Cholera Outbreak in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=48764


41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

Posted at 06:43 on 28 August, 2009 UTC

Outbreaks of dysentry and influenza in the Menyamya district of Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province have claimed the lives of forty one people in the past three weeks.

The provincial health advisor for Morobe, Dr Theo Likei, confirmed more than 800 people have become unwell and 21 have died from influenza and a further twenty are dead due to dysentry.

He says the cause is not yet known and more villagers may die.

The centre of the outbreak is in one village in Menyamya district but people in nine other villages have also become unwell.

?The location of the problem seems to be centred around one particular village, that?s Akwanda village. There are nine other villages being involved, but with less numbers than Akwanda. Akwanda definitely had about ninety nine per cent of the total. Out of 830, 700 plus are from Akwanda. Out of 41 deaths, forty deaths are from Akwanda alone.?

Twenty seven people have been transported out of Akwanda village for further treatment.

A medical team from Port Moresby including staff from the World Health Organisation and supplies have been dispatched.

The situation is being continuously monitored but communication with the villages is difficult due to their remote locations.

Dr Likei says medical staff are working around the clock to contain the illness outbreak and if there is any further spread, more help from outside the district will be needed.

[Treyfish]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

Mystery fatal illness being investigated in Papua New Guinea

Posted at 04:03 on 28 August, 2009 UTC
Health officials in Papua New Guinea are investigating the mysterious deaths last week of an unknown number of people in remote villages in Morobe Province.
A medical team from the World Health Organisation and PNG?s health department has flown into the areas to assess the situation and collect samples in an effort to find out what is causing the deaths, which have been put as high as 40 by some media.
The Public Health executive manager, Enoch Posanai, says they cannot say how many have died.
He says the investigative team is due back today and results from swabs should be known by next week.

?We are sort of doing all our best to work with the people at a provincial level and people on the ground to make sure that we contain those outbreaks. We are sending the team from here including the support from the World Health Organisation to provide the support that is needed on the ground.?

Mr Posani says some of the victims have had respiratory problems, others diarrhoea and dehydration, but he says doctors won?t know if there is any link to the swine flu virus until laboratory results are known.http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=48761

[Laidback Al]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

Note - That is a CFR of 5.1%

[alert]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/200908/s2670180.htm

Morobe people dying of mysterious disease
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Updated 8 hours 22 minutes ago

Authorities in Papua New Guinea are investigating a mysterious disease that reportedly claimed the lives of more than 40 people in a remote District of Morobe province last week. Ten villages with no health facilities and poor road and communication links are reported to have been affected by the disease.

Presenter: Firmin Nanol
Speaker: Morobe Province Health Advisor, Dr Theo Likei

Listen:Windows Media
While local media reports say 70 people have died from the mysterious disease, the Morobe Provincial Health Office has denied that. The Health Advisor Dr Theo Likei says that 20 people died of dysentery in the remote Menyamya District last week, and 21 died of a mysterious influenza-like disease. He says more than 800 people have been affected from nearly 10 villages. He says the worst affected are children and pregnant women.

The Morobe Provincial Health authorities say they have responded as soon as the reports of the deaths reached them. However Doctor Theo Likei says medicines could not be delivered on time as the area is so remote and there are no road links.

Officials from both the World Health Organisation and PNG's Health Department have visited the affected villages and will test samples collected, to determine the cause of the deaths.

[alert]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

http://australianetworknews.com/stories/200908/2669338.htm?desktop

Mysterious killer illness strikes PNG province
PHOTO
Villagers help unload supplies in Papua New Guinea. [Australian Defence Force]
Firmin Nanol, Port Moresby

Last Updated: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:12:00 +1000

Authorities in Papua New Guinea are investigating diseases that claimed the lives of more than 40 people in a remote district of Morobe province last week.

Health adviser for Morobe province, Dr Theo Likei, says 20 people died of dysentery in the remote Menyamya district, and 21 died of a mysterious influenza-like disease.

He says more than 800 people have been affected and fears children and pregnant women are at risk.

''The most important people are, of course, our children, under-fives," he says.

"Then the second will be followed by our women, particularly those who are pregnant, we want to make sure they are safe.''

He says officials from the World Health Organisation and PNG's health department are in the area to determine the cause of the deaths.

Ten villages with no health facilities and poor road and communication links are reported to have been affected by the disease.

[alert]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

Note that post #1 says the deaths have occurred over three weeks, whereas post #4 says they occurred last week. That is a big difference in epidemiology. We really need more information on this one.

[Treyfish]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province


He says the worst affected are children and pregnant women.

[alert]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

If it is all in the past week, cholera/dysentery is more likely, and diarrheal diseases would hit children harder as well. The timing wouldn't be right for flu. Over three weeks, flu is more possible. The apparent CFR also seems too high for H1N1, but then again, even seasonal flu can have a high mortality rate in remote areas with little access to health care.

We only have a very vague symptomatic description here, so this could really be anything. It is unusual that it would take 41+ deaths to bring attention to this outbreak. That might indicate a high prevalence of disease in the area, so that it takes a lot of deaths to alarm people. That could also indicate a very rapidly spreading disease.

[Treyfish]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

21 more succumb to disease

Wed, 26/08/2009 - 19:43 | webmaster

Source:
PISAI GUMAR


THE mysterious disease which first struck Menyamya district in Morobe last month has claimed another 21 lives, raising the death toll to at least 50.
This does not include another 16 deaths from the remote Awapango village.
Kome local level government manager Desmond Timiyaso feared that the death toll would increase further.
On Sunday, The National was told that 29 people had died in Menyamya.
The officer in charge of the Menyamya health centres, Sr Bina David, described the situation as ?an epidemic?.
She said they were still unable to confirm the disease because of the unstable symptoms.
She could not even say whether it was a viral or bacterial infection.
?Some patients had red eyes, severe headache, high fever, dysentery, upset stomach, sore throat and coughing.
?It is an epidemic.
?Health authorities should act, experts should be flown in,? she said in a phone interview.
Sr David said because of the bad weather, the poor roads to the area had deteriorated further.
?They are impassable but fortunately, drugs have been flown in.?
She said patients from nearby villages were heading into the Lutheran health service (LHS) and the Menyamya health centre for treatment.
Morobe provincial health adviser Dr Likei Theo said disease control experts with the second batch of medicines could not be dispatched because of a lack of logistics.http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/156

[alert]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

I think we're close to 100 deaths. This is a VERY bad sign. And with red eyes as a symptom, this probably isn't any kind of flu.

[Treyfish]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

Health, WHO officials to fly in to Menyamya today

Thu, 27/08/2009 - 09:01 | webmaster

Source:
WALLACE KIALA


MEDICAL teams from the Health Department and World Health Organisation are expected to travel by helicopter from Nadzab to Menyamya today to assist provincial health authorities who are investigating the reported influenza and dysentery outbreak in the district.
Executive manager for public health Enoch Posanai, who said this yesterday, added that a provincial health team will accompany the group from Port Moresby once they arrived in Nadzab.
A ?mysterious? disease has reportedly claimed nearly 50 lives around Menyamya in Morobe province.
Going by the symptoms reported by health workers on the ground, it is likely that they are cases of dysentery and influenza.
Mr Posanai said communities affected included those in the Karanas and Kundi catchment areas, Wailala and Wawoka catchment in Wapi LLG.
A WHO source yesterday said it was not known exactly how many people had died when the outbreak was first reported last month.
Supplies that included soap and drinking water and antibiotics have been sent to the affected areas.

http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/179

[Jeremy]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

I think we're close to 100 deaths. This is a VERY bad sign. And with red eyes as a symptom, this probably isn't any kind of flu.

Actually, red eyes could mean either bloodshot eyes or bleeding from the eyes.

I recall that in 1918 people did have hemorages from their eyes.

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

Glad to see they are getting some expert help. A CFR of over 5% is startling. While dysentery may be responsible I would like to be reassured it isn't swine flu. This part of the world also has a history of H5N1. While everyone seems to have put that on a back burner we should not forget that it still remains a potential threat.

[JimO]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

I've also heard reports of gastrointestinal symptoms with H1N1.

[alert]

Re: 41 dead, hundreds affected by mystery illness in Papua New Guinea?s Morobe Province

H5N1, H1N1, and VHF are all certainly within the realm of possiblity here, as is something novel.