Several hundred persons who traveled on separate Spanish charter flights linking Las Palmas, Canary Islands, with Hanover, Germany, and Helsinki, Finland, on February 20 and 21 developed an intestinal illness caused by Salmonella typhimurium. Cases occurred on several flights: Las Palmas-Hanover, Hanover-Las Palmas, Las Palmas-Helsinki, and Helsinki-Las Palmas. Several patients were seriously ill; there were at least 2 deaths.

Food prepared in Las Palmas and served aboard flights of the airline is believed to have caused the outbreak. The World Health Organization is collaborating with Spanish health authorities in an epidemiologic investigation.

(Reported by the World Health Organization in the Weekly Epidemiological Record 51(9):75, February 27, 1976.)

A 42-year-old female Peace Corps volunteer stationed in Sierra Leone, Africa, since November 1975 developed illness on approximately February 9, 1976. She returned by commercial air carrier to Washington, D.C. on February 28 and was hospitalized there on March 1 for further study. A presumptive diagnosis of Lassa fever has been made on the basis of serologic findings.

Urine, blood, and throat washings were sent to CDC for diagnostic evaluation. A fluorescent antibody serologic test was positive for Lassa fever virus antibody, suggesting prior exposure to the organism. Virus isolation studies are in progress to determine if this is an active infection.

In Sierra Leone the patient had been working in the Mobai Hospital, an institution where a case of Lassa fever occurred last March.

Persons with whom the patient had contact while in transit from Africa are being traced and placed under medical surveillance.

(Reported by JN Sheagrin, MD, Washington, DC; VO Oner, MD, JR Pate, MD, Acting State Epidemiologist, District of Columbia Community Health and Hospital Admin; M Wolfe, MD, US Dept of State; Vector-borne Disease Div, Virology Div, Bur of Laboratories, and Viral Diseases Div, Bur of Epidemiology, CDC.)

Erratum, Vol. 25, No. 6, p 41

In Table II, Notifiable Diseases of Low Frequency, "Trichinosis," delete Mississippi 1, and insert Missouri 1.

DENGUE - Continued

tan area on December 11 and 16, December 17 and 19, and December 30. Because the latter application was ineffective for technical reasons a final spraying was conducted on January 9. ULV ground application of malathion from truckmounted equipment was also done in much of the San Juan metropolitan area and some nearby communities. Two islandwide mosquito control operations were also undertaken: 1) larviciding by application of malathion and/or Abate* in mosquito breeding sites, particularly ones in and around. homes; and 2) radio, television, and newspaper releases and pamphlets distributed to the public to promote reduction of peridomestic breeding sites of Aedes aegypti.

Assessment of aerial spraying by mortality of caged mosquitoes and by adult mosquito collections in selected sites in the San Juan metropolitan area indicated satisfactory results for all but the third cycle of aerial spray application. These data and the sharply reduced incidence of dengue-like illness after aerial spraying operations indicate that ULV aerial spraying played a major role in interrupting the epidemic. In selected monitoring sites, however, adult mosquito population densities have now returned to pretreatment levels. (Reported by CR Febles, MD, State Epidemiologist, H Rom*Use of trade names is for identification only and does not constitute endorsement by the Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

FEB.

WEEK ENDING 6 13 20 27 4 11 18 25 10 15 22 29 6 13 20 27 3 10 17 24 SEP. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. *Dengue-like illness defined as an acute febrile illness associated with one or more of the following symptoms or signs: severe headache, ocular pain, body aches, and a rash.

ney, State Dept of Health, Puerto Rico; San Juan Laboratories, Bur of Laboratories, Vector Biology and Control Div, Bur of Tropical Diseases, and Field Services Div, Bur of Epidemiology, CDC.)

Provisional results of screening by the Childhood Lead Poisoning Control projects in the first quarter of FY 1976 are summarized in Table 1. The 66 reporting projects represent a decrease of 11 from fiscal year 1975.

The number of children reported screened for undue lead absorption in the first quarter was 98,328. This represents a 12.5% decrease from the previous quarter (May-June 1975), when 112,385 were tested. However, the reporting projects identified 10,434 children requiring pediatric management for undue lead absorption, a rate of 10.6 per 100 children screened. This is a 65.5% increase over the number of children identified in the previous quarter. The number of children identified in Classes III and IV (Table 2) represents 2.7% of all the children tested during the quarter.

This marked increase in the number of children identified as needing pediatric care is considered to be due to better definition of and testing in high risk areas, the use of the erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EP) test in conjunction with the blood lead determination, and improved local program management. The use of the 2 tests during screening eliminates the need for a second testing of the child to confirm initial results. Forty-four projects have reported using EP testing.

They reported identifying 1,236 children in Class Ia, the Class which includes children without undue lead burdens who require medical attention for anemia. The 10,434 children who required pediatric management for undue lead absorption were distributed among the lead poisoning categories as follows: Ib = 9.3%, II 64.9%, III = 21.2%, and IV = 4.6%.

=

The projects reported inspecting 9,226 dwelling units and identifying a lead hazard in 6,297 for a hazard identification index of 68.3. This is a slight increase over the fourth quarter of fiscal year 1975, when the index was 64.2. Lead hazards were reduced in 4,290 dwellings during the quarter.

During the first quarter of fiscal year 1976, 1,331 children received chelation treatment. These children represent 49.4% of the 2,693 children who were identified as belonging to Classes III and IV; they represent 12.8% of the 10,434 children in Classes Ib, II, III, and IV.*

(Reported by the Environmental Health Services Div, Bur of State Services, CDC.)

*Previous reports have examined the total group of children requiring pediatric management (that is, Classes Ib, II, III, and IV) and have not examined Classes III and IV separately.

Lassa fever virus has been confirmed in the 42-year-old woman Peace Corps volunteer hospitalized in Washington, D.C., on March 1 (MMWR 25 [8]). She remains in isolation facilities but is clinically improved.

Serum specimens tested were positive for Lassa fever antibody by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) tests as follows: February 25 1:8, March 2 - 1:32. Sputum, urine, and blood collected on March 2 were negative for virus isolation in Vero

cell cultures.

Surveillance has been instituted on 354 persons in 20 states who had contact with the patient. To date, no secondary infections have been identified.

(Reported by JR Pate, MD, Acting State Epidemiologist, District of Columbia Community Health and Hospital Admin; Virology Div, Bur of Laboratories, and Viral Diseases Div, Bur of Epidemiology, CDC.)