Outbreak News Today

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A warning letter concerning mumps cases on the Université libre de Bruxelles campus was issued last week. No specific number of mumps cases are mentioned in the letter, just “several” cases. Mumps is a contagious viral infection that is transmitted person to person through coughing, sneezing, or talking. The most common symptoms include […]The post Brussels university issues mumps warning appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In an update on the measles epidemic in Samoa, health officials reported an additional 198 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the outbreak total to 3,728 measles cases since early September. In addition, during the same 24 hours, tragically five more measles related deaths have been reported, bringing the total to 53. […]The post Samoa measles death toll tops 50 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A recent fatal case of Capnocytophaga canimorsus in a 63-year-old, immunocompetent German man led me to do this reminder video on this potentially lethal bacterium. In the video, I discuss the typical patient that becomes infected with Capnocytophaga, signs and symptoms and transmission. I also look at the above recent case in a […]The post CAPNOCYTOPHAGA: It’s not only seen in the immunocompromised appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The number of dengue fever cases reported in Sri Lanka has taken a upward direction in recent months, already making 2019 the worst dengue year this decade. During the first eleven months of 2019, Sri Lanka health officials have reported 78,429 dengue fever cases with Colombo (16,642) and Gampaha (12,412) reporting the most […]The post Sri Lanka reports increase in dengue as 2019 enters last month appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In an update on the measles situation in Fiji, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has reported an additional confirmed measles case. The most recent case, a 36 year old from Makosoi, Deuba in Serua/Namosi, is the 14th case reported to date. The measles outbreak has also prompted the University of Fiji […]The post Fiji measles count now 14, University of Fiji graduation ceremony postponed appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Is hepatitis A and the large outbreaks in the US the ‘Rodney Dangerfield’ of infectious diseases in America? There was a recent article that listed the top 10 most alarming infectious diseases in America today and the list was good, but I found it odd that hepatitis A, one of the largest infectious […]The post Hepatitis A: No Respect for this outbreak? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews One of the most tragic and preventable outbreak situations on the globe in the measles outbreak on the Pacific island of Samoa. In this video, I go over the most recent case/death numbers from the government, including the fact that 1.7 percent of the islands population has been infected since September. There are […]The post SAMOA MEASLES OUTBREAK: ‘This epidemic has not yet peaked’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on a previous report on the Cryptosporidium outbreak in Sweden, the Public Health Authority, or Folkhalsomyndigheten, report more than 300 cases of cryptosporidiosis in October and November. The good news is while the number of cases are still unusually high, the number of reported cases has decreased. Adults have been the […]The post Sweden ‘Crypto’ outbreak tops 300 cases since October appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The number of dengue fever cases in Bangladesh has crossed the 100,000 case threshold in 2019 on Friday, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). From the beginning of the year through November 29, Bangladesh officials report 100,021 and at least 121 deaths. While the epidemic has slowed dramatically […]The post Dengue epidemic in Bangladesh tops 100K cases in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews While the 2019 dengue fever season is a far cry from 2013 when more than 22,000 cases were reported, the country’s Environmental officials are reporting nearly 15,000 dengue cases in the first 11 months of the year. Through November 29, 14,910 dengue cases have been reported, around five-times the numbers reported in 2018. […]The post Singapore closes in on 15,000 dengue cases in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The World Health Organization (WHO) put out a report this week that shows that some 440,000 measles cases have been reported during the past 10 months or so in 2019. In this video, I look at the measles situation in Africa, especially on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which alone has […]The post MEASLES in Africa: 5,000 dead in DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up to a video done in October https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9fLD… , I take a look at the current polio situation–both wild poliovirus and circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses. While I look at the whole global picture, I focus on three countries–Pakistan, Angola and the Philippines. Be sure to SHARE with your friends, SUBSCRIBE to the […]The post POLIO update: Pakistan, Angola and the Philippines appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Officials with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) in Tokyo have confirmed the first case of B virus, or herpes B infection, according to an NHK World report. According to the report, the patient is an employee with a pharmaceutical research company with a history of assisting in experiments involving monkeys. However, […]The post Japan reports 1st human herpes B infection appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen prone to developing antibiotic resistance, causing 120,000 cases of bloodstream infections every year in the United States and over 5000 in Australia; the mortality rate is around 25 per cent from each case. The Bengal Bay clone was first described in the 1990s with reports of it causing severe […]The post Staphylococcus aureus: The Bengal Bay clone mutations and global spread appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Once rare, the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infects hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. each year and kills about 20,000. Antibiotic overuse has made MRSA more common and difficult to treat because of the bacteria’s contagiousness coupled with its resistance to standard infection-fighting drugs. Infected individuals also face a high risk of […]The post MRSA: ‘The household environment plays a key role in the transmission in the community setting’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists at the University of Surrey have developed a novel vaccine and complementary skin test to protect cattle against bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB). Publishing their findings in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers reveal they have for the first time created a vaccine that is compatible with a synthetic form of the tuberculin skin test (PPD), a […]The post Bovine TB novel vaccine developed by University of Surrey scientists appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The outbreak of measles in Tonga began in early October 2019, following the return of a squad of Tongan rugby players from New Zealand. The Tonga Ministry of Health declared a measles outbreak on October 22. The last outbreak of measles in Tonga was in 2010. In an update on the measles outbreak […]The post Tonga measles outbreak grows, 1st outbreak since 2010 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Inner Mongolia Health Authority of Mainland China announced a confirmed case of bubonic plague Wednesday. According to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (computer translated), the patient is a herdsman from Siziwang Banner, Ulanqab. He is reported to be in stable condition and being treated in a local hospital. Four close contacts […]The post China reports 5th human plague case, four cases this month appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in San Diego County issued a health advisory today due to an unusually high number of cases being reported in the region. In 2019 to date, 60 residents have been reported with confirmed or probable mumps, the most reported in 25 years. There have been no deaths; however, six people were […]The post San Diego: Dozens of mumps cases prompts advisory appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By: Candess Zona-Mendola of MakeFoodSafe The Brazoria County Department of Health announced today that there has been an increase in Shigella illnesses in the Texas county over the last two months. The majority of those sick are children and most cases appear to be linked to schools and daycares. The number of confirmed cases or […]The post Shigella Hits Brazoria County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The CDC says flu season is early in the United States with widespread activity seen in several states and the southern US hit especially hard so far. In this video, I look at a couple of surveys/polls that look at how the public looks at influenza and the importance of the flu shot. […]The post FLU season comes early appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a new method to separate between two different types of a common herpes virus (HHV-6) that has been linked to multiple sclerosis. By analyzing antibodies in the blood against the most divergent proteins of herpesvirus 6A and 6B, the researchers were able to show that MS-patients carry the herpesvirus […]The post Multiple sclerosis: Herpes virus (HHV-6A) linked to risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in Miami-Dade County, Florida are reporting the 12th locally transmitted dengue fever case of the year. This brings the total autochthonous dengue transmissions in the state to 14–one case each was reported in Broward and Hillsborough counties. The onsets of illness are as follows: March (1), July (2), August (3), September […]The post Florida: 12th local dengue case reported in Miami-Dade County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Fiji, three additional measles cases have been confirmed, bringing the total to 13. The latest confirmed cases are a 22 year old from Wailali Settlement and a 16 year old from Navunikabi, both in the Serua/Namosi Subdivision. The third case is a 1-year-old child from […]The post Fiji measles update: 13 confirmed cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The National Polio Laboratory (NPL) of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the Japan National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) today confirmed that a total of 26, out of 142 environmental samples (ES) collected, tested positive for poliovirus types 1 or 2. Out of the 26 positive samples, 25 were collected from the […]The post Manila area: More than two dozen environmental samples test positive for polio appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In an update on the measles outbreak in Samoa, the Samoan government reported an additional 249 cases in the last 24 hours. This brings the outbreak total to 2,686 measles cases to date. An additional measles related death was reported, bringing the death tally to 33. […]The post Samoa reports 249 measles cases in last 24 hours appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange The CDC reports 67 confirmed cases of E coli infections in the Romaine lettuce outbreak. 39 people have been hospitalized in 19 states. 6 people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), an acute form of kidney failure. Is Your State Affected by the Romaine Lettuce Outbreak? Here is the CDC’s latest map […]The post Romaine Lettuce Outbreak Expands appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

For the first time, students at a Florida high school are using realistic man-made frogs as a replacement for dead, formalin-preserved frogs in classroom dissection labs Wednesday. SynDaver®, developer of synthetic human and animal models used for education, surgical simulation and medical device testing, unveiled the SynDaver Synthetic Frog, called SynFrog™, at J.W. Mitchell High […]The post Florida: High school students use synthetic frogs for dissections appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Officials with the College of Charleston have reported an additional five new confirmed cases of mumps on campus, bringing the outbreak total to 56 since the first cases were reported in mid-September. College staff have been isolating individuals who test positive, working to verify student immunization records, and contacting students who may be […]The post Mumps: 5 more cases at the College of Charleston appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Hong Kong health officials report investigating a measles case. The case is a 38-year-old woman with good past health, who has developed fever since November 19 and rash on November 20. She sought medical advice from general practitioners on November 19 and 21 and attended the Accident and Emergency Department at Queen Mary […]The post Hong Kong officials investigate measles case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange A Nashville, North Carolina BBQ restaurant was closed after the local health department found conditions “constituting an imminent health hazard.” The Doug Sauls Salmonella Outbreak has led to the restaurant being temporarily closed for sanitization. Nash County Health Department found Salmonella in multiple locations in the kitchen. Salmonella was found to be […]The post Doug Sauls’ Bar-B-Q & Seafood Linked to Salmonella Outbreak in Nashville, North Carolina appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Federal health officials are reported a gastrointestinal outbreak of yet unknown etiology onboard a recent voyage of the Norwegian Cruise Lines vessel, Norwegian Joy. According to officials, 127 passengers and six crew members have been stricken with symptoms of diarrhea on a recent November 8–24, 2019 voyage. In response to the outbreak, Norwegian […]The post Cruise outbreak: 133 sickened on Norwegian Cruises’, Norwegian Joy appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Samoan health authorities have reported seven additional measles fatalities since our last report yesterday. As of November 26, the Ministry of Health confirms a total of 2,437 cases and 32 measles related deaths, with 243 new cases reported within the last 24 hours. Most of the 176 currently hospitalized patients are children, some […]The post Samoa measles death toll rises to 32 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Tonga, health authorities are reporting 310 confirmed or suspected measles cases through November 19. The majority of the cases continue to be reported in Tongatapu (272) and too a lesser extent in Vava’u (38). However, measles has now spread to ‘Eua with two cases confirmed […]The post Tonga: Measles cases top 300 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews It’s been awhile since we received an update on the dengue fever situation in Vietnam, in fact it’s been 3 months. Through October 11, the General Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, VietNam has reported 241,863 cases, including 43 deaths since the beginning of the year. This is nearly a 100,000 case […]The post Vietnam dengue fever: 242K cases reported to date appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the plague cluster reported in Ituri Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health officials have reported seven additional cases. Through November 3, 38 cases of bubonic plague including eight deaths have been reported. Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. It is found inanimals throughout the […]The post More plague reported in Ituri Province appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews This week, the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone formally notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the Lassa fever outbreak in the country. The first confirmed case-patient was a male Dutch medical doctor who worked in Masanga hospital, Tonkolili District, who later died in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Later, a second Lassa fever […]The post Lassa fever outbreak in Sierra Leone appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on the measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health officials have now reported 250,270 total cases through November 3. In addition, the measles death toll has risen to 5,110 in 2019. During the most recent week, officials saw an additional 7,559 measles cases including 172 deaths […]The post Measles: A quarter million cases in DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In recent years, the number of syphilis cases has surged in Japan. In 2015, we reported on a big increase in syphilis cases in Japan where well over 2,000 cases were recorded, a four-fold increase from just five years earlier. In the past two years, more than 5,500 cases were reported in 2017 and more than 6,000 […]The post Japan syphilis: 5,700 cases to date in 2019, Pregnant women with the STD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In an update on the measles outbreak on Samoa, health officials have reported a doubling of cases in recent days. To date, more than 2190 suspected cases have been reported since the epidemic started last month. In addition, the death toll has risen to 25, of which 24 were children. According to Director […]The post Samoa measles outbreak grows, death toll rises appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) has confirmed cases of mumps involving University of Arkansas students, prompting a campus health advisory. Nine confirmed cases of mumps have been reported on campus this fall, and other possible cases are being investigated, according to an email to students and faculty Friday. The ADH is asking […]The post University of Arkansas: 9 mumps cases reported, health advisory issued appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Philippines health officials reported the eighth confirmed polio case since September. The most recent case is a nine-year old unvaccinated girl from Basilan. The Department of Health (DOH) is currently coordinating with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao – Ministry of Health to maximize immunization coverage and intensify polio vaccination efforts in […]The post Philippines: Basilan child is country’s 8th polio case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Agence régionale de santé Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (ARS Paca) is reporting (computer translated) a Cryptosporodium outbreak in Grasse and several surrounding municipalities of the Alpes-Maritimes. Since October 7, at least 92 cases of diarrhea caused by a parasite. There is a suspicion of contamination in the Grasse sector, supplied with water by the Foulon […]The post Cryptosporidium outbreak reported in Alpes-Maritimes, France appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Rat lungworm is a parasitic disease, spread through contaminated food, which affects the brain and spinal cord. Now, researchers report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases that a detail analysis of the genetics of the rat lungworm parasite– Angiostrongylus cantonensis– reveal signatures of adaptive evolution that have let the parasite survive and may serve as future drug targets. […]The post Rat lungworm: Genetic studies reveal how the parasite evolves appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Tennessee A deer harvested in Shelby County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). The CWD-positive deer changes Shelby County from being a high-risk CWD county to a CWD-positive county. “The CWD-positive deer was a 2 ½-year-old buck harvested in the Shelby County portion […]The post Chronic wasting disease reported in Tennessee, Wisconsin appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A salmonella outbreak in Maipú commune in Santiago Province has now affected 80 people, according to the Chile news source, T13 (computer translated). This is up from 45 cases reported ill at the El Carmen Hospital with symptoms of Salmonella on Tuesday. Health officials have linked to outbreak to the consumption of sushi […]The post Chile: Salmonella outbreak sickens dozens in Maipú, Linked to sushi appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Public Health Institute of Chile reported a confirmed case of dengue serotype DEN-2 on Easter Island, the first of its kind in the island territory. The patient, a 55-year-old man, resident in Rapa Nui, acquired the virus while traveling in Tahiti. The patient was treated at the Hanga Roa Hospital. Once the diagnosis […]The post Dengue case confirmed on Easter Island appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Earlier this week, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) release the latest data on malaria in the Region of the Americas. In this video, I focus on the “official” data and compare it to numbers provided by non-government affiliated organizations and what we see is a sharp contrast between the two. Got Smallpox? […]The post Malaria in Venezuela: Are the ‘official’ numbers correct? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Los Angeles County health officials issued a health alert this week after reporting several recent cases of wound botulism associated with heroin injection. Since October 13, 2019, two confirmed and two suspected cases of wound botulism associated with heroin injection have been reported in LA County. The cases are apparently unknown to each […]The post Los Angeles: Health alert issued over wound botulism linked to heroin appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The World Health Organization (WHO) reported this week on a autochthonous case of yellow fever in Venezuela. According to the case report: The case-patient is a 46-year-old male resident of the municipality of Gran Sabana, Bolivar State. He was in the locality of Uriman municipality of Gran Sabana within the 19 days prior […]The post Venezuela reports 1st local transmission of yellow fever in 14 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.