Syphilis Outbreak: Alberta
Albertans are being warned about the risks of sexually transmitted infections, due to a significant rise in the number of syphilis cases. More than 200 cases of infectious syphilis were recorded in Alberta last year, an increase of almost 40% from the previous year. The outbreak is wide-spread occurring in teenagers as young as 15 years of age as well senior citizens as old as 81. Also of concern are 9 recorded cases of congenital syphilis, babies born with the infection, in the last two years. Syphilis is becoming a very serious problem in Alberta with the number of cases increasing quickly. The increasing number of babies being born with congenital syphilis is especially of concern as these children will have health problems and the situation could have been prevented. The Alberta government is launching an awareness campaign this month to help stop the spread of syphilis and raise public awareness about this preventable disease. The government is also working closely with regional health authorities, nurses, and physicians throughout the province to remind all Albertans to practice safer sex.
Source: News Release, Alberta Health and Wellness, 9 March 2007

Malaria: Jamaica (Update)
The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to monitor an outbreak of malaria in Jamaica. Although a small number of cases may continue to be reported in the coming weeks, at this time the outbreak appears to be subsiding. As of 3 March 2007, the Jamaican Ministry of Health has reported 312 confirmed cases of malaria with the majority occurring in Kingston (291 cases). Fifteen cases have been reported in St.Thomas and a small number of cases have been reported in other neighbouring parishes. A single case has been reported in a US resident who traveled to Kingston in November 2006; no cases have been reported among Canadian travellers to date. All confirmed cases were caused by infection with Plasmodium falciparum. No deaths have occurred and there is no evidence of chloroquine resistance among treated cases
Source: Travel Health Advisory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 7 March 2007

HIV-Positive Organs Transplant: Italy
In February 2007, three patients received HIV-positive organs as a result of an error made in the documentation by an employee at the hospital in northern Italy where the organs had been taken for transplant. The person wrote “negative” instead of “positive” after reading the automatically generated print-out report of the results of laboratory analyses, including blood testing for HIV. The organ donor was a woman in her forties who died at home of a brain haemorrhage but had no clinical history of any diseases. After her death, the family had assented to organ and tissue donation not knowing that she had been HIV-positive. Three organs (two kidneys and a liver) were transplanted to three distinct recipients. The recipients were informed of the possibility of being infected with HIV on the same day that the donor’s HIV status was revealed to the transplant organization network. An international task-force comprised of leading experts in infectious diseases has since taken responsibility for the treatment of the three patients. While awaiting the results of the genotyping the patients received HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) taking into account the existing risk of organ rejection. All three have since tested positive for HIV but the public health authorities stated that it would take about one year to be able to make a general commentary on their health condition. The accident, unprecedented in Italy’s 40-year history of organ transplantation, was concluded to be entirely due to human error and negligence of procedures and guidelines. The Italian Ministry of Health, the National Transplant Centre and the regional authorities appointed a commission of experts to evaluate the accident, reassess the procedures and propose possible precautionary measures.
Source: Eurosurveillance Weekly, Volume 12, Issue 3, 8 March 2007

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.