The sudden increase of malaria incidence at village level of several key malaria communes in Thua Thien – Hue province’s A Luoi districts had been observed in 1998-2001. These villages are situated the malaria endemic area along with Vietnam – Lao border. The malaria increase appeared to be seasonal with the number of infected cases exceeding mean + 2SD. It was confirmed that no local transmission was present in the areas though a case of 8 years old child infected with malaria was reported. The risky factors of malaria outbreak in these villages were suggested to be the migration of population, potential malaria sources among people illegally migrated through Vietnam – Lao border and temporarily inhabited in some villages
malaria ; Disease ; Endemic Diseases ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks

BACKGROUND: In the search for more powerful tools for diagnoses of endemic diseases in resource-limited settings, we have been analyzing technologies with potential applicability. Increasingly, the process focuses on readily accessible bodily fluids combined with increasingly powerful multiplex capabilities to unambiguously diagnose a condition without resorting to reliance on a sophisticated reference laboratory. Although these technological advances may well have important implications for the sensitive and specific detection of disease, to date their clinical utility has not been demonstrated, especially in resource-limited settings. Furthermore, many emerging technological developments are in fields of physics or engineering, which are not readily available to or intelligible to clinicians or clinical laboratory scientists. CONTENT: This review provides a look at technology trends that could have applicability to high-sensitivity multiplexed immunoassays in resource-limited settings. Various technologies are explained and assessed according to potential for reaching relevant limits of cost, sensitivity, and multiplex capability. Frequently, such work is reported in technical journals not normally read by clinical scientists, and the authors make enthusiastic claims for the potential of their technology while ignoring potential pitfalls. Thus it is important to draw attention to technical hurdles that authors may not be publicizing. SUMMARY: Immunochromatographic assays, optical methods including those involving waveguides, electrochemical methods, magnetorestrictive methods, and field-effect transistor methods based on nanotubes, nanowires, and nanoribbons reveal possibilities as next-generation technologies.
Endemic Diseases ; Health Resorts ; Immunoassay ; Immunochromatography ; Nanotubes ; Nanotubes, Carbon ; Nanowires

Ebolavirus ; pathogenicity ; Endemic Diseases ; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola ; epidemiology ; virology ; Humans

Dengue fever, which is caused by a mosquito-borne flavivirus, has become a major infectious- disease threat in tropical and subtropical areas. Dengue fever has also become a common cause of febrile infections in persons who have recently traveled. On December 26, 2004 the tsunami hit Southeast Asia. People who survived in those areas were infected with endemic disease such as dengue fever, malaria and cholera. We sent six members of the Korean medical relief team to the tsunami region. Three workers developed fever, chills and headache after leaving the tsunami region, and were diagnosed with Dengue fever. Such an outbreak of Dengue Fever in travelers is rarely reported.
Asia, Southeastern ; Chills ; Cholera ; Dengue* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Endemic Diseases ; Fever ; Flavivirus ; Headache ; Humans ; Malaria ; Tsunamis*

Urinary schistosomiasis(bilharziasis), caused by digenetic bloodfluke, is an endemic disease in Africa, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, but not in Korea. We report one case of urinary schistosomiasis in Korea, who worked in North Yemen, with the review of literatures.
Africa ; Endemic Diseases ; Iran ; Israel ; Korea ; Lebanon ; Saudi Arabia ; Schistosomiasis ; Schistosomiasis haematobia* ; Syria ; Yemen

Dengue fever is a tropical endemic disease; however, because of climate change, it may become a problem in South Korea in the near future. Research on vaccines for dengue fever and outbreak preparedness are currently insufficient. In addition, because there are no appropriate animal models, controversial results from vaccine efficacy assessments and clinical trials have been reported. Therefore, to study the mechanism of dengue fever and test the immunogenicity of vaccines, an appropriate animal model is urgently needed. In addition to mouse models, more suitable models using animals that can be humanized will need to be constructed. In this report, we look at the current status of model animal construction and discuss which models require further development.
Animals* ; Climate Change ; Dengue Virus ; Dengue* ; Endemic Diseases ; Humans ; Korea ; Mice ; Models, Animal* ; Vaccines

Non-O1 V. cholerae usually causes endemic disease. Common clinical manifestations of this infection involve gastroenteritis, sepsis, and wound infection. In Korea, six cases of infection with this pathogen have been reported. From 1995 to 1996, non-O1 V. cholerae was isolated from blood of three patients of sepsis in this hospital. Two of them had liver cirrhosis as an underlying disease. One patient died of progressive sepsis and another two patients recovered. The isolates were identified by API 20E(API system, BioMerieux, France) and their biochemical properties were characterized. The serotypes of two isolates were determined to be O2 and O24. These cases, with the previous reports, suggest that non-O1 V. cholera should be considered as a pathogen causing septicemia in patients who have underlying disease of liver cirrhosis during summer.
Cholera ; Endemic Diseases ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Sepsis* ; Vibrio cholerae* ; Vibrio* ; Wound Infection

Leptospirosis has been known as endemic disease in Korea since 1984. Wild rodent, mostly Apodemus agrarius, has been known as an important source of leptospiral infection especially in rainy circumstances in harvest reason of rural area. The infection rates of Leptospira interrogans in field rodents, Apodemus agrarius, was investigated by culture and PCR detection of leptospiral DNA, and compared with previous data. Furthermore, the serogroup and serovar were investigated. Two hundred twenty two Apodemus agrarius were captured during October to December 1996. Spirohaetes were isolated from 22 (9.9%) and leptospiral DNA was detected in an additional six rodents (12.6%). Subsequent cross-agglutinin absorption test, monoclonal antibody reactivity classified 21 cultures among 22 isolates as Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohemorrhagiae serovar lai. The above data did not differ from previous survey in 1984 to 1987. There was no significant change of Leptospira interrogans infection in field rodents in Korea.
Absorption ; Animals ; DNA ; Endemic Diseases ; Korea* ; Leptospira interrogans* ; Leptospira* ; Leptospirosis ; Murinae ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence* ; Rodentia*

OBJECTIVETo take effective strategies and measures for the prevention and control of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) endemic areas by investigating its dynamic geographical boundaries in Shandong Province, China.

METHODSThe incidence of HFRS from 1982 to 2008 in Shandong Prvince, China, was detected with inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation based on geographical information system (GIS). Dynamic geographical boundaries of HFRS endemic areas in Shandong Province, China, were analyzed by geographical boundary analysis.

RESULTSThe HTN-type endemic areas of HFRS were located in Linyi City in phase 1 (1982-1986), the SEO-type endemic areas of HFRS were located in Jining City in phase 2 (1987-2003), and the endemic areas of HFRS in Jining City gradually disappeared and the endemic areas of HFRS with mixed-types of reservoir rodents were located in Linyi City in phase 3 (2004-2008). Meanwhile, new endemic areas emerged in the northwestern Shandong province, China.

CONCLUSIONThe SEO-type endemic areas of HFRS are located in western Shandong Province, China, and the HTN-type endemic areas of HFRS are located eastern Shandong Province, Chin, indicating that the endemic areas of HFRS should be vaccinated and rodents should be controlled.

China ; epidemiology ; Endemic Diseases ; prevention & control ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Public Health Practice