Outbreak News Today

The World Health Organization (WHO) was told of one human case of infection with a swine influenza A(H1N1)v virus from Germany on 3 July. Details include the infection was detected in a 2-year old male who developed an influenza-like illness on 9 June 2020. The patient received healthcare on 9 June 2020. A sample was collected […]The post Germany reports ‘swine flu’ case in child appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Valneva SE, a specialty vaccine company focused on prevention against diseases with major unmet needs, today confirmed its participation in the UK government COVID-19 vaccine response program. Valneva has reached agreement in principle with the UK government to provide up to 100 million doses of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, to be manufactured at its facilities […]The post SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate: UK orders ~100m vaccine doses from Valneva appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in Equateur province in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health officials report three more confirmed Ebola infections, bringing the total to 60–(56 confirmed, 4 probable) 24 deceased, 17 recovered. Mike Ryan, MD, World Health Organization (WHO) emergencies expert said, “The disease is […]The post Ebola cases increase by 3, total now 60 in Équateur Province, DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Philippines Department of Health recorded another 1521 COVID-19 cases today, including 1237 from the National Capital Region, bringing the country total to 68,898. In addition, four additional deaths were reported putting that total to 1835. UP COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team member Dr. Darwin Bandoy said a decrease in the positive rate and reproductive number […]The post COVID-19 in the Philippines: 1500 new cases reported, Expert says it’s ‘not comparable to other diseases’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Today, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today launched a joint initiative for the Global Control of African swine fever (ASF). The escalation of the spread of ASF has placed most of the world’s domestic and wild pig populations under direct threat. “Today, […]The post African swine fever: Global action needed to halt spread of deadly pig disease appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By: Candess Zona-Mendola, MakeFoodSafe According to a release by the Josephine County, OR’s Public Health agency, a local Salmonella outbreak of cases in Grants Pass, Oregon has been identified in those who had previously dined at Si Casa Flores restaurant. So far, two people have been hospitalized. The agency has issued a survey as part […]The post Oregon: 2 Hospitalized with Salmonella, Si Casa Flores Restaurant the Culprit appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Vietnam Ministry of Health reported recently that since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded 10,745 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in 63 provinces and cities, including 6,662 cases of hospitalization and no deaths. Compared to the same period in 2019, the number of cases nationwide decreased by 55.6%, […]The post Vietnam: More than 10,000 hand, foot and mouth disease cases reported to date, Ho Chi Minh City reports increase in recent weeks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Philippines Department of Health (DOH), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is resuming its Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio campaign to combat the poliovirus outbreak in the Philippines. The polio immunization campaign was shortly put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The next phase of the […]The post Philippines: Polio vaccination campaign, ‘Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio’, to resume in Mindanao appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Bolivia Ministry of Health recorded a record 2,036 COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing the total in the country to 58,138. La Paz registered 713 new infections, Santa Cruz 495, Tarija 319, Cochabamba 232, Pando 121, Oruro 65, Chuquisaca 52, Beni 28 and Potosí 11. The accumulated number of COVID-19 infections by department places […]The post Bolivia reports more than 2,000 COVID-19 cases in a day, a new record appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reissued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Quest Diagnostics to authorize its Quest SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR test for use with pooled samples containing up to four individual swab specimens collected under observation. The Quest test is the first COVID-19 diagnostic test to be authorized for use with pooled samples. Sample pooling […]The post Quest Diagnostics receives FDA authorization to perform sample pooling for COVID-19 testing appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The health benefits of maintaining routine childhood vaccination programmes in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic far outweigh the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission that might be associated with clinic visits, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet Global Health journal. For every additional COVID-19 death that might be associated with additional exposure to the virus during […]The post Routine childhood vaccines benefits far outweigh risks of additional COVID-19 transmission in Africa: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Widespread use of pesticides and other agrochemicals can speed the transmission of the debilitating disease schistosomiasis, while also upsetting the ecological balances in aquatic environments that prevent infections, finds a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, is caused by parasitic worms that develop and […]The post Berkeley researchers: Pesticides increase Schistosomiasis transmission appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The LKS Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has collaborated with Institut Pasteur, Paris, to develop an approach to evolve molecules which are entirely alien to biology. The researchers have demonstrated the approach by evolving molecules which stick to a malaria biomarker. Critically, these special non-biological molecules are able to carry […]The post Malaria: HKUMed and Institut Pasteur collaborate to use an evolution in a test tube approach to develop new molecules for diagnosis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) reported 2,241 new COVID-19 infections Sunday, raising the overall tally to 67,456. 1,625 of the new cases were reported from the National Capital Region (NCR), or the Metro Manila area. 58 new deaths were reported, bringing the death total to 1,831. Officials also note that there are […]The post Philippines COVID-19 update: 2,241 new cases, Local PCR test now available appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The World Health Organization (WHO) African Region tweeted Friday: The latest Situation Report from the 11th Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Mbandaka, Équateur Province DRC (reported 16 July 2020)–To date there has been 57 cases (53 confirmed, 4 probable), 22 deceased and 16 people have recovered. The outbreak is DR Congo’s 11th since […]The post Ebola update: Additional case brings total to 57 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in China say the COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing has been tamed. It has been 14 days since the city has reported a positive case. Since June 11, the Chinese capital city reported 335 confirmed domestically transmitted cases, of whom 205 remain hospitalized and 130 were discharged from Beijing Ditan Hospital after recovery. […]The post China COVID-19: Beijing under control, Epidemiologist’s take on country’s situation appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Entomologists with Texas A&M University’s AgriLife Research are reporting an increase in kissing bugs collected in multiple regions of of Texas this year. Kissing bugs, aka triatomine bugs and conenose bugs, are potential vectors for the parasitic disease, Chagas disease, an infections of both people and animals. “We have already collected over 300 […]The post Texas reports increase in kissing bugs, Could increase Chagas risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the detection of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus in mosquito samples in Massachusetts, state health officials announced that eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus has been detected in Plymouth County for the first time this year. The findings mark the third time EEE virus has been confirmed in tested mosquito samples in […]The post Massachusetts reports additional EEE mosquito samples, 1st West Nile virus samples appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Through the first half of the year, the Federal District registered 42,159 cases of dengue, an increase of 20.2% over the same period last year, when there were 35,070 occurrences of the disease, according to the Department of Health. The region with the most cases includes Ceilândia, with 4,840 infected, followed by Vicente […]The post Brazil dengue: Federal District reports 20 percent increase appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Taiwan Department of Disease Control (CDC) announced four new confirmed cases of Japanese encephalitis in the country, bringing the total to 13 for the year. Three of the new cases are currently hospitalized. According to the CDC, among the 4 confirmed cases, the Taichung City case is mainly active in the Nantou […]The post Taiwan Japanese encephalitis cases rise to 13 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Costa Rica Ministry of Health reported an additional 423 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, bringing the outbreak total to 9969. Positive cases are counted in 81 cantons. Cases broken down by age include– 8111 adults, 512 older adults and 1240 minors, 100 are under investigation. 2818 recovered people are registered in 79 cantons. The recovered cases […]The post Costa Rica COVID-19: Cases near 10,000, Government announces new containment measures appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Brazil The Brazil Ministry of Health recorded 45,403 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, putting the total cases at 2,012,151 confirmed cases of the disease. The country has registered some 1.3 million recoveries from the virus. The disease is present in 97.4% of Brazilian municipalities. However, more than half of the cities (3,312- 61%) have […]The post Brazil COVID-19 cases top 2 million, India tops 1 million appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

COVID-19 is associated with life-threatening blood clots in the arteries of the legs, according to a study published in Radiology. Researchers said COVID-19 patients with symptoms of inadequate blood supply to the lower extremities tend to have larger clots and a significantly higher rate of amputation and death than uninfected people with the same condition. COVID-19’s […]The post Dangerous blood clots form in leg arteries of COVID-19 patients appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new study by Kansas State University researchers is the first to confirm that SARS-CoV-2 cannot be transmitted to people by mosquitoes. Stephen Higgs, associate vice president for research and director of the university’s Biosecurity Research Institute, or BRI, together with colleagues from the BRI and the College of Veterinary Medicine had the findings published July 17 by Nature […]The post SARS-CoV-2 cannot be transmitted to people by mosquitoes: KSU study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a recent Op-Ed, Pacific Research Institute President, Sally Pipes asked–Will COVID-19 launch an epidemic of cancer as the pandemic stay-at-home orders have caused patients to put off routine cancer screening. Mammogram and colonoscopy rates fell between 86 percent and 94 percent in March. One study estimates that during the past three months, more than […]The post Cancer screening in the time of COVID-19: Prevent Cancer Foundation’s ‘Back on the Books’ campaign appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Colorado health officials stated that there was a human plague case diagnosed earlier this summer in a resident from southwest Colorado who had exposure to sick squirrels. The patient had septicemic plague, which is in the blood and cannot be spread to other people. The resident recovered, and no other cases were identified. […]The post Colorado reports 1st human plague case in 5 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) 11th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak that started on June 1 this year in Equateur Province continues to increase as health officials now report 56 cases in six health zones to date. Of the 56 cases reported so far, 53 are confirmed and three are probable. […]The post Ebola outbreak rises to 56 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Johannesburg reported 13,172 new COVID-19 cases today making South Africa the country with the sixth most cases globally with 324,221. To date, more than 2.3 million tests have been performed. Since the start of the outbreak in March, at least 4,669 people have died from […]The post COVID-19: South Africa reports 13,172 new cases, now 6th in the world appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Philippines reported an additional nearly 2500 cases Friday, bringing the country total to 61,266. The National Capital Region (NCR), or Metro Manila area accounted for 1886 of these new cases. Today, Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque announced the NCR will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) starting July 16 until July 31. President Rodrigo […]The post Manila to remain under quarantine until end of month, Philippines now has 85 certified labs appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NeuroRx, Inc., in partnership with RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holdings AG today announced that the independent Data Monitoring Committee has reviewed the findings in the first 30 patients treated in Fast Track FDA trials of RLF-100 (Aviptadil) in patients with Critical COVID-19 with respiratory failure. The study protocol enrolls patients with Critical COVID-19 and Respiratory Failure and […]The post Phase 2/3 clinical trial for critically ill COVID-19 patients continues to enroll patients as cases surge across the country appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Global public health organization NSF International is offering small businesses, community centers, apartment complexes and other facilities free posters to encourage personal behaviors that may prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2). The educational posters were developed by NSF International based on guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World […]The post NSF publishes COVID-19 prevention signage for businesses, public gathering places appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

During the government’s pre-SONA forum on Wednesday, July 15, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III claimed that the Philippines has “successfully flattened the curve since April” even as cases of COVID-19 in the country continue to rise. In a clarification published by the Department of Health, the statement is based on the reported lengthening of the […]The post Philippines COVID-19: SOH Duque clarifies ‘flattening the curve’ statement appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A common drug, already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), may also be a powerful tool in fighting COVID-19, according to research published this week in Antiviral Research. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, uses a surface spike protein to latch onto human cells and initiate infection. But heparin, a blood thinner also available […]The post Heparin could be used as a decoy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from infecting human cells appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An adult female feral pig from Central Oregon sampled for disease as part of a surveillance program tested positive for Pseudorabies (PRV), a contagious disease that can harm livestock and also spread to some wildlife species. This pig was sampled on June 8, 2020 as a part of the ongoing feral pig control and disease […]The post Oregon reports first Pseudorabies case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In the past 24 hours, Venezuelan health officials reported 303 new COVID-19 cases–281 community transmission and 22 imported cases. This brings the country total to 10,010. President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro said the bulk of the cases were reported from Miranda and the Capital District. Meanwhile, the head of […]The post Venezuela reports 300 new COVID-19 cases, Case total surpasses 10,000 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews An additional nearly 13,000 COVID-19 cases were reported in South Africa today, putting the case total to 311,049. In fact, South Africa reported some 100,000 cases in the past nine days. Gauteng province has reported the most cases with 112,714, followed by Western Cape and Eastern Cape with 81,556 and 55,584 cases, respectively. […]The post South Africa reports 12,759 new COVID-19 cases, total tops 300K appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Michigan state health officials, along with the Ottawa County Health Department have confirmed the first human Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) case of the year in the state. Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that circulates widely in North America, primarily between deer and a variety of mosquito species, but can also […]The post Michigan: Jamestown Canyon virus case confirmed in Ottawa County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An investigational vaccine, mRNA-1273, designed to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was generally well tolerated and prompted neutralizing antibody activity in healthy adults, according to interim results published online today in The New England Journal of Medicine. The ongoing Phase 1 trial is supported by the National Institute of Allergy […]The post NIH: Investigational COVID-19 vaccine generally well tolerated and prompted neutralizing antibody activity appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Americans are increasingly adopting the use of cloth face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, and the latest science may convince even more to do so. In an editorial published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), CDC reviewed the latest science and affirms that cloth face coverings are a critical […]The post Wearing masks to prevent COVID-19 spread: ‘Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the dengue fever situation in Thailand, the Bureau of Epidemiology reported an additional 2,600 cases and five deaths in the past week. This brings the country’s total to 28,300 through July 13 from all 77 provinces. The death count from dengue has risen to 20. Chaiyaphum, Mae Hong Son, […]The post Thailand reports 2600 additional dengue cases in the past week, 5 more deaths appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in China are reporting dozens of cases of the tick-borne disease, Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS), according to a Global Times report. SFTS has caused five deaths and hospitalized 23 people in Jinzhai county of the city of Lu’an since April. A disease control staffer from the Lu’an health commission […]The post China: Dozens of tick-borne disease, SFTS, reported in Anhui Province appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials with the the Eleventh Sanitary Region have reported 45 COVID-19 cases associated with the Luque supermarket, El Cacique. Health director, Roque Silva said more than 90% of the cases of Covid-19 active in the city of Luque , Central Department, arose from the outbreak at the supermarket. “Inside the supermarket there was a very […]The post Paraguay reports dozens in COVID-19 outbreak linked to Luque supermarket appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a retrospective study, investigators from New York University Langone Health found that the quantity of SARS-CoV-2 (viral load) collected from patients in the emergency department is significantly higher in patients with fewer or milder symptoms who did not require hospitalization–the opposite of what might be expected. Reporting in The American Journal of Pathology, published by […]The post COVID-19 study: Patients with milder symptoms have a higher viral load when diagnosed and may carry a higher virus shedding risk potential appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In Mexico to date, 304,435 cases and 35,491 deaths from COVID-19 have been confirmed. The five entities with the highest number of accumulated cases are: Mexico City, State of Mexico, Tabasco, Puebla and Veracruz. Mexico City continues to record the most cases in the country (58,114) and represents by itself almost a fifth […]The post Mexico COVID-19 cases top 300,000, Nearly a fifth in Mexico City appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered a new mechanism for designing antiviral drugs for dengue virus. The study is currently available in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dengue virus is a very important mosquito-transmitted viral pathogen, causing 390 million human infections each year. Dengue is common […]The post UTMB researchers have discovered a new antiviral mechanism for dengue therapeutics appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews For the fifth week in a row, Singapore surpassed 1,000 dengue fever cases, in fact, last week saw 1678 cases, by far a new weekly record. Through July 13, officials have reported 17,249 total dengue cases, more than the total cases in all of 2019 (15,998). Experts have been predicting for weeks that […]The post Singapore dengue cases top 17,000, More than 2019 total, Enforcement and penalties appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Critically ill COVID-19 patients who received a single dose of a drug that calms an overreacting immune system were 45% less likely to die overall, and more likely to be out of the hospital or off a ventilator one month after treatment, compared with those who didn’t receive the drug, according to a new study […]The post Tocilizumab linked to 45% lower risk of dying among critically ill COVID-19 patients appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A team led by scientists at Scripps Research has discovered a common molecular feature found in many of the human antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The scientists, whose study appears July 13 in Science, reviewed data on nearly 300 anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that their labs and others have found in convalescent COVID-19 patients over the […]The post Scientists discover key element of strong antibody response to COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lice Clinics of America (LCA) reported last week that they saw a significant increase in head lice activity through their network of clinics in the US in April and May during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining me on today’s show is Krista Lauer, MD, National Medical Director of Lice Clinics of America. Dr. Lauer discussed some […]The post Head lice activity is up in the US in the time of the pandemic appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Iceland Directorate of Health reports a substantial increase in sexually transmitted infections, with syphilis cases more than doubling during the first six months of 2020. From January to June this year, Iceland has reported 43 syphilis cases while cases of gonorrhea are also up during the first half of the year. Most syphilis and gonorrhea […]The post Syphilis cases double in Iceland appeared first on Outbreak News Today.