Description of the situation
06 February 2002
Disease Outbreak Reported
As of 5 February 2002, the Institute of Public Health (IPH), Pristina, has reported 715 cases of tularemia since the outbreak began on 1 November 2001. One hundred and seventy cases have been laboratory confirmed, while 404 suspected cases were found to be negative. An additional 141 suspected cases remain under laboratory and epidemiological investigation. There have been no deaths to date (see previous report).
Measures for case management, environmental control and health education are continuing.
Tularemia, which is endemic in many parts of the world, including north America, eastern Europe, China, Japan and Scandinavia, is a bacterial disease normally transmitted from animal hosts and has a variety of clinical manifestations. Symptoms include high fever and body aches, swollen glands and difficulty with swallowing, which continue over a period of a couple of weeks.