- It does appear that 2003 has seen a "bumper crop"
of mosquitos and other insects around the globe. It is suspected that
Japanese Encephalitis may be the illness killing people, not only in China,
but now India.
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- Patricia
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- UNEXPLAINED DEATHS - INDIA (ANDHRA PRADESH) (02)
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- A ProMED-mail post promedmail.org ProMED-mail is a program
of the International Society for Infectious Diseases www.isid.org
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- Mystery Fever Spreads In Andhra, Death Toll Now 80
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- Hindustani Times July 9, 2003
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- A mystery fever suspected to be Japanese encephalitis
continues to wreak havoc in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, claiming
80 lives during the last 2 weeks.
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- 10 children died on Tuesday in Warangal, Nizamabad, and
Adilabad districts, while 400 children are undergoing treatment in Karimnagar
district, where the disease was first reported late last month. After
Karimnagar, where 30 children have succumbed to the viral fever, the disease
has claimed an equal number of lives in the neighbouring district of Warangal.
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- Initial reports from the New Delhi-based National Institute
Communicable Diseases and Pune's National Institute of Virology show that
the children have died of Japanese encephalitis.
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- The final reports of the blood samples sent to the 2
institutes are expected by the weekend.
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- The children are dying within hours after their admission
into hospitals. They complain of high fever, headache, diarrhoea, and convulsions.
Many seriously ill have been shifted to the government-run Niluofer Hospital
in Hyderabad. Concerned, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has asked
the district authorities to take all measures to control the epidemic.
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- Naidu deputed senior officials to Warangal to monitor
relief operations and directed the local administration to take up cleaning
operations on a war footing. Mosquitoes are believed to be spreading the
virus. The affected districts also have a high number of pigs, the breeding
ground for JE virus.
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- Even as the authorities battle to control the disease
in the 4 districts, reports from districts and regions say children were
being admitted to hospitals with symptoms of viral fever. The viral fever
has reportedly claimed 6 lives in Khammam district, also in the Telangana
region. Acute and infectious diseases characterized by allergic rashes
and high fever have been spreading on epidemic proportions in the district.
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- One death has been reported from the coastal district
of Krishna. 6 children died of viral fever in the district in June 2003.
In Cuddapah district, about 100 students of a residential school were hospitalised
with viral fever.
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- Health Minister Kodela Sivaprasad Rao said in the last
15 days, 165 children of the age group of 2 to 14 years were admitted to
hospitals in 6 districts, and 71 of them have died.
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- -- ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
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- [The description of the illness in the newswires, "high
fever, headache, diarrhoea and convulsions," is different from the
description of the illness in the reported outbreak in West Bengal "high
fever, breathlessness, convulsion, increased salivation, followed by stiffening
of jaws within 5-6 hours of the onset of the disease and death", suggesting
that the 2 outbreaks are not related, but not conclusively. Japanese encephalitis
is endemic/epidemic in India
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- According to the CDC travel website, Japanese encephalitis
occurs in all areas within India with the exception of Arunachal, Dadra,
Daman, Diu, Gujarat, Himachal, Jammu, Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya,
Nagar Haveli, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Sikkim. The transmission
season: in South India is May to October in Goa; October to January in
Tamil Nadu; and August to December in Karnataka. Second peak, April to
June in Mandya District Andrha Pradesh: September to December North India:
July to December. Outbreaks have been reported in West Bengal, Bihar,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andrha Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, and
Goa. While it is primarily seen in rural areas, urban cases have also
been reported (e.g., in Luchnow). <http://www.cdc.gov/travel/diseases/jenceph.htm#table_3_2>
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- Additional information from Gideon <http://www.gideononline.com>:
The disease is most common in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka,
Goa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Highest rates occur during
the rainy season in the South; and summer to fall in the North. Rates in
Andhra Pradesh peak during October to November.
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- 24 282 cases were reported during 1986 to 1989; 1574
in 1990; 2953 in 1997.
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- Andhra Pradesh reported 984 cases in 1997 (267 of these
in Kahool district); 524 (201 fatal) in 1998; 965 (201 fatal) in 1999.
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- Known vector species in India include _Anopheles barbirostris_,
_B. peditaeniatuws_, _A. subpictus_, _Culex bitaenioryhchus_, _C. epidesmus_,
_C. fuscocephala_, _C. gelidus_, _C. infula_, _C. pseudovishnui_, _C. quinquefasciatus_,
_C. tritaeniorhynchus_, _C. vishnui_, _C. whitmori_, _Mansonia annulifera_,
_M. indiana_, and _M. uniformis_.
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- More information on this outbreak (and the outbreak in
West Bengal) would be appreciated. - Mod. MPP]
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- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD Please visit my "Emerging
Diseases" message board at: http://www.clickitnews.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=emergingdiseases
Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa Go with God and in Good Health
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