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Outbreak Of Beriberi Among African Union Troops In Mogadishu, Somalia, John T. Watson, Hassan El Bushra, Emmaculate J. Lebo, Godfrey Bwire, James Kiyengo, Gideon Emukule, Victor Omballa, John Tole, Muvunyi Zuberi, Robert F. Breiman, Mark A. Katz

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Context and Objectives: In July 2009, WHO and partners were notified of a large outbreak of unknown illness, including deaths, among African Union (AU) soldiers in Mogadishu. Illnesses were characterized by peripheral edema, dyspnea, palpitations, and fever. Our objectives were to determine the cause of the outbreak, and to design and recommend control strategies.

Design, Setting, and Participants: The illness was defined as acute onset of lower limb edema, with dyspnea, chest pain, palpitations, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or headache. Investigations in Nairobi and Mogadishu included clinical, epidemiologic, environmental, and laboratory studies. A case-control study was performed to identify risk …

Cytological Diagnosis Of Typical Carcinoid On Bronchoscopic Brush Smears In An Hiv-Positive Patient, Neeta Kumar, Shahin Sayed, Swati Das

Internal Medicine, East Africa

We report a case of typical carcinoid of the lung in a 60-year-old human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive man diagnosed on brush cytology smears. Bronchial carcinoids are rare tumors, accounting for 1% to 2% of all lung tumors. Although the exact incidence in HIV-infected individuals is not known, the paucity of their documentation in the literature indicates that they may be equally rare. Cytological diagnosis on brush smears is rarely documented as the tumor is covered with mucosa and cellular yield is often not good. In this case, bronchial brushings showed distinctive cytological features of typical carcinoid. The awareness of its …