Outbreak News Today

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Unified Consulting Center of the Office of Rospotrebnadzor for the City of St. Petersburg, Russia reported since the beginning of the year, 46 measles cases have been registered, including 30 cases in children under 17 years of age. While the measles epidemic from 2019 continues into 2020, the number of cases reported […]The post Russia: Dozens of measles cases reported in St. Petersburg appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reported five new COVID-19 cases in the city. This cluster are the first new cases in several weeks. In response to the clustering outbreak of the new coronary pneumonia community in Wuhan on May 9 and 10, the State Council Joint Prevention […]The post China COVID-19: Wuhan ordered to test all 11 million residents appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced the allocation plan for the drug remdesivir. The allocation is from a donation by Gilead Sciences, Inc. to the United States which was finalized on May 3, 2020. The donated doses of the treatment, […]The post COVID-19 treatment: Feds announce the allocation plan for the drug remdesivir appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus SARS-Cov-2, has infected over 4 million people in 212 countries, of whom at least 272,000 have died. The ongoing economic and social impact of the pandemic is staggering, but despite a daily flood of news on the disease, few laypeople know that paradoxically, COVID-19 mostly kills through an overreaction […]The post How COVID-19 kills: What is ‘cytokine storm’? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Malaysia Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 16 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, making it the lowest daily count recorded to date. The cumulative number of COVID-19 positive cases in Malaysia is 6,742 cases, while the number of active cases with COVID-19 infection is 1,410 cases. From the latest information reported to the National […]The post Malaysia COVID-19: Officials report lowest daily case count ever appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in Chile reported on the set of measures and actions to face the growing demand for intensive care by patients with COVID-19 in the Metropolitan Region and called on the population to effectively comply with the quarantines and adopt the measures of individual prevention to avoid infections that lead to more […]The post Chile COVID-19: Growing demand on hospitals, ‘The next few weeks will be the most difficult’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In Mexico to date, 38,324 cases and 3,926 deaths from COVID-19 have been confirmed, according to the Ministry of Health. Of the total deaths, 937 have been reported in Mexico City and 443 in Baja California. Other data Mexican officials released include reports of 480 cases of infected children and adolescents, of which […]The post Mexico COVID-19 update: Cases in children, pregnant women and comorbidities appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

COVID-19’s rapid spread throughout the world has been fueled in part by the virus’ ability to be transmitted by people who are not showing symptoms of infection. Now, a study by researchers at Princeton has found that this silent phase of transmission can be a successful evolutionary strategy for pathogens such as viruses like the […]The post COVID-19: Asymptomatic spread can be a successful evolutionary strategy appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Russia Ministry of Health reported an additional 10,899 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bypassing Spain and the United Kingdom to become the country with the second most cases at 232,243. In the City of Moscow, more than 121,000 cases have been reported, more than most countries. An additional 7 […]The post Russia leapfrogs to #2 in COVID-19 cases globally as country begins easing lockdowns appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in Peru have reported more than 68,000 COVID-19 cases to date, second to Brazil in South America. More than 1,900 deaths have been recorded. Lima continues to be the region with the highest number of infected by COVID-19 to date reporting some 40,000 cases. Other regions reporting high numbers of cases […]The post Peru COVID-19: Health workers, Police heavily affected by the virus appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews COVID-19 Thailand health officials reported six new cases of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 today, bringing the country total to 3,015. More than 90 percent of the cases have recovered from their illness ( 2796) and 56 people have died. To date, 68 of 77 provinces have reported cases. Nine provinces have never reported cases. A […]The post Thailand COVID-19, dengue, chikungunya and measles updates appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A little over a month ago, we reported on a human case of influenza A(H9N2) virus infection in a 3-year-old girl from Guangdong province. According to a recent World Health Organization avian influenza report, an additional case was reported in the country. The second human case of infection was reported to WHO on […]The post Bird flu: China reports additional H9N2 avian flu case, This one from Hunan province appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

There is ongoing debate among policymakers and the general public about where SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, came from. While researchers consider bats the most likely natural hosts for SARS-CoV-2, the origins of the virus are still unclear. On May 10 in the journal Current Biology, researchers describe a recently identified bat coronavirus that is […]The post SARS-CoV-2 relative found in bats offers more evidence it evolved naturally: Chinese researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Evidence from a large study of several thousand patients shows that men have higher concentrations of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in their blood than women. Since ACE2 enables the coronavirus to infect healthy cells, this may help to explain why men are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than women. The study, published in the European Heart Journal […]The post Why men may be more vulnerable to COVID-19 than women: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Russian health officials are currently reporting the second fastest growing COVID-19 outbreak in the world after the United States seeing more than 10,000 cases daily for days in a row. As of today, the total case count is 209,688, including only 1915 deaths. With a case fatality of less than one percent, some […]The post Russia COVID-19 cases surpass 200,000, A look at the counting of deaths appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Through Sunday, May 10, Brazil health officials have reported 162,699 total COVID-19 cases, a nearly 7,000 case increase from Saturday, and 11,123 deaths. São Paulo continues to concentrate most of the notifications, with about 45,000 cases and 3,608 deaths, followed by Rio de Janeiro, which has some 17,000 confirmations and 1,653 deaths. While […]The post Brazil COVID-19: ‘The next epicenter’?, Jair Bolsonaro the ‘biggest threat’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Nigerian health officials reported five additional confirmed Lassa fever cases the week ending May 3, including two deaths a week after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) declared the emergency phase of the 2020 Lassa fever outbreak over. Lassa fever cases have dropped dramatically from the weekly high of 115 cases in mid-February. […]The post Nigeria: 5 Lassa fever cases reported last week appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In an update on the ongoing dengue serotype-3 outbreak in the Republic of Marshall Islands, which began in May 2019 in Ebeye and then transmitted through to Majuro. The RMI Ministry of Health and Human Services reports there have been 3,368 dengue-like cases of which 1,562 were laboratory confirmed through May 6, 2020. […]The post Marshall Islands dengue outbreak: One year later appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of people evaluated for signs of stroke at U.S. hospitals has dropped by nearly 40% during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study led by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis who analyzed stroke evaluations at more than 800 hospitals across 49 states and the District of Columbia. The […]The post In the US, fewer people with stroke symptoms receiving care at hospitals during COVID-19 pandemic appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in the Philippines say the country is beginning to flatten the curve. According to Health Undersecretary Dr. Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire, “All of our sacrifices this past week have not gone to waste. We are already seeing signs that we have flattened the curve. That is to say, because of our cooperation […]The post Philippines COVID-19 cases top 10,000, Beginning to ‘flatten the curve’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Through May 9, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have reported 46,756 total confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 4,526 deaths. In the City of Detroit, 9709 cases and 1181 deaths have been reported. On Thursday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-77 to extend Michigan’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order to May 28. The […]The post Michigan COVID-19: Expanding contact tracing, Governor Whitmer extends Stay Home, Stay Safe Order, Prisoners deaths appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in Karachi, Pakistan report two human rabies cases in the past three days, bringing the total to seven this year. The most recent fatal case was in a 40-year-old man from Umerkot district with serious facial injuries inflicted by a rabid dog. Earlier, a nine-year-old boy, also attacked on the face […]The post Pakistan: Human rabies in Karachi, 7 cases to date appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Miami-Dade County Today, the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County (DOH-Miami-Dade) reported a locally acquired case of West Nile virus (WNV) in a Miami-Dade resident. This is the first local case of West Nile virus in 2020. WNV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. It is […]The post Florida: 1st West Nile virus case reported in Miami, Aedes aegypti detected in downtown Gainesville appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Brazil Ministry of Health reports the death toll related to COVID-19 infection has surpassed the 10,000 mark, with 10,017 reported to date. In addition, 146,894 cases of coronavirus have been reported across Brazil. Of the total confirmed cases, 40 percent are considered recovered. The coronavirus is generally present in all Brazilian states. […]The post Brazil COVID-19 deaths top 10,000, Health professionals guaranteed psychiatric support appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A two-week course of antiviral therapy with interferon beta-1b plus lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin, started within 7 days of showing COVID-19 symptoms, is safe and more effective at reducing the duration of viral shedding than lopinavir-ritonavir alone in patients with mild to moderate illness, according to the first randomised trial of this triple combination therapy involving […]The post COVID-19: New triple antiviral drug combination shows early promise for treatment in phase 2 randomized trial appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in Manitoba, Canada report during this Lyme Disease Awareness Month that the burden of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in Manitoba continues to increase. According to Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living, the 2019 season was the most active to date with 64 confirmed and probable Lyme disease cases reported. […]The post Canada: The burden of Lyme disease, other tick-borne diseases in Manitoba continues to increase appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On today’s podcast, I had the honor of talking to E.B. Fred Professor of Natural Sciences Emeritus at UW–Madison and author of the book, Robert Koch–A Life in Medicine and Bacteriology, Thomas Brock, PhD about the titan of microbiology, Robert Koch. In this show, I asked the 93-year-old microbiologist about Koch’s life prior to microbiology, […]The post Robert Koch: Titan of Microbiology appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews There were eight additional wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases reported during the past week–six in Afghanistan and two in Pakistan. Globally, 54 WPV-1 cases are reported in 2020 to date. The cases of WPV1 reported in Afghanistan this week include: One each in Badakhshan, Balkh, Hirat, Kunar provinces and two in Kandahar […]The post Afghanistan reports 6 additional polio cases in past week appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first diagnostic test with the option of using home-collected saliva samples for COVID-19 testing. Specifically, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Rutgers Clinical Genomics Laboratory for their COVID-19 laboratory developed test (LDT), which had been previously added to the high complexity molecular-based LDT “umbrella” EUA, […]The post COVID-19 testing: FDA Authorizes First Diagnostic Test Using At-Home Collection of Saliva Specimens appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews One of the most important tools in stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is rapid, reliable and relatively cheap diagnostic testing at the point of care. Scientists in Europe recently evaluated the frontline capabilities of a commercially available, 15-minute disposable antigen test to detect COVID-19 infections. Their findings, reported in Frontiers in […]The post COVID-19 antigen test evaluated by European scientists appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Singapore health officials continue to report high numbers of dengue fever this year seeing 300-400 cases each week. Through May 6, some 6800 dengue cases have been reported, in fact, officials say the number of dengue cases in 2020 is projected to exceed the 16,000 cases in 2019. The National Environment Agency (NEA) said Wednesday […]The post Singapore dengue: Cases rise, Officials expand release of Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A University of Cincinnati researcher says a study of COVID-19 patients shows loss of the sense of smell is most likely to occur by the third day of infection with the novel virus. Most of these patients are also experiencing a loss of the sense of taste. The prospective, cross sectional telephone study examined characteristics […]The post COVID-19 infection: Sense of smell lost by 3rd day in most patients appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In Africa, the disease has spread to over 30 countries since the first case was reported in late February, now affecting all countries except for Lesotho. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 195 cases in the last 24 hours in 13 states – Lagos (82), Kano (30), Zamfara (19), Sokoto (18), […]The post Nigeria sees COVID-19 count top 3,000 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Russia continues to report a spike in coronavirus disease, or COVID-19 cases with the Ministry of Health reporting some 50,000 cases in the past five days. As of Thursday, health officials put the country tally at 177,160 confirmed cases, including 1625 deaths. The City of Moscow and the Moscow region continues to account […]The post Russia reports jump in COVID-19 infections, ‘Diagnostics have become more actively used’ according to Chief Infectionist appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Taiwan CDC reported this week on an additional Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever case, the fourth of 2020. The patient is a male in his 40s who has no travel history. The patient presented with fever, diarrhea, and body aches and other symptoms on April 10th. The symptoms did not improve and he was […]The post Taiwan reports additional Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Engineers and scientists led by Tufts University used a three-dimensional (3D) human tissue culture model mimicking the components and conditions in the brain to demonstrate a possible causal relationship between sporadic Alzheimer’s disease and herpes simplex virus I infection (HSV-1). Reported this week in Science Advances, the model will allow for further studies into the […]The post 3D human tissue culture model demonstrates a possible relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and herpes simplex virus I infection appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team has uncovered how bats can carry the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus without getting sick–research that could shed light on how coronaviruses make the jump to humans and other animals. Coronaviruses such as MERS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and more recently the COVID19-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus, are […]The post Bat-virus adaptation may explain species spillover, researchers say appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Merck announced results from RESTORE-IMI 2, a randomized, controlled, double-blind Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating RECARBRIO™ (imipenem, cilastatin, and relebactam) for the treatment of adults with hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP). The results demonstrated noninferiority of RECARBRIO compared to piperacillin and tazobactam (PIP/TAZ), the active comparator, in the primary and key secondary endpoints of the […]The post Antibiotics: RECARBRIO vs. PIP/TAZ Phase 3 clinical trial results appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews While Indonesia, like virtually every country, battles the rise in coronavirus disease, or COVID-19 cases and deaths, a mosquito borne disease prominent in much of the tropical world is spiking in the country year to date. According to the Indonesia Health Ministry, 39,860 people have been diagnosed with dengue fever in the first […]The post Indonesia: Dengue cases spike in a time of COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Brazil Ministry of Health is now reporting 115,953 COVID-19 cases, including 7958 deaths. The coronavirus is present in all states of the country. Currently, São Paulo concentrates most of the notifications, with 34,053 cases and 2,851 deaths. Rio de Janeiro appears in second place, with 12,391 cases and 1,123 deaths. The state with the least […]The post Brazil COVID-19 update: Cases top 115K, Minister of Health Nelson Teich visits Manaus hospitals appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting a measles outbreak in the African nation of Burundi. The outbreak, which started in a refugee transit camp where people arrived from from measles-affected provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Refugees spend 21 days in the Transit Camp of Cishemere before they are sent […]The post Measles outbreak in Burundi: Started in a refugee transit camp appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By analysing virus genomes from over 7,500 people infected with Covid-19, a UCL-led research team has characterised patterns of diversity of SARS-CoV-2 virus genome, offering clues to direct drugs and vaccine targets. The study, led by the UCL Genetics Institute, identified close to 200 recurrent genetic mutations in the virus, highlighting how it may be […]The post Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 offer insights into virus evolution appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced today that the first participants have been dosed in the U.S. in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the BNT162 vaccine program to prevent COVID-19. The trial is part of a global development program, and the dosing of the first cohort in Germany was completed last week. The Phase […]The post Pfizer Begins First Dosing for COVID-19 Vaccine Program appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The National IHR Focal Point of Saudi Arabia reported 15 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases in March 2020, including five deaths. About half the cases were reported in Riyadh, while the rest were reported in Makkah, Najran, and Al Qassim regions. Two had been exposed to camels or camel milk before they […]The post Saudi Arabia reports 15 MERS cases in March 2020 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews On Monday, Columbia, Maryland company Intralytix, Inc. announced receiving a multimillion-dollar grant (AI 148054) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), for the clinical development of its bacteriophage therapy preparation for managing infections caused by the bacterial pathogen Shigella. Dr. Alexander Sulakvelidze, Executive Vice President […]The post Bacteriophage therapy: Intralytix receives multimillion-dollar grant for Shigella preparation appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews After going several week without a reported human plague case in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), new cases were reported between mid-February and mid-March. Since the beginning of the year a total of 20 suspected bubonic plague cases with 7 deaths (case fatality ratio 35%) were notified in 5 health zones: […]The post Plague cases reported again in DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

As the coronavirus pandemic has swept across the U.S., in addition to tracking the number of COVID daily cases, there is a worldwide scientific community engaged in tracking the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself. Efrem Lim leads a team at ASU that looks at how the virus may be spreading, mutating and adapting over time. To trace […]The post SARS-CoV-2 mutation found by ASU research team, Mirrors one found during 2003 SARS outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews As of May 4, the Indonesia Ministry of Health has reported 11,587 COVID-19 cases, including 864 deaths. On Sunday, the country’s COVID-19 handling spokesman, Achmad Yurianto stated that since the WHO declared the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government responded quickly by issuing the policies of working from home, learning from home, worship at home […]The post Indonesia COVID-19: Case counts and deaths, President Widodo’s six directives appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers at Utrecht University, Erasmus Medical Center and Harbour BioMed (HBM) today reported that they have identified a fully human monoclonal antibody that prevents the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus from infecting cultured cells. The discovery, published online today in Nature Communications, is an initial step towards developing a fully human antibody to treat or prevent the respiratory […]The post Discovery of antibody that blocks infection by the SARS-CoV-2 in cells appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Sunday, Roche announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its new Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test. The test is designed to help determine if a patient has been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and if the patient has developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 is an […]The post COVID-19 antibody test: Roche’s Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test receives FDA EUA appeared first on Outbreak News Today.