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ProMED: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - KENYA: (BUNGOMA), REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

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  • ProMED: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - KENYA: (BUNGOMA), REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

    UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - KENYA: (BUNGOMA), 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: 3 May 2009
    Source: Kenya KTN TV / The Standard [edited]
    <http://www.eastandard.net/videos/?id=1144013251>


    'Mysterious disease', 16 dead in Kenya
    --------------------------------------
    A total of 16 people have died of "mysterious" disease in western
    district.
    Text of report by Kenyan privately-owned TV station KTN on
    [3 May 2009] (video report available at Kenya News Paper The Standard
    website):

    [Presenter] We have received reports this evening from Bungoma
    regarding the deaths of about 10 people in Kabula sub-location, in
    Bungoma South District in a week, from a disease which has not been
    established. According to area residents, the dead victims suffered
    from diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding from their noses and eyes
    before dying.

    The residents of the area have accused health officials of failing to
    take action to stop the deaths and the spreading of the disease. In
    one homestead, a man his wife and son died one after the other,
    spreading panic among people.
    The disease has so far not been
    established. Our reporter Zubeida Kananu has the details:

    [Kananu] This is Remwa village, and soon after our arrival, we met
    sad and terrified people following the death of a whole family over
    the mysterious disease. It is said, a boy from this village died on
    Thursday [30 Apr 2009] this week from the disease and day later, his
    father died. His mother died shortly afterwards.

    [Unidentified man in Swahili] Since he was taken ill, the boy did not
    speak and uttered no word even to the people attending to him when he
    was taken to hospital; he just died.

    [Kananu] Before their deaths, the victims had diarrhoea, vomiting,
    shedding tears and blood from their eyes and noses.
    This disease is
    mysterious to the villagers. About 16 people from Remwa, Ashioya and
    Kabula villages in Bungoma district had the same symptoms and died
    from the disease.

    [Second unidentified man in Swahili] People who have attended funeral
    ceremonies, having washed the bodies of their relatives for burial
    have died.

    [Kananu] Following the eruption and spread of the disease, all pigs
    in the areas have been confined and some locked in their sheds over
    fears of the swine flu which erupted in Mexico some weeks ago.

    Meanwhile, health officers from the area have been blamed for failing
    to take appropriate action to tackle the disease.

    --
    Communicated by:
    ProMED-mail
    <promed@promedmail.org>

    [The description of the disease along with the perceived association
    with preparation of bodies of deceased cases for burial is
    highly
    reminiscent of descriptions that have accompanied outbreaks of viral
    hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Africa. The symptom complex of
    diarrhea and vomiting along with epistaxis (nose bleed) and bleeding
    from eyes has also been described in outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic
    fevers.


    Johnson et al demonstrated antibodies against Ebola virus, Marburg
    virus and Rift Valley Fever Virus in residents of Lodwar, Laisamis,
    Malindi/Kilifi (see ref 1 below). CCHF has also been described in
    Kenya (see ref. 2 below). While there have not been reports of yellow
    fever in humans in Kenya in more than 10 years, Kenya is still in the
    yellow fever risk zone.

    More information on this outbreak would be greatly appreciated.

    For a map of Kenya, see
    <http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/kenya_pol88.jpg>. The Western
    Division borders with Uganda where outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic
    fevers have been reported in recent times (see prior references
    below).

    For the interactive HealthMap/ProMED map of Bungoma District, Western
    Division Kenya, see
    <http://healthmap.org/r/00b3>.

    References:
    -----------
    1. Johnson BK, Ocheng D, Gichogo A, Okiro M, Libondo D, Tukei PM, Ho
    M, Mugambi M, Timms GL, French M. Antibodies against haemorrhagic
    fever viruses in Kenya populations. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg.
    1983;77(5):731-3.
    2. Dunster L, Dunster M, Ofula V, Beti D, Kazooba-Voskamp F, Burt F,
    et al. First documentation of human Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever,
    Kenya. Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 2002 Sep;8. Available at
    <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol8no9/01-0510.htm>

    - Mod.MPP]

    http://novel-infectious-diseases.blogspot.com/
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