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Situation Tense in Bangkok after Discovery of Bombs; European Scientists Test radical New Influenza A Vaccine

04 January 2007

Philadelphia

International SOS, the world's leading provider of medical and security assistance services, international healthcare, and outsourced customer care, offers travel alerts to members traveling overseas to warn them of security risks or medical problems they may encounter at their destinations or en route. The following is a sample of locations that may represent current security and medical risks for global travelers.

January 3, 2007 – Thailand - More Bombs Discovered in Bangkok

Reports indicate that three additional bombs have been uncovered near the old Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok. While two of the bombs have been defused, efforts are currently underway to neutralize the third bomb. Security has been tightened in Bangkok and in other major cities of Thailand. Security at the international airport, railway and bus terminus in Bangkok and around all other key locations has been intensified. Many countries have advised their citizens not to travel to Bangkok owing to the possibility of further attacks in coming days.

The discovery of the bombs is likely to compound the prevalent security situation in the country following the serial blasts on New Year’s Eve, which killed three people and injured approximately 40 persons, including foreign tourists. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack Sunday, and there are no clear leads. The current regime, headed by General Surayud Chulanont, has blamed former politicians who lost power in the September coup for the attack. However, deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has issued a statement that strongly condemns the terrorist act and denies any kind of involvement with the attack. Thaksin has attributed the bomb blasts to Islamist insurgents based in southern Thailand.

The situation in Bangkok remains tense and members should defer travel to Bangkok for at least the next seven days. Travelers already in Bangkok should avoid high profile hotels and shopping malls. Additionally, they should avoid crowded areas such as large bus stations, the National Monument, and the Thai Palace. For more information on the situation in Bangkok, please contact the nearest International SOS Alarm Center.

January 2, 2007 - Kenya- Rift Valley Fever Outbreak near Garissa

An outbreak of Rift Valley fever, an animal disease that sometimes infects humans, has killed at least 60 people and infected almost 200 more in Kenya. Animals are also dying as the disease continues to spread. Human infections began in mid-December in the Garissa area. Cases developed in three districts of the remote North Eastern province: Ijara, Garissa and Wajir. Residents of this province are nomadic and raise livestock. Cases have also been reported in two districts of Coast province, Tana River and Kilifi. By early January, the health ministry said the disease had spread into Rift Valley province. 

Mosquitoes play a role in spreading the disease. Authorities believe that recent flooding in this part of Kenya may have contributed to increases in mosquito populations and, consequently, this outbreak. Local authorities have declared this an epidemic, and experts from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were called in to help test suspected cases and develop a vaccination strategy for animals. Flooding and other factors make some parts of this area inaccessible by road, which is hampering control and treatment efforts.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral disease that usually infects domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo and camels. The disease sometimes transfers to humans, usually causing a mild flu-like illness. However, in some cases the illness can be acute and deadly. Humans can get the disease through the bite of an infected mosquito or other bloodsucking insect. They can also contract it via contact with the blood, organs, or bodily fluids of sick animals. The virus may enter through the skin or via inhalation.   

People infected with RVF may react in many different ways. Some will not develop symptoms. Others will have a mild, flu-like illness with fever, weakness, muscle and back pain, and dizziness. Some patients also develop meningitis-like symptoms: neck stiffness, sensitivity to light (photophobia) and vomiting. In severe cases, people may develop a hemorrhagic fever, which can cause severe liver disease, yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice), and signs of bleeding including blood in the feces and vomit, bleeding gums and visible rash caused by blood pools under the skin (purpuric rash). About 50% of those who develop hemorrhagic fever die. There is no established treatment for RVF. Most patients recover within two days to one week. As there is no vaccine available, preventing mosquito bites is critical to preventing Rift Valley fever. For more information on RVF and the situation in Kenya, please contact your nearest alarm center.

January 2, 2006 - Europe - Scientists to Test radically New Influenza A Vaccine

Scientists in Europe will soon begin testing a new type of vaccine that is hoped to be effective against all types of Influenza A in humans, including the deadly H5N1 and winter strains. The new vaccine focuses on the M2 protein found in the cell membrane of influenza A; this protein has barely changed over the last 100 years. The vaccine should trigger the production of antibodies that attack the virus as it emerges from the cell in which it was created.

Traditional flu vaccines focus on two proteins that occur on the surface of the influenza virus, but as these proteins continually change (mutate), new vaccines must be developed for each mutation.  This is why new vaccines must be created each year to prevent seasonal (winter) influenza and why vaccines against current A/H5N1 strains may not be effective against a pandemic strain.

The vaccine does not stop people from becoming infected, but aims to reduce the severity of the illness and more importantly prevent its spread from person to person. It is hoped that two or three doses of the vaccine, possibly with boosters every 5-10 years, will give long-last immunity.

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