The outbreak of Vibro cholerae 01 Inaba has led to the hospitalization of 913 people since it was first reported on 23 February.At present, the outbreak’s spread is slowing: 11 new cases were recorded on 6 April and the fatality rate fell from 14.4 to 5.5 percent over the previous three weeks. in mid-March, 189 cases were recorded in a single week in the city’s Lubunga district.It is also confined to Kisangani’s five zones. Suspected cases some 125km away from the city tested negative for cholera.“We are not out of the woods yet,” cautioned John Sapu, the doctor in charge of the cholera treatment centre in Lubunga, pointing out that the cholera strain in question was particularly virulent and could survive outside the human body for 15 days. So it will take a fortnight before the effects of the rains and the overall progression of the outbreak can be accurately gauged.according to World Health Organization official Guy Kalambayi, if the rains do not deliver a new spike in cases, “the spread could be brought under control within a month”.But the lack of a dramatic reduction in the caseload led Leen Verhenne, who works with the Belgian branch of Médecins Sans Frontières, to be cautious.“This type of epidemic can stay around for the long term and claim many victims,” she told IRIN, adding that epidemiological data suggested the principal transmission route was from person to person, rather than via consumption of contaminated water, which generally leads to steeper, shorter peaks in transmission rates.

Hygiene lessons Mystery still surrounds how the outbreak’s patient zero, a 50-year-old woman who had never left Kisangani, became infected. first cases of previous outbreaks tend to involve patients who had travelled from cholera-endemic areas such as Katanga or the Kivu provinces.

Results of tests on 11 of Kisangani’s water sources have yet to be released. as a precautionary measure, municipal authorities chlorinated all the city’s main sources of water, distributed purification tablets and increased public education about personal and food hygiene.Of particular concern to health officials is the tradition of mourners embracing the corpses of the deceased before burial; one such incident is known to have caused some early transmissions in this outbreak.and according to Sapu, some patients “go to a church to get healed, rather than a health centre”.because the last major outbreak here occurred more than a decade ago, cholera symptoms now often go unrecognized.“Patients die at home in a sea of their own stool. It’s another risk for the community,” noted Aimé Lukussa, the doctor in charge of the city’s Lubunga Zone. Even though treatment is free, “some come to the health centre too late, when fatal dehydration is too advanced”, he added.

JANESVILLE, Wis. — Flu season has arrived, but one Rock County hospital is seeing a spike in stomach flu.Between 10 and 20 patients have been coming into Janesville’s Mercy Mall Urgent Care Center every day for the past months with symptoms of viral gastroenteritis, according to Catherine Onsrud, a nurse at the center.That’s about 10 times more cases then they typically see this time of year.”Viral gastroenteritis, or stomach flu, is not the same as the seasonal influenza, so it is unusual this time of year. usually we’ll see the stomach flu in the summer months,” Onsrud said.The symptoms include vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Onsrud said the virus can spread quickly within families.”Once it gets in your house, I mean you have to wash your hands a lot, but once you’ve developed symptoms, you’ve exposed everybody two days prior to the symptoms. It’s too late,” Onsrud said.The stomach flu cannot be prevented by the seasonal flu vaccine, and Onsrud said that means things could get worse when children return to schools soon.Onsrud said symptoms only last about three days for most people. However, the virus can be dangerous for young children, the elderly and people with certain medical conditions.Onsrud said the usual treatment provided at the Mercy Urgent Care Center is nausea medication, IV solution for extra hydration and a prescribed diet.she said anyone with symptoms should stay home from work and school to avoid further spreading the virus.

An outbreak of gonorrhea across Alaska that began in 2009 is continuing this year, and health officials say they are trying new ways to curb it.

between 2008 and 2009, the number of gonorrhea cases in Alaska rose an alarming 69 percent, according to a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

State health officials began calling attention to a spike in gonorrhea cases in Southwest Alaska more than a year ago and highlighted the statewide rise in March.

The new report shows that Alaska ranks ninth in the nation for its rate of gonorrhea, compared with its ranking in recent years in the mid-20s. Alaska also is second in the nation for its high rate of chlamydia, another sexually transmitted disease that often is transmitted along with gonorrhea.

"Hopefully, the high numbers now are more of a success story in that people are coming in and getting tested. though I am surprised the numbers haven’t declined," said Susan Jones, the state’s HIV/STD program manager. "It’s this continuing rise in numbers that we haven’t been able to get under control."

Symptoms can be mild, which may delay people coming in for testing and treatment, allowing them to continue to spread the disease, health officials say.

Back in the 1970s, a man with a gonorrhea infection would have experienced such painful burning and heavy discharge that he would have likely gone to the doctor within a week. Now, with the current, milder strain, he might not seek help for months.

The health consequences for untreated gonorrhea can be severe: People can become infertile, a result more common for women than for men, Jones said.

Health officials will contact sexual partners of infected people and urge them to get tested and treated, without saying how they may have been exposed.

"I like to say, ‘Care enough to get your partners identified and treated,’" Jones said.

TREATMENT: ONE PILL

Alaska’s rate is about 144 reported cases per 100,000 people, compared with a national average of 99 cases per 100,000. between 2000 and 2008, Alaska had an average rate of 85 cases per 100,000 people.

The disease is being found across the state but is especially prevalent in northern and western Alaska and in Southcentral, Jones said. Alaska Natives have higher rates than other groups, health officials say. for Alaska Native women, the rate was 656 per 100,000.

Women are far more likely to be tested, and treated, because they may go to the doctor for an annual exam to get birth control.

even when someone has been treated, they can become reinfected if they again have sex with someone carrying the bacteria.

"what goes around, comes back around," Jones said.

People with multiple sexual partners, and people who don’t know their partners well, are at greater risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease, she said. Some patients don’t know the name of the person they had sex with, which makes it hard for health officials to track them down and curb the disease’s spread, she said.

Condoms protect against STDs, but people must use them correctly, every time. Testing can be done with a simple urine test or swab test that women can do themselves. Treatment is a single dose of an antibiotic, Jones said.

NEW WAYS TO FIGHT BACK

Health officials are trying to make testing and treatment more available — and to prevent people from getting infected to begin with.

for instance, teens can order free condoms or ask questions about STDs on a website run by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. The site is iknowmine.org, which refers to an individual’s knowing his or her STD infection status.

"We’re getting at least two or three orders a week," said Connie Jessen, STD program manager for the consortium.

A teen in a village might be reluctant to get tested at the local clinic where his or her aunt works. But soon, they should be able to order STD home testing kits for gonorrhea and chlamydia off the website through an effort being run with Johns Hopkins University, Jessen said.

In September, the consortium hosted a tribal task force meeting with the goal of getting health organizations to increase STD testing. since then, health aides have been seeking resource materials and going to schools to talk to teens, Jessen said.

The consortium also soon should be launching a media campaign with radio and television public service announcements. It also is using Twitter and Facebook to try to spread the word about STD testing and treatment.

"I feel we’re gaining some momentum," Jessen said.

Health officials call another promising new line of attack "expedited partner therapy."

In that CDC-backed approach, a doctor can write a prescription or provide the antibiotic for partners of a patient with an STD, without ever seeing the partner, Jones said. The Alaska State Medical Board recently changed its rules to specifically allow that therapy.

The patient could give the partner the medicine, or it could be made available at a pharmacy. In Juneau, the Native health corporation and the public health system have joined together in a version of that approach, Jones said.

CDC officials came to Alaska last summer to help the state determine whether health providers and patients statewide generally supported the therapy and how best to offer it.

Doctors accepted the idea, though some were concerned about patients having an adverse reaction to the antibiotic. if patients had to pick up the medicine at a pharmacy, the pharmacist could ask about any previous problems, Jones said.

Some patients said they would be comfortable giving the medicine directly to a partner they knew well but not one they didn’t know well.

NUMBERS STILL HIGH

even with the increased attention and effort, Alaska’s gonorrhea numbers continue to climb.

The final count for 2009 was 1,006 cases — which was even higher than what was reported to the CDC.

already the number for 2010 has topped that, Jones said.

But while Alaska cases go up, the national rate dropped from 2006 to 2009, according to the CDC.

Health officials urge people who suspect they’ve been infected to get tested at their doctor’s office, local public health clinic, Alaska Native regional health corporation clinic or Planned Parenthood clinic.

Find Lisa Demer online at adn.com/contact/ldemer or call 257-4390.

Don’t look now, but cold and flu season is right at your door! Every year, it is the same dilemma. Is that nasal congestion and cough due to a common cold, or are they really symptoms of influenza? Sometimes it is indeed hard to tell the difference. A severe cold can cause about as much misery as a mild case of the flu.

The concern is that influenza symptoms can progress to cause more serious medical complications, while colds generally fade away on their own. that is why it is a good idea to learn to make the distinction between whether it is a common cold or a flu bug that is biting you!

What The Flu looks Like

Influenza symptoms generally come on rather suddenly, while colds can take their time making an appearance. A fever is a consistent influenza symptom, and it can spike quite high, making the infected person rather miserable. Fevers can come and go, and measure as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit, especially at the onset of the illness. Children and younger adults tend to run higher fevers.

Body aches and muscle pain usually accompany the fever, and can become fairly severe. Shaking and chills are another common influenza symptom, as is a headache and pain with eye movement. Most people will feel extremely fatigued and experience a loss of appetite. other influenza symptoms include a dry cough, nasal congestion and a sore throat. Occasionally an upset stomach will accompany the flu, but this is rare and generally found in children.

Home Treatment Of Your Influenza Symptoms

Most of the time your influenza symptoms can be treated in the comfort of your home. Home remedies include plenty of bed rest and fluids. Hot liquids like tea and soup can be very soothing while keeping you hydrated. Over-the-counter medications can be used on influenza symptoms like fever and nasal congestion. A humidifier and an extra pillow under your head at night can relieve coughing and help you sleep. Cough drops or hard candies can also decrease coughing. call your doctor if your influenza symptoms improve but then get worse again, or if you see evidence of an infection such as increased cough, colored mucus or pain in the ears or sinuses. The best remedy for the flu is patience – for most flu sufferers, the influenza symptoms will improve within a week or two.