July 13, 2001

Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD): Alberta
On June 30, 2001, a 26-year-old from Zimbabwe died of meningococcal serogroup C septicemia while in Edmonton competing in a golf tournament. He had been in the city for 4 days prior to the onset of illness. He was in British Columbia for the preceeding 10 days. The 8^th IAAF World Championships in Athletics will be held in Edmonton August 3-12, 2001. It is expected that 3000 athletes and coaches from 200 countries will participate in the games. The young man's death has raised the question of the necessity of meningococcal immunization for short-term visitors to the area. The Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with Alberta Health and Wellness and Health Canada, does not recommend immunization for short-term visitors (< 3 months). However, the Medical Director of the championships has been requested to inform the medical directors of the various teams about the situation. Preventive measures to reduce the transfer of infected throat or nose secretions, such as not sharing drinks, water bottles, straws, eating utensils, lipsticks, cigarettes may help reduce the risk and are recommended. The Capital Health Region (with a population of 827,500 in Edmonton and surrounding counties) has experienced significantly increased rates of IMD since December 1999 associated with a novel serogroup C clone. The usual incidence of IMD in the region is 0.5-1.5/100,000 annually. Between December 1999 and June 2001 inclusive, 65 sporadic cases of IMD occurred. The age groups most affected were 0-4, 15-19 and 20-24 years with rates for confirmed serogroup C infection of 23.6, 32.4 and 10.0 per 100,000, respectively, over the 18-month period. A mass immunization campaign using quadrivalent polysaccharide vaccine was undertaken in February 2000. In October 2000, the vaccine campaign was expanded to 20-24-year-olds. Using pulse field gel electrophoresis, the Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory of Alberta identified a novel strain of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C as the causative organism in 88% (52/59) of the recovered serogroup C isolates. An analysis of the previous 4 years of meningococcal isolates in Alberta did not reveal a similar strain.
Source: Capital Health Region, Alberta Health and Wellness, and Health Canada

Aedes albopictus (the Tiger) Mosquito: Canada and the United States
Health Canada has issued an advisory to importers to cease the importation of Dracaena, an ornamental lily plant better known as Lucky Bamboo, in standing water due to the potential carriage of exotic mosquitoes into Canada. Health Canada notified the Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency to place an embargo on the importation of all shipments of Lucky Bamboo in standing water arriving at all Canadian ports. All imports between July 2-17, 2001 will either be returned to the point of departure in Asia, destroyed on arrival, or treated to remove any significant risk of mosquito release into Canada. After July 17, 2001, no shipments of Lucky Bamboo will be allowed in Canada if they arrive in standing water. The decision to embargo was sparked when the Los Angeles County Health Department issued an alert that an exotic mosquito species known as Aedes albopictus, "the Tiger mosquito", had been released from a container of imported Lucky Bamboo plants arriving by ship from Asia. The plants are imported from several countries in Asia including: Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and China in small containers of standing water, in batches of about 500 containers. The water was derived from local sources in Asia, and contained the eggs and larvae of mosquitoes. Similar importations of plants have been received in Canada, although no mosquitoes have been reported in Canada. The Tiger mosquito is a voracious biter and can effectively transmit many viral agents, which are not normally indigenous to Canada and the United States but are potentially harmful to humans and animals. In addition, the mosquito can transmit viral diseases which already exist in Canada and the U.S., such as eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis, and La Cross encephalitis, which can cause disease in humans and animals.
Source: Advisory, Health Canada, July 5, 2001

The details given are for information only and may be very provisional. Where incidents are considered of national importance and are ongoing, the initial report will be updated as new information becomes available.

[Infectious Diseases News Brief]