Outbreak News Today

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Malaysia Ministry of Health received a report about a food poisoning incident involving PAST kindergarten teachers throughout the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur attending a training course at a center in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 5. Course participants presented with symptoms of vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhea and are being treated […]The post Food Poisoning outbreak in Kuala Lumpur appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the diphtheria outbreak in Alsunta locality in South Darfur State, Sudan, the Ministry of Health in South Darfur State is now reporting 80 cases of confirmed diphtheria, including 10 deaths in Alsunta locality, according to an 3 Ayin report (computer translated). Health authorities attributes this recent resurgence of diphtheria cases in […]The post Diphtheria update in South Darfur, Sudan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the measles situation in Argentina, the Ministry of Health has reported 97 cases in 2019, according to a Infobae report (computer translated). Most of the cases were reported since late August representing the largest measles outbreak in the country since the elimination of the endemic circulation of the virus, […]The post Argentina reports nearly 100 measles cases in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Bahia Department of Health (Sesab) reported 67,373 probable cases of dengue as of December 10, representing an increase of 622.6% over the same period of 2018, in which 9,323 probable cases were reported, according to a Infosaj report (computer translated). In addition, 85 deaths from dengue were reported during this period. In […]The post Brazil: Bahia state reports 622 percent dengue increase in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Officials with NSW Health are reporting five measles cases in people who hadn’t travelled outside Sydney. All five people first developed symptoms between Christmas and New Year’s Day and there may be other people infected with measles who haven’t yet seen a doctor or been tested. One is a Queensland resident who is […]The post Sydney: 5 locally acquired measles cases reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are investigating a single case of Legionnaires’ disease in a resident at the Illinois Veterans Home – Quincy (IVHQ). The resident has received medical treatment and is recovering at IVHQ. No other cases have been identified and IVHQ continues to […]The post Illinois: Legionnaires’ Disease reported at Quincy Veterans home appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Dengue 2019 Singapore’s National Environmental Agency (NEA) has reported 15,999 dengue fever cases through Dec. 28, 2019, making this the highest dengue tally in three years. It still did not match 2013 when more than 22,000 cases were seen. In addition, at least 20 dengue-related fatalities have been reported. NEA reports that the […]The post Singapore report 16,000 dengue cases in 2019, Pneumonia case with travel history to Wuhan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Plague is not just a disease of historical record, it’s presence around the world still exists. However, the good news is in recent years, the number of global plague cases has dropped significantly as compared to a decade or so before. Dr Terence Lam with the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) […]The post Plague: Global cases down significantly, Madagascar accounts for majority appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Philippines has seen it’s largest dengue fever outbreak in recent memory reporting more than 414,000 cases and 1,500 deaths during the first 11 months of 2019. In Iloilo province in the Western Visayas region of the country, health officials saw a large increase in cases in 2019 and a dengue outbreak was […]The post Dengue: Iloilo looks to lift outbreak declaration with decrease in new cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In an update on the dengue fever outbreak in the Philippines, health officials now report 414,532 cases through November 30. In addition, 1,546 dengue related deaths have been recorded. These numbers are significantly higher than the 222,849 cases including 1,122 deaths reported during the same period in 2018. Ayoko sa Lamok: Filipino youth’s […]The post Philippines dengue outbreak: 414K cases through November 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the cluster of pneumonia cases detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, health officials in Hong Kong and Taiwan offered updates today. The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) reports that the National Health Commission (NHC) provided the following information: A number of viral pneumonia cases with unknown cause […]The post Pneumonia cluster in Wuhan: 44 cases, Influenza, avian influenza, and adenovirus ruled out appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The city of São José do Rio Preto in the of São Paulo state, Brazil is reporting a historical record in dengue fever cases in 2019, according to a SBT Interior report (computer translated). The city saw 33,000 dengue fever cases in 2019, dramatically surpassing the previous high of 21,000 in 2015. Brazil […]The post São Paulo State: Rio Preto reports ‘historical record’ of dengue fever in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews UN health officials report the number of measles cases reported in Europe from January to October 2019 exceeds the total cases for 2018 and nearly quadruples 2017s total. 101,280 measles cases were reported during the first ten months of 2019, including 44 deaths. This compares with more than 88,000 cases reported in […]The post Europe records more than 100K measles cases in first 10 months of 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Robert Herriman @infectiousdiseasenews According to the Ministry of Health for the Government of Tonga, the island nation closed out 2019 with 612 measles confirmed or suspected cases. This is up 16 cases since the last report. The majority 534 (87.2%) cases have occurred on Tongatapu and 66 (10.7%) have occurred on Vava’u Island. Case presentations […]The post Tonga records 612 measles cases in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In this podcast, I look at what I believe are the top infectious disease stories of the last decade. Related: Texas anthrax: A look at the 2019 outbreak Naegleria fowleri: The PAM protocol with Dr Juan Dumois Naegleria fowleri: Lab diagnosis with Shiela Black, MHM, BSMT(ASCP) Louis Pasteur Quote merchandise Lyme disease: The major players, […]The post The Top Infectious Disease Stories of the Decade 2010-2019: The Podcast appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A moose in northwest Montana tested positive for chronic wasting disease, marking the first time the disease has been detected in the species in Montana. A hunter harvested the bull moose in late October near Pulpit Mountain west of Quartz Creek and north of Troy. The harvest occurred less than half a mile to the […]The post Chronic Wasting Disease: First confirmed case in a moose in Montana appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on an earlier report, health officials in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico are reporting the chickenpox outbreak at the Leona Vicario migrant shelter in Ciudad Juarez has grown to 127 confirmed cases, according to a 24-Horas report (computer translated). Barrios Gallegos, the Deputy Director of Epidemiology of the Secretary of […]The post Chickenpox outbreak at Mexican shelter grows to 127 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By: Candess Zona-Mendola of MakeFoodSafe A previously unannounced Norovirus outbreak and death have been linked to a New Hampshire-based restaurant named Puritan Backroom. According to the New Hampshire Department of Health, “norovirus was a contributing cause of death in the person who passed away after attending an event at the Puritan Backroom in Manchester, New […]The post Norovirus Death and Outbreak Linked to Puritan Backroom in NH appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Robert Herriman @infectiousdiseasenews Not only was Dec. 31, 2019 the end of the year, but it was also the end of the 2010s decade (Jan. 1, 2010-Dec. 31, 2019). In this post, I list what I believe to be the top infectious disease news stories of the past decade. 9. First Naegleria fowleri survivors […]The post Top Infectious News Stories of the Decade 2010-2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Parasites in the genus Plasmodium, which cause malaria, are transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes. The parasites manage to acclimatize to these two completely different hosts because the plasticity of their genome enables them to adapt as necessary. Scientists at the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS decided to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms behind this […]The post A new breakthrough in developing effective antimalarial drugs appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Veggie Noodle Co., LLC is voluntarily recalling its Cece’s® Veggie Co. brand Fresh Veggie Ramen with Chicken Broth (11.5 oz, UPC 5228700653), all expiration dates, sold at retail stores nationally, because the separately packaged egg ( branded Peckish) that is included in the product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. No other Cece’s […]The post Fresh Veggie Ramen recalled due to Listeria risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews When you think of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2019, the first outbreak that naturally come to your mind is the ongoing Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak. You may also think of the world’s largest measles outbreak of last year, as this has been getting more attention recently. Did you know […]The post Monkeypox in DRC: More than 5,000 cases reported in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Now that 2019 is officially over and all the data has been tabulated, the numbers are available to create the “Most Viewed Stories of 2019” on the website. Let’s take a look: 10. Tetanus: First pediatric case in >30 years in Oregon This story published in March was the 10th most popular post of […]The post Outbreak News Today: Most Viewed Stories of 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The world’s largest measles outbreak reached 299,586 cases through Dec 15 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The number of measles-related fatalities have risen to 5,877, or 2 percent of the total cases. DRC not only battles a massive measles outbreak, but also the ongoing, second-largest Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak […]The post Measles: 300K cases reported in DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A second fatal human Rift Valley fever (RVF) case in recent weeks was reported in Uganda. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the second confirmed case of Rift Valley fever was reported from Ntoroko district, Uganda. The individual was a 25-year-old male from the Democratic Republic of Congo who was living and […]The post Uganda reports 2nd fatal Rift Valley fever case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in Hong Kong report closely monitoring a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, Hubei Province. According to an announcement from the Health Commission of Hubei Province, a number of pneumonia cases related to a local seafood market was recently reported in Wuhan. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission has commenced investigation and […]The post China: Pneumonia cluster reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Agent still unknown appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Health officials in Iceland are reporting a measles case. According to health authorities, the Children’s Hospital contacted the Epidemiologist on Sunday, December 29th reporting a case of measles detected in an 8-month-old child who arrived abroad from the day before on 28 December. The child had contracted measles abroad on December 24 […]The post Measles case reported in Iceland appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in American Samoa continues its campaign to vaccinate all school aged children in light of it’s measles outbreak declaration earlier this month. On December 11, 2019, American Samoa began its campaign to vaccinate all adults with no evidence of MMR vaccine. To date 12,932 MMR doses administered (780 doses to children […]The post Measles: American Samoa continues its vaccination campaign appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Sri Lanka Epidemiology Unit with the Ministry of Health recorded 99,120 dengue fever cases in 2019, nearly double the 51,659 cases seen in 2018. November saw the most cases with more than 21,000. In addition, at least 90 clinically confirmed dengue deaths have been reported from all parts of the country […]The post Sri Lanka: Dengue cases double in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In this end-of-year podcast, I rank what I believe to be the 10 most important infectious disease news stories of 2019. Related podcasts: Inside the Hot Zone with Dr Mark Kortepeter Encephalitis 101 with Becky Dennis Eastern Equine Encephalitis with Steven LaRosa, MD Texas anthrax: A look at the 2019 outbreak Naegleria […]The post Top 10 Most Important Infectious Disease News Stories of 2019: The Podcast appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Stray dogs roaming the streets of the Yemen capital of Sana’a have caused a terror and huge public health problem, according to a Gulf365 report (computer translated). The report notes that medical sources confirmed that the number of “rabies” infections in the capital, Sanaa, is estimated at thousands, including hundreds of deaths, […]The post Rabies in Yemen: Estimated ‘hundreds of deaths’ in Sana’a appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) reported that, with the coordination between health sector authorities and epidemiologists of the Integrating Center for Migrants “Leona Vicario”, located in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua , managed to control the chickenpox outbreak affecting dozens of people, mostly children, according to a Proceso news report (computer translated). […]The post Mexico: Chickenpox outbreak affects dozens at Ciudad Juárez shelter appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up report on the measles outbreak in Argentina, the Ministry of Health is now reporting 88 confirmed cases of measles, of which 86 are local 2 and were detected in Spain with two weeks left in 2019. The vast majority of cases were locally acquired, according to officials. It is the […]The post Measles in Argentina: Most cases reported in 20 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, this week announced that the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved and issued a Product license for the Company’s varicella vaccine to prevent the varicella-zoster virus in children from 1 to 12 years old. Mr. Weidong Yin, Chairman, President and CEO of […]The post China: Sinovac announces approval of chickenpox vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Malaysian health authorities have reported a record season for dengue fever in 2019. According to officials data, 130,101 dengue cases were reported through December 28 this year, well above the 120,836 cases recorded in 2015. Far from a record, officials also saw 174 dengue-related deaths through Dec. 14 –2015 brought Malaysia 336 […]The post Malaysia reports record year for dengue fever appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Robert Herriman @bactiman63 As 2019 comes to a close, the number of big, important infectious disease news and outbreak was in no shortage since January. So, it becomes my annual task to try to take it all, sort it out, and create a Top 10 list. This is what I came up with this year: […]The post 10 Most Important Infectious Disease Stories of 2019: Outbreak News Today appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By: Candess Zona-Mendola of MakeFoodSafe The FDA announced a company recall of sprouts linked to E. coli O103 illnesses in Iowa. It is not yet known how many people are sick in this latest Iowa sprouts outbreak, but we do know where the sprouts were distributed. According to the announcement by the sprouts’ manufacturer Sprouts […]The post E. coli O103 illnesses in Iowa linked to sprouts appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The University of Connecticut (UConn) Student Health and Wellness announced that three cases of mumps were identified in students that were enrolled on the Storrs campus in the fall 2019 semester. Students are required to have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, which provides protection against the mumps virus to attend classes. […]The post Mumps cases reported at UConn appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a new perspective piece published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, and colleagues are calling for the expansion of preventive treatment programs in Africa for […]The post Female genital schistosomiasis: Researchers call for expansion of programs for prevention appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Earlier this month, health officials in Qatar reported three laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection. According to the World Health Organization, the first case is a 67-year-old female from Doha, Qatar who first developed symptoms in late November and died on December 12. The source of her infection is under […]The post MERS in Qatar: 3 cases confirmed in Doha appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Government of Fiji reported an additional measles case in a 11-month-old from Nabua who was admitted under isolation at CWM Hospital in Suva who was just recently discharged. This brings the measles total to 25 in Fiji. All 25 cases are from the following areas in the Central Division: 12 cases from […]The post Fiji reports additional measles case, Vaccine campaign temporarily suspended appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Tonga Ministry of Health reported an additional 18 new measles cases with onset dates in the last week, bringing the outbreak total to 596 confirmed or suspected cases of measles. The latest cases include 16 cases from the main Island of Tongatapu and 2 cases from Vava’u Island. In total, the […]The post Tonga measles outbreak nears 600 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a follow-up on the first polio case (circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 -cVDPV1) in Malaysia in more than a quarter century, the Sabah Polio Immunization Campaign 2019/2020 (KIPS) will commence in Tuaran District and will be extended throughout Sabah in phases. The target of KIPS 2019/20 is for children under 5 […]The post Polio vaccination campaign in Sabah, Malaysia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Montana state health officials report the upward trend over the past several years of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Montana are now reaching record highs. Gonorrhea, as one example, has been increasing over the past seven years, and are now projected to reach nearly 1,500 cases in 2019. In fact, Department of […]The post Montana: Gonorrhea cases highest in 40 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Three important mosquito-borne diseases– dengue, Zika and chikungunya–were all up in 2019 in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. City officials have reported 17,637 dengue fever cases through December 18 this year, a 216 percent compared to 5,577 cases reported in 2018 and the most cases reported in the city since […]The post 3 Mosquito-borne diseases up in Rio de Janeiro appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Institute of Public Health in Norway is reporting a Shigella sonnei outbreak that has sickened at least eight people in several counties across the country. In early December 2019, several people became ill with gastrointestinal symptoms after eating in a canteen in Oslo. The bacterium Shigella sonnei was found in samples from 5 […]The post Norway: Shigella outbreak sickens eight, Linked to imported sugar peas from Kenya appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel notice for travelers to parts of Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean due to the ongoing dengue fever risk. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has reported 2,981,769 cases year to date, including 1,372 deaths–the highest number of cases […]The post CDC: Travel notice issued for the Americas due to dengue risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Staph bacteria, the leading cause of potentially dangerous skin infections, are most feared for the drug-resistant strains that have become a serious threat to public health. Attempts to develop a vaccine against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have failed to outsmart the superbug’s ubiquity and adaptability to antibiotics. Now, a study from Washington University School of Medicine in […]The post MRSA: Why vaccine attempts have failed appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Samoa UN health officials report the measles situation in Samoa is stabilizing and post-peak, with decreasing numbers of cases. The Samoa Ministry of Health confirms a total of 5,603 measles cases have been reported since the outbreak started. There were 23 recorded in the last 24 hours. To date, 80 measles related deaths […]The post Measles: Samoa situation is stabilizing and post-peak, Tonga update appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

California’s elimination, in 2016, of non-medical vaccine exemptions from school entry requirements was associated with an estimated increase in vaccination coverage at state and county levels, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Nathan Lo of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues. Vaccine hesitancy, the reluctance or refusal to receive […]The post California’s stricter vaccine exemption policy and improved vaccination rates appeared first on Outbreak News Today.