Outbreak News Today

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 A visceral leishmaniasis, or Kala-Azar outbreak in Kitui County, in eastern Kenya has resulted in 13 hospital admissions and four deaths in recent week. Of the 13 patients admitted at the Garissa Referral Hospital, 11 were children all below the age of 10. Since the beginning of the year through June 7, […]The post Kenya: Four Leishmaniasis deaths reported in Kitui County, Kenya appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), five additional cases have been reported, bringing the outbreak total to 23 (20 confirmed and three probable) with 13 deaths (case fatality ratio 57%). Cases and deaths have been reported from five health zones: […]The post Ebola: Équateur Province outbreak rises to 23 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Individual behaviour has a significant effect on preventing a large second wave of COVID-19 infections. In fact, maintaining social distancing and other interventions such as the use of face masks and hand hygiene could remove the need for future lockdowns, according to a modelling study performed by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an […]The post A second COVID-19 wave could be avoided if social distancing and the use of face masks are maintained: Spanish researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews On Sunday, Nigerian health officials reported an additional 436 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours from nineteen states. This brings the total COVID-19 cases to 20,244. The death toll in the African country now stands at 518. Lagos state has reported 8576 cases and 126 deaths, the most of any state. […]The post Nigeria COVID-19: Cases top 20,000; Testing with GeneXpert, rapid test kits appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews According to data from Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), cases of the vaccine preventable diseases–measles and rubella–are way down during the first half of 2020. To date, Japan has reported 12 measles cases, down from hundreds of cases in 2019, while only 77 rubella cases have been reported year-to-date, down from […]The post Japan: Measles, Rubella cases down in 2020, Syphilis cases remain high appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

While pregnancy and birth rates continue to decline to historic lows for 15 to 19-year-olds, Minnesota youth are contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI) at alarmingly high rates. The 2020 Minnesota Adolescent Sexual Health Report from the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Healthy Youth Development – Prevention Research Center (HYD-PRC) attributes the rise in STI rates […]The post Minnesota: Sexually transmitted infections continue to rise among youth appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The India Ministry of Health remains fourth in the world with COVID-19 cases with 425,282 total cases after reporting 14,821 new cases registered June 22, India’s biggest single-day spike. 143,267 tests were performed this day. The total cases includes 174,387 active cases, 237,195 recovered and discharged patients and 13,699 deaths. Maharashtra state has […]The post India COVID-19 outbreak tops 425K cases, Maharashtra state reports 132K appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Guam’s Joint Information Center reported 22 new COVID-19 cases confirmed by the Department of Defense (DoD) Saturday. Twenty were identified through contact tracing among service members in a unit deployed to Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) and two cases were identified through screening at Andersen AFB and were healthcare workers who reported contact […]The post Guam COVID-19: Twenty-two cases reported in service members deployed at Andersen Air Force Base appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Government of Indonesia through the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 (National Task Force) noted the addition of 862 positive COVID-19 confirmed cases on Sunday (21/6), bringing the total to 45,891. The number of patients recovered has increased to 18,404 after there were additions to 521 people. Furthermore, the death […]The post Indonesia reports 800 additional COVID-19 cases as dengue total tops 68K appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Philippines health officials reported an additional 653 COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the country total to 30,052. Nineteen deaths were recorded yesterday putting the fatality total at 1,169. Cities reporting the most cases include Cebu City (3,733), Quezon City (2,896) and Manila (1,861). In fact, Cebu City has recorded the most cases in the […]The post Philippines COVID-19 cases top 30K, Warning against non-prescribed use of dexamethasone appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Higher rates of severe COVID-19 infections in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) populations are not explained by socioeconomic or behavioral factors, cardiovascular disease risk, or by vitamin D status, according to new research led by Queen Mary University of London. The findings, published in the Journal of Public Health, suggest that the relationship between COVID-19 […]The post Reasons for higher rates of severe COVID-19 in minority populations still unclear appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Candess Zona-Mendola of MakeFoodSafe The CDC and FDA are investigating an outbreak of 76 Cyclospora illnesses in 6 states linked to bagged salads purchased from Aldi, Hy-Vee, and Jewel-Osco stores. At this time, no formal recall has been announced by the FDA, but Jewel-Osco has voluntarily recalled its affected salads “in an abundance of […]The post Bagged Salads from Aldi, Hy-Vee, and Jewel-Osco Linked to Cyclospora Outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews On Saturday, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission reported an additional 22 newly confirmed local COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 227 since June 11. Nine fatalities have been reported. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday, June 19 that they officially released the viral genome sequence data for the […]The post Beijing COVID-19 outbreak tops 200 cases in a week, Viral genome sequence data released appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) advises physicians and emergency room personnel to consider Lyme disease as a possible diagnosis when a patient presents with heart palpitations and shortness of breath. In July 2018, a 37-year-old man named Samuel went to a doctor with symptoms of fever, sore throat, nasal congestion and […]The post Lyme disease: University of Manitoba researchers outline case of cardiac complications appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that the coronavirus has taken a hold upon Yemen saying “Unfortunately, it is no longer anything but obvious that the virus is circulating widely across the whole of Yemen”. “Five years of fighting had caused Yemen’s healthcare system to collapse in large parts… Now COVID-19 has made that collapse complete, […]The post COVID-19 strikes war torn Yemen appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Comite Multisectoriel de la Riposte a la Maladie a Virus Ebola (CMRE) reported an additional Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) case in the outbreak in Equateur province. This brings the outbreak total since June 1 to 18 cases–15 confirmed and 3 probable. In total, there are 12 deaths […]The post Ebola: Additional case reported in Equateur province outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Brazil Ministry of Health has reported 38,085 chikungunya cases through May 30 this year. This number is down from 109,000 cases this period in 2019. Of the cases this year, the state of Bahia accounts for 39.1% of probable cases of chikungunya in the country, followed by Espírito Santo with 30.5% of […]The post Brazil chikungunya cases top 38,000 for 2020 to date appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials are reporting five dirofilariasis cases in residents of Volgograd this year. The parasitic helminth infection penetrates the human body at the time of a mosquito bite. “The source of infection in humans is domestic animals, mainly dogs, less often cats. Intermediate host worms are the mosquitoes, they are then transferred to invasive larvae “ , […]The post Russia: Dirofilariasis cases reported in Volgograd appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A report from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago shows that infants under 90 days of age who tested positive for COVID-19 tend to be well, with little or no respiratory involvement. Fever was often found to be the primary or only symptom. Findings were published in The Journal of Pediatrics. “While there […]The post COVID-19 in young infants: Typically mild illness seen, Fever often only symptom appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In 2019, the Philippines was hit hard by a measles outbreak–between 1 January and 31 December 2019, a total of 47,871 cases of measles, including 632 deaths, were recorded, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.6 per cent. In February last year, the Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported outbreaks of measles […]The post Measles cases down in the Philippines, Still the most in the Pacific appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

South America, while a late bloomer in this COVID-19 pandemic, is seeing cases rise rapidly earning the moniker- The New Coronavirus Epicenter. Brazil reached a grim milestone today surpassing the 1,000,000 case mark, making it only the second country to do this (the US was the first) and experts project that the country will surpass […]The post Brazil tops 1 million COVID-19 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A study of nearly 400 pregnant women in New York City is among the first to show that lower neighborhood socioeconomic status and greater household crowding increase the risk of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. “Our study shows that neighborhood socioeconomic status and household crowding are strongly associated with risk of […]The post COVID-19 risk increased with greater household crowding, lower neighborhood socioeconomic status appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews On Wednesday, Malaysian health authorities reported an additional 14 COVID-19 cases bringing the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Malaysia to 8,529. Kuala Lumpur and Selangor state account for more than half the countries cases. No new death were recorded keeping that number at 121 (1.42 percent of the total). 8,000 cases, […]The post Malaysia reports 14 new Coronavirus cases, Response to COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Swedish Public Health Authority released the results of the second national survey of ongoing infection with a total of 2,933 participants, which showed an estimated 0.3 percent of the population had an ongoing infection with COVID-19 when the samples were collected during the period May 25-28. Samples were taken from the pharynx […]The post Sweden COVID-19 studies: Ongoing infection, Antibody tests in blood donors appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

As evidence mounts for the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infecting various animals, scientists at UCL say a global effort is needed to reduce the risk of the virus later returning to people. In a comment piece for The Lancet Microbe, researchers write that if the virus becomes common in an animal population that lives near people, such […]The post SARS-CoV-2 transmission to animals: Monitoring needed to mitigate risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The number of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) reported globally so far in 2020 is now 67 as Afghanistan and Pakistan report additional cases this week. In Afghanistan, four additional WPV1 cases were reported: one each Farah and Hirat and two in Hilmand bringing the number of cases reported in 2020 to 16. […]The post Global polio (WPV1) cases now at 67, Nigeria attains Polio-Free status appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

ALK, a global, research-driven pharmaceutical company that focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of allergies, announced today the signing of an exclusive agreement with Otonomy, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative therapeutics for neurotology, for the co-promotion of OTIPRIO® (ciprofloxacin otic suspension) for acute otitis externa (AOE) in the U.S. in patients six […]The post Swimmer’s ear: ALK gains exclusive rights to market OTIPRIO in U.S. appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this week, scientists with The Scripps Research Institute announced the discovery of antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2 in small animals. The study was published this week in the journal, Science. Here to discuss this research is Elise Landais, PhD. Dr Landais is Principal Scientist with […]The post SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies isolated: Developing a treatment, Aid in vaccine design appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Officials with the Ecohealth Alliance are reporting a plague cluster in the Ituri endemic focus of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The notification was published on ProMED-mail. As of 16 Jun 2020, of the 10 cases (of which 4 deaths were reported), 8 were diagnosed with bubonic plague and 2 were diagnosed with […]The post Plague cluster reported in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Canadian health officials report investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157 infections occurring in three provinces. As of June 12, 2020, there are four confirmed cases of E. coli O157 illness linked to this outbreak in the following provinces: British Columbia (1), Alberta (2) and Manitoba (1). Based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to Carnivora brand frozen […]The post Canada: E. coli O157 outbreak linked to frozen raw pet food appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Face masks are thought to slow the spread of viruses, including the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, but little is known about how well they work. In an issue of Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, Talib Dbouk and Dimitris Drikakis, from the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, use precise computer models to map out the […]The post Face masks: Small droplets of saliva can emerge with some droplets traveling up to 1 meter: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Robert Desowitz, PhD was a scientist, researcher and you may know him best as the author of several very informative and entertaining books like New Guinea Tape Worms and Jewish Grandmothers and Who Gave Pinta to the Santa Maria? Dr. Desowitz left us on Mar 24, 2008. Being such a fan of his books made […]The post Dr. Robert Desowitz: Infectious Disease Storyteller appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews At least 20 people, adults and children, in the city of Nelson in Santa Fe Province, Argentina are reportedly experiencing symptoms of trichinosis after eating salami or homemade sausages. “The meat was made by a person or a group of people who do not have a business. Many people ingested the same meat and […]The post Trichinosis outbreak affects 20 in Santa Fe Province, Argentina appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Brazil health officials saw an additional 34,918 cases Tuesday, putting the country total to 923,189, although experts say the true number is likely higher due to testing volumes. The total number of patients recovered now stands at 441,729 (47.8% of the total confirmed cases) and the death toll has risen to 45,241. Brazil […]The post Brazil reports 35,000 additional COVID-19 cases, Country total tops 900K appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday an additional 27 confirmed COVID-19 cases–this includes 17 males and 10 females; 3 Beijing household registrations and 24 provincial household registrations; 22 Fengtai Districts and 2 Mentougou Districts. One case in each of Dongcheng District, Fangshan District and Daxing District is related to […]The post Beijing COVID-19 outbreak tops 100 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of human tuberculosis (TB) cases that are due to transmission from animals, as opposed to human-to-human transmission, may be much higher than previously estimated, according to an international team of researchers. The results could have implications for epidemiological studies and public health interventions. “Tuberculosis kills 1.4 million people every year, making it the […]The post TB: Animal to human transmission may be much higher than previously thought appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Legionella Conference: Prevention of Disease and Injury From Waterborne Pathogens in Health Care originally scheduled for Aug. 19-21, 2020 will be rescheduled to Jan. 20-22, 2021. The conference will be held at the same location, Sheraton Grand Hotel on Chicago’s downtown river walk. Co-hosts NSF Health Sciences and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) are rescheduling the conference […]The post Annual Legionella Conference Rescheduled to January 2021 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Pennsylvania state health officials reported 362 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 79,483. An additional 33 COVID-19 deaths were reported today, bringing the total deaths to 6,276. “With more than half of the state now in the green phase of the process to reopen, it is essential that we […]The post Pennsylvania COVID-19: Total cases near 80K, Some symptoms of Lyme disease are similar appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An estimated 1.7 billion people, 22% of the world population, have at least one underlying health condition that could increase their risk of severe COVID-19 if infected, according to a modelling study that uses data from 188 countries, published in The Lancet Global Health journal. “As countries move out of lockdown, governments are looking for ways to […]The post Severe COVID-19 infection: One in five people globally have an underlying health condition that could increase their risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews After reporting more than 400,000 dengue fever cases and more than 1700 dengue related deaths in 2019, Philippines health officials reported some good news in 2020 so far–dengue fever cases are down some 45 percent compared to the same period last year. In an online press briefing on Monday, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario […]The post Dengue cases down in the Philippines appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) reported 1,158 dengue cases last week. This is the highest number of weekly dengue cases ever recorded in Singapore, since the 891 cases recorded in 2014. To date, the cumulative number of dengue cases for this year is 11,166 and the total number of cases this year is […]The post Singapore reports 1158 dengue cases last week, Highest weekly total in 6 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In an update on the 11th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in Équateur Province, the DRC CMRE reports since the start of the epidemic declared on June 01, 2020, the cumulative number of cases has been 17, including 14 confirmed and 3 probable. In total, there […]The post Ebola outbreak in Équateur Province: More cases reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials reported 490 additional COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total cases to 26,420. The death toll has risen to 1098. The Department of Health (DOH) said Sunday despite the apparent increase in validated case figures reported in the last two days, there is actually a downward trend in the mortality rate in […]The post Philippines reports downward trend in COVID-19 mortality, Expanded testing guidelines issued appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lakeside Refrigerated Services, a Swedesboro, N.J. establishment, is recalling approximately 42,922 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Saturday. The raw ground beef items were produced on June 1, 2020. The following products are subject to recall: […]The post E. coli O157:H7 prompts recall of 43K pounds of ground beef appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A team led by Scripps Research has discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, when tested in animals and human cell cultures. The research, published today in Science, offers a paradigm of swift reaction to an emergent and deadly viral pandemic, and sets the stage […]The post Scripps researchers isolate powerful coronavirus-neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients and successfully test in animals appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Eli Lilly and Company announced today that the first patient has been enrolled in a Phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo–controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of baricitinib, an oral JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor licensed from Incyte, in hospitalized adults with COVID-19. Baricitinib, marketed as OLUMIANT®, is approved in 70 countries as a treatment for adults […]The post Baricitinib Phase 3 Clinical Trial begins: For hospitalized COVID-19 patients appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A national study measuring parental attitudes toward vaccinations found 6.1% were hesitant about routine childhood immunizations while nearly 26% were hesitant about the influenza vaccine. “Our study provides the first national estimates of hesitancy about routine childhood and influenza vaccination among representative samples of U.S. parents of children, using a scale specifically developed and validated […]The post Research shows 1-in-15 hesitant about routine childhood vaccines and almost 1-in-4 hesitant about influenza vaccines appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the report of a COVID-19 cluster in Beijing, China, city health officials report 36 additional local COVID-19 cases Saturday–all related to Xinfadi market. China’s National Health Commission said, Beijing recorded one new virus case on Thursday and six on Friday – the first cases in almost two months. The […]The post COVID-19: Dozens more cases reported in Beijing appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on a report last month of the first imported human rabies case in Japan since 2006, the Toyohashi city government said Monday the patient has died at a hospital in the central Japan city on June 13. The patient was a male in his 30s of foreign nationality who came […]The post Follow-up: Japan rabies patient dies, 1st imported case in 14 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a new survey of the origins of SARS-CoV-2 in returning travelers, three main genetic groups of the virus have been identified. The study shows that the infection is likely to have entered Sweden from a number of different countries. The test results analyzed show that the three identified genetic groups of SARS-CoV-2 were present […]The post Sweden: Three identified genetic groups of SARS-CoV-2 in European travelers identified appeared first on Outbreak News Today.