ZIMBABWE BATTLE READY


ZIMBABWE BATTLE READY.
 Zimbabwe has launched a vaccine to battle the cholera outbreak. A cholera vaccination campaign was launched in Zimbabwe last week, targeting 1.4 million people in the nation’s capital of Harare and in rural areas in an effort to reverse an outbreak that has so far claimed almost 50 lives.
Vaccines were taken from the global stockpile and operational costs have been funded by Gavi the Vaccine Alliance for the campaign, which focuses on the four high-density Harare suburbs most affected by the outbreak, including the epicenters of Glenview and Budiriro.
The vaccination drive will continue through Tuesday at fixed and mobile health facilities, schools and shopping centers. More than 600 health workers have been trained to carry out the campaign under the leadership of the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care.
To ensure long-term immunity to the disease, “a second phase of the campaign should follow in the next six months targeting a population of 900,000 covering eight suburbs in Harare and three [suburbs] in other districts,” a Gavi spokesperson told reporters.

MORE ON OUTBREAK:

Since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 20 September (with data as of 15 September), an additional 4914 cases have been reported including 92 confirmed cases.

The cholera outbreak in Harare was declared by the Ministry of Health and Child Care  of Zimbabwe on 6 September 2018 and notified to WHO on the same day. As of 3 October 2018, 8535 cumulative cases, including 163 laboratory confirmed cases, and 50 deaths have been reported (case fatality rate: 0.6%). Of these 8535 cases, 98% (8341 cases) were reported from the densely populated capital Harare (Figure 1). The most affected suburbs in Harare are Glen View and Budiriro.
Of the 8340 cases for which age is known, the majority (56%) are aged between 5 and 35 years old. Males and females have been equally affected by the outbreak. From 4 September through 3 October, the majority of deaths were reported from health care institutions.
The pathogen is known to be Vibrio cholera 01 serotype Ogawa. Since confirmation on 6 September 2018, a multi-drug resistant strain has been identified and is in circulation; however, this does not affect the treatment of most cases, where supportive care such as rehydration solutions are used. Antibiotics are only recommended for severe cases. Furthermore, the antibiotic which is being used for severe cases in Harare is Azithromycin which remains effective in the majority of cases.

Location: ENUGU, Nigeria

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KENYA RIFT VALLEY FEVER

Kenya- Rift valley Fever Outbreak ( 8 June, 2018) Following the confirmation by the Ministry of Health, Kenya the outbreak of Rift Valley fever on the 8 of June 2018. As of 16 June, a   number of cases has been reported from different parts of the country;   Wajir 24 cases and Marsabit counties   2 cases. The first patient was admitted to a hospital in Wajir County in north-eastern Kenya on the 2 nd of   June with fever, body weakness, and bleeding from the gums and mouth. The patient reported having consumed meat from a sick animal; the patient died the same day. On 4 June, two relatives of the index patient were admitted. Blood samples were collected and sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute, one of which was confirmed positive for Rift Valley fever on 6 June. A high number of deaths and abortions among livestock, including camels and goats, has been reported in Garissa, Kadjiado, Kitui, Marsabit, Tana River, and Wajir counties. People living in these c...
Read more

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE OUTBREAK IN DR CONGO

DR Congo Ebola virus out break  update  (20 June 2019) From 17th June 2019 till today there has been a gradual decrease in the number of new Ebola virus disease cases from the major affected areas of Katwa and Butembo compared to weeks passed. However, these encouraging signs are offset by a marked increase in case incidence in Mabalako Health Zone, and especially in Aloya Health Area. The spread of Ebola virus disease to new geographic areas remains minimal, in the health zones of Bunia, Lubero, Komanda and Rwampara, The new re-occurring events illustrate the high risks in previously affected areas. Along with the rise in cases in Mabalako, there was also an accompanying increase in healthcare worker  and nosocomial infections.  17/05 2019  Transmission of Ebola virus disease continues to increase in North Kivu and Ituri provinces with more than 100 new cases reported this week due to security situation has reduced mildly into an unpredictabl...
Read more

NIGERIA -YELLOW FEVER OUTBREAK

Nigeria (Yellow Fever Outbreak) 9 January 2019 The current outbreak of YF in Edo State in Nigeria is unusual in scale and severity, and the number of cases in time and place is very high in the context of the current national outbreak. The seasonal timing of the outbreak, in a period where many travellers enter the state from other states and countries for the holidays in December–January, adds to the risk for potential spread.  On 22 November 2018, the World Health Organization was informed of a cluster of suspected Yellow fever (YF) cases and deaths in Edo State, Nigeria. Edo State is located less than 400km from Lagos on a dense population movement axis between Lagos and South-Eastern Nigeria. Edo State is also a known endemic area for Lassa fever – which was initially suspected as causing the outbreak. From 22 September through 31 December 2018, a total of 146 suspected, 42 presumptive positive, and 32 confirmed cases, including 26 deaths (presumptive case fatality rat...
Read more