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Amaral Mali M, Machado FDN, Moniz FP, Bosco Alves Dos Santos F, Laot PAME, Pereira Tilman AJ, Florindo TE, Barros CDA, Barbosa A, Oliveira Lima JA, Goncalves JP, Borges F, Hornay E, Moises J, de Jesus Neto O, Varela L, da Costa A, Draper AD, Francis JR, Monteiro MAA. The first confirmed human case of rabies, Timor-Leste, 2024. Euro Surveill 2024; 29:2400241. [PMID: 38699901 PMCID: PMC11067430 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2024.29.18.2400241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
In March 2024, the first ever human case of rabies, following a dog bite, was detected in Timor-Leste. This paper briefly discusses the circumstances of transmission, clinical presentation, palliative care of the case and public health measures taken. Timor-Leste was previously considered rabies-free. Any person who is bitten or scratched by an animal that could potentially transmit rabies virus (especially dogs, bats, monkeys or cats) in Timor-Leste should be assessed for consideration of provision of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Adriano Barbosa
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública de Timor-Leste, Comoro, Timor-Leste
| | | | | | - Francisco Borges
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública de Timor-Leste, Comoro, Timor-Leste
| | | | | | | | - Liliana Varela
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública de Timor-Leste, Comoro, Timor-Leste
| | | | - Anthony Dk Draper
- Menzies School of Health Research, Bidau Lecidere, Timor-Leste
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Centre for Disease Control, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Australia
| | | | - Merita Antonio A Monteiro
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde Pública de Timor-Leste, Comoro, Timor-Leste
- Menzies School of Health Research, Bidau Lecidere, Timor-Leste
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Sarmento N, Soares da Silva E, Barreto I, Ximenes JC, Angelina JM, Correia DM, Babo SM, Tilman AJP, Salles de Sousa A, Hornay E, Ico LC, Machado FDN, Niha MV, Ballard S, Lin C, Howden B, Baird R, Wapling J, Alves L, Oakley T, Marr I, Draper AD, Arkell P, Smith-Vaughan H, Fancourt NS, Yan J, Francis JR. The COVID-19 laboratory response in Timor-Leste; a story of collaboration. Lancet Reg Health Southeast Asia 2023; 11:100150. [PMID: 36744276 PMCID: PMC9883004 DOI: 10.1016/j.lansea.2023.100150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Timor-Leste is a small nation of 1.3 million people which shares a land border with Indonesia and is 550 km from Darwin, Australia. It is one of the poorest nations in Asia. The National Health Laboratory (NHL) and its network of smaller laboratories in Timor-Leste had limited capacity to perform molecular diagnostic testing before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began. With the support of international development partners, the NHL rapidly expanded its molecular testing service. From March 2020 to February 2022, over 200,000 molecular tests were performed; COVID-19 testing sites were established in hospital and community health center laboratories and all 13 municipalities, and the number of scientists and technicians at the molecular diagnostic laboratory at the NHL increased from five to 28 between 2019 and 2022. Molecular diagnostic testing for COVID-19 was successfully established at the NHL and in the municipalities. The molecular diagnostic laboratory at NHL is now equipped to respond to not only large-scale COVID-19 testing but also laboratory detection of other infectious diseases, preparing Timor-Leste for future outbreaks or pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nevio Sarmento
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste,Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, National Health Laboratory, Dili, Timor-Leste,Corresponding author. Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | | | - Ismael Barreto
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - João C. Ximenes
- World Health Organization, Timor-Leste Country Office, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Julia M. Angelina
- World Health Organization, Timor-Leste Country Office, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Dircia M. Correia
- World Health Organization, Timor-Leste Country Office, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Silvia M. Babo
- World Health Organization, Timor-Leste Country Office, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | | | - Antonio Salles de Sousa
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Elisabeth Hornay
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, National Health Laboratory, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Lourenço C. Ico
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | | | - Maria Varela Niha
- Departamento Vigilância e Epidemiologia, Ministério da Saúde, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Susan Ballard
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Chantel Lin
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Benjamin Howden
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rob Baird
- Territory Pathology, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Australia
| | - Johanna Wapling
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Lucsendar Alves
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Tessa Oakley
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Ian Marr
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Anthony D.K. Draper
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste,Northern Territory Centre for Disease Control, Darwin, Australia,National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Paul Arkell
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste,Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Heidi Smith-Vaughan
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Nicholas S.S. Fancourt
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Jennifer Yan
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
| | - Joshua R. Francis
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Dili, Timor-Leste
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