9 November 2012

Army Public Health Weekly Update

The Army Public Health Update is a collection of articles taken verbatim

from public sources to offer awareness of current health issues and the

media coverage given to them. The articles do not necessarily represent

US Army Medical Department opinions, views, policy, or guidance, and

should not be construed or interpreted as being

endorsed by the US Army Medical Department.

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Contents

U.S. MILITARY

 Agent: Afghan massacre suspect took steroids

 Army: No health risk from secret St. Louis testing

 Brain anatomy may play role in post-traumatic stress disorder

 Pentagon officials provide storm response update

 Report calls for Tricare and military retirement cuts

 Study: Energy drinks cause sleep problems in U.S. combat troops

 Update: Cold weather injuries, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, July 2007-

June 2012

GLOBAL

 Cheap colour test picks up HIV

 Climate information can protect public health

 Experimental device uses heartbeat to power pacemaker

 One test may 'find many cancers'

 Safety lessons from the morgue

 Why doctors prescribe opioids to known opioid abusers

INFLUENZA

 Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center: DoD Influenza Surveillance Summary

 CDC: Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report

 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview

 Flu transmission stays low in US, Europe

 Google.org: Flu Trends

 Naval Health Research Center: Febrile Respiratory Illness Surveillance Update

 USAPHC: U.S. Army Influenza Activity Report

 Scientists move closer to a lasting flu vaccine

VETERINARY/FOOD SAFETY

 Asia: Orang-utans infected by mystery Ebola-like virus

 Australia, Queensland: Hendra virus, equine

 Canada: More problems as Canadian beef producer resumes operations

 Europe, Northern Ireland: Schmallenberg virus, first case
Disaster Information

The National Library of 

Medicine Disaster 

Information Management 

Research Center has 

compiled a list of health 

information resources onto 

one “SuperStorm” Sandy 

webpage. On this page you 

will find links to overviews, 

state specific pages, 

cleanup and recovery 

information, mental health 

information, multilanguage resources, social 

media information, apps 

and widgets, and more. 

WELLNESS

 Daily multivitamin use does not reduce cardiovascular disease risk in men

 Eating in restaurants tied to higher calorie intake

 Human enhancements at work pose ethical dilemmas

 Ivermectin hair lotion found effective against lice

 Studies show maternal smoking triggers asthma in grandchildren

 The nearer the bar, the greater the chances of risky drinking

 Vitamins and nutritional supplements may contain unexpected hazards

 Why even healthy people should watch their salt intake

 Young doctors: fewer hours means they're less tired, less prepared

USAFRICOM

 Mauritania: Rift Valley fever

 Mozambique: Clear connection between HIV and malaria deaths

 Nigeria tackles maternal mortality

 Northern Mali: Child malnutrition is major problem

 Sudan: Yellow fever

 Uganda: Marburg haemorrhagic fever – WHO update

USCENTCOM

 Afghanistan: Disease outbreaks prompt action

 Bahrain: Sickle cell claims 1 life per week

 Saudi Arabia: Novel coronavirus, new case

 Syria: Humanitarian aid not getting through

USEUCOM

 United Kingdom: An unusual transmission event of Neisseria meningitides serogroup W135 

type 2a in a healthcare setting, 2012

 United Kingdom: Anthrax, human

 United Kingdom: Heart disease deaths halve –but only if you live in the South

USNORTHCOM

 U.S.: 7 health risks in the wake of Superstorm Sandy

 U.S.: Extra MMR vaccine helped prevent mumps in outbreak

 U.S.: Hurricane Sandy death toll climbs above 110, N.Y. hardest hit

 U.S.: Increase seen in suicide rate since recession

 U.S.: Meningitis death toll rises to 29 with fatality in Virginia

 U.S.: Superbug MRSA identified in wastewater treatment plants

USPACOM

 Asia-Pacific region has 30 million malaria cases yearly

 China fights to go beyond organs harvested from executed prisoners

 China: Most women exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke

 India: As dengue fever sweeps India, a slow response stirs experts’ fears

 Thailand, Myanmar: Malaria, artemisinin resistance

 Vietnam: HFMD outbreak surges past 100000, CDC issues travel notice

USSOUTHCOM

 Cuba: UN-sponsored aid arrives in Cuba in wake of Hurricane Sandy
Soldiers Provide 

Support to 

Hurricane Sandy 

Victims in Carteret, 

N.J.

Department of Defense 

Photo Essay

National Guard 

Continues Aid to 

Hurricane Sandy 

Victims

Department of Defense 

Photo Essay

 Dominican Republic: Cholera cases reach 330

 Haiti, U.N. seek $74 million to help agriculture after Sandy

U.S. MILITARY

Agent: Afghan massacre suspect took steroids 

7 November - A U.S. agent who investigated a massacre at two Afghan villages last March 

says the soldier charged in the killings had taken steroids. Special Agent Matthew Hoffman 

of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division testified at a hearing Wednesday that Staff Sgt. 

Robert Bales tested positive for steroids three days after the killings. Seattle Times

Army: No health risk from secret St. Louis testing

2 November - An Army investigation into secret chemical testing in impoverished areas of 

St. Louis during the Cold War era has corroborated three previous studies that the testing 

posed no health risk to those who lived in the areas, according to a letter from a top Army 

official. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Army used motorized blowers atop a low-income 

housing high-rise, on schools and in other locations to spray zinc cadmium sulfide, a fine 

fluorescent powder, into the air. The testing was part of a biological weapons program and 

St. Louis was chosen because it bore some resemblance to Russian cities that the U.S. might 

attack... Army investigators reviewed several assessments and studies compiled over the 

past nearly two decades and found no health risk from the zinc cadmium sulfide (ZnCdS) 

sprayed in St. Louis. Army Times

Brain anatomy may play role in post-traumatic stress 

disorder

6 November - In combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, the area of the brain 

that controls fear and anxiety responses is much smaller than normal, according to a new 

study. The finding is the first to provide evidence that a smaller amygdala is associated with 

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it's not clear whether this smaller size is caused 

by PTSD or whether people with a smaller amygdala are more likely to develop PTSD, the 

researchers said. Medline Plus

Pentagon officials provide storm response update

7 November – The Department of Defense is a fully integrated partner in the federal, state, 

and local response to Hurricane Sandy and is appropriately postured to provide additional 

assistance to civilian authorities as a result of the northeaster currently sweeping through 

the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States, defense officials reported today. To 

address potential issues that may result from the northeaster, DOD has kept significant 

capacity in the region to provide emergency, temporary power and pumping capability and 

to distribute fuel, food, cold-weather clothing and other comfort items as requested by civil 

authorities, officials said. Defense.gov
Assessing the Value 

of CommunityBased Prevention

Despite their importance to 

preventing illness, 

determining the value of 

community-based 

interventions has proven 

difficult. Preventing illness 

requires immediate 

investments with benefits 

that might not be realized 

for many years.

This report proposes a 

framework to assess the 

value of community-based, 

non-clinical prevention 

policies and wellness 

strategies. The framework 

represents a valuable step 

toward realizing the elusive 

goal of appropriately and 

comprehensively valuing 

community-based 

prevention.

Report calls for Tricare and military retirement cuts

6 November - On October 31, the Center for American Progress, an influential think tank, 

released a report titled ‘Rebalancing Our National Security.’ The report calls for freezing 

future military pay raises, forcing working age military retirees to use employer-provided 

health care plans, and changing the current 20-year retirement plan to a 401K style pension 

program... The report also recommends changing Tricare for Life coverage by making older 

retiree’s cover their first $500 expenses out-of-pocket and only cover 50 percent of the next 

$5,000 in Medicare cost-sharing. Military.com

Study: Energy drinks cause sleep problems in U.S. 

combat troops

8 November - A new U.S. Army study warns service members to consume energy drinks in 

moderation, citing them as a cause of sleep problems among those on combat deployment. 

Researchers looked at service members deployed in Afghanistan in 2010. A random survey 

of U.S. Army and Marine combat troops there revealed that 45 percent consumed one or 

more energy drinks per day and 14 percent consumed three or more... According to the 

study, 38 percent of service members consuming three or more energy drinks per day 

averaged four hours or less of sleep each night -- as opposed to 18 percent of those 

drinking one to two per day and 24 percent for those consuming no energy drinks. Fox 

News

Update: Cold weather injuries, active and reserve 

components, U.S. Armed Forces, July 2007-June 2012

From July 2011 through June 2012, the number of active and reserve component service 

members treated for cold injuries (n=499) was lower than the number in each of the four 

previous one year periods. Over the last five years, frostbite was the most common type of 

cold injury in all the Services except for the Marine Corps, in which hypothermia was slightly 

more frequent. Service members who were female, less than 20 years old, or of black, nonHispanic race/ethnicity tended to have higher cold injury rates than their respective 

counterparts. Army personnel accounted for the majority of cold injuries. Medical 

Surveillance Monthly Report

top of page...

GLOBAL

Cheap colour test picks up HIV

28 October - A cheap test which could detect even low levels of viruses and some cancers 

has been developed by UK researchers. The colour of a liquid changes to give either a 

positive or negative result. The designers from Imperial College London say the device 
Exploring Health 

and Environmental 

Costs of Food -

Workshop Summary

One of the many benefits 

of the U.S. food system is a 

safe, nutritious, and 

consistent food supply. 

However, the same system 

also creates significant 

environmental, public 

health, and other costs that 

generally are not captured 

in the retail price of food. 

These include greenhouse 

gas emissions, soil erosion, 

air pollution, the transfer of 

antibiotic resistance from 

food animals to humans, 

diet-related chronic 

disease risk, and other 

environmental and human 

health consequences.

could lead to more widespread testing for HIV and other diseases in parts of the world 

where other methods are unaffordable. The prototype, which needs wider testing, is 

described in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. BBC

Climate information can protect public health 

29 October - Climate information and weather forecasts can help prevent or prepare ways 

to offset disease epidemics and improve health, according to a new U.N. report. The World 

Meteorological Organization and World Health Organization have published the first Atlas 

of Health and Climate. The World Meteorological Organization says climate change is 

altering the magnitude, frequency and duration of extreme weather events. As the world's 

climate continues to change, it warns hazards to human health are increasing. VOA

Experimental device uses heartbeat to power pacemaker 

6 November - Patients whose hearts need a bit of help keeping the beat are often given a 

pacemaker, which delivers electrical pulses to regulate heartbeats. The tiny electronic 

devices, surgically implanted beneath the skin on the chest, must be replaced every five to 

seven years when their batteries run out. But an experimental device that converts energy 

from the heartbeat itself could provide enough electricity to operate the pacemaker 

indefinitely. VOA

One test may 'find many cancers'

6 November - Targeting just one chemical inside cancerous cells could one day lead to a 

single test for a broad range of cancers, researchers say. The same system could then be 

used to deliver precision radiotherapy. Scientists told the National Cancer Research Institute 

conference they had been able to find breast cancer in mice weeks before a lump had been 

detected. The same target chemical was also present in cancers of the lung, skin, kidney and 

bladder, they said. BBC News

Safety lessons from the morgue

26 October – [Susan P. Baker of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg 

School of Public Health in Baltimore] has had a hand in more than 250 such 

research papers, as well as her nearly 40 monographs and textbook 

chapters and 5 books. She has endlessly lobbied, in person and in print, for 

gun control and air bags, motorcycle helmets and home sprinkler systems. 

She has fought to put the discipline of injury prevention on the nation’s public-health 

agenda, leading to the creation of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and 

nearly a dozen injury-research centers at universities and hospitals around the country. New 

York Times

Why doctors prescribe opioids to known opioid abusers

25 October - Prescription opioid abuse is an epidemic in the United States. In 2010, there 

were reportedly as many as 2.4 million opioid abusers in this country, and the number of 

new abusers had increased by 225% between 1992 and 2000. Sixty percent of the opioids 
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that are abused are obtained directly or indirectly through a physician's prescription. In 

many instances, doctors are fully aware that their patients are abusing these medications or 

diverting them to others for nonmedical use, but they prescribe them anyway. Why? Recent 

changes in medicine's philosophy of pain treatment, cultural trends in Americans' attitudes 

toward suffering, and financial disincentives for treating addiction have contributed to this 

problem. New England Journal of Medicine

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INFLUENZA

Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center: DoD Influenza 

Surveillance Summary

8 November - Overall, influenza activity remains low in the MHS and varies from low to 

moderate levels in the overseas DoD laboratory surveillance network; circulating subtypes 

include influenza A/H1, A/H3 and influenza B. The influenza vaccination coverage for the 

DoD (Active Duty component only) is 82%. AFHSC DoD Influenza Surveillance Summary

CDC: Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report

During week 43 (October 21-27, 2012), influenza activity remained low in the United States.

 Viral Surveillance: Of 3,036 specimens tested during week 43, 188 (6.2%) were positive 

for influenza.

 Pneumonia and Influenza Mortality: The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia 

and influenza (P&I) was above the epidemic threshold. 

 Influenza-associated Pediatric Deaths: No influenza-associated pediatric deaths were 

reported. FluView

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control:

Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview

During week 43 (22–28 October 2012), influenza activity of low-intensity was notified by all 

18 countries reporting, with the majority of them indicating sporadic spread or no activity.

Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview

Flu transmission stays low in US, Europe

2 November - ... The percentage of deaths attributed to flu and pneumonia climbed above 

the epidemic threshold to 6.5%, and the number of states reporting local geographic spread 

increased from three last week to five: Alaska, Iowa, New York, North Dakota, and Wyoming. 

No pediatric deaths or novel flu virus infections were reported. CIDRAP News Scan
Google.org: Flu Trends

7 November – Estimates of flu activity based on Internet search queries indicate that the 

level of flu activity in the Canada, Europe, and Japan is low while the level in the U.S. and 

Russia is moderate. In the southern hemisphere levels are predominantly minimal with low 

levels in Chile. Google.org Flu Trends

Naval Health Research Center: Febrile Respiratory 

Illness Surveillance Update 

For the week ending 3 November2012:

Influenza: Cluster of influenza A/H1N1(09) cases at MCRD Parris Island, continuing into midOctober. 

FRI surveillance at all eight U.S. military basic training centers indicated FRI rates were at or 

below expected values. NHRC Febrile Respiratory Illness Surveillance Update 

USAPHC: U.S. Army Influenza Activity Report

27 October – Although MTFs are beginning to see an increase in influenza-positive 

specimens, overall influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) activity remains low in US Army 

and civilian populations.

 ILI Activity: Army outpatient visits for incident ILI are 14% lower this year than the same 

time last year.

 Influenza cases: No hospitalized influenza cases have been reported in DRSi this 

influenza season.

 Acute Respiratory Disease at BCT sites: ARDS rates are lower at all Army BCT sites for 

2012 compared to 2011.

 Viral specimens: During week 43, 90 of 430 (21%) clinical specimens tested were 

positive for respiratory pathogens. Influenza A was identified in 39 (43%) of these 

positive samples. Most of the Army influenza positive specimens were reported by 

SRMC (56%), primarily at Ft Gordon and Ft Stewart (56%). USAPHC U.S. Army Influenza 

Activity Report

Scientists move closer to a lasting flu vaccine

29 October - As this year’s flu season gathers steam, doctors and pharmacists have a fresh 

stock of vaccines to offer their patients. The vaccines usually provide strong protection 

against the virus, but only for a while. Vaccines for other diseases typically work for years or 

decades. With the flu, though, next fall it will be time to get another dose... But a flurry of 

recent studies on the virus has brought some hope for a change. Dr. Nabel and other flu 

experts foresee a time when seasonal flu shots are a thing of the past, replaced by longlasting vaccines... With current technology, scientists would not have a vaccine for a new 

pandemic strain until the outbreak was well under way. An effective universal flu vaccine 

would already be able to fight it. New York Times

top of page...
VETERINARY/FOOD SAFETY

Asia: Orang-utans infected by mystery Ebola-like virus 

6 November - They are already the most endangered great apes. Now orang-utans may 

face an additional threat: Ebola virus, or something a lot like it. Bornean orang-utans have 

antibodies that recognise not just the Asian species of Ebola virus, but all four African Ebola 

viruses and a similar African virus called Marburg. None of the African viruses has ever been 

seen outside Africa before. New Scientist

Australia, Queensland: Hendra virus, equine

4 November - A horse euthanased on a far north Queensland property this week has been 

confirmed as having Hendra virus, authorities say. Test results on Friday [2 Nov 2012] night 

confirmed the latest case, the 8th Hendra virus incident in Queensland this year [2012] and 

the 2nd in Ingham, north of Townsville. ProMED-mail

Canada: More problems as Canadian beef producer 

resumes operations

5 November - Canadian food safety inspectors have flagged additional problems at XL 

Foods, Inc., since it resumed operations on Oct 29 after being shuttered for several weeks in 

the wake of a massive beef recall in Canada and the United States, according to a Nov 3 

statement from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The company's contaminated 

beef has been linked to an Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak in Canada that has now 

sickened 17 people, according to a Nov 1 update from the Public Health Agency of Canada 

(PHAC). CIDRAP

Europe, Northern Ireland: Schmallenberg virus, first 

case

2 November - DARD [Department of Agriculture and Rural Development] has confirmed 

that tests conducted on a malformed calf in Co [County] Down by the Agri-Food and 

Biosciences Institute (AFBI) have identified the presence of Schmallenberg virus (SBV). 

Another calf from the same herd, while testing negative for SBV, displayed signs consistent 

with those associated with the disease. This is the 1st case of the disease detected in 

Northern Ireland. ProMED-mail

top of page...
WELLNESS

Daily multivitamin use does not reduce cardiovascular 

disease risk in men

5 November - Approximately one-third of Americans take a daily multivitamin, but little is 

known about a multivitamin's long-term affect on chronic diseases. Now, new research from

Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) finds that daily multivitamin use does not reduce the 

risk of cardiovascular disease in men. A similar BWH study, announced last month, found 

daily multivitamin use can reduce a man's risk of cancer by 8 percent. Brigham and 

Women’s Hospital

Eating in restaurants tied to higher calorie intake

5 November - In study findings that may not surprise many people, kids and teens ate more 

calories - including more fat and more sugar - on days when they had a meal from a fastfood or sit-down restaurant. "Parents (should) realize that restaurant consumption is not a 

straight-off substitute for eating at home. Restaurant consumption and fast-food 

consumption should not be the norm," said lead researcher Lisa Powell from the University 

of Illinois at Chicago. Reuters

Human enhancements at work pose ethical dilemmas

7 November - Retinal implants to help pilots see at night, stimulant drugs to keep surgeons 

alert and steady handed, cognitive enhancers to focus the minds of executives for a big 

speech or presentation. Medical and scientific advances are bringing human enhancements 

into work but with them, according to a report by British experts, come not only the 

potential to help society and boost productivity, but also a range of ethical dilemmas.

Reuters

Ivermectin hair lotion found effective against lice

31 October - A single 10-minute hair application of a drug used in oral form since the 1980s 

to control river blindness and other parasitic diseases eliminated head lice in nearly three of 

four children in a new study. The lotion contains ivermectin and is sold under the brand 

name Sklice by Sanofi Pasteur, which paid for the study. The U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration used the results to approve topical ivermectin lotion in February. Reuters

Studies show maternal smoking triggers asthma in 

grandchildren

1 November - ... Researchers at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, 

have found evidence of a generational effect of tobacco-smoking on lung development. 

The scientists gave a group of pregnant rats injections of nicotine, the amount an average 

smoker would receive, exposing the animals' unborn pups to the chemical. Nicotine is one 

of more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke known to adversely affect lung 
development. As predicted, the injections caused changes in the fetal animals' upper and 

lower airway development consistent with asthma...After they were born, the rat pups were 

never again exposed to nicotine. Nor were their offspring. Nevertheless, researchers found 

that these second-generation rat pups showed the same physical signs of asthma. VOA

The nearer the bar, the greater the chances of risky 

drinking

2 November - Does living near a bar encourage people to 

overindulge, or do heavy drinkers move to neighborhoods with 

easy access to alcohol? A new study suggests it may be the 

former for some people. Researchers in Finland found that of 

nearly 55,000 Finnish adults followed for seven years, those 

who moved closer to bars were somewhat more likely to increase their drinking. When a 

person moved one kilometer (0.6 mile) closer to a bar, the odds of becoming a heavy 

drinker rose 17 percent. Reuters

Vitamins and nutritional supplements may contain 

unexpected hazards

5 November - The more than 50 percent of American adults who take vitamins, herbs or 

other nutritional supplements may be surprised by some of the hazards that Consumer 

Reports recently identified. Its findings were distilled from interviews with experts, published 

research and its own analysis of reports of serious adverse events submitted to the Food 

and Drug Administration, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request... More 

than 6,300 reports — describing more than 10,300 serious outcomes, including 115 deaths 

and more than 2,100 hospitalizations, 1,000 serious injuries or illnesses, 900 emergency 

room visits, and 4,000 other important medical events — streamed into the FDA from 

supplement companies, consumers, health-care providers and others between 2007 and 

mid-April 2012. Washington Post

Why even healthy people should watch their salt intake

5 November - Salt is a ubiquitous part of the American diet, but even healthy people should 

be cutting back to avoid high blood pressure and life-threatening heart disease and stroke. 

That’s the message from the American Heart Association (AHA) in its latest advisory. TIME

Young doctors: fewer hours means they're less tired, less 

prepared

4 November - Orthopedic surgeons-in-training said they were tired less often after rules 

regulating how much they could work went into place, according to a U.S. survey. But the 

results published in the Annals of Surgery found the trainee doctors didn't actually get any 

more sleep under the limited work hours policy, and also said they felt less prepared as 

doctors and were less satisfied with their education. Reuters

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USAFRICOM

Mauritania: Rift Valley fever

1 November - The Ministry of Health (MoH) in Mauritania declared an outbreak of Rift 

Valley Fever (RVF) on 4 October 2012. From 16 September 2012 (the date of onset of the 

index case) to 30 October 2012, a total of 34 cases, including 17 deaths have been reported 

from 6 regions. The last case was notified on the 27 October 2012 from Magta Lahjar in the 

Brakna region. The 6 regions include Assaba, Brakna, Hodh Chargui, Hodh Gharbi, Tagant 

and Trarza. All the cases had history of contact with animals. WHO

Mozambique: Clear connection between HIV and malaria 

deaths

5 November - Researchers from Mahidol University in Bangkok, working on data from the 

central Mozambican city of Beira, have shown that people infected with the HIV virus that 

causes AIDS are more likely to suffer from complications and die as a result of malaria. It has 

been commonly accepted that malarial deaths often go hand in hand with HIV. However, 

the researchers point out that whilst co-infection is common in settings with a high 

prevalence of both diseases, “there is little information on whether HIV affects the clinical 

presentation and outcome of severe malaria”. Writing in the academic journal “Clinical 

Infectious Diseases”, the authors state that “HIV transmission and progression may be 

accelerated by malaria. All Africa

Nigeria tackles maternal mortality

28 October - For many women in Nigeria, a country with one of the highest maternal death 

rates in the world, the prospect of giving birth can be scary. According to the U.N. children’s 

organization, UNICEF, more than 150 women die every day in pregnancy-related cases in 

Nigeria, an average of one death every 10 minutes. VOA

Northern Mali: Child malnutrition is major problem

2 November - Aid workers say child malnutrition is 

reaching emergency levels in northern Mali which has been 

under the control of armed militant groups since April. 

Brussels-based aid organization, Medecins du Monde, or 

Doctors of the World, says malnutrition rates among 

children under the age of five in occupied northern Mali are reaching "alarming levels." The 

NGO says it found that 13.5 percent of those children in the far northern Kidal region are 

suffering from acute malnutrition. That's double last year's rate and well over the World 

Health Organization's 10 percent alert threshold. VOA
Sudan: Yellow fever

6 November - Sudan's Federal Health Ministry announced that the number of yellow fever 

cases in Darfur has increased to more than 143, including 63 deaths, Radio Dabanga has 

learned on Sunday 4 Nov 2011. The Ministry confirmed the emergence of new cases among 

the population in the southern regions west of El-Geneina [sic; must mean east -- see map 

in Comment] in West Darfur and the adjacent areas in Central Darfur... At the same time, the 

State Health Ministry of South Darfur disclosed their urgent need for approximately 9 

million doses of [yellow fever] vaccine for the people of Darfur in the battle against the 

'epidemic disease', adding it could take more than 2 weeks for the vaccines to arrive. 

ProMED-mail

Uganda: Marburg haemorrhagic fever – WHO update

31 October - As of 28 October 2012, a total of 18 cases and 9 deaths, including a health 

worker, have been reported from 5 districts namely Kabale district, in south-western 

Uganda, Kampala (the capital city), Ibanda, Mbarara and Kabarole. The case fatality rate is 

50%. The outbreak was declared by the Ministry of Health in Uganda on 19 October 2012. 

Blood samples from 9 cases have been confirmed for Marburg virus at the Uganda Virus 

Research Institute (UVRI). Currently, 13 patients have been admitted to hospital (2 in 

Kampala, 8 in Kabale, 3 in Ibanda) and their contacts are listed for daily follow up. WHO

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USCENTCOM

Afghanistan: Disease outbreaks prompt action

1 November - Afghanistan is taking steps to improve its routine 

immunization coverage, after a drop in coverage led to a sharp 

increase in measles outbreaks last year, killing more than 300 

children. Since the start of the last Afghan winter, in November 

2011, 9,000 measles cases were reported across almost every 

province in the country, as compared to 3,000 cases over the same period the year before. 

Aid workers described the increase as an emergency situation that should serve as a 

“ringing alarm bell”. It was the culmination of several years of decreasing vaccination 

coverage due to rising insecurity, decreased access, difficult terrain and harsh winters that 

cut off thousands of villages. IRIN

Bahrain: Sickle cell claims 1 life per week

3 November - Bahrain is on the verge of a sickle cell crisis with the disease claiming the life 

of a person almost once a week, campaigners were quoted as saying... Forty-one sickle cell 

anaemia patients have now died since the start of the year, compared to 32 last year, 35 in 

2010, 28 in 2009 and 23 in 2008. Trade Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Novel coronavirus, new case

4 November - In accordance with Ministry of Health's (MoH) responsibilities for disease 

prevention and control, and in keeping with our practice to inform the public and the media

about significant findings that result from MoH disease surveillance activities, we are 

announcing today [4 Nov 2012] that one of our hospitalized citizens has been confirmed to 

have pneumonia caused by novel Coronavirus (nCoV). This case had no epidemiological 

links to the 2 documented novel coronavirus cases to date. ProMED-mail

Syria: Humanitarian aid not getting through

8 November - Conditions in Syria have worsened to the extent that aid workers on the 

ground are unable to cope with the growing needs of civilians, the International Committee 

of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday. "We are in a situation where the humanitarian 

situation due to the conflict is getting worse. And despite the fact that the scope of the 

operation is increasing, we can't cope with the worsening of the situation," ICRC president 

Peter Maurer said in Geneva. Swissinfo.ch

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USEUCOM

United Kingdom: An unusual transmission event of 

Neisseria meningitides serogroup W135 type 2a in a 

healthcare setting, 2012

1 November - We report an outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135, associated 

with a transient transmission event between asymptomatic individuals in a healthcare 

setting. Two elderly persons subsequently developed invasive meningococcal disease. The 

duration and type of close contact for those directly involved in the probable transmission 

incident would not have warranted chemoprophylaxis according to current guidelines. 

Meningococcal infection in older persons usually presents with pneumonia rather than 

meningitis or septicaemia with purpura. Eurosurveillance

United Kingdom: Anthrax, human

2 November - The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is aware that a person who injected 

heroin has been diagnosed with anthrax infection in Oxford. The patient is recovering. This 

case has occurred after 2 people who injected drugs died from confirmed anthrax infection 

in Blackpool within a month of each other in August and September this year [2012]. There 

is an ongoing outbreak of anthrax among people who inject drugs in a number of countries 

in Europe with 12 cases now identified since early June [2012]. The latest case in Oxford 

brings the total number affected in the UK to 5 -- 3 in England (2 fatal, one recovering), one 

in Scotland, and one in Wales (both recovering).The source is presumed to be contaminated 

heroin. ProMED-mail
United Kingdom: Heart disease deaths halve –but only if 

you live in the South 

5 November - In one of the most dramatic improvements in the nation's health, deaths 

from heart disease have halved since the 1980s – but the gains have not been shared 

equally and the "health gap" between the wealthiest and poorest communities has widened 

among older people, researchers say. A map charting the death rate from heart disease and 

stroke across England by electoral wards shows the stark difference between communities 

and between the healthy and wealthy South and the poor and sickly North. Death rates are 

20 per cent above average in the poorest wards and 20 per cent below average in the 

wealthiest wards, among men over 65. A similar disparity is seen for women over 65. 

Independent

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USNORTHCOM

U.S.: 7 health risks in the wake of Superstorm Sandy

2 November - In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, cold 

weather could put people returning to their homes at risk. 

Here is a bit about some of the health risks victims of the 

storm may face: 1) carbon monoxide exposure, 2) 

infections and injuries from floodwaters, 3) mold, 4) 

hypothermia, 5) contaminated drinking water, 6) spoiled food, and 7) exacerbation of health 

conditions. CNN

U.S.: Extra MMR vaccine helped prevent mumps in 

outbreak

5 November - Giving kids and teens in a New York community a third dose of the measles, 

mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine likely helped halt a mumps outbreak in late 2009 and early 

2010, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. 

guidelines call for kids to get two doses of the MMR vaccine, one at age 12-15 months and 

the other at 4-6 years. But as evidence from the Orange County, New York, community 

shows, mumps can spread in very close quarters even when most young people have 

received both recommended doses. The study covers a mumps outbreak in the Orthodox 

Jewish community, which researchers say began at a religious camp in the Catskill 

Mountains and was spread by a method of schooling involving close one-on-one contact 

between study partners, known as chavrusas (see Reuters Health story of October 31, 2012).

Reuters
U.S.: Hurricane Sandy death toll climbs above 110, N.Y. 

hardest hit

3 November - The number of lives lost and families shattered from Hurricane Sandy

continued to climb Saturday, with the death toll now at more than 110. The number of lives 

claimed in New York from the super storm was reduced by one to 48, after medical 

examiners determined two deaths initially linked to the storm were not, and another body 

was found during the recovery effort. Hardest-hit parts of the state are still buried in rubble 

and tunnels in metropolitan New York still flooded, leaving officials to wearily expect that 

the number could keep climbing. Los Angeles Times

U.S.: Increase seen in suicide rate since recession

4 November - The rate of suicide in the United States rose sharply during the first few years 

since the start of the recession, a new analysis has found. In the report, which appeared 

Sunday on the Web site of The Lancet, a medical journal, researchers found that the rate 

between 2008 and 2010 increased four times faster than it did in the eight years before the 

recession. The rate had been increasing by an average of 0.12 deaths per 100,000 people 

from 1999 through 2007. In 2008, the rate began increasing by an average of 0.51 deaths 

per 100,000 people a year. Without the increase in the rate, the total deaths from suicide 

each year in the United States would have been lower by about 1,500, the study said. New 

York Times

U.S.: Meningitis death toll rises to 29 with fatality in 

Virginia

31 October - Another patient has died in Virginia after contracting 

fungal meningitis from potentially tainted steroid injections 

supplied by a Massachusetts company, the U.S. Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday, bringing the 

death toll from the outbreak to 29 nationwide. The latest death 

brings to three the number of fatalities reported in Virginia. Tennessee has reported the 

most deaths at 11, followed by Michigan with seven. The number of cases of fungal 

meningitis reported across the United States rose to 368 on Wednesday, up 12 from 

Tuesday, the CDC said. Reuters

U.S.: Superbug MRSA identified in wastewater treatment 

plants

5 November - A team led by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Public 

Health has found that the “superbug” methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is 

prevalent at several U.S. wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). MRSA is well known for 

causing difficult-to-treat and potentially fatal bacterial infections in hospital patients, but 

since the late 1990s it has also been infecting otherwise healthy people in community 

settings. University of Maryland School of Public Health

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USPACOM

Asia-Pacific region has 30 million malaria cases yearly

2 November - Countries in the Asia-Pacific region carry the biggest malaria burden outside 

of Africa, reporting about 30 million malaria cases each year, along with 42,000 deaths from 

the disease, according to a report unveiled today by the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) 

Partnership... Twenty countries in the Asia-Pacific region are malaria-endemic. Robert 

Newman, MD, MPH, who directs the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Malaria 

Program, said in the statement that one of the area's greatest challenges for controlling 

malaria is antimalarial drug resistance. CIDRAP News Scan

China fights to go beyond organs harvested from 

executed prisoners

7 November - A senior official with the Chinese Ministry of Health says the country must 

end its dependence on organs taken from executed prisoners even as it struggles to 

establish “an ethical and sustainable organ donation system.” The official, Wang Haibo, said 

there is now a “consensus among China’s transplant community that the new system will 

relinquish the reliance on organs from executed convicts.” Between 2003 and 2009, only 130 

people in China signed up as organ donors, academic researchers found. As a result, twothirds of all organs for transplant are still taken from executed prisoners.” International 

Herald Tribune

China: Most women exposed to second-hand tobacco 

smoke

6 November - Nearly two-thirds of women of reproductive age in China are exposed to 

second-hand tobacco smoke at home and over half are exposed in the workplace, which 

raises the risk of complications in pregnancy, including stillbirths and infant death. The 

findings, released by the World Health Organisation on Tuesday, are from a tobacco survey 

conducted in China in 2010 by the centers for disease control and prevention in China, the 

United States and the WHO. Reuters

India: As dengue fever sweeps India, a slow response 

stirs experts’ fears

6 November - An epidemic of dengue fever in India is 

fostering a growing sense of alarm even as government 

officials here have publicly refused to acknowledge the 

scope of a problem that experts say is threatening hundreds 

of millions of people, not just in India but around the world. 

India has become the focal point for a mosquito-borne plague that is sweeping the globe. 

Reported in just a handful of countries in the 1950s, dengue (pronounced DEN-gay) is now 

endemic in half the world’s nations. New York Times
Thailand, Myanmar: Malaria, artemisinin resistance

3 November - The number of artemisinin/mafloquine-resistant cases is on the rise along the 

Thai-Myanmar border, according to Kanchanaburi health workers...Artemisinin is usually 

used in combination with other anti-malarial drugs, such as mafloquine. The number of 

artemisinin/mafloquine-resistant cases is on the rise along the Thai-Myanmar border, 

according to Kanchanaburi health workers. "This year, 41 out of 207 cases of malaria proved 

resistant to artemisinin/mafloquine treatment," said Wittaya Saiphromsud, head of the 

Vector Borne Disease Centre in Sai Yok district, Kanchanaburi... By refusing follow-up 

treatment, malaria carriers increase the risk of transmitting via mosquitoes their drugresilient malaria parasites to others. ProMED-mail

Vietnam: HFMD outbreak surges past 100000, CDC 

issues travel notice

8 November - The Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MoH) is reporting a large-scale outbreak, 

rivaling last year’s numbers. This has prompted federal health officials in the United States 

to issue recommendations for travelers to the Southeast Asian country, according to a 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel notice Nov. 7. According to the 

MoH, there were approximately 116,418 people in 63 provinces confirmed with hand, foot, 

and mouth disease (HFMD) from January1 to October 7 2012; 42 people in 15 provinces 

have died. Examiner.com

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USSOUTHCOM

Cuba: UN-sponsored aid arrives in Cuba in wake of 

Hurricane Sandy

8 November 2012 – Multiple United Nations agencies using emergency funding are the 

main sponsors behind delivery today of more than 40 tons of humanitarian assistance for 

Cuba’s second largest urban centre, Santiago de Cuba, where Hurricane Sandy wrought 

widespread damage as it swept through the Caribbean two weeks ago before striking the 

eastern United States... Comprising basic commodities for living, the shipment will be 

followed by a second 40-ton shipment of similar supplies Saturday, while USC said it was 

“working with the international community in order to bring into the country additional 

support.” “They (meet the) immediate needs of (the) population,” the UN Resident 

Coordinator in Cuba, Barbara Pesce Monteiro, said of the flight’s contents, which included 

waterproofed canvas, water storage tanks, water purification tablets and hygiene, cooking 

and school kits. UN.org
Dominican Republic: Cholera cases reach 330

6 November - The number of people with cholera symptoms, treated in the northern 

Dominican province of Espaillat increased today to 330, authorities reported, still alert to the 

incidence of the disease. Until yesterday, the number of affected was 250 while 24 remained 

hospitalized, said Domingo Perez, Health director for the province. Prensa Latina

Haiti, U.N. seek $74 million to help agriculture after 

Sandy

7 November - The Haitian government and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the 

United Nations are seeking $74 million to help poor farmers and boost agriculture after 

Hutticane Sandy. The storm washed out crops and livestock, and has left up to two million 

Haitians in danger of malnutrition, the United Nations has said. It was the third disaster to 

hit Haiti in months, leaving many worried of a worsening food crisis. Miami Herald

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