Outbreak News Today

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Japan, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) in Tokyo reports 467 cases through May 9. This is the highest number of measles cases recorded during the same time period in a decade. In comparison, a total of 282 measles cases were reported nationally in 2018. Osaka […]The post Japan measles: Most cases in a decade appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Last night, the FDA announced its investigation into a Salmonella outbreak linked to Tahini. According to the FDA’s website, there are currently 4 cases of Salmonella Concord that have been linked to “Karawan Tahini and Halva” brand tahini imported from Israel. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene tested samples of Karawan […]The post Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Tahini appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Bedbugs – some of the most unwanted human bed-mates – have been parasitic companions with other species aside from humans for more than 100 million years, walking the earth at the same time as dinosaurs. Work by an international team of scientists, including the University of Sheffield, compared the DNA of dozens of bedbug species […]The post Bedbugs have been around a long, long time appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

2,285 measles cases – 1,121 adults and 1,164 children, were reported the week ending May 11, according to the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. This brings the number of cases to 47,383 since the beginning of the year, including 16 deaths. During the week, Kharkiv, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky, Kiev and […]The post Ukraine reports another 2200 measles cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Kentucky continues to report outbreak cases of hepatitis A as the state has reported the most cases of any in the US. Through May 4, 4,621 outbreak cases have been recorded, including 2,233 people that required hospitalization since mid-2017. In addition, 57 deaths have been liked to the viral infection have been reported, accounting for […]The post Kentucky hepatitis A death count rises to 57 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the hepatitis A outbreak in New Mexico, state health officials report 103 confirmed acute hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections with 2 associated deaths in adults ranging in age from 19-64 years in Bernalillo County since the end of October 2018. The current outbreak has primarily impacted people who use both injection […]The post New Mexico hepatitis A outbreak tops 100 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

For the second time in less than 3 weeks, New Brunswick health officials have reported a confirmed case of measles in the Saint John area. The case was confirmed at Kennebecasis Valley High School. “Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease and is vaccine-preventable,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “Public Health […]The post New Brunswick: 2nd measles case confirmed in St. John appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to a new joint study conducted by scientists at Global Lyme Alliance (GLA) and Brown University, more than two million people in the United States could suffer profound disability from post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) by the year 2020. The study, published today by BMC Public Health, used advanced mathematical modeling to calculate the total […]The post Lyme disease study: Two million people in the US could suffer disability from PTLDS by the year 2020 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) and the Okmulgee County Health Department are investigating a confirmed case of measles in Okmulgee County. This is the first confirmed case of measles in Oklahoma since May 2018. Measles was identified in a person who returned to Oklahoma after traveling to various domestic and international destinations. The virus is […]The post Oklahoma reports 1st measles case in a year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Washington state health officials are reporting four additional confirmed measles cases in three counties. Two measles cases were reported in King County and one each in Snohomish and Pierce Counties. While the exact exposure information for the new cases is not yet known, all spent time in SeaTac airport during their likely time of exposure […]The post 4 measles cases reported in Washington appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this week, research was published in the journal, Nature Microbiology, which has newly published maps that reveal, for the first time, where anthrax poses global risks to people, livestock and wildlife. The maps are the result of 15 years of data collection covering 70 countries. Joining me today to discuss this work and it’s importance […]The post Global anthrax maps with Jason Blackburn, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Ministry of Public Health in Betroka district, Madagascar are reporting thousands of malaria cases in recent weeks, according to an L’Express report (computer translated). More than 600 cases of malaria are being reported weekly in the district and more than 2000 cases have been reported in less than a month. Betroka is not the […]The post Malaria outbreak in Betroka, Madagascar appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

With 32 additional confirmed measles cases reported in the Brooklyn/Queens area of New York City, including the first cases reported this year in Jamaica and Flatbush, NYC health officials put the outbreak total at 498. The neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Borough Park, Sunset Park, Brighton Beach and Flushing, Queens all reported new cases this past week. […]The post NYC measles outbreak nears 500 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hong Kong health officials report investigating three cases of human infection of rat Hepatitis E virus (HEV). Two of the cases, men aged 81 and 67, are stable and did not require hospitalization. A third case involves a 74-year-old man with underlying illnesses, who had presented with liver function derangement. He was admitted to Tuen […]The post Rat hepatitis E: Hong Kong officials investigate 3 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the State of Florida reported an additional 92 hepatitis A cases last week, the most reported in one week. This brings the outbreak total to 1129 cases since the beginning of this year and 1677 cases since Jan. 1, 2018. Straighten your teeth, for 60% less than braces, with clear aligners sent directly […]The post Florida reports more than 90 hepatitis A cases last week appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Seven Seas International USA, LLC of St. Petersburg, Florida is recalling its 4 oz. Biltmore Smoked Sockeye Salmon, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This was discovered through routine regulatory testing conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The 4 oz. Biltmore Smoked Sockeye Salmon was distributed […]The post Publix recall: Biltmore smoked sockeye salmon due to Listeria risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) has been reported in the Heilbron area of the Free State Province in May 2019, according to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry Monday. This follows outbreaks in April 2019 in the North West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces. All four outbreaks occurred outside of the ASF controlled area […]The post South Africa: African Swine Fever reported in Free State appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Newly published maps reveal, for the first time, where anthrax poses global risks to people, livestock and wildlife. Popularly viewed as a frightening airborne agent of bioterrorism, the bacteria that causes anthrax infections naturally occurs in the soil on every continent and some islands. The maps, published today in Nature Microbiology, are the result of 15 […]The post Anthrax: New maps reveal global risks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM) is reporting that a single feral pig was shot and killed by USDA Wildlife Services in Lyndonville, VT. Subsequently the boar tested positive for pseudorabies virus infection, or PRV recently. Vermont has been certified free from PRV since October 1995. PRV is not related to rabies and […]The post Vermont reports pseudorabies in feral swine in Lyndonville appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has declared a statewide outbreak of hepatitis A, making it the 21st state to do so since mid-2016. This follows a declared outbreak in Aiken County in February. During the past 10 years, South Carolina averaged 19 reported cases of hepatitis A annually. More than […]The post South Carolina declares hepatitis A outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated numbers of measles cases in the United States and through May 10, 839 measles cases have been reported in 23 states. This is an increase of 75 cases from the previous week. This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since […]The post Measles: Counties with highest outbreak risk with Sahotra Sarkar, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department confirmed this Friday afternoon that African Swine Fever (ASF) virus was found in a pig in the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse, according to Hong Kong Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan. “So I just now chaired an inter-departmental meeting at once with the AFCD as well as the […]The post Hong Kong reports African swine fever in pig at Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

At least 16 people in the Evergem municipality of East Flanders province in northern Belgium has been sickened with Legionanaires’ disease, according to the Flemish Agency for Health and Safety (computer translated). In addition, one patient has died while being treated at Ghent University Hospital. The first complaints from patients date from the period between […]The post Belgium: 16 people sickened with Legionnaires’ disease, one dead in East Flanders appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange The CDC reports that 196 people have been infected with the same outbreak strain of E. coli O103. That’s 19 more people since the last update, on April 26th. 10 states have been affected by this E. coli outbreak: Kentucky (69 confirmed cases); Tennessee (55 confirmed cases); Georgia (49 confirmed cases); […]The post E. coli O103 Outbreak Expands appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this month, the FAO reported on the number of pigs culled in the Asian countries affected by African swine fever (ASF). At that time, they reported Vietnam culled approximately 90,000 pigs since the outbreak began in February. However, today in Hanoi, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) held a conference to assess […]The post African swine fever: Vietnam culls 1.2 million pigs appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Missoula County report experiencing a pertussis, or whooping cough outbreak affecting a number of local schools. To date, 96 cases lab-confirmed cases have been reported. The Health Department is working closely with schools to identify close contacts of confirmed cases. To date, nearly 2000 close contacts have been identified. They say if […]The post Pertussis outbreak in Missoula County, Montana appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

New research recently published in the journal, The Lancet Infectious Diseases identifies the 25 counties in the US most at risk for a measles outbreak. Topping the list includes Cook County, Il, Los Angeles County, CA and Miami-Dade County, FL. The analysis considered an area’s volume of international travel from foreign countries with large measles outbreaks and the […]The post Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami most at risk for measles outbreak: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Yemen reported another 18,000 cholera cases during the week ending May 5, bringing the total suspected cases to 668,891 through the first four months of the year. In addition, 1,081 cholera-associated deaths were reported during this period. The governorates reporting the highest number of suspected cases of cholera during 2019 were Amanat Al […]The post Cholera in Yemen 2019: 669K cases through the first 4 months appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles situation in Maryland, state health officials are now reporting five cases as of May 9. Cases of measles have been localized to a small geographic area within zip codes 21208, 21209 and 21215 in the Baltimore and Pikesville area. Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs […]The post Maryland measles case tally now at 5 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Multiple cases of Canine brucellosis originating from a small dog commercial breeding facility in Marion Co., Iowa, in the central part of the state have been confirmed. According to State Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Kaisand, officials are in the process of notifying the individuals who have custody of the exposed dogs. Both the animals and the […]The post Canine brucellosis confirmed in commercial breeding facility in Marion County, Iowa appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a temporary ban on the importation of dogs from Egypt due to the risk of importing rabies. Given three recent cases of rabid dogs imported from Egypt since May of 2015, CDC is taking this action to protect public health and prevent the reintroduction […]The post Rabies: CDC temporarily bans dogs from Egypt appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange 67 confirmed Salmonella cases and 2 probable cases have been linked to sprouts consumption in New Zealand. Illness onset ranged from December 23, 2018 to April 1, 2019. 66 of the cases became ill between January 23, 2019 and January 25, 2019. 17 people required hospital treatment. In the wake of the […]The post Sprouts Cause Salmonella Outbreak in New Zealand appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of cases of the bacterial infection, leptospirosis are up year-to-date in Sri Lanka, according to official data. From January 1 through April 30, the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health have reported 1464 cases, including 12 deaths. This compares to 1294 cases reported during the same period in 2018. Regional departments reporting […]The post Leptospirosis cases up in Sri Lanka appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Public Health France is currently investigating an increase in the number of children with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). As of May 6, 2019, 16 children infected with Escherichia coli serogroup O26 are being investigated by Public Health France and the National Reference Center (CNR) E. coli and its associated laboratory (Institut Pasteur, Paris, and Laboratoire de microbiology of Robert […]The post Escherichia coli O26: HUS increases investigated in France appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Philippines health officials reported an additional nearly 800 dengue fever cases during the week ending April 20, bringing the cumulative total to 67,106 cases with 277 deaths. This is almost double compared to 35,247 cases with 193 deaths reported during the same time period of 2018. Elsewhere in Asia, Vietnam has reported a total of […]The post Philippines dengue outbreak nearly double 2018 case count appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Regional Health Agency of New Brunswick. Aquitaine say there are 40 measles cases reported that are linked to the Bayonne Ham Fair that took place 18-21 April, according to a Sud Ouest report (computer translated). “Forty cases of measles were counted for which we could identify a link with the Bayonne Ham […]The post France: Measles outbreak linked to Bayonne Ham Fair appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Through April 30 this year, health officials in Tunisia report a large measles outbreak where more than 3100 suspected cases have been reported to date. In addition, 30 fatalities have been reported, or a 1 percent case fatality ratio. Kasserine and Sfax governorates have been most severely affected. The two most affected age groups were […]The post Tunisia measles outbreak: 3000 cases in first third of 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials with the prefecture of Mayotte, ARS Indian Ocean and the Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Forestry of Mayotte (DAAF) reminds the public of the importance of prevention measures to protect against Rift Valley fever (RVF) as it continues to circulate on the island. During the past 2 weeks, 10 new animal foci and 4 […]The post Rift Valley Fever (RVF) continues in Mayotte appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Health Protection Agency, Ministry of Health, Maldives is reporting a 200 percent increase in dengue fever cases thus far in 2019 compared to the same period last year. Official data shows 1,912 cases of dengue were reported by the end of last month. This compares with 539 cases reported during the same period in […]The post Maldives dengue cases up 200 percent in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange The CDC has announced a multistate Vibrio outbreak linked to raw oysters harvested from Estero El Cardon Estuary in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Unusually, this outbreak involves multiple different bacteria pathogens. Here is the CDC’s case count broken down by pathogen: 3 cases of Shigella flexneri infection 3 cases of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection 1 case of Vibrio […]The post Vibrio Outbreak Linked to Raw Oysters Harvested From Estero El Cardon Estuary in Baja California Sur, Mexico appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On this week’s Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, I had the opportunity to spend the whole hour discussing the three most commonly diagnosed free-living amoeba species that infect humans: Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba species, and Balamuthia mandrillaris, with someone with expertise in infectious diseases and the unique perspective of a parent that lost a child to one of these lethal […]The post Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba species and Balamuthia mandrillaris: Uncommon, accidental, yet high consequence appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Romanian health authorities reported another 75 measles cases during the past two weeksr 75 newly confirmed cases in 9 counties and in the city of Bucharest, putting the outbreak total for 2019 to date at 1027, including four fatalities. Since the outbreak began in late 2016, Romania has reported 16,627 cases and 63 deaths. Of […]The post Romania measles update: More than 1000 cases in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The deadly Nipah virus, which is carried by bats and occasionally infects people, is more likely to be transmitted from person to person when the infected patient is older, male and/or has breathing difficulties, according to a study co-led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study, published May 9 […]The post Nipah virus person to person spread: Johns Hopkins study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Almost 15 years after first proposing programs of mass drug administration – now referred to by the World Health Organization as ‘preventive chemotherapy’ – to treat or prevent seven neglected tropical diseases, researchers are seeing both public health gains (in some cases leading to disease eliminations) and significant collateral benefits, including some which weren’t anticipated […]The post Neglected tropical diseases: Researchers highlight expanded benefits and impact of preventive chemotherapy appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Three additional wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were reported in Pakistan during the last week, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Cases were confirmed in Lahore district in Punjab province (2) and one from Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The cases have onset of paralysis on 2, 17 and 19 April 2019, […]The post Pakistan reports three more polio cases, Inactivated polio vaccine now introduced worldwide appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Temple University Temple University health officials report they are aware of less than five active mumps cases currently, a big drop from a month ago. However, as the school prepares for commencement and other events, they remind the community because new cases are still being reported, it remains vitally important to be aware of the […]The post Temple mumps outbreak at 162 as semester closes, Hidalgo County cases up to 39 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Syphilis Thailand health authorities are reporting an alarming increase in syphilis among Thai teens and young adults, according to a Chiang Rai Times report. The director-general of the DDC, Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, said the rising rate of syphilis infections reflects the increasing prevalence of unsafe sex practices, which heightens the risk of contracting the Human Immunodeficiency […]The post Thailand: Syphilis in young people rising at ‘alarming rate’, Dengue deaths appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services is investigating a laboratory confirmed case of measles in an adult who acquired their infection while travelling outside Canada. Any person who visited the following public locations are being asked to watch for signs and symptoms and to ensure their vaccination is up to date as they may have […]The post Canada: Measles confirmed in Niagara region appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Bat Conservation International(BCI) announced today that early signs of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) have been detected at one of the world’s premier bat conservation sites, Bracken Cave Preserve, home to up to 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats. The detection of the Pd fungus is part of a coordinated state-wide surveillance and monitoring effort of […]The post White-nose syndrome expanding in Texas appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced awards to establish four Cooperative Research Centers (CRCs) focused on developing vaccines to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The grants, totaling $41.6 million over five years, will support collaborative, multidisciplinary research on the bacteria that cause syphilis, […]The post NIH to focus on developing STD vaccines, four new cooperative research centers announced appeared first on Outbreak News Today.