FEBRUARY 6, 2002
Tularemia in Kosovo -- Update 2
As of 5 February 2002, the Institute of Public Health (IPH), Pristina, has reported 715 cases of tularemia since the outbreak began on 1 November 2001. One hundred and seventy cases have been laboratory confirmed, while 404 suspected cases were found to be negative. An additional 141 suspected cases remain under laboratory and epidemiological investigation. There have been no deaths to date.
Measures for case management, environmental control and health education are continuing.
Tularemia, which is endemic in many parts of the world, including north America, eastern Europe, China, Japan and Scandinavia, is a bacterial disease normally transmitted from animal hosts and has a variety of clinical manifestations. Symptoms include high fever and body aches, swollen glands and difficulty with swallowing, which continue over a period of a couple of weeks.
JANUARY 25, 2002
Tularemia in Kosovo -- Update
As of 24 January 2002, the Institute of Public Health (IPH), Pristina, has reported 496 suspected cases of tularemia since the outbreak began on 1 November 2001. One hundred and nine of these cases have been laboratory confirmed. There have been no deaths to date.
Measures for case management, environmental control and health education are continuing. WHO Collaborating Centre, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy and the German component of Kosovo Force (K-FOR) are assisting the IPH by providing reagents for diagnostic tests.
Tularemia, which is endemic in many parts of the world, including north America, eastern Europe, China, Japan and Scandinavia, is a bacterial disease normally transmitted from animal hosts and has a variety of clinical manifestations. Symptoms include high fever and body aches, swollen glands and difficulty with swallowing, which continue over a period of a couple of weeks.
JANUARY 17, 2002
Tularemia in Kosovo
As of 17 January, the Institute of Public Health (IPH), Pristina, has reported 282 suspected cases of tularemia since the outbreak began on 1 November 2001. Fifty-nine of these cases have been laboratory confirmed. There have been no deaths to date. The majority of cases were detected in rural areas, mainly in the Lipjlan, Ferijaz and Pristine municipalities. The patients' age range is between 16-44 years of age.
Tularemia, which is endemic in many parts of the world, including north America, eastern Europe, China, Japan and Scandinavia, is a bacterial disease normally transmitted from animal hosts and has a variety of clinical manifestations. Symptoms include high fever and body aches, swollen glands and difficulty with swallowing, which continue over a period of a couple of weeks.
The investigation of the outbreak continues, and measures for case management, environmental control and health education are in place.
The last outbreak of tularemia in Kosovo occurred in April 2000.
APRIL 27, 2000
Tularemia in Kosovo - Update
The Institute of Public Health (IPH), Pristina has now identified 699 suspected cases, 56 laboratory confirmed. The problem is widespread with the majority of municipalities reporting cases. Surveillance is being enhanced across the whole territory.
Laboratory capacity for the confirmation of tularemia has been established at the IPH with the help of the international team. The joint IPH-international team is carrying out further case finding and epidemiological investigations. A case control study at household level is being implemented with systematic laboratory sampling to establish the presence of recent infection. Environmental samples are also being taken.
APRIL 20, 2000
Tularemia in Kosovo
Laboratory tests have confirmed an outbreak of tularemia in Kosovo and the Institute of Public Health has now identified 250 suspected cases spread across almost 90 per cent of the territory, with most cases in the western area. The first cases date back to August 1999. Confirmation of the outbreak came from laboratory tests in Rome, Tirana and Skopje.
Tularemia, which is endemic in many parts of the world, including north America, eastern Europe, China, Japan and Scandinavia, is a bacterial disease normally transmitted from animal hosts and has a variety of clinical manifestations. The symptoms in Kosovo include high fever and body aches, swollen glands and difficulty with swallowing, which continue over a period of a couple of weeks. People with these symptoms should go to their doctor.
There have been no reports of death and in normal daily conditions the disease is not transmitted directly person-to-person. Investigations are continuing to identify the mode of transmission and source in the current outbreak. Tularemia (Francisella tularensis) is also known as Rabbit fever, Deer-fly fever, Ohara disease or Francis disease. Tularemia can be transmitted to humans via ticks, drinking water contaminated by rats, handling of under-cooked infected meat from host animals, such as rabbits, and through contaminated soil. So far 26 municipalities in Kosovo have reported suspected cases. Symptoms are not specific and diagnosis needs to be confirmed by blood tests. Tularemia is easily treatable.
The Institute of Public Health has prepared guidelines for the public and these are now being distributed to medical centers throughout Kosovo. People are being advised to keep their surroundings clean, disinfect or boil drinking water, and ensure that food is kept away from rats and cooked thoroughly. In addition, they are being advised not handle dead rats and rabbits.
International experts on tularemia from WHO, Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC, Fort Collins), Istituto Superiore di Sanità, (ISS, Italy), European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPINET) and a senior German epidemiologist and microbiologist have arrived in Kosovo to help health authorities with the scientific investigation and with outbreak containment.
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