_|SRI LANKA: FOUR LOCALS DIE OF UNIDENTIFIED ILLNESS|_

[Giuseppe]

UNDIAGNOSED DEATHS - SRI LANKA (NORTH CENTRAL), 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: 27 Mar 2008 - Source: The Mirror [edited] - http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=10291


Four die of mysterious disease
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Four persons have died last week [week of 17 Mar 2008] at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital due to an unidentified disease, doctors said.

Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) of the Anuradhapura hospital Dr. Ajith Jayasena told the Daily Mirror that investigations are underway by the hospital authorities to ascertain whether this was an infectious viral disease

Three males and a female from Welioya, Maradankadawala and Galnewa have died on 3 successive days last week at the hospital and the JMO has cited the malfunctioning of several organic systems of the
patients as the cause of death.

Some soldiers were admitted to the hospital last week and doctors suspect that the same virus had attacked them.

Tissue specimens extracted from lungs and hearts of the dead persons are to be examined to ascertain the nature of the disease, Dr. Jayasena said.

[Byline: Rohana Chandradasa]

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Communicated by: ProMED-mail

[The Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital is the main hospital in the North Central region and the 3rd largest hospital in Sri Lanka. Over 1.3 million people reside in the Anuradhapura District and the adjoining
districts of Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee and Puttalam where healthcare facilities are comparatively poor.
(http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5123&Itemid=44)

The above newswire does not provide sufficient clinical details for this moderator to venture speculations as to the possible etiology of these fatal cases. While there is mention that there is multiple organ failure, the newswire does mention that hearts and lungs are being examined. There is also mention that soldiers have been admitted with similar illness but non-fatal.

Of note, in 2005, ProMED-mail had a series of postings on an undiagnosed cardiomyopathy/myocarditis in Badulla and Monaragala districts, Uva province of Sri Lanka. (see prior postings referenced below). A review of the literature reveals that the etiology of that outbreak was dengue fever with cardiac manifestations. (see Kularatnea SAM, Pathiragea MMK, Kumarasirib PVR, Gunasenac S, Mahindawansea SI. Cardiac complications of a dengue fever
outbreak in Sri Lanka, 2005. Trans. Royal Soc Trop Med Hygiene. August 2007. 101(8):804-808. abstract available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...erid=10&md5=69091cb721989874be3513fcea69f938).
One can't help but wonder if the deaths and non-fatal cases mentioned in the above newswire might be a repeat of the 2005 experience with dengue fever.

More information on the above mentioned outbreak with details on the epidemiologic investigations as well as pathology findings would be greatly appreciated.

For a detailed map of Sri Lanka see
http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/srilanka.pdf.
Welioya, Maradankadawala and Galnewa are located to the south of Anuradhapura city (see maps linkable at
http://www.bhoomi.lk/srilanka_cities_in-north_central_province-6-W.aspx#
http://www.bhoomi.lk/srilanka_cities_in-north_central_province-6-M.aspx and
http://www.bhoomi.lk/srilanka_cities_in-north_central_province-6-G.aspx#). - Mod. MPP]
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http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,71983
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[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: _|SRI LANKA: FOUR LOCALS DIE OF UNIDENTIFIED ILLNESS|_

More in this thread:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48786

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: _|SRI LANKA: FOUR LOCALS DIE OF UNIDENTIFIED ILLNESS|_

Viral flu hits Sri Lankan troops in northern war zone

www.chinaview.cn - 2008-03-30 13:05:29

COLOMBO, March 30 (Xinhua) -- A new crisis has erupted in Sri Lanka's northern war zone with a virtual epidemic of dengue and chikungunya viral fever among troops due to the heavy rains and resultant floods, said a leading local newspaper on Sunday.

The Sunday Times disclosed that about 500 troops affected by the viral flu were being treated at hospitals in the Anuradhapura district.

Health officials said the crisis had arisen one month ago and health education and viral flu prevention activities were conducted in the affected areas and mosquito nets being widely distributed.

Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital Director Sarath Weerabandara said the outbreak began when unexpected heavy rains hit the area including the war zones.

He said blood samples had confirmed that the virus was largely chikungunya.

Government troops are currently engaged in three different fronts against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels in the north.

The fighting has intensified in the northern battle theater after the government's announcement in mid-January to withdraw from the 2002 Norwegian-backed ceasefire with the LTTE.

The LTTE has been fighting the troops since the mid-1980s to carve out a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east, resulting in the death of more than 70,000 people.


Editor: Du Guodong
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/30/content_7883448.htm
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