News sources are reporting that a cholera outbreak in the Marshall Islands has killed 4 people and hospitalized 40 others. The Republic of the Marshall Islands is composed of 29 coral atolls and 5 small islands in the central Pacific, between Hawaii and Australia. The outbreak is currently limited to Ebeye Island. A cholera epidemic occurred earlier in the year on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, about 600 miles to the west of the Marshall Islands. Travelers should take food and water precaution.
Oral vaccines are available in Canada and Europe.
Dengue on the Brazil-Guyana Border Ref. ProMED, January 18, 2001. Three travelers returning to Georgetown, Guyana after visiting the border town of Lethem were diagnosed with dengue virus, and similar cases have been reported in Lethem. Travelers should take precautions against mosquito bites, especially 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before sunset. At least 60 cases of Ross River virus infection have been reported in southern Australia on the West Coast and Kangaroo Island, and near Lake Albert.