Disease outbreaks in Eastern Mediterranean Region [EMR], January to June 2018

Since beginning of the year 2018, the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region [EMR] has experienced ongoing and new outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging infectious disease in many countries. A number of these outbreaks are continuing from the previous year

CCHF in the EMR: current knowledge gaps

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever [CCHF] is the most wide-spreading tickborne viral disease in humans. The disease is also endemic in many countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region [EMR] of WHO. The incidence of the disease has increased in recent time. Despite the rapidly growing incidence, its control efforts are hindered by lack of data on the maintenance and transmission of the virus and the pathogenesis of the human disease remain poorly understood in the Region

CCHF in Pakistan: cases rise

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever [CCHF] cases recorded a dramatic rise in Pakistan this year. From 01 January to 19 October 2016, a total of 431 suspected cases including 60 deaths [CFR: 14%] were reported from four provinces across the country

VHFs remain a persistent public health threat: review of 2010

In the year 2010, the occurrence and spread of Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers [VHFs] in the EMR continued to represent a major and persistent threat to public health. Most of these emerging infectious disease events have involved zoonotic infectious agents. A number of countries in the Region [Please see the map] have reported VHFs in 2010 signifying an increasing risk for geographic expansion of these emerging viral threats in the Region

Dengue fever in Pakistan

From January to 14th September 2011, a total of 5,200 suspected cases including 4,630 confirmed cases of dengue were reported from four provinces in Pakistan [see map]. Eleven related deaths were also reported. The recent rains and floods may have contributed to this up-surge. Punjab is the most severely af-fected province and Lahore is the worst affected city. The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO and other part-ners are responding to control the out-break. WHO is also providing technical support to the government in mitigating this Dengue outbreak

Dengue fever and CCHF in Pakistan

In recent weeks, 2,160 suspected cases of dengue fever including 919 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported from Pakistan. The number of deaths from dengue fever has risen to 7 so far. Additionally, 22 laboratory-confirmed cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever [CCHF] including 3 deaths have also been reported from Pakistan since 16th of September till date. In one of the hospitals in Pakistan, nosocomial spread of CCHF amongst health care workers has also been reported during this period [Please see weekly epidemiological monitor, volume-3; issue no 41; 10 October 2010]

Summary of outbreaks in EMR: 2008

In 2008, a total of 36 rumours of diseases outbreaks were received from various sources and verified by the Unit of Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response [CSR] in the World Health Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office [WHO/EMRO]. In addition a number of European countries alerted WHO of imported cases of cholera and hepatitis E originating from few EMR countries. Seventeen outbreaks were confirmed in 9 countries of the Region. Acute watery diarrhoea [Cholera] outbreaks were the most reported outbreaks, affecting 6 countries and resulting into a total of 19,652 cases and 111 related deaths. Cases of Dengue/Dengue hamorrhagic fevers were reported from 4 countries with a total of 2163 cases. Sporadic cases of Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever were reported from Afghanistan and Iran, while Hepatitis E, Gulran disease, Thalium poisoning and Myasis were reported from Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran and Djibouti respectively. For the third year in a row, Egypt continued to report human cases of avian influenza due to H5N1 virus. A total of 8 cases including 4 related deaths were reported this year. This brings the number of human cases of H5N1 in Egypt to 51 with 23 deaths

Acute haemorrhagic fever remained a public health threat in EMR

During this year [upto the end of November 2008], several countries [Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen] reported outbreaks or cases/death of acute haemorrhagic fevers resulting in large number of mortality and morbidity. While Afghanistan and Iran were the only EMR countries reporting Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever [CCHF] in 2008, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen ported Dengue Fever with the possibilities that the disease might have also manifested as Dengue haemorrhagic fever [DHF]. During the later part of November, an outbreak of acute haemorrhagic fever was also reported from Sudan