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Wednesday, August 10, 2011
More on the America's Cup Racing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHIAFfpHRYk&feature=player_profilepage
AMERICA'S CUP RACING
ABSOLUTELY MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR!
Don't know about you, but I LOVE watching the Americas Cup / AC World Series. I'll try to post updates from their websites. Forgive the RSS Feed size, I don't have much control over this one.
Don't know about you, but I LOVE watching the Americas Cup / AC World Series. I'll try to post updates from their websites. Forgive the RSS Feed size, I don't have much control over this one.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
OUTBREAK NOTICE: Polio Outbreak in Tajikistan, Cases in Russia, Risk of Spread to other Central Asian Countries
Current Situation:
The Tajikistan Ministry of Health continues to respond to an outbreak of poliovirus imported from India. The outbreak was confirmed on April 21, 2010, by the World Health Organization (WHO). It represents the first importation of polio into the WHO European Region since it was certified polio-free in 2002. All countries in the Central Asian region and the Russian Federation are at risk of additional poliovirus importations until this outbreak is over. Central Asian countries include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Transmission in the northern Caucasus area of the Russian Federation indicates a possible risk of spread to the Caucasus countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan reported 712 cases of acute flaccid paralysis in 2010. Of these cases, 457 have been laboratory-confirmed as polio. Of the confirmed polio cases, 298 are in children under 5 years of age; 29 deaths in 2010 were attributed to confirmed polio As of June 7, 2011, 12 additional acute flaccid paralysis cases with onset in 2011 had been reported but none have been confirmed to be polio as of date.
Confirmed polio cases have been reported in the capital city of Dushanbe, Districts of Republican Subordination, and Khatlon Province, all in central and southwestern Tajikistan, and one district and the provincial capital city Khudjand in the northern Sogd province. The government of Tajikistan has received technical guidance and support from WHO, which is communicating with neighboring and other countries about the outbreak. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and the People's Republic of China to the east.
Russia
Russia has reported 14 polio cases to date, 5 of which are linked to travelers, but a substantial spread in the country has not been reported. Cases have been reported in Moscow, as well as Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, and Khabarovsk regions, the Chechen Republic, and Republic of Dagestan. The latter two are Northern Caucasus republics that have each reported 3 cases of local transmission, without any known travel link to Tajikistan. The most recent confirmed case in Russia had onset on September 25, 2010, in the Republic of Dagestan. A total of 166 cases of acute flaccid paralysis have been reported since January 1, 2011, and 115 of those that have test results have been negative for polio.
Turkmenistan
In 2010, Turkmenistan reported 50 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, including 3 confirmed cases of polio. All these cases had onset in June and occurred in Lebap province, which borders Uzbekistan. As of June 7, 2011, 10 additional acute flaccid paralysis cases with onset in 2011 have been reported, and all tested negative for polio.
Kazakhstan
In 2010, Kazakhstan reported 113 cases of acute flaccid paralysis and 1 confirmed case of polio, with onset August 12, 2010. The case was reported in South Kazakhstan close to the border with Uzbekistan. As of June 7, 2011, Kazakhstan reported 41 acute flaccid paralysis cases with onset in 2011. None of the 30 cases that have test results tested positive for wild polio.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan reported 147 cases of acute flaccid paralysis in 2010, including some near the country’s borders with Tajikistan,Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, but none have been confirmed as polio. As of June 7, 2011, 66 additional acute flaccid paralysis cases with onset in 2011 have been reported.
Kyrgyzstan
In 2010, Kyrgyzstan reported 68 cases of acute flaccid paralysis. As of June 7, 2011, 19 additional cases with onset in 2011 have been reported. No cases of polio have been confirmed.
Recommendations for US Travelers to the Caucasus countries, Central Asian countries and the Russian Federation
Polio is a disease that is most often spread through contact with the feces of an infected person. Poliovirus can also be spread through oral fluids, contaminated items, water, and uncooked food. The disease mainly affects children less than 5 years old, but unvaccinated people of any age are at risk. Signs and symptoms of the illness may include paralysis of limbs and respiratory muscles.
Travelers should take the following steps to protect themselves from polio:
Get vaccinated for polio
* Talk to your doctor to find out if you are up to date with your polio vaccination and whether you need a booster dose before traveling.
* Even if you were vaccinated as a child or have been sick with polio before, you may need a booster shot to make sure that you are protected. If you are traveling with children, be sure that they have been appropriately vaccinated, too.
Follow safe food and water practices
* Eat foods that are fully cooked and served hot.
* Eat and drink dairy products that have been pasteurized.
* Eat only fruits and vegetables that you can wash with safe water and peel yourself.
* Drink only bottled or boiled water or beverages that have been bottled and sealed (carbonated drinks or sports drinks). Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice.
Practice good hand hygiene
* Wash hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, you can use an alcohol-based hand gel.
* Wash hands especially before eating, drinking or preparing food and after using the bathroom, and changing diapers and coughing or sneezing.
Information for Health-Care Providers
Vaccine Recommendations: Infants and Children traveling to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Russian Federation
* The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all infants and children in the United States receive 4 doses of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), administered at 2 months, 4 months, 6–18 months, and 4–6 years of age.
* If accelerated protection is needed, the minimum interval between the first three doses is 4 weeks (28 days), and the minimum interval from dose 3 to dose 4 is 6 months.
* A dose of IPV should be administered at age ≥4 years regardless of the number of previous doses.
Vaccine Recommendations: Adults traveling to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Russian Federation
* Travelers who have received the complete series with either IPV or oral polio vaccine (OPV) as a child without an adult booster dose (either OPV or IPV) should receive another dose of IPV before departure.
* Available data do not indicate the need for more than one lifetime IPV booster dose for adults.
* Travelers of any age who are unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or whose vaccination status is unknown should receive 3 doses of IPV (2 doses at 4– to 8-week intervals, followed by a third dose 6–12 months after the second dose). (See Chapter 2, Poliomyelitis, CDC Health Information for International Travel 2010, for details.)
The Tajikistan Ministry of Health continues to respond to an outbreak of poliovirus imported from India. The outbreak was confirmed on April 21, 2010, by the World Health Organization (WHO). It represents the first importation of polio into the WHO European Region since it was certified polio-free in 2002. All countries in the Central Asian region and the Russian Federation are at risk of additional poliovirus importations until this outbreak is over. Central Asian countries include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Transmission in the northern Caucasus area of the Russian Federation indicates a possible risk of spread to the Caucasus countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan reported 712 cases of acute flaccid paralysis in 2010. Of these cases, 457 have been laboratory-confirmed as polio. Of the confirmed polio cases, 298 are in children under 5 years of age; 29 deaths in 2010 were attributed to confirmed polio As of June 7, 2011, 12 additional acute flaccid paralysis cases with onset in 2011 had been reported but none have been confirmed to be polio as of date.
Confirmed polio cases have been reported in the capital city of Dushanbe, Districts of Republican Subordination, and Khatlon Province, all in central and southwestern Tajikistan, and one district and the provincial capital city Khudjand in the northern Sogd province. The government of Tajikistan has received technical guidance and support from WHO, which is communicating with neighboring and other countries about the outbreak. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and the People's Republic of China to the east.
Russia
Russia has reported 14 polio cases to date, 5 of which are linked to travelers, but a substantial spread in the country has not been reported. Cases have been reported in Moscow, as well as Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, and Khabarovsk regions, the Chechen Republic, and Republic of Dagestan. The latter two are Northern Caucasus republics that have each reported 3 cases of local transmission, without any known travel link to Tajikistan. The most recent confirmed case in Russia had onset on September 25, 2010, in the Republic of Dagestan. A total of 166 cases of acute flaccid paralysis have been reported since January 1, 2011, and 115 of those that have test results have been negative for polio.
Turkmenistan
In 2010, Turkmenistan reported 50 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, including 3 confirmed cases of polio. All these cases had onset in June and occurred in Lebap province, which borders Uzbekistan. As of June 7, 2011, 10 additional acute flaccid paralysis cases with onset in 2011 have been reported, and all tested negative for polio.
Kazakhstan
In 2010, Kazakhstan reported 113 cases of acute flaccid paralysis and 1 confirmed case of polio, with onset August 12, 2010. The case was reported in South Kazakhstan close to the border with Uzbekistan. As of June 7, 2011, Kazakhstan reported 41 acute flaccid paralysis cases with onset in 2011. None of the 30 cases that have test results tested positive for wild polio.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan reported 147 cases of acute flaccid paralysis in 2010, including some near the country’s borders with Tajikistan,Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, but none have been confirmed as polio. As of June 7, 2011, 66 additional acute flaccid paralysis cases with onset in 2011 have been reported.
Kyrgyzstan
In 2010, Kyrgyzstan reported 68 cases of acute flaccid paralysis. As of June 7, 2011, 19 additional cases with onset in 2011 have been reported. No cases of polio have been confirmed.
Recommendations for US Travelers to the Caucasus countries, Central Asian countries and the Russian Federation
Polio is a disease that is most often spread through contact with the feces of an infected person. Poliovirus can also be spread through oral fluids, contaminated items, water, and uncooked food. The disease mainly affects children less than 5 years old, but unvaccinated people of any age are at risk. Signs and symptoms of the illness may include paralysis of limbs and respiratory muscles.
Travelers should take the following steps to protect themselves from polio:
Get vaccinated for polio
* Talk to your doctor to find out if you are up to date with your polio vaccination and whether you need a booster dose before traveling.
* Even if you were vaccinated as a child or have been sick with polio before, you may need a booster shot to make sure that you are protected. If you are traveling with children, be sure that they have been appropriately vaccinated, too.
Follow safe food and water practices
* Eat foods that are fully cooked and served hot.
* Eat and drink dairy products that have been pasteurized.
* Eat only fruits and vegetables that you can wash with safe water and peel yourself.
* Drink only bottled or boiled water or beverages that have been bottled and sealed (carbonated drinks or sports drinks). Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice.
Practice good hand hygiene
* Wash hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, you can use an alcohol-based hand gel.
* Wash hands especially before eating, drinking or preparing food and after using the bathroom, and changing diapers and coughing or sneezing.
Information for Health-Care Providers
Vaccine Recommendations: Infants and Children traveling to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Russian Federation
* The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all infants and children in the United States receive 4 doses of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), administered at 2 months, 4 months, 6–18 months, and 4–6 years of age.
* If accelerated protection is needed, the minimum interval between the first three doses is 4 weeks (28 days), and the minimum interval from dose 3 to dose 4 is 6 months.
* A dose of IPV should be administered at age ≥4 years regardless of the number of previous doses.
Vaccine Recommendations: Adults traveling to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Russian Federation
* Travelers who have received the complete series with either IPV or oral polio vaccine (OPV) as a child without an adult booster dose (either OPV or IPV) should receive another dose of IPV before departure.
* Available data do not indicate the need for more than one lifetime IPV booster dose for adults.
* Travelers of any age who are unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or whose vaccination status is unknown should receive 3 doses of IPV (2 doses at 4– to 8-week intervals, followed by a third dose 6–12 months after the second dose). (See Chapter 2, Poliomyelitis, CDC Health Information for International Travel 2010, for details.)
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