16 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.

U.S. Army Public Health Command

U.S. Military | Global | Influenza | Veterinary/Food Safety | Wellness | Contact Us

USAFRICOM | USCENTCOM | USEUCOM | USNORTHCOM | USPACOM | USSOUTHCOM

NOTICE

Because of the 

Thanksgiving holiday, there 

will be no 

APH Weekly Update next 

week. Publication will 

resume on 

30 November.

Approved for public release, distribution unlimited.

Contents

U.S. MILITARY

 Military doctors fight to defeat fungal infections

 Thyroid disorders among active component military members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2011

 Undiagnosed eye problems plague some U.S. veterans

GLOBAL

 Antibiotics are a gift to be handled with care

 Call for global crackdown on fake medicines

 DNA sequencing of MRSA used to stop outbreak

 Experimental malaria vaccine falls short

 Gene variations linked to lung cancer susceptibility in Asian women

 Household bio-reactors have powerful future (video)

 New infection, not relapse, brings back Lyme symptoms, study says

 Scientists question the designation of some emerging diseases

 UN calls for action on pneumonia in children

INFLUENZA

 Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center: DoD Influenza Surveillance Summary

 Australia reports deadly bird flu in New South Wales

 CDC: Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report

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

 Flu during pregnancy linked to autism in children

 Google.org: Flu Trends

 Naval Health Research Center: Febrile Respiratory Illness Surveillance Update

 USAPHC: U.S. Army Influenza Activity Report

VETERINARY/FOOD SAFETY

 Brazil: Leishmaniasis, canine

 Thailand: Koh Lanta officials blame turtle soup for ‘strange’ outbreak

 U.S., North Carolina: Confirmed - outbreak began with livestock
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WELLNESS

 20 percent of youth with HIV didn't know they were infected at first sexual experience

 Booze calories nearly equal soda's for US adults

 Diabetes cases hit record and half go undiagnosed

 For cholesterol tests, fasting may not be required

 Graphic photos on cigarette packages prevents smoking

 Legal drugs, deadly outcomes

 Migraine-associated brain changes not related to impaired cognition

 Plan to become an ex-smoker for good

 Probiotics could be an effective and safe approach to prevent C. diff: study

USAFRICOM

 Africa: Aiming to eliminate preventable child deaths

 Nigeria: Exxon Mobil cleaning up oil spill on Nigerian coast

 Nigeria: MSF urges Nigeria president to act on deadly lead poisoning

 Sudan: Yellow fever kills nearly 100 in Sudan’s Darfur, WHO

 Uganda says three dead in new Ebola outbreak near Kampala

USCENTCOM

 Iran aims for baby boom, but are Iranians in the mood?

 Iraq eyes hiring of up to 2,000 Pinoy doctors, nurses

 Pakistan: Polio cases slowing spur hope for elimination

USEUCOM

 Did wild birds cause the 2010 West Nile virus outbreak in Greece?

 Ireland abortion policy under scrutiny after woman's death

 United Kingdom: Afghanistan soldiers offered support from Yorkshire and Humber Veterans' 

Outreach Service

USNORTHCOM

 U.S.: Good news, bad news on antibiotic use and resistance

 U.S.: Infant deaths - searching for answers in Mississippi

 U.S.: Meningitis outbreak: 438 cases, 32 deaths

 U.S.: Tick-borne illnesses move beyond Lyme disease

USPACOM

 Cambodia: Dengue fever kills 170 kids in 10 months, up 154%

 India, Bengaluru: Hospitals see rise in typhoid, GE cases

 Welfare in India - Money where your mouth is

USSOUTHCOM

 Costa Rica: Authorities warn of surge in dengue infection in Guanacaste
The Cigar Trap:

Maryland Leads the 

Way to Address the 

Hidden Epidemic of 

Youth Cigar Use

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg 

School of Public Health, 

the Midatlantic Public 

Health Training Center, and 

the Maryland Department 

of Health and Mental 

Hygiene present Public 

Health Practice Grand 

Rounds.

Presenters:

Dawn Berkowitz, MPH, 

CHES

Chief, Division of Tobacco 

Control Initiatives, 

Maryland Department of 

Health and Mental Hygiene

Carlo C. DiClemente, Ph.D.

UMBC Presidential 

Research Professor, 

Director MDQUIT Resource 

Center

28 November 2012

Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Live webcast on the JHSPH 

website.

For more information, 

contact the Mid-Atlantic 

Public Health Training 

Center at 443-287-7833.

No registration is 

necessary!

Archived webcast will be 

available in 10 days on the 

JHSPH website.

U.S. MILITARY

Military doctors fight to defeat fungal infections

14 November - Military doctors are fighting to defeat a fungal infection that has killed a 

handful of direly wounded troops in Afghanistan and infected scores of others, often 

requiring that more of their limbs be cut away to get above diseased areas. Out of about 

100 troops diagnosed with the organism in the past three years, six have died either from 

the fungus or other causes, says Navy Cmdr. Carlos Rodriguez, who has led investigations 

into the infection. The victims are mostly soldiers or Marines who suffer the worst wounds 

of the war, multiple amputations from roadside bombs. The fungi exist in the soil, and 

appear to be prevalent in two hard-fought southern Afghanistan provinces of Helmand and 

Kandahar... Making matters worse, the two of the most common fungal organisms infecting 

troops — Mucor and Aspergillus terreus — can take days or weeks to positively identify.

USA Today

Thyroid disorders among active component military 

members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2011

October 2012 - During 2002-2011, among active component U.S. military members, the 

rates of idiopathic hypothyroidism were 39.7 and 7.8 per 10,000 person-years among 

females and males, respectively. Unadjusted rates of idiopathic hypothyroidism and chronic 

thyroiditis (e.g., Hashimoto’s disease) were at least twice as high among white, non-Hispanic 

as black, non-Hispanic service members. However, black, non-Hispanic service members 

had higher rates of goiter and thyrotoxicosis. Increasing rates of thyroid disorders during 

the period were accompanied by increases in numbers of screening tests for thyroid 

function recorded during outpatient visits. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report

Undiagnosed eye problems plague some U.S. veterans

12 November - Undiagnosed, chronic vision problems are 

common in U.S. veterans with traumatic brain injury or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), two new studies show. One 

study looked at 31 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars 

with mild blast-related traumatic brain injury and found that 

67 percent had chronic vision disorders. Even though none had suffered direct eye wounds, 

they still had vision problems more than a year after the incident that caused their traumatic 

brain injury. Medline Plus

top of page...
Reducing TobaccoRelated Cancer 

Incidence and 

Mortality 

Despite the widespread 

agreement on the dangers 

of tobacco use and 

considerable success in 

reducing the smoking rate 

by half since the first U.S. 

Surgeon General's report 

on smoking in 1964, 

progress in reducing 

tobacco use has slowed in 

recent years. 

The IOM examined current 

challenges in tobacco 

control and explored 

potential policy, outreach, 

and treatment strategies 

that could reduce tobaccorelated cancer incidence 

and death. 

GLOBAL

Antibiotics are a gift to be handled with care

12 November - ...Antibiotics represent a huge gift in the struggle 

against infant and child mortality, a triumph (or actually, many 

triumphs) of human ingenuity and science over disease and death, since 

the antibiotic era began back in the fourth and fifth decades of the 20th 

century. But new research is looking at questions about the complex 

effects of antibiotics — on bacteria, on individual children and on populations — building 

on a greatly increased awareness of how powerful antibiotics can be, and how important it 

is to use them judiciously. New York Times

Call for global crackdown on fake medicines

13 November - A global treaty to crack down on the deadly trade of fake medicines is 

urgently needed, say experts. Currently, there are more sanctions around the use of illegal 

tobacco than counterfeit drugs. Writing in the British Medical Journal, experts urge the 

World Health Organization to set up a framework akin to its one tobacco control to 

safeguard the public. WHO says more than one in every 10 drug products in poorer nations 

are fake. A third of malaria drugs are counterfeit, research suggests. In richer countries, 

medicine safety is better, but substandard and falsified drugs still cause thousands of 

adverse reactions and some deaths. BBC News

DNA sequencing of MRSA used to stop outbreak

13 November - An outbreak of the hospital superbug MRSA has been brought to an end by 

UK doctors cracking the bacterium's genetic code. It led to them finding one member of 

staff at Rosie Hospital, in Cambridge, who may have unwittingly carried and spread the 

infection. They say it is the first time rapid genetic testing has been used to track and then 

stop an outbreak. One expert said this would soon become "standard practice" in hospitals.

BBC News

Experimental malaria vaccine falls short

9 November - The world's first experimental malaria vaccine produced disappointing results 

in a large-scale test among African infants, raising questions about its potential for fighting 

the disease. The vaccine, promoted as a new weapon in the malaria fight, reduced the risk 

of malaria by only 30 percent. The study involved more than 6,500 babies aged six to 12 

weeks. The results, released Friday, showed the vaccine providing less than half the 

protection it did in a previous smaller trial involving infants. VOA

Gene variations linked to lung cancer susceptibility in 

Asian women

13 November - An international group of scientists has identified three genetic regions that 

predispose Asian women who have never smoked to lung cancer. The finding provides 
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further evidence that risk of lung cancer among never-smokers, especially Asian women, 

may be associated with certain unique inherited genetic characteristics that distinguishes it 

from lung cancer in smokers. Lung cancer in never-smokers is the seventh leading cause of 

cancer deaths worldwide, and the majority of lung cancers diagnosed historically among 

women in Eastern Asia have been in women who never smoked. NIH

Household bio-reactors have powerful future (video)

12 November - Researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory are developing a mobile 

reactor they say will one day play a crucial role in helping people after natural disasters like 

Hurricane Sandy. The reactor can convert kitchen and bathroom waste into a high energy 

fuel that can be made at home and used to power generators during a power outage.

Reuters

New infection, not relapse, brings back Lyme symptoms, 

study says

14 November - When people who have been treated for Lyme disease recover but later 

come down with its symptoms again, is the illness a relapse or a new infection? The 

question has lingered for years. Now, a new study finds that repeat symptoms are from new 

infections, not from relapses... The conclusion that new symptoms come from new 

infections is based on genetically fingerprinting the Lyme bacteria in people who have had 

the illness more than once, and finding that the fingerprints do not match. The result means 

that different episodes of Lyme in each patient were caused by different strains of the 

bacteria, and could not have been relapses. New York Times

Scientists question the designation of some emerging 

diseases

9 November - The Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses are commonly referred to as emerging 

diseases, but leading scientists say these life-threatening viruses have been around for 

centuries. In a perspective in the Nov. 9 issue of the journal Science, researchers including a 

professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) say it 

would be more appropriate to refer to these viruses as emerging diagnoses. UTHealth

UN calls for action on pneumonia in children

11 November - ... U.N. and other health agencies say the 

world has the means to save hundreds of thousands of 

children’s lives from this preventable disease. Pneumonia 

kills more children than any other disease in the world. The 

U.N. Children’s Fund reports every 25 seconds a child dies 

from pneumonia. It kills 3,400 children a day or 1.3 million a year. By this calculation, 

pneumonia accounts for 18 percent of the 6.9 million child deaths a year. VOA

top of page...
INFLUENZA

Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center: DoD Influenza 

Surveillance Summary

For the week ending 15 November 2012, 

 Overall, Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) incidence rates continued to decrease in the MHS 

except EUCOM unvaccinated. 

 Influenza activity is at moderate levels across the overseas DoD laboratory surveillance 

network except in Europe where the activity is low; circulating subtypes include 

influenza A/H1, A/H3 and influenza B. 

 The influenza vaccination coverage for the DoD (Active Duty component only) is 85%.

AFHSC DoD Influenza Surveillance Summary

Australia reports deadly bird flu in New South Wales

15 November - Australia has reported its first case of a highly pathogenic bird flu virus in 15 

years at an egg farm in the New South Wales region, the World animal health body OIE said 

on Thursday. So far 5,000 poultry have died in the infected farm in Maitland, 160 km (100 

miles) north of Sydney, but 50,000 are at risk, a report by the Australian agriculture ministry 

to the Paris-based OIE said. The virus, detected last week, is different from the deadly H5N1 

strain, which was first detected in 1997 in Hong Kong and has since devastated duck and 

chicken and caused hundreds of deaths. It is of the "H7" strain but the exact type of H7 had 

not yet been determined, the ministry said. Reuters

CDC: Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report

During week 44 (October 28-November 3, 2012), influenza activity increased in some areas, 

but overall was similar to activity last week in the United States.

 Viral Surveillance: Of 3,277 specimens tested and reported by U.S. World Health 

Organization (WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System 

(NREVSS) collaborating laboratories during week 44, 227 (6.9%) were positive for 

influenza.

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

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

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control:

Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview

In week 44/2012, all 26 reporting countries experienced low intensity of clinical influenza 

activity. 

 Of 279 sentinel specimens tested across 19 countries, only two were positive for 

influenza virus. 
 No hospitalised laboratory-confirmed influenza cases were reported. 

Five weeks into the surveillance season for influenza, there has been no evidence of 

sustained influenza virus transmission in EU/EEA countries. Weekly Influenza Surveillance 

Overview

Flu during pregnancy linked to autism in children

13 November - In the last ten years, rates of children born with autism have started to 

increase, creeping from roughly 1 in 150 kids in 2000, to 1 in 88 in 2008... A massive study of 

almost 97,000 children from Denmark may have a few answers... During the study, which 

followed roughly 30 percent of the child-bearing women in Denmark from 1997 to 2003, 

researchers found that women who had the flu during pregnancy were about twice as likely 

to have children with autism as those who did not have the flu. For those who were 

especially sick, the risk was even greater: A flu or fever that lasted for a week led to a tripled 

risk of having a child with autism. KSL.com

Google.org: Flu Trends

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

level of flu activity in the Canada, Europe, and Japan is minimal to low while the level in the 

U.S., Mexico 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 10 November 2012:

Influenza

 Cluster of influenza A/H1N1(09) cases at MCRD Parris Island in October 

 Cases of influenza A/H3 at MCRD San Diego in late October 

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

3 November – During the week ending 3 November 2012 (Week 44), although some areas 

are beginning to see increases in influenza activity, overall influenza and influenzalike illness 

(ILI) activity remains low in US Army and civilian populations.

 ILI Activity: Army outpatient visits for incident ILI are 19% lower than the same time last 

year.

 Influenza cases: Five hospitalized influenza cases have been reported in DRSi this 

influenza season.

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

compared to the same period last year.
 Viral specimens: During week 44, 83 of 451 (18%) clinical specimens tested were 

positive for respiratory pathogens. Influenza A was identified in 44 (53%) of these 

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

SRMC (48%), primarily at Ft. Stewart (65%) and Ft. Gordon (25%). USAPHC U.S. Army 

Influenza Activity Report

top of page...

VETERINARY/FOOD SAFETY

Brazil: Leishmaniasis, canine

11 November – The risk of an outbreak of leishmaniasis in Arcos, in the mid-west of the 

state, has the population worried. Dogs are the main hosts of the parasite [_Leishmania 

chagasi_], which is dangerous to humans, and the disease is transmitted by a vector. 

Leishmaniasis is considered by the World Health Organization to be one of the 6 largest 

parasitic epidemics in the world. In Minas Gerais last year [2011], there were 19 677 cases of 

the disease. To prevent further contamination, agents of the Control Center for Zoonoses 

(CCZ) will test all residences for leishmaniasis by withdrawing a drop of blood from the 

animal's ear, and the result of the test will be available in about 10 minutes. ProMED-mail

Thailand: Koh Lanta officials blame turtle soup for 

‘strange’ outbreak

12 November - Officials on Koh Lanta believe a sick hawksbill sea turtle was the cause of a 

mass poisoning that may have contributed to the death of a 61-year-old man and resulted 

in 43 other villagers being admitted to hospital. “Many people in the Urak Lawoi sea gypsy 

village on Koh Lanta Yai fell ill with an affliction that produced symptoms similar to hand,

foot and mouth disease,” Koh Lanta District Chief Suriyan Narongkul told the Phuket 

Gazette. The villagers were admitted to Koh Lanta Hospital for suffering from sore throats, 

nausea and diarrhea, he added. Phuket Gazette

U.S., North Carolina: Confirmed - outbreak began with 

livestock 

13 November - The petting zoo at the Cleveland County Fair has been officially determined 

as the initial source of exposure behind the E. coli outbreak that plagued area counties in 

recent weeks, public health investigators from the N.C. Department of Health and Human 

Services announced Friday. Officials, who presented their findings during a press conference 

in Shelby, also said their investigation found that weather may have played a role in the 

widespread contamination of the area surrounding the petting zoo exhibit, according to a 

DHHS press release. The outbreak has resulted in 106 illnesses, including 14 in Lincoln 

County, and the death of a Gaston County child. Lincoln-Times News

top of page...
WELLNESS

20 percent of youth with HIV didn't know they were 

infected at first sexual experience

9 November - Roughly 20 percent of youth who have had HIV since birth did not know their 

HIV status when they first became sexually active, according to a study by a National 

Institutes of Health-supported research network. The study also found that, of those youth 

who knew they had HIV and who were asked about disclosure of their HIV status to their 

first sexual partners, most reported that they had not told their partner prior to sexual 

activity. Moreover, most of these sexually active youth reported some sexual activity without 

condom use. NIH

Booze calories nearly equal soda's for US adults 

15 November - Americans get too many calories from soda. But what about alcohol? It 

turns out adults get almost as many empty calories from booze as from soft drinks, a 

government study found. Soda and other sweetened drinks - the focus of obesity-fighting 

public health campaigns - are the source of about 6 percent of the calories adults consume, 

on average. Alcoholic beverages account for about 5 percent, the new study found. Seattle 

Times

Diabetes cases hit record and half go undiagnosed

14 November - Diabetes is running at record levels worldwide and half the people 

estimated to have the disease are, as yet, undiagnosed, according to a report on 

Wednesday. The number of people living with diabetes is now put at 371 million, up from 

366 million a year ago, with numbers expected to reach 552 million by 2030, the 

International Diabetes Federation (IDF) said. Diabetes is often viewed as a western problem, 

since the vast majority of people have type 2 disease which is linked to obesity and lack of 

exercise. But the disease is also spreading rapidly in poorer countries, alongside 

urbanization, and four out of five diabetics now live in low and middle-income countries, 

opening up new opportunities and challenges for the drug industry. Reuters

For cholesterol tests, fasting may not be required

12 November - Most people getting their cholesterol checked may not need to fast 

beforehand, a new Canadian study suggests. Researchers found the blood tests showed 

similar average total cholesterol and "good" HDL cholesterol readings, in particular, 

regardless of whether patients had eaten recently or avoided food for more than eight 

hours, as is typically recommended. Reuters
Graphic photos on cigarette packages prevents smoking

13 November - The more graphic the better is the 

conclusion of a new study of warnings on cigarette 

packages. A team at the University of South Carolina in the 

United States analyzed what kind of warning labels deter 

adults from smoking. “Smokers rated warning labels with 

pictures and text to be stronger in terms of their believability, their relevance to smokers 

themselves and in terms of their effectiveness than the warnings that only contain text,” said 

the lead investigator. VOA

Legal drugs, deadly outcomes

11 November - ... Prescription drug overdoses now claim more lives than heroin and 

cocaine combined, fueling a doubling of drug-related deaths in the United States over the 

last decade... Authorities have failed to recognize how often people overdose on 

medications prescribed for them by their doctors. A Los Angeles Times investigation has 

found that in nearly half of the accidental deaths from prescription drugs in four Southern 

California counties, the deceased had a doctor's prescription for at least one drug that 

caused or contributed to the death. Los Angeles Times

Migraine-associated brain changes not related to 

impaired cognition

13 November - Women with migraines did not appear to experience a decline in cognitive 

ability over time compared to those who didn't have them, according to a nine-year follow 

up study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study also showed that women 

with migraine had a higher likelihood of having brain changes that appeared as bright spots 

on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a type of imaging commonly used to evaluate 

tissues of the body... Standardized measures of cognitive abilities such as memory, 

concentration, and attention did not show significant losses among people with migraineassociated lesions compared to those without migraine. NIH

Plan to become an ex-smoker for good

12 November - ...Today, 19 percent of American adults smoke, down from more than 42 

percent half a century ago... Ever-increasing restrictions on where people can smoke have 

helped to swell the ranks of former smokers. Now, however, as we approach the American 

Cancer Society’s 37th Great American Smokeout on Thursday, the decline in adult smoking 

has stalled despite the economic downturn and the soaring price of cigarettes... People 

ages 18 to 25 now have the nation’s highest smoking rate: 40 percent. New York Times

Probiotics could be an effective and safe approach to 

prevent C. diff: study

13 November - The therapeutic use of probiotics in hospitalized patients could be an 

effective and safe prophylaxis against new cases of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea 
(CDAD)... The McMaster University-led research team compiled findings from 3,818 patients 

in 20 randomized-controlled trials. The trials tracked rates of probiotic use among inpatients and out-patients on antibiotics, and analyzed the rates of diarrheal illness 

associated with C. difficile. They found the use of probiotics reduced C. diff-associated 

diarrhea among patients taking antibiotics by 66 per cent, according to the study. 

Examiner.com

top of page...

USAFRICOM

Africa: Aiming to eliminate preventable child deaths

12 November - The world is winning the fight to keep 

children alive, and preventable child deaths may, at some 

point in the near future, be a thing of the past, according to 

Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children. "The 

tide is turning on child survival,” said Miles as she opened the 

61st annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Atlanta. 

“In 2011, for the first time, annual deaths of children under five years old fell below seven 

million – that's a reduction of 41 percent in 20 years, and progress is accelerating... I believe 

we can see near zero preventable child deaths in our lifetime." All Africa

Nigeria: Exxon Mobil cleaning up oil spill on Nigerian 

coast

12 November - Exxon Mobil Corp. (CVX)’s Nigerian unit said it began cleaning up part of 

the nation’s southeast coast after a pipeline from an offshore facility spilled at least 200 

barrels of crude at the end of last week. Exxon Mobil shut the pipeline on Nov. 10 and is 

investigating the cause of the spill in the state of Akwa Ibom, the company said late 

yesterday in a statement from Lagos, the commercial capital. Bloomberg Businessweek

Nigeria: MSF urges Nigeria president to act on deadly 

lead poisoning

15 November - Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Nigeria had failed to 

deliver on promises to tackle a deadly lead poisoning epidemic and called on president 

Goodluck Jonathan to intervene. Lead contamination from an artisanal gold mine in the 

Bagega area of northern Zamfara state has killed at least 400 children and poisoned 

around 4,000, according to medical officials. Reuters
Sudan: Yellow fever kills nearly 100 in Sudan’s Darfur, 

WHO

13 November - A yellow fever outbreak has killed nearly 100 people over the last seven 

weeks in Sudan's Darfur, the World Health Organization said, a region where fighting has 

undermined access to healthcare. The mosquito-borne disease has spread throughout the 

remote western territory, but the reported cases have been concentrated in central Darfur, 

the WHO and Sudan's health ministry said in a joint statement... Healthcare is provided 

almost entirely by aid agencies in some parts of Darfur. The statement said 329 suspected 

yellow fever cases and 97 deaths had been reported since the last week of September.

Reuters

Uganda says three dead in new Ebola outbreak near 

Kampala

15 November - Uganda said on Thursday three people had died from an outbreak of the 

Ebola virus in its central region, near the capital Kampala, the latest bout of deadly 

haemorrhagic fevers to strike the east African nation in recent months. Health Minister 

Christine Ondoa said two of the dead were from one family in Luwero district, about 75 

kilometers north of Kampala. The new outbreak comes about a month after Uganda 

declared itself free of Ebola which struck in July. Reuters

top of page...

USCENTCOM

Iran aims for baby boom, but are Iranians in the mood?

14 November - ... Like many countries, Iran is concerned that its low population growth rate, 

estimated at 1 percent by the United Nations in 2011, will foster an aging population with 

potentially disastrous consequences for its workforce, public health infrastructure and social 

security network. The government is trying to reverse the trend. But it faces unique 

headwinds. In addition to worries about money and employment they share with millions of 

young people around the world in an economic downturn, Iranians must contend with high 

inflation, a plummeting currency and the possibility of war if Israel follows through on 

threats to strike Iran's nuclear sites. Reuters

Iraq eyes hiring of up to 2,000 Pinoy doctors, nurses

13 November - Despite the existing deployment ban, the Iraqi government wants to hire 

Filipino doctors and nurses. Health Secretary Enrique Ona said yesterday that Iraqi 

Ambassador Wadee Al-Batti had paid him a visit, asking permission to hire some 1,000 to 

2,000 Filipino nurses and doctors... “They want as many nurses as we can give them. But the 

problem is the hostile situation there. There is a ban there and the only thing we want also 
to be sure of is the safety of workers. We want to make sure that they are safe,” he said. 

Except for the Kurdistan region, a deployment ban is in effect in Iraq. ABS-CBN News

Pakistan: Polio cases slowing spur hope for elimination

13 November - Polio cases caused by one of two circulating strains of poliomyelitis virus 

weren’t reported in Pakistan in six months, speeding global eradication of the crippling 

disease. Type-3 polio is close to being eliminated in Pakistan, one of three countries in the 

world where transmission has never been interrupted, researchers said in presentations 

today at a medical meeting in Atlanta. Globally, 177 polio cases were identified from 

January to October 2012, compared with 502 during the same period last year. Bloomberg

top of page...

USEUCOM

Did wild birds cause the 2010 West Nile virus outbreak 

in Greece?

13 November - In 2010, 35 people in Greece died from a West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak, 

with a further 262 laboratory-confirmed human cases. A new article published in 

BioMedCentral's open access journal Virology Journal examines whether wild or migratory 

birds could have been responsible for importing and amplifying the deadly virus... [T]he 

authors found 53 avian samples with WNV neutralizing antibodies. Importantly, 14 positive 

serum samples were obtained from birds up to 8 months prior to the human outbreak, and 

genetic determinants of increased virulence were present in these samples. These results 

provide evidence that wild birds could have allowed WNV maintenance and amplification 

before and during the 2010 virus outbreak. Infection Control Today

Ireland abortion policy under scrutiny after woman's 

death

14 November - Ireland's near-total ban on abortion has come under renewed scrutiny amid 

an outcry over the death of a woman who was denied a termination. Savita Halappanavar, a 

31-year-old dentist, died of blood poisoning at Galway University hospital. She had turned 

up at the hospital a week earlier, but was denied a medical termination and, according to

her husband, was told: "This is a Catholic country." The death intensified pressure on 

Ireland's Fine Gael-Labour coalition to legislate and create specific guidelines for medical 

staff on when abortions can be carried out. At present, abortions are permitted only if there 

is a "real and substantive" threat to a woman's life. Guardian
United Kingdom: Afghanistan soldiers offered support 

from Yorkshire and Humber Veterans' Outreach Service

13 November – Soldiers traumatised by war in Afghanistan will be offered help to tackle 

their inner demons. The Yorkshire and Humber Veterans' Outreach Service, funded by the 

Department of Health, will launch officially in January. Its principle aim will be to ensure 

servicemen and women who show early signs of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are 

identified and helped. Soldiers of 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (1 Yorks), who 

recently returned from a six-month tour of Helmand, have welcomed the move. This is Hull 

and East Striding

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USNORTHCOM

U.S.: Good news, bad news on antibiotic use and 

resistance

13 November - Research groups offered a mix of bad news and good news today on 

antibiotic usage and resistant microbes, including big geographic differences within the 

United States, as a large coalition of health and medical groups vowed to increase efforts to 

conserve the nation's arsenal of effective antibiotics. The developments are part of "Get 

Smart About Antibiotics Week," an observance promoted by the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC) and other medical groups. CIDRAP

U.S.: Infant deaths - searching for answers in Mississippi

13 November - For every 1,000 Mississippi babies born in 

2011, 9.4 died before their first birthday, according to the 

state's health office. That makes Mississippi's infant 

mortality rate more comparable to countries such as Costa 

Rica (9.2), Sri Lanka (9.5) and Botswana (10.5) than the 

United States (6.0), according to latest estimates in the CIA World Factbook. Mississippi is 

50th out of 50 states when it comes to infant mortality, and it's been that way for a long 

time, says state health officer Mary Currier. There's not one clear explanation. Experts cite a 

multitude of factors that are also seen in other parts of the country and around the world. 

CNN

U.S.: Meningitis outbreak: 438 cases, 32 deaths

12 November - The number of people afflicted in the continuing fungal meningitis outbreak

continues to climb – reaching 438 cases in 19 states -- but the pace is slowing, judging by 

numbers reported by the CDC on Friday. Since the last report Wednesday, 15 new cases 
have been reported, as well as an additional death, bringing that total to 32. Most of the 

new cases and the new fatality occurred in Michigan, the state hardest hit by the outbreak. 

In contrast, the Wednesday-to-Friday increase a month ago -- Oct. 10 to 12 -- was 48 cases, 

according to the agency's records. The slowdown was predictable -- the infections are 

linked to a contaminated steroid that was recalled Sept. 26 and people infected are not 

contagious. But officials have said extended vigilance will be needed because the incubation 

period for the disease is unclear. ABC News

U.S.: Tick-borne illnesses move beyond Lyme disease

12 November - A tick-borne disease that causes symptoms similar to malaria is becoming 

more widespread in the northeastern United States, researchers say. Babesiosis invades red 

blood cells and is carried by deer ticks, which also carry Lyme disease. Between 2000 and 

2008, towns in Connecticut reporting cases of babesiosis increased from 30 to 85, according 

to the researchers. Since babesiosis was first reported in Connecticut in 1991, cases in the 

state have risen from three to about 100 a year. Symptoms include fever, chills, fatigue, 

sweats, headache and muscle pain. The study's findings were scheduled to be presented 

Monday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 

in Atlanta. Medline Plus

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USPACOM

Cambodia: Dengue fever kills 170 kids in 10 months, up 

154%

15 November - Cambodia reported at least 39,290 dengue fever cases in the first ten 

months of this year, a 163 percent rise from 14,918 cases a year earlier, a report of the 

National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control showed Tuesday. The 

report recorded that from January to October this year, the disease killed 170 Cambodian 

children, up 154 percent from 67 deaths during the same period last year. Dr. Char Meng 

Chuor, director of the center, said that there were more deaths this year because parents 

had sent their sick children to private clinics first, and when the treatment was ineffective 

and the disease became more severe, they turned to public hospitals, but it was too late for 

the children to be cured. Vietnam.net Bridge

India, Bengaluru: Hospitals see rise in typhoid, GE cases

12 November - The stench of garbage permeating the city is causing all sorts of health 

problems for the city’s residents. There is an increase of 10-20% in the number of 

gastroenteritis and typhoid cases admitted to hospitals in the past 10-12 days, and children 

are among the most affected... Dr. Shankar Prasad, medical superintendent at St. Philomena 

Hospital told Deccan Chronicle: “For the past two weeks we are witnessing an increase in 
the inflow of viral fever, gastroenteritis and typhoid cases by about 10%. On a daily basis we 

are getting about 8-10 cases of suspected dengue fever too.” Deccan Chronicle

Welfare in India - Money where your mouth is

10 November - ... During 2011 Mrs Shahjaha was enrolled 

in a pilot project in the area, testing how cash transfers 

could replace public distribution of rations for “below 

poverty line” families. She got a monthly stipend of 1,000 

rupees ($20) direct into her bank account instead of a right 

to use the ration shop. The results were broadly encouraging. In all, 100 families got the 

monthly money. The women’s group overseeing the scheme found a “marked increase” in 

nutrition among families who got the cash, as they enjoyed a richer diet and better quality 

food. Strikingly, the quality of food in the ration shop also improved, perhaps as it saw 

customers opting to go elsewhere. Economist

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USSOUTHCOM

Costa Rica: Authorities warn of surge in dengue infection 

in Guanacaste

15 November - The emergence of 200 cases of dengue fever in the past three weeks in 

Guanacaste has the Ministry of Health asking residents to be on alert, especially in the areas 

of Liberia, Santa Cruz, Abangares, Nicoya and Carillo, where most of the infections have 

occurred. Mary Ethel Trejos, Director of Health Surveillance, said that the highest number of 

cases were in Santa Cruz, where three weeks ago there were 55 cases, and just last week, 75 

more were detected. Inside Costa Rica

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