The following syndromes have been flagged:
Acute Fever and Rash: French Polynesia, Palau
Diarrhoea: Solomon Islands
Other updates
Dengue:
Fiji: 55 confirmed cases have been reported since the beginning of the year with the highest number from the Northern Division. Source: Fiji One TV Papua New Guinea: There is currently a dengue outbreak ongoing. A total of 170 cases were seen at the Daru [an island on the southern tip of Western Province, along the Torres Strait that bridges between PNG and Australia] 4th of November to the 8th of January 2016. For further details please refer to Dr Boris Pavlin’s PacNet post on 20 January 2016.
Diarrhoea
Solomon Islands: Rotavirus outbreak continues. A positive downward trend in case numbers has been observed for week ending 17 January 2016 with 5 additional deaths for investigation. This brings the total number of deaths reported during the outbreak to 17.
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
Health officials in Sierra Leone have confirmed a death from EVD, hours after the West Africa outbreak was declared over. WHO has stressed in a statement on 14 January, that Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone remain at high risk of additional small outbreaks of EVD in the coming months due to the virus persisting in survivors after recovery.
Zika virus – microcephaly
Brazil: As of epidemiological week 1 of 2016, there were 3,530 microcephaly cases recorded, including 46 deaths, in 20 states and the Federal District. in Currently there is only ecological evidence of an association between increased microcephaly, neurological and autoimmune syndromes, and prior infection with Zika virus; the possible causative nature of the association cannot be ruled out with the evidence available. Source: PAHO
Hawaii: Recently a newborn was born with microcephaly. The Hawaii state Department of Health said the baby's mother likely contracted Zika virus while living in Brazil last year and passed it on while her child was in the womb.