Description of the situation
03 May 2000
Disease Outbreak Reported
Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135 has been identified in the majority of serogrouped confirmed cases associated with international travel and reported previously on 27April; 26 April; 20 April; 11 April.
Laboratory confirmation is underway for new notifications received from the following countries:
Singapore: Four cases;
Indonesia: Fourteen cases, including 6 deaths, with laboratory confirmation of N.
meningitidis serogroup B in 1 case;
Iran: Two cases;
Morocco: Three cases, with laboratory confirmation of 1 case of N. meningitidis
serogroup W135 and 1 case of serogroup C.
WHO is actively monitoring the situation and requesting countries to send specimens to WHO Collaborating Centres for Meningococcal Infections so that the strains can be fully identified and traced. The Centres are:
Institut de Médecine Tropicale du
Service de Santé des Armées
Parc du Pharo, B.P. 46
F-13998 Marseille-Armées
France
Dr. Pierre Nicolas
Tel: +33 4 91 15 01 15
Fax: +33 4 91 59 44 77
E-mail: imtssa.meningo@free.fr
WHO Collaborating Centre for
Control of Epidemic Meningitis
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, GA 30333
United States of America
Dr. Tanja Popovic
Tel: +1 404 639 17 30
Fax: +1 404 639 31 23
E-mail: txp1@cdc.gov
WHO Collaboration Centre for
Reference and Research on Meningococci
Department of Bacteriology
National Institute of Public Health
PO Box 4404
Torshov
N-0403 Oslo
Norway
Dr. Dominique Caugant
Tel: + 47 22 04 23 11
Fax: + 47 22 04 25 18
E-mail: dominique.caugant@folkehelsa.no
For further information, please contact outbreak@who.ch