Findings and lessons from establishing Zika virus surveillance in southern Viet Nam, 2016

Objective@#To document the evolution and optimization of the Zika virus (ZIKV) disease surveillance system in southern Viet Nam in 2016 and to describe the characteristics of the identified ZIKV-positive cases.@*Methods@#We established a sentinel surveillance system to monitor ZIKV transmission in eight sites in eight provinces and expanded the system to 71 sites in 20 provinces in southern Viet Nam in 2016. Blood and urine samples from patients who met the case definition at the sentinel sites were tested for ZIKV using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City (PI-HCMC). We conducted descriptive analysis and mapped the ZIKV-positive cases.@*Results@#In 2016, 2190 specimens from 20 provinces in southern Viet Nam were tested for ZIKV at PI-HCMC; 626 (28.6%), 484 (22.1%), 35 (1.6%) and 1045 (47.7%) tests were conducted in the first, second, third and fourth quarters of the year, respectively. Of these tested specimens, 214 (9.8%) were ZIKV positive with 212 (99.1%) identified in the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, the highest positivity rate was those in age groups 30–39 years (30.0%) and 40–59 years (31.6%). Of the 214 ZIKV-positive patients, 210 (98.1%) presented with rash, 194 (90.7%) with fever, 149 (69.6%) with muscle pain, 123 (57.5%) with joint pain and 66 (30.8%) with conjunctivitis.@*Discussion@#The surveillance system for ZIKV disease underwent several phases of optimization in 2016, guided by the most up-to-date local data. Here we demonstrate an adaptable surveillance system that detected ZIKV-positive cases in southern Viet Nam.

Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Republic of Korea / 감염과화학요법

Many infectious diseases have emerged or re-emerged during the past 50 years in the Republic of Korea. Some of these are new infectious diseases delivered by new or newly recognized micro-organisms. Others are already known infectious diseases which have increased in frequency or have developed an expanded region of occurrence. Still others are infectious diseases that are caused by the same micro-organisms which are resistant to antibiotics, and therefore difficult to treat. Newly recognized Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) include legionellosis, leptospirosis, tsutsugamushi diseases, Vibrio vulnificus sepsis, and brucellosis. New EIDs include acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. Of the EIDs occurred in the Republic of Korea during the past 50 years, healthcare-related infections, especially by antibiotic-resistant organisms, are the most important EIDs in terms of morbidity and mortality.

Dengue clásico y hemorrágico: sospecha diagnostica de una enfermedad reemergente / Hemorragic and clasical Dengue: suspect diagnosis of a reemerging disease

El dengue, conocido popularmente como” fiebre quebrantahuesos” es la más importante enfermedad viral humana transmitida por vectores artrópodos del genero Aedes, principalmente A. aegypti, se ha extendido en regiones tropi­cales y subtropicales alrededor del mundo representando una amenaza para millones de personas por lo que se la con­sidera como una de las principales enfermedades virales reemergentes a escala mundial. El dengue presenta un amplio espectro de manifestaciones clínicas que van desde los casos inaparentes hasta las formas aparentes de Dengue clásico (DC) y las formas graves y a veces fatales de Dengue Hemorrágico (DH) /Síndrome de Choque por Dengue ( SCD) En virtud a que el dengue puede confundirse con múltiples enfermedades , numerosos casos de infección pueden ser sub­diagnosticados o mal diagnosticados, la sospecha diagnostica es fundamental para un diagnostico precoz y un plan te­rapéutico temprano que puede modificar el curso de la enfermedad.

Dengue is the most important re­emerging infectious diseases called “bone­breaker” transmitted to humans through the bites of infective female Aedes mosquitoes. It is extended in tropical and sub­tropical regions around the world; million people are now at risk from dengue and it is considered the most important re­emerging infectious diseases, clinical fe­atures are very variable from due to multiple alterations induced by the virus in the organism (DF/DHF). Diagnosis of dengue virus infection it must be difficult if we do not suspect it, rapid clinical and serologic diagnosis is an important steep to management and prevention skills.