CDC / Yellow Fever in Brazil
Center for Disease Control and Prevention: update December 19, 2011
Current Situation
Yellow fever is a risk for travelers to most areas of Brazil, except coastal regions. During 2009, an outbreak of yellow fever, including a number of deaths, occurred in parts of southeastern Brazil that had not been affected by yellow fever for many years.
In response, the Brazil Ministry of Health has gradually expanded the list of municipalities for which yellow fever vaccination is recommended in the four southeastern states of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul
.
Globally, yellow fever occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America and is spread to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Symptoms can include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, backache, nausea, and vomiting.
Yellow Fever Risk Areas in Brazil
Currently, Brazil and CDC recommend yellow fever vaccination for travelers to the following states:
All areas of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Distrito Federal (including the capital city of Brasília), Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, and Tocantins.
Other designated areas of the following states: Bahia, Paraná, Piauí, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo. Vaccination is also recommended for travelers visiting Iguassu Falls.
Source: CDC / Yellow Fever in Brazil, update
Passport Health Northern Ohio, Local News
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
A Doctor's Vaccine Christmas Wish List
Christmas Wish List
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a vaccine to prevent tooth cavities? That possibility isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. For cavities to occur, they need sugar, plaque and bacteria, and the bacteria responsible for cavities in humans are lactobacillus and a type of streptococcus. I checked this week with three of my favorite dentists to confirm that there has been a lot of effort expended towards developing a vaccine that would protect us from ever getting cavities.
How about a vaccine against acne? The germ responsible for pimples and scars is propionibacterium acnes. It’s a bacteria against which we have antibiotics such as tetracycline and erythromycin. A vaccine which prevented acne would be welcome news for the complexions of millions of teenagers and young adults.
Here are a few others on my wish list. We currently have great vaccines against hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Whoever invents a vaccine against hepatitis C will be a rich man or woman.
Some day we’ll likely have a herpes vaccine. It’s a bit complicated, however, because there’s genital herpes and oral herpes and a few other cousins. A herpes vaccine might not help the more than 80 million Americans already infected with this virus, but it would be a boon for those in the future.
In many parts of the world, malaria is an everyday threat. An effective malaria vaccine could prevent an estimated 300-500 million infections per year.
It’s been more than twenty years since AIDS was first recognized as a new disease and HIV was identified as the virus responsible. Many thought that we would have a vaccine against HIV by the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, this virus has proven to be exceedingly resistant thus far to researchers’ efforts to come up with a safe and effective vaccine.
Lastly, MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) is a miserable bacteria that’s responsible for pneumonia and bloodstream infections, both in hospitals and in our communities. My Dad died as a result of an overwhelming staph infection, so I’ve always had a healthy respect for this particular bacteria. Selfishly, a vaccine against staph is at the top of my list.
Brad Gascoigne, M.D.
Smart Readers Health Column
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a vaccine to prevent tooth cavities? That possibility isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. For cavities to occur, they need sugar, plaque and bacteria, and the bacteria responsible for cavities in humans are lactobacillus and a type of streptococcus. I checked this week with three of my favorite dentists to confirm that there has been a lot of effort expended towards developing a vaccine that would protect us from ever getting cavities.
How about a vaccine against acne? The germ responsible for pimples and scars is propionibacterium acnes. It’s a bacteria against which we have antibiotics such as tetracycline and erythromycin. A vaccine which prevented acne would be welcome news for the complexions of millions of teenagers and young adults.
Here are a few others on my wish list. We currently have great vaccines against hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Whoever invents a vaccine against hepatitis C will be a rich man or woman.
Some day we’ll likely have a herpes vaccine. It’s a bit complicated, however, because there’s genital herpes and oral herpes and a few other cousins. A herpes vaccine might not help the more than 80 million Americans already infected with this virus, but it would be a boon for those in the future.
In many parts of the world, malaria is an everyday threat. An effective malaria vaccine could prevent an estimated 300-500 million infections per year.
It’s been more than twenty years since AIDS was first recognized as a new disease and HIV was identified as the virus responsible. Many thought that we would have a vaccine against HIV by the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, this virus has proven to be exceedingly resistant thus far to researchers’ efforts to come up with a safe and effective vaccine.
Lastly, MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) is a miserable bacteria that’s responsible for pneumonia and bloodstream infections, both in hospitals and in our communities. My Dad died as a result of an overwhelming staph infection, so I’ve always had a healthy respect for this particular bacteria. Selfishly, a vaccine against staph is at the top of my list.
Brad Gascoigne, M.D.
Smart Readers Health Column
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