Infectious Diseases News Brief - September 18, 2009

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Pneumonia-Causing Diseases Kill 1.2M Children under 5 Annually, Studies Say

Each year 1.2 million children under age 5 die from Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae B or Hib, which cause pneumococcal disease and are preventable with vaccines, according to studies published in the journal Lancet.  The studies "found an estimated 14.5 million cases of pneumococcal disease such as pneumonia and meningitis worldwide, most caused by S. pneumoniae, with 826,000 deaths among children under 5.  Though safe and effective vaccines exist for both,  use of the Hib vaccine has only recently expanded to low-income countries and pneumococcal vaccine is not included in national immunization programs in the developing world yet, the researchers found. 

Source: Medical News Today 14 September 2009
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163803.php

PNE Linked to 13 Cases of E. Coli - Canada

Eleven children and two adults came down with E. coli days after visiting the petting zoo at the Pacific National Exhibition this summer. It was the first time the PNE has been linked to cases of E. coli since the agricultural fair opened in 1910. Thousands of children passed through the petting zoo every year during the fair. A spokesman for B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver confirmed Tuesday three of the 13 cases were serious enough to warrant hospital care. One child remained in hospital Tuesday in fair condition and two children have been sent home. The ages of the victims ranged from 21 months to 69 years.  E. coli is more commonly transmitted in uncooked meat. However the pathogens can be transmitted through contact with fecal matter that is picked up by petting the animals or touching hand rails, fences or other surfaces. Vancouver Coastal Health Authority is conducting an investigation into the E. coli outbreak.

Source: Globe and Mail 15 September 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/pne-linked-to-13-cases-of-e-coli/article1289162/

Zika Virus outside Africa

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus related to yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis viruses. In 2007 ZIKV caused an outbreak of relatively mild disease characterized by rash, arthralgia, and conjunctivitis on Yap Island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. This was the first time that ZIKV was detected outside of Africa and Asia. The history, transmission dynamics, virology, and clinical manifestations of ZIKV disease are discussed, along with the possibility for diagnostic confusion between ZIKV illness and dengue. The emergence of ZIKV outside of its previously known geographic range should prompt awareness of the potential for ZIKV to spread to other Pacific islands and the Americas.

Source: Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal volume 15, number 9 September 2009
http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/15/9/1347.htm