New Caledonia: Dengue and Leptospirosis outbreaks

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/04/07/leptospirosis-outbreak-in-new-caledonia

Monday: April 07, 2008

(Oceania Flash)

With a dengue fever epidemic declared in February and still uncontrolled, New Caledonia now has to combat water and humidity-related diseases on another front, namely leptospirosis.

The dengue epidemic that has been affecting the capital Noum?a and its suburbs, but also the northeastern island if Lifou (Loyalty island group) is now affecting over 320 persons, latest counts revealed.

Prevention campaigns have intensified in the past few weeks and local health services have urged the population to take heed of such simple recommendations as cleaning any potential breeding site for the Aedes Aegypti mosquito (the vector of the disease) larvae.
Late last week, health authorities said they were now on high alert for another water-related disease: leptospirosis, with up to 50 known cases to date.

A fresh warning has been issued for the general public to be particularly cautious and not walk barefoot, since the diseases spreads through contact with muddy and inundated soils that could have been infected by animals such as pigs or rats. The main vector for leptospirosis is animal waste in still waters.

The most exposed persons are those with a wound or even a scratch who could have been in contact with infected waters.

Local health authorities have also warned that early symptoms for leptospirosis, just like dengue, could be easily mistaken for those of a severe flu (fever, joint and back pains). In all cases they recommended an individual should seek medical advice.

http://newspad-pacific.info/

 

[Shiloh]

Re: New Caledonia: Dengue and Lepto outbreaks

Re: New Caledonia: Dengue and Lepto outbreaks

Source: http://www.mvariety.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=10073&format=html

Friday April 18, 2008

Dengue outbreak now affects over 400 in N. Caledonia

NOUMEA (Oceania Flash) ? Latest statistics in New Caledonia show that the dengue fever epidemic declared in February remains unabated, with over 400 cases declared to date.

The hemorrhagic, mosquito-transmitted dengue epidemic has been affecting the capital Noum?a and its suburbs, but also the northeastern island of Lifou in the Loyalty island group.

While a specific prevention and sensitization effort has recently been carried out in Lifou, health authorities now says the latest worrying situation is located in the Isle of Pines, south of the capital Noum?a, where close to 50 cases have been reported for the tiny island alone.

Local government?s health officials are also planning to send a team there, led by local health minister Sylvie Robineau, in order to try and reproduce the Lifou campaign.

There again, it is envisaged that personal mosquito repellents will be mass-distributed.

New Caledonia?s latest cabinet meeting on Tuesday decided that in the capital Noum?a, special and temporary measure are now in force that allow the municipal council to bypass the regulatory 48 hours a week rule in order to intensify staff deployment.

The municipal teams, from the health and hygiene departments, have been struggling with the ongoing problem of cleaning up ill-maintained yards where still waters are found in discarded tires and other types of containers.

Those items are regarded as ideal breeding sites for mosquitoes and their larvae.

Municipal teams are also deployed, especially at dusk, to spray insecticides in accordance with a WHO-recommended protocol.

The frequency of those operations will be stepped up, cabinet said, especially at weekends.

?Due to the exceptional circumstances, it is necessary that staff may be asked to work up to 56 hours a week, until the dengue propagation situation returns to a low risk status,? the government release went on.

Prevention campaigns have intensified in the past few weeks and local health services have urged the population to take heed of such simple recommendations as cleaning any potential breeding site for the Aedes Aegypti mosquito larvae.

Earlier in April, health authorities said they were now on high alert for another water-related disease: leptospirosis, with up to 50 known cases to date.

A fresh warning has been issued for the general public to be particularly cautious and not walk barefoot, since the diseases spread through contact with muddy and inundated soils that could have been infected with infected animals such as pigs or rats.

The main vector for leptospirosis is animal dejections in still waters.