ABSTRACT
In October 2013, a locally-acquired case of dengue virus (DENV) infection was reported in Western Australia (WA) where local dengue transmission has not occurred for over 70 years. Laboratory testing confirmed recent DENV infection and the case demonstrated a clinically compatible illness. The infection was most likely acquired in the Pilbara region in the northwest of WA. Follow up investigations did not detect any other locally-acquired dengue cases or any known dengue vector species in the local region, despite intensive adult and larval mosquito surveillance, both immediately after the case was notified in October 2013 and after the start of the wet season in January 2014. The mechanism of infection with DENV in this case cannot be confirmed. However, it most likely followed a bite from a single infected mosquito vector that was transiently introduced into the Pilbara region but failed to establish a local breeding population. This case highlights the public health importance of maintaining surveillance efforts to ensure that any incursions of dengue vectors into WA are promptly identified and do not become established, particularly given the large numbers of viraemic dengue fever cases imported into WA by travellers returning from dengue-endemic regions.
Subject(s)
Communicable Diseases, Emerging/epidemiology , Culicidae/virology , Dengue/epidemiology , Insect Vectors/virology , Animals , Communicable Diseases, Emerging/virology , Dengue/diagnosis , Dengue/transmission , Dengue Virus , Environmental Monitoring , Humans , Male , Public Health , Travel , Western Australia/epidemiologyABSTRACT
A cluster of sporotrichosis cases occurred in the Busselton-Margaret River region of Western Australia from 2000 to 2003. Epidemiologic investigation and mycologic culture for Sporothrix schenckii implicated hay initially distributed through a commercial hay supplier as the source of the out-break. Declining infection rates have occurred after various community measures were instigated.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Sporotrichosis/epidemiology , Adult , Aged , Child , Child, Preschool , Cluster Analysis , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sporotrichosis/drug therapy , Sporotrichosis/microbiology , Triticum/microbiology , Western Australia/epidemiologySubject(s)
Alphavirus Infections/complications , Arthritis, Reactive/drug therapy , Arthritis, Reactive/virology , Ceftriaxone/administration & dosage , Ross River virus/isolation & purification , Alphavirus Infections/diagnosis , Arthritis, Reactive/diagnosis , Child , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Infusions, Intravenous , Risk Assessment , Severity of Illness Index , Treatment Outcome , Western AustraliaABSTRACT
On 16 February 2002, a total of 26 people presented to the emergency department of the local hospital in the rural town of Collie in southwest Western Australia with many infected scratches and pustules distributed over their bodies. All of the patients had participated in a "mud football" competition the previous day, in which there had been ~100 participants. One patient required removal of an infected thumbnail, and another required surgical debridement of an infected toe. Aeromonas hydrophila was isolated from all 3 patients from whom swab specimens were obtained. To prepare the mud football fields, a paddock was irrigated with water that was pumped from an adjacent river during the 1-month period before the competition. A. hydrophila was subsequently isolated from a water sample obtained from the river. This is the first published report of an outbreak of A. hydrophila wound infections associated with exposure to mud.
