- It is imperative to get people out of the camps and quickly
back into individual houses. A real risk will be contagious disease and
vectored diseases. People have a better chance at health if they are out
of the stressful camp life and back into domestic life.
-
- Tetanus emerges in an unvaccinated population due to
scratches, scrapes and cuts caused by the survivors' fight for life against
the tsunami.
-
- I would think that the globall aid workers would be sure
to have tetanus globulin as part of the medications to be provided.
-
- Patricia Doyle
-
- Indonesia Hit By Tetanus Outbreak
-
- Africa.com SAPA
- 1-7-5
-
- A tetanus outbreak is killing Indonesians who survived
last week's tsunamis, as many had not been immunized against the potentially
fatal infection, a South African humanitarian organisation said on Wed,
5 Jan 2005.
-
- "There is a full-blown outbreak and people have
started to die," said Global Relief spokesperson Murray Louw in a
statement.
-
- The organization said 12 of their volunteers, including
doctors, nurses, engineers and search and rescue personnel, arrived in
Indonesia's Banda Aceh on Sun, 2 Jan 2005, near the epicentre of the earthquake
which caused the tsunamis.
-
- Louw said tetanus can infect even minor cuts and scratches.
Symptoms of the infection include muscle rigidity and spasms, particularly
of the face and jaw, hence its common name, lockjaw.
-
- Global Relief is to send another team to Indonesia while
other teams are to leave South Africa for Sri Lanka and India in the coming
weeks.
-
- http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/146084.htm
-
-
- ProMED-mail
- promed@promedmail.org
-
- The scope of this reported outbreak is not stated, and
ProMED would appreciate more information.
-
- Indeed, it is not surprising that tetanus would occur
after the tsunami, given the number of injuries. Although the lay public
tends to associate tetanus with injuries such as stepping on a rusty nail,
the injury itself can be quite minor, and no signs of local infection or
injury may be present. The disease tetanus is caused by tetanus toxoid
by _Clostridium tetani_. Universal immunization with the toxoid in early
childhood will prevent the disease, and boosters are recommended once per
decade after the primary series. Postinjury prophylaxis uses tetanus immunoglobulin
and tetanus toxoid booster. In a mass injury situation, this is difficult
to accomplish. - Mod.LL
-
- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at: http://www.clickitnews.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?
Cat=&Board=emergingdiseases
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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