UNDIAGNOSED DISEASE, FATAL - PAPUA NEW GUINEA: NORTHERN, REQUEST FOR

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A ProMED-mail post

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International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Wed 19 Jan 2011
Source: MalumNalu.blogspot.com [edited]



Ten people have died reportedly from an unknown disease in remote
villages along the Owen Stanley Range in Northern [Province?], The
National reports [see ].
This has caused panic and a health concern among other villagers and
[in] nearby areas, as the disease causes extreme swelling to various
parts of the body, then they die.

Public servants, who live in Port Moresby, were recently in these
villages for the Christmas and New Year festive season and witnessed
this disease.

In the Fafia local level government of Musa, 10 villagers in Upper
Musa along the 2 main rivers had contracted the disease, causing the
Middle and Lower Musa people to fear for their lives because of the
risk of infection.

The symptoms include painful swellings from the legs, which then
spread to the arms and hands, the stomach and then the head before it
kills the person.

Musa villagers are concerned because there was a lack of medical
personnel to attend to those affected. "The health facilities, such as
the buildings that are there, are rundown. They have been [in] that
state for the past 12 or so years," one public servant said. He said
because of this and the lack of drugs, there were no health workers
around. Leaders in Middle and Lower Musa villages are now requesting
officials from the provincial and national health authorities to
investigate.

They are fearful that the disease may be water-borne as they are
located downstream from the affected area, and that the water may be
contaminated with bacteria. The source said the inability to get
medical assistance to these people was a case of negligence and
ignorance by the provincial government. "This also applies to other
basic services such as setting up and running a school in this area."

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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail


[Outbreaks of mysterious illnesses in remote regions of Papua New
Guinea have been reported by ProMED-mail in the past. At times, these
illnesses have been attributed to influenza, dysentery, and cholera.
The news release describes the current illness as painful swelling
that starts in the legs and then spreads to the arms and hands, the
abdomen and finally the head before it kills the person. Swelling that
starts in the legs (possibly dependent edema), and then involves the
abdomen (possibly ascites) and finally the face, suggests kidney
disease.

Neither the presence of fever, respiratory symptoms such as shortness
of breath, nor diarrhea are mentioned as part of the clinical picture.
The local populace is said to think the illness is infectious and
possibly water-borne; exposure to a toxin is not mentioned. The region
lacks the resources to readily diagnose the illness. ProMED-mail would
very much appreciate confirmation of the clinical presentation and
information on the results of investigations of these reported
undiagnosed deaths in Papua New Guinea.

The eastern part of the island of New Guinea forms the mainland of
Papua New Guinea, which has been an independent country since 1975.
The country consists of 4 regions, which are divided into provinces;
each province has one or more districts, and each district has one or
more Local Level Government (LLG) areas
(). The
outbreak is said to be occurring in remote villages, apparently in the
Northern [Province?], along the Owen Stanley Range, the southeastern
part of the central mountain chain in Papua New Guinea. The Northern
or Oro Province is a coastal province of Papua New Guinea (see
). For a
map of this region, see
. The
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Papua New Guinea can be found
at: . - Mod.ML]

[see also:
2009
----
Undiagnosed disease - Papua New Guinea (03): (MR) 20090831.3062
Undiagnosed disease - Papua New Guinea (02): (MR) 20090830.3049
Undiagnosed disease - Papua New Guinea (MR), RFI 20090828.3033
2004
---
Undiagnosed deaths - Papua New Guinea (Southern Highlands) (03): RFI
20040801.2101
Undiagnosed deaths - Papua New Guinea (Southern Highlands) (02): RFI
20040728.2062
Undiagnosed deaths - Papua New Guinea (Southern Highlands): RFI 20040721.1978
Undiagnosed deaths - Papua New Guinea: RFI 20040419.1083]
..............................................................ml/msp/dk
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