March 26, 2004

Chlamydia: Ontario
Chlamydia rates in Grey and Bruce Counties have reached an all-time high. The number of cases has increased 127% since 2001. The rise in chlamydia cases has been steady with a startling jump last year. In 2001, 64 cases were reported and in 2002, 88 cases were reported. In 2003, the number of Grey-Bruce residents testing positive jumped dramatically to 145. This increase may reflect the higher risk behaviours of sexually active young adults ages 15-24. Not only are youth engaging in unprotected vaginal sex but recent reports indicated that unprotected oral sex has become the 'in thing' to do at parties. The concern is that chlamydia can be readily transmitted through oral sex.
Source: News Release, Grey Bruce Health Unit, 11 March 2004

Legionellosis: Texas
Texas state and local officials are investigating a possible outbreak of legionellosis among people who attended a national basketball tournament for home-schooled students held in Oklahoma City last week. Approximately 70 of the tournament attendees are believed to be from Texas. Of the 70, at least 57 have sought medical attention. Laboratory test results for five of the 57 were positive for Legionella. Four of the 57 were hospitalized. An Oklahoma hotel has been identified as the likely source of infection.
Source: News Release, Texas Department of Health, 22 & 23 March 2004

Tuberculosis (TB): New York City
The number of new tuberculosis cases in the NY City rose 5%, from 1,084 cases in 2002 to 1,140 in 2003. While City TB cases remain near historic lows and while there are also fewer cases of multi-drug-resistant TB, 2003 marked the first rise in new TB cases in more than a decade. The rise in foreign-born TB cases in NY City is related to the ongoing, global TB epidemic. NY City continues to employ pioneering techniques, such as Directly-Observed Therapy, to stay at the forefront of TB prevention and control. Case rates in NY City remain almost three times that of the national rate. The increase in the number of cases among foreign-born persons demonstrates that the fight against TB must be waged both locally and globally. Cases in US-born individuals decreased in comparison to 2002. However, there was an increase in cases among the homeless and unstably housed from 49 cases in 2002 to 86 cases in 2003. (In 1991, at the height of the TB epidemic in the early 1990s, there were 748 cases). Part of the overall TB increase is also due to the change in case-counting methods adopted in 2002.
Source: Press Release, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 19 March 2004

Tuberculosis: The Netherlands
The first large outbreak of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in the Netherlands has been reported. A tuberculosis patient from eastern Europe is known to have infected six Dutch nationals, two of whom have developed pulmonary tuberculosis. Although new cases cannot yet be ruled out, the outbreak is under control. The primary case's country of origin has not yet been made public. The KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation and the GGD Netherlands (Dutch Association of Municipal Health Services) have previously called for TB control in the Netherlands to be strengthened, and for attention to be given to establishing quality TB control in eastern Europe.
Source: Eurosurveillance Weekly, Volume 8, Number 12, 18 March 2004

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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.