Outbreak News Today

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Minnesota state health officials reported an increase in sexually transmitted infections in 2019, according to their annual STD surveillance report. While cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea both increased by 4 and 7 percent, respectively, of special concern were 1,127 syphilis cases reported in 2019, a 23% increase from 2018. The past few years […]The post Minnesota reports 23% increase in syphilis, congenital syphilis cases up 110% appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Thailand’s health ministry has reported an additional 1700 chikungunya cases in the past month or so, with the total cases now at 5728 year to date from 65 of the country’s 76 provinces. No deaths have been reported. Provinces with the highest incidence of the mosquitoborne infection include Chanthaburi, Uthai Thani, Lamphun and […]The post Chikungunya in Thailand: 5700 cases, highest burden in Chanthaburi appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The National Institute of Public Health in Norway is reporting a total of 53 people with confirmed COVID-19 infection on two voyages of the Hurtigruten vessel, MS Roald Amundsen. The two voyages around Svalbard with boarding and disembarking in Tromsø occurred on 17-24 July and 24-31 July. Of the 53 cases, 37 were detected […]The post Norway: COVID-19 on MS Roald Amundsen voyages, 53 people with confirmed infection appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) case has been confirmed in a resident of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, near the border of Uzbekistan. According to local media, “The citizen was at field work on the territory of the Turkestan region, upon arrival he was at home and after a few days he began to develop clinical manifestations. At home, he did […]The post Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever case confirmed in Shymkent, Kazakhstan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

What started off as basic research 25 years ago has now lead to a successfully approved drug: The entry blocker bulevirtide (brand name Hepcludex, formerly known as Myrcludex B), jointly developed by researchers from Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg, the DZIF and other partners, has now been approved by the […]The post Hepatitis D drug, Hepcludex, receives approval by the European Commission appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The number of dengue fever cases in Singapore has reached 22,403 through Tuesday, eclipsing the former record of 22,170 seen in 2013. Twenty deaths have been recorded. 1,380 dengue cases were reported in the week ending 1 Aug 2020. This is the eighth consecutive week in which the weekly number of reported dengue […]The post Dengue fever record set in Singapore appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County (DOH-Miami-Dade) has reported two additional human West Nile virus (WNV) cases. Both cases were asymptomatic WNV-positive blood donors. There are now at a total of 27 WNV infections statewide in 2020 (26 with exposures in Miami-Dade County and one with exposure in Palm Beach County). […]The post Miami: Two additional West Nile virus cases reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Patients admitted with COVID-19 at select hospitals may now volunteer to enroll in a clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of a potential new treatment for the disease. The Phase 3 randomized, controlled trial is known as ACTIV-3, and as a “master protocol,” it is designed to expand to test multiple different kinds […]The post COVID-19 treatment: NIH study aims to determine safety and efficacy of experimental monoclonal antibodies appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Resistance to artemisinin, the main component of the current antimalarial treatments recommended by WHO, is already widespread in South-East Asia, but it had not previously been described in Africa. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur, in collaboration with the National Malaria Control Program in Rwanda (Rwanda Biomedical Center), the World Health Organization (WHO), Cochin Hospital and […]The post Malaria: Artemisinin resistant strain reported in Rwanda appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County (DOH-Monroe) reported this week on four additional locally acquired dengue fever cases in the Florida Keys. This brings the total cases to 26. The four people have received medical treatment and are expected to make full recoveries. Health officials say most of the cases have been reported […]The post Dengue fever in the Florida Keys: 4 more local cases identified appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is an infection affecting more than 20% of women worldwide. Caused by a change in the natural balance of the vaginal microbiota, this infection can lead to adverse outcomes in pregnancy as well as more susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, herpes simplex virus, chlamydia, or gonorrhea. While previous studies […]The post Bacterial vaginosis is triggered by BV-related bacteria present in some men’s penile microbiome: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Oregon health officials are advising the public not to eat onions from Thomson International, Inc., of Bakersfield, California, after 76 people in 13 Oregon counties fell ill with matching strains of Salmonella bacteria. Eighteen of the cases have been hospitalized, no deaths have been recorded. Oregon is part of a multistate outbreak that has sickened […]The post Salmonella outbreak: Oregon reports scores of cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Massachusetts state health officials are reporting the first human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus infection. The patient is a male under the age of 18 who was exposed to EEE in Plymouth County. “EEE is rare, but it is a serious disease and public health concern, and we remind residents of […]The post Massachusetts reports 1st human Eastern Equine Encephalitis case of 2020 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Yunjeong Kim and Kyeong-Ok “KC” Chang, virologists in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, have published a study showing a possible therapeutic treatment for COVID-19. Pathogenic coronaviruses are a major threat to global public health, as shown by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or SARS-CoV; Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, known as MERS-CoV; and […]The post New published study from K-State virologists identifies potential COVID-19 treatment appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Children who receive sustained treatment against common parasitic infections grow up to achieve a higher standard of living, with long-lasting health and economic benefits extending to their communities, according to new findings from a research team led by a University of California, Berkeley, economist. The pioneering study, focused on Kenya and covering 20 years, found that […]The post Parasites: Kenya study shows long-term benefits of deworming treatment appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By: Candess Zona-Mendola, MakeFoodSafe On August 1, Thomson International Inc. of Bakersfield, California announced its recall of several onion varieties: Red, Yellow, White, and Sweet Yellow Onions shipped from May 1, 2020 through the present linked to the Onion Salmonella Outbreak. Thus far, 326 people in the US and Canada are ill in this outbreak. […]The post Thomson International Recalls Several Onion Varieties in Salmonella Outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A recent meningitis case at Children’s National Hospital raises serious concerns about antibiotic resistance in the common bacterium that caused it, researchers from the hospital write in a case report. Their findings, published online August 3 in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society, could change laboratory and clinical practice across the U.S. and potentially […]The post Neisseria meningitidis antibiotic resistance case raises serious concerns appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews UN health officials have reported a locally-acquired yellow fever case and death in French Guiana, in northeastern South America. The case, which was confirmed on July 17, was a 14-year-old male in French Guiana. According to the World Health Organization (WHO): The case-patient had severe disability, and developed dengue-like symptoms on 12 July. […]The post Yellow fever: Locally acquired case reported in French Guiana, co-infected with COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Philippines had eclipsed the 100,000 COVID-19 case mark over the weekend with a bulk of the latest cases reported in the Metro Manila area. In fact, record-high numbers have been reported consecutively in the last four days Today, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte decided to reimpose the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) status […]The post Philippines COVID-19: Manila returns to modified enhanced community quarantine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Officials with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced Friday on social media the confirmation of the Asian longhorned tick in Gallia County. The tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, was detected on a stray dog. The dog was later transported to a shelter in Canal Winchester, and the tick was identified on May 28 by […]The post Ohio: Asian longhorned tick detected in Gallia County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the dengue fever situation in Taiwan, the Department of Disease Control announced five new cases of local dengue fever, bringing the total in 2020 to 14. The newest cases include 1 female and 4 males, aged in their 30s to 70s. One case was from New Taipei City and […]The post Taiwan reports additional local transmission of dengue fever appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than 600,000 people worldwide have fallen victim to the lung disease COVID-19 so far, which is caused by the SARS coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). In order to obtain an effective therapy for COVID-19 as quickly as possible, drugs that are being used to treat other diseases are currently being repurposed for COVID-19 treatment. The Infection Biology […]The post Chloroquine doesn’t prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs, Should not be used for the treatment of COVID-19: Researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The West African country of Guinea reported the first polio cases in the country. According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, eight circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus 2 (cVDPV2) cases were reported in the Kankan Region in the eastern part of the country. The GPEI says Vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) are rare strains of poliovirus that have genetically […]The post Guinea reports first polio cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews For the fourth consecutive day, Japan has reported in excess of 1,000 COVID-19 cases as the resurgence of the virus sweeps the island country bringing the total to 38,199 cases and 1012 deaths. On Saturday, 1,532 new coronavirus infections were reported including nearly 500 in Tokyo, prompting the metro city government to raise […]The post Japan’s COVID-19 resurgence, More than 1000 cases reported for 4th straight day appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews COVID-19 The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) reported an additional 5,032 COVID-19 cases today, a record-high daily count, putting the country total tally to 103,185. More than half the new cases were reported in the Metro Manila area (2,737) and hundreds of cases each in Cavite (463), Cebu (449), Laguna (326) and Rizal […]The post Philippines COVID-19 cases top 100,000, Polio vaccination drive starts tomorrow in Central Luzon appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A study by scientists from the University of Southampton has examined the chances of catching COVID-19 in a train carriage carrying an infectious person. Based on high-speed routes in China, researchers from WorldPop found that for train passengers sitting within three rows (widthwise) and five columns (lengthwise) of an infected person (index patient) between zero […]The post The risk of COVID-19 transmission on a train appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the chikungunya outbreak in Cambodia, the Ministry of Health is now reporting 1,020 cases across 12 provinces. “More than 80 per cent of the cases had been detected in four provinces, namely Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Kampong Cham,” the Health Ministry’s secretary of state and spokeswoman […]The post Chikungunya outbreak in Cambodia tops 1000 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews COVID-19 The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in South Africa reported 10,129 new cases today, bringing the country total to 503,290 confirmed cases. This is out of 3 million total cases reported to date. Gauteng (178,119), Western Cape (96,189), KwaZulu-Natal (79,607) and Eastern Cape (78,782) account for the bulk of the cases. […]The post South Africa COVID-19 outbreak tops 500,000 cases, Rabies update appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Los Angeles County health officials are reporting the first human West Nile virus (WNV) cases of the year. Two cases have been reported–one is a neuroinvasive disease case which has been hospitalized and the second is in a healthy blood donor. The positive blood units were discarded. Both are residents of the San […]The post Los Angeles County reports first West Nile virus cases of 2020 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in the United Kingdom have reported the first locally transmitted babesiosis case. In addition, Public Health England (PHE) saw the second ever UK-acquired case of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Both patients have been transferred to hospital, where they are receiving appropriate treatment and supportive care. PHE regularly undertakes work to understand the potential […]The post Babesiosis: 1st locally acquired case recorded in the UK appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports a human infection with an influenza A(H3N2) variant (A(H3N2)v) virus in Hawaii this week. The patient is a child < 18 years of age, was not hospitalized, and has recovered from their illness. While no exposure to swine has been reported to date, an […]The post H3N2v novel influenza case reported in Hawaii, Source of infection investigated appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Candess Zona-Mendola, MakeFoodSafe The CDC warns Americans about Thompson International onions. The warning applies to red onions, white onions, yellow onions, and sweet onion varieties from Thompson International. Americans are urged to not eat, serve, or sell any onions from Thompson International or products made with Thompson International onions. The onion Salmonella outbreak continues […]The post CDC Warns About Thomson International Onions in Salmonella Outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By: Candess Zona-Mendola, MakeFoodSafe The US and Canadian Salmonella outbreak now has a source: red onions. Within a day of the announcement that red onions were the culprit, Sysco issued a recall. According to the notice: “Sysco is recalling red onions imported from the USA from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should […]The post Sysco Recalls Red Onions Linked to Salmonella Outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Alaska state health officials report the syphilis outbreak, that was declared in 2018, more than doubled in magnitude from 2018 to 2019. State epidemiologists say 242 cases of syphilis were reported in 2019, a 112% increase over 2018 when 114 cases were recorded. No congenital syphilis cases were reported. Two thirds of the […]The post Alaska reports doubling of syphilis cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange Red Onions are at the root of a Salmonella outbreak that has 212 in the United States and sickened 114 in Canada. 47 people have been hospitalized in the US and Canada. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, “Investigators have determined that red onions imported from the United States (U.S.) […]The post Red Onions Linked to Salmonella Outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

W. Ian Lipkin, MD, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, is developing the health protocols for the August 17-20 Democratic National Convention, which will combine a scaled-back convention in Milwaukee and remote programming, in consideration of COVID-19 risks. In June, the Democratic National Convention […]The post Columbia professor, W. Ian Lipkin, MD, developing the health protocols for Democratic National Convention appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials with Jefferson County Public Health in upstate New York are reporting an increase in gonorrhea cases in 2020. Authorities report 105 gonorrhea cases to date in 2020, compared to the 97 cases reported in all of 2019. Many people with gonorrhea don’t have any symptoms and don’t feel sick. If you […]The post Upstate New York: Jefferson County reports increase in gonorrhea cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In an update on the dengue fever situation in Brazil, officials in Paraná state report 157 deaths and 217,891 confirmed cases of dengue since July 2019, when the current epidemiological period began. According to the the biweekly bulletin of the State Department of Health (Sesa) today, 243 municipalities in the state are in […]The post Brazil: Paraná state records more than 200,000 dengue cases in past year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews COVID-19 The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) recorded 3954 positive COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the country total to 89,374. The National Capital Region (NCR) reported 1,703 cases, while Cebu saw 958 cases and Laguna reported an additional 177 cases. An additional 23 deaths were reported taking the death tally to 1983. Health officials […]The post Philippines: Cebu records nearly 1000 COVID-19 cases, Bird flu task force reactivated appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Dr Ronnie Domingo, Chief Veterinary Officer with the Bureau of Animal Industry, Department of Agriculture in Manila, Philippines notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) today of an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza (HPAI) at a farm in San Carlos, San Luis, Pampanga in Central Luzon. Workers at the commercial […]The post Philippines: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, H5N6, detected on Pampanga farm appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Yellow fever, a hemorrhagic disease that is common in South America and sub-Saharan Africa, infects about 200,000 people per year and causes an estimated 30,000 deaths. While there is a vaccine for yellow fever, it can’t be given to some people because of the risk of side effects, and there are no approved treatments for […]The post Yellow fever: Experimental monoclonal antibody shows success in early-stage clinical trials in Singapore appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) reports investigating a cluster of Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) infection in dialysis patients. The Department of Health says the Hospital Authority (HA) notified them that the Kowloon East Cluster (KEC) had identified the cluster. Investigations by the KEC renal teams identified BCC from the clinical […]The post Burkholderia cepacia complex cluster investigated in dialysis patients in Hong Kong appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A unique, new online tool called COVID Can I Do It?, or CCIDI, empowers individuals to assess their risk of COVID-19 transmission while engaging in a selected activity at a specific location. Developed by a group of volunteer public health professionals and developers, the tool offers an accessible, user-friendly interface that relies on epidemiological data through COVID […]The post New Open-Source Tool Helps Users Navigate a COVID-19 World appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Two doses of an experimental vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) induced robust immune responses and rapidly controlled the coronavirus in the upper and lower airways of rhesus macaques exposed to SARS-CoV-2, report scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. SARS-CoV-2 is the […]The post Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Protects Upper and Lower Airways in Nonhuman Primates appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Mongolia National Center for Zoonotic Disease reported on their Facebook page three days ago (loosely translated): In the uliastai soum of zavkhan aimag, we are working with suspicious cases of the bubonic, and the response to organize the province’s zöst and special commission. The Malaysia Star reports, An administrative subdivision of Zavkhan […]The post Mongolia: Officials investigate suspected bubonic plague case in Uliastai soum appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) reported an additional 1874 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the country’s outbreak total to 85,486. Provinces reporting the most new cases during this 24 hour period include the National Capital Region (NCR) with 728, followed by Cebu (325) and Laguna (130). The number of deaths now stand at […]The post Philippines COVID-19 deaths reaching equilibrium appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Taiwan’s Department of Disease Control announced 7 new cases of local dengue fever in Chang’an Lane, Taoyuan District, Taoyuan City. The Department of Disease Control stated that the new cases today all live in Chang’an Lane, Taoyuan City, within 100 meters of the home of a previously announced case. In order to prevent […]The post Dengue local transmission in Taoyuan City, Taiwan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Ukraine Ministry of Health has reported 40 cases of botulism since January, including two fatalities. Causes of botulism The cause of botulism is often products of home canning of meat, fish, less often – vegetables. Potentially hazardous are all canned products that have been poorly washed, improperly / insufficiently cooked, transported or stored […]The post Ukraine reports 40 botulism cases in first half of 2020 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), or Folkehelseinstituttet, reported the first death in a child from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) from E.coli in more than a decade. The child, from Oslo municipality, was under two years of age. The source of the infections was not published. Hilde Marie Lund, with the NIPH, said deaths […]The post Norway: Hemolytic uremic syndrome caused by E. coli death reported in Oslo child appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Case counts, Healthcare The Indonesia Ministry of Health, or Kementerian Kesehatan is now reporting 102,051 total COVID-19 cases and 4901 deaths through Tuesday. The Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) estimated that six out of every 100 deaths were medical workers, but in a country where COVID-19 has become heavily stigmatized and data is often inaccurate or not publically available, that […]The post Indonesia COVID-19 cases top 100K, Vaccine trial to begin in West Java appeared first on Outbreak News Today.