Committee to Advise on Tropical Medicine and Travel (CATMAT) - Travel Medicine Resources for Canadian Practitioners: Canada
The goal of this newly released document is to provide both the novice and the experienced travel medicine practitioner with a comprehensive list of resources. The collection has been divided into sections based mainly on the type of medium, and cite international resources with particular attention to Canadian sources of information. As travel and tropical medicine frequently overlap, this document focuses on travel medicine. Tropical medicine resources are cited mainly when they regularly include travel medicine material. In addition, the final section of the paper provides an annotated bibliography of tropical medicine resources for health practitioners planning to work in the developing world. The reader will find a number of references to Web sites. The statement can be accessed online at:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/06vol32/acs-06/index.html.
Source: Canada Communicable Disease Report, Volume 32, ACS-6, 1 June 2006

Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Disease: Manitoba
Since the introduction of the polyribosylribitol phosphate conjugate vaccine in Canada in 1992, the incidence of Hib has decreased dramatically, reaching an all-time low in 2000 of only four cases noted by a network of 12 pediatric centres across Canada monitoring for vaccine preventable diseases. However, surveillance for invasive Hi disease in Canada captures only cases due to Hib, and there is limited information on the prevalence or incidence of invasive Hi disease due to non-b type Hi. Currently, it is not known whether Hib vaccination alters the epidemiology of invasive Hi disease by inducing capsule replacement. Capsule replacement in Hi disease has been reported from at least two countries (Brazil and Portugal) after extensive use of the Hib vaccine. Butler (2005) raised concerns that non-b type Hi isolates are becoming a more common cause of invasive Hi disease. This raises the question of what should be the appropriate public health response to invasive non-b type Hi disease. In order to address some of these concerns, a study was done on invasive Hi strains (defined by isolation from normally sterile body sites such as blood and cerebrospinal fluid [CSF]) isolated at the Health Sciences Centre and Children's Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from 2000 to 2004 and characterized them according to their serotypes using serotype-specific antisera as well as molecular techniques to detect the presence of serotype-specific capsular polysaccharide synthesis genes. Study results can be accessed online at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/06vol32/dr3211ea.html.
Source: Canada Communicable Disease Report, Volume 32, No. 11, 1 June 2006

Salmonella Montevideo: England and Wales
Between 1 March to 19 June 2006, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens (LEP) received isolates from 45 non-travel associated human cases of Salmonella Montevideo infection in England and Wales fully sensitive to the LEP panel of antimicrobial drugs. During the same time period in 2005, LEP received 14 isolates of this infection. Information has been received for 34 of 45 cases reported in 2006. Reported onset dates for 27 cases ranged from 25 February and 24 May 2006. Of those cases, over half (22/42; 52%) of the cases are aged under four years. Of these, one-third (8/22; 36%) were aged 12 months or under. There is no apparent gender difference within all age groups (female 48%, male 52%). With the exception of the North East Region, all HPA regions and Wales are affected. Molecular typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has identified a putative outbreak strain with a PFGE designation of SmvdX07. Microbiological and epidemiological investigations into this increase is continuing.
Source: CDR Weekly, Volume 16, No. 25, 22 June 2006

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.