all health care practitioners not to use any product" from the company, said Ilisa Bernstein, director of compliance for the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

New England Compounding Center is a type of pharmacy that mixes ingredients for customised medicines. The steroid in question was three lots of methylprednisolone acetate from the firm.

On Friday, the CDC listed about 75 clinics and medical centres that received the suspected lots, and told doctors to immediately contact patients who have had an injection.

Tests are under way to confirm if the contamination is the same fungus blamed in the outbreak. The disease cannot be passed from person to person.

Three people have died in Tennessee, with one death in Virginia and one in Maryland, reports say.

- BBC

US fungal meningitis infections rise to 47

An outbreak of rare fungal meningitis in the US has now affected 47 people in seven states, health officials say.

Doctors at about 75 medical clinics are being warned to alert patients who received suspect steroid injections.

Five people have died from the illness, which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has linked to products from a Massachusetts-based pharmacy firm.

Officials say they found contamination in a sealed steroid vial at the New England Compounding Center.

The firm recalled the steroid doses and has since shut down operations, but the vials have already been shipped to 23 states.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include severe headache, nausea, and fever as well as slurred speech and difficulty walking.

The fungal meningitis causing concern in the US is not infectious, the CDC says.
'Abundance of caution'

Confirming that 47 people were now affected - an increase of 12 in the space of 24 hours, the CDC said new cases were reported for the first time in Michigan.

In Tennessee, which has the majority of the cases, a total of 29 people have now fallen ill. There were six cases in Virginia, three in Indiana Indiana, two each in Maryland and Florida and one in North Carolina, the CDC said.

It is not yet clear how many patients may have been exposed to any contamination, and fungal meningitis can have a lengthy incubation period.

A briefing by the CDC and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday said a fungus linked to the steroid medication had been identified in tests of five patients.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we advise all health care practitioners not to use any product" from the company, said Ilisa Bernstein, director of compliance for the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

New England Compounding Center is a type of pharmacy that mixes ingredients for customised medicines. The steroid in question was three lots of methylprednisolone acetate from the firm.

On Friday, the CDC listed about 75 clinics and medical centres that received the suspected lots, and told doctors to immediately contact patients who have had an injection.

Tests are under way to confirm if the contamination is the same fungus blamed in the outbreak. The disease cannot be passed from person to person.

Three people have died in Tennessee, with one death in Virginia and one in Maryland, reports say.

- BBC

HAZMAT in Zimbabwe on Wednesday, 03 October, 2012 at 11:13 (11:13 AM) UTC.

Four people died from suspected food poisoning in Kadoma last week, while six others are battling for life at Harare Central Hospital. The poison also claimed birds, goats and dogs. The dogs died after eating goats that died after consuming the food in a chain reaction that has left people at Hezelmare 19 Mine and surrounding areas shocked. On the fateful Friday afternoon last week, Gift Watungwa (37) allegedly took a 20kg bucket of maize to the mill and on arrival he requested for an empty sack to transfer his maize, but the mill operator Mr Norbert Mhazi said he did not have any. Instead, he was shown a pile of maize and mealie-meal bags on the other side of the room. Watungwa allegedly took a bag that used to contain mealie- meal and put his maize inside. He headed home where another mineworker Douglas Pepukai (22) prepared sadza using mealie-meal from the bag.

The sadza was served with chicken bought at Hezelmare Shopping Centre. After eating the food, the 10 men started complaining of stomach pains and their condition continued to deteriorate before they fell unconscious. Another worker, who did not eat the food, made a report to the police and they were taken to Kadoma General Hospital. The 10 were subsequently transferred to Harare Central Hospital after their condition got serious. Acting Mashonaland West police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ian Kohwera confirmed the incident. He said the bodies of the dead were awaiting post-mortem at Harare Central Hospital mortuary. The other six victims are still admitted at Harare Hospital where their condition was reported to be stable. "We are investigating a case in which four people have so far died after eating food suspected to have been contaminated with poison," said Asst Insp Kohwera. "Investigations are still at their infancy and we are following on a number of leads." The mill operator is assisting police with investigations.

- RSOE EDIS

Kwazulu Natal declares war on mushrooms

The KwaZulu-Natal government and eThekwini municipality have declared war on wild mushrooms following the deaths of six people poisoned by mushrooms picked in a nearby field.

The Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs yesterday confirmed that a sixth person, Sifiso Bhekuyise Ntuli, died this week after eating mushrooms that were picked from the same field where Bheki Mkhize had found the deadly mushrooms that wiped his family out last week.

Mkhize, 29, had taken the mushrooms to his Dassenhoek home on Tuesday last week for his girlfriend, Xoli Buthelezi, to make a curry for his two sisters, Nozipho and Nombulelo, and his 17-month-old child, Emenhle Mkhize.

The family started hallucinating, vomiting and losing physical energy.

Within five days, everyone save Nozipho's eight-month-old baby, Asanda, had died.

However, Asanda is being medically tested for poison as she was breast-fed after her mother had consumed the meal.

Yesterday, Durban mayor James Nxumalo and municipal officials publicly destroyed mushrooms growing in the wild.

"Following such tragedy in the city we took a decision to launch an offensive campaign to destroy wild mushrooms.

"Our officials will continue to educate people not to eat any mushrooms from the wild if they are not sure," Nxumalo said.

The city will send officials to the fields in Mariannhill to clear mushrooms as they spring up.

Ian MacDonald, from the provincial department of agriculture and environmental affairs, said that, with more than 14000 mushroom species, it was difficult to differentiate between poisonous and edible ones.

Agriculture and environmental MEC Meshack Radebe said the government would pay for the family's funerals.

The department has bought cattle for relatives while five funeral parlours have donated coffins.

- Times Live