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Date: 21/10/08
Hepatitis
A: dramatic increase in Prague and Riga
Source of Article: http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/article/default.aspx?objid=52748
The current outbreak of
hepatitis A continues to affect Czech
Republic. Around 602
cases have been reported throughout the country. Prague continues to be the worst affected
area with hepatitis A cases rising to 364 since the beginning of the
outbreak.
Hepatitis A: dramatic
increase in Prague and Riga
Due
to the low cost airlines, short trips to Prague are becoming very popular. The
Travel Clinic Ltd wants to alert people to the dramatic increase in
Hepatitis A in the city.
Hepatitis A is an infection of
the liver caused by hepatitis A virus, and the disease varies from mild
nausea and fever to jaundice and severe liver inflammation.
The infection is caused by faecal contamination in water, and is easily transmitted
in food and drinking water. Risks can be reduced by awareness of safe
food and drink choices, good hygiene of one’s self and that of food handlers,
and vaccination if travelling to at-risk destinations.
The
Travel Clinic Ltd keeps a stock of Hepatitis A
vaccination, and two doses given 6-12 months apart may provide up to 20
years of protection.
CZECH REPUBLIC October 2008 Hepatitis A
The current outbreak of
hepatitis A continues to affect Czech
Republic. Around 602
cases have been reported throughout the country. Prague continues to be the worst affected
area with hepatitis A cases rising to 364 since the beginning of the
outbreak.
Since the beginning of the year
the Czech capital of Prague and Central Bohemia has seen a marked increase in the
incidence of hepatitis A. The outbreak first began among intravenous drug
users and the homeless but quickly spread to the general public. In early
Sept 2008, a mass vaccination campaign targeted those at highest risk and the
general population has been encouraged to seek vaccination as new cases are
expected to continue for some time yet.
LATVIA October 2008 Hepatitis A - Since Nov 2007, an increase in the number of reported
hepatitis A cases has been noted in Latvia. Between 1 Jan and 24 Sep
2008, a total of 759 confirmed cases of hepatitis A have been recorded. The
incidence of the infection increased dramatically at the end of Aug and early
Sep 2008. On 24 Sep alone, 285 suspected cases of hepatitis A were under
investigation. The majority of cases were registered in the capital city of Riga (598) and in the Riga region (73)
(from http://www.travax.scot.nhs.uk ).
More information: http://www.travelclinic.ltd.uk
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