Outbreak News Today

Virology blog was the first science website I followed, its been quite a few years now and it was an inspiration to me in using the internet to disseminate information on infectious diseases and up-to-date outbreak news. Because of my guest today, I saw real value in this type of reporting or blogging. He is […]The post Earth’s Virology Professor: Vincent Racaniello, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the hepatitis A outbreak in Florida, state health officials reported 60 hepatitis A cases the week of April 7, bringing the number of outbreak cases since January to 811 and since last year to 1,359. The Florida Department of Health is actively working to vaccinate those most at risk for hepatitis […]The post Florida reports 60 additional hepatitis A cases last week as case count steadily increases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

If heroin is coffee, fentanyl is espresso. Just as a minuscule cup of espresso can hype you up more than a whole mug of coffee, a single exposure to fentanyl can get a user vastly higher than injecting the same volume of heroin. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fentanyl is 50 times […]The post West Virginia: Fentanyl deaths up significantly in recent years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Price Chopper announced a voluntary recall of their store brand fudge bars due to the potential for Listeria contamination. The product, 30 ounce PICs Fudge Bars with a UPC of 41735 09250 and a best-if-used-by date of March 6, 2020, is made by Fieldbrook Farms. Fieldbrook Farms says a limited supply of 12ct PICS Original […]The post Fudge bars sold at Price Chopper recalled due to Listeria risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Vermont health officials are reporting two coyotes in two different towns have tested positive for rabies since the beginning of the month, prompting officials to advise the public to take precautions. The first coyote was collected in Salisbury after it attacked two people. Tests at the Health Department Laboratory on April 2 determined it was […]The post Vermont: Two coyotes test positive for rabies appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Health Department in Martin County is urging good handwashing and vaccination to stop the spread of Hepatitis A in the community. The Health Department has confirmed 19 cases of Hepatitis A in Martin County and 3 deaths associated with complications from the virus. In Florida, more than 1,300 confirmed cases of Hepatitis A have been […]The post Martin County is offering hepatitis A vaccines for uninsured or underinsured adults in Stuart appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Uganda Ministry of Health issued a press release Monday saying that there was one confirmed Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) case who died on Apr. 11. The deceased was a 32-year-old man from Bendegere village, Kasenyi Parish-Katabi sub country in Wakiso District. He was was buried in Jinja District. CCHF was confirmed by PCR […]The post Uganda reports Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) fatality in Wakiso District appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Vaccine-preventable diseases have not just returned, but surged in crisis hit Venezuela, according to new research presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands (13-16 April). The study is by Dr Adriana Tami (University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands and University of Carabobo, Venezuela) and Dr Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi […]The post Stopping the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases within Venezuela is a matter of urgency for the country and region appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In February, I reported on malaria numbers in Venezuela compiled by a consortium of five global health organizations, which at that time estimated that the country has seen more than 1.3 million malaria cases in 2018….and counting. This week, researchers presented data at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, […]The post Venezuela: ‘The continued upsurge of malaria in Venezuela is becoming uncontrollable’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

April 21 marks the beginning of Lab Week 2019, an annual celebration of medical laboratory professionals who play a vital role in health care and patient advocacy! Joining me today to discuss the medical laboratory profession–the education, including advanced degrees, certification and licensure, job prospects and more is the Associate Dean for Research, College of […]The post Medical Laboratory Professionals and Lab Week 2019 with Rodney Rohde, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Iowa state health officials are reporting a measles case in an unvaccinated individual who just returned from Israel. The individual, from northeastern Iowa, has cooperated with public health officials. Public health officials are following up with potentially exposed persons to ensure they are vaccinated against measles; however, at this time there is no indication there […]The post Iowa reports 1st measles case since 2011 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Nipah virus is a type of RNA virus transmitted from animals to humans. The infection causes severe respiratory illness and symptoms including cough, headache and fever, which can progress into encephalitis, seizure and coma. Currently, there is no approved vaccine against Nipah virus available on the market. In recent years, outbreaks, from bat-to-human or pig-to-human […]The post Nipah virus: ‘It’s essential to develop a safe and effective vaccine’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in France have seen a decrease in measles cases during the first quarter of 2019, according to recently published data (computer translated). From the beginning of the year, 561 cases of measles have been reported through Apr. 3 (compared to 1532 cases in the same period in 2018), of which 174 (31%) required […]The post Measles cases down in France appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Brazilian health authorities report that the use of the bacterium, Wolbachia, which has already been used in Rio de Janeiro, will be taken to the cities of Campo Grande, Petrolina and Belo Horizonte. The announcement of Wolbachia’s final evaluation step in the three municipalities was made by Health Minister Henrique Mandetta today during the opening […]The post Brazil: Wolbachia method to combat the Aedes aegypti mosquito will be taken to more cities appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health confirmed the state’s third measles case of the year on Friday. The patient from New Haven County contracted the viral disease during the last week of March while on a visit to Brooklyn, NY and is linked to an ongoing outbreak of measles in New York City. The latest […]The post Connecticut reports 3rd measles of the year, linked to Brooklyn outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in the Philippines this year, the Department of Health (DOH) has reported 28,362 measles cases including 389 deaths through April 5. Cases have been reported from all 17 Regions of the country. A case-fatality of 1.37 percent has been reported in this outbreak. The regions of Calabarzon and […]The post Philippines measles deaths near 400 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Florida state health officials reported this weekend that they have been in contact with Vermont health officials regarding a recent death reported in Vermont of an individual who had possible contact with suspected hepatitis A cases in Martin County. “We are aware of this unfortunate death in Vermont,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “Our state and county […]The post Florida: Martin County hepatitis A, Vermont death appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

There is only a short window of opportunity to seek medical help before rabies becomes almost invariably fatal, but people wait an average of 10 days before seeking medical advice following exposure to potentially rabid animals overseas, according to new research being presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) […]The post Rabies exposure: The importance of prompt medical advice appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Declare 14 April as “World Day for People Affected by Chagas Disease” A Change.org petition was recently posted by La Federacion Internacional de Asociaciones de Personas Afectadas por la Enfermedad de Chagas (FINDECHAGAS) proposing to declare April 14 as the World Day of People Affected by Chagas Disease The petition directed at the President of […]The post Chagas disease: Petition for a ‘World Day’, WHF Roadmap appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Municipal Center for Early Childhood Education (CMEI) Maria Vila de Carvalho, in the municipality of Marumbi in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil suspended activities this week due to an outbreak of impetigo, a highly contagious skin disease, according to a Tribuna report (computer translated). City health officials confirmed that […]The post Impetigo outbreak reported in a Paraná town appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Minister of Health of Iraq Dr Alaa Alwan launched a 5-day polio vaccination campaign in Baghdad on 7 April 2019. “This is an important event for the health sector in Iraq. Poliomyelitis is one of the diseases that we have eliminated. With continuous vaccination campaigns, we will be able to eradicate polio through relentless […]The post Polio vaccination campaign in Iraq appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in King County, WA are currently investigating an norovirus-like outbreak linked to an Auburn Dave & Buster’s. As of Apr. 9, there has been 12 cases with symptoms that are suggestive of norovirus- vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, chills, and fever. It is how not clear how norovirus was spread within the restaurant and […]The post Norovirus outbreak linked to Seattle-area Dave & Buster’s appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Washtenaw County Health Department have confirmed a case of measles related to international travel. The health departments are alerting the public to potential exposure to measles several locations. This case is not part of the current Michigan outbreak and has no recent vaccination. Anyone at […]The post Michigan: Measles case reported in Washtenaw County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials on the Zamboanga peninsula are reporting a doubling of dengue fever cases during the first few months of 2019. The Department of Health-Region 9 (DOH-9) has recorded 2,577 cases of dengue since January, double than last year’s 1,113 registered cases. In addition, 20 fatalities have been seen. Zamboanga City recorded 986 dengue cases–the […]The post Zamboanga reports doubling of dengue this year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine reported an additional 2,250 measles cases the week ending Apr. 4, bringing the 2019 outbreak total to 37,328. The number of fatalities due to the complications of measles remain at 14. After several weeks of falling, the rate of measles in Ukraine is […]The post Measles in Ukraine: Outbreak tops 37K, 14 deaths appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Monongalia County Health Department report the number of syphilis cases are on the rise in Morgantown, mostly among men who have sex with other men. Health officials want to alert the public to the outbreak, offer suggestions on how to avoid and detect syphilis and provide information on other efforts being made […]The post West Virginia: Syphilis cases are up in Morgantown appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in French Polynesia are reporting (computer translated) the confirmation of several autochthonous cases of dengue type 2 dengue, unrelated and scattered over several communes in Tahiti. This has prompted health officials to declare an outbreak on Wednesday. A major concern is that since dengue type 2 has not circulated in the country since […]The post Dengue outbreak declared on Tahiti appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Here is a look at some interesting infectious disease and health news, opinion and research reported across the globe: Rockland County Measles outbreak As of April 12, 2019, there are 184 confirmed reported cases of measles in Rockland County. Read more Eye care for Ebola survivors In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, local ophthalmologists are learning […]The post Infectious disease bric-a-bracs: Rockland County measles, Eye care for Ebola survivors appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On this weekends show I look at the most controversial news story of the past week–the public health emergency in select zip codes in the neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in light of the rapidly growing measles outbreak primarily among the Orthodox Jewish community. In addition, the health order says unvaccinated individuals living in those ZIP […]The post NYC measles and mandatory vaccinations appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health (MOH), the most recent data shows the cumulative number of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases now stands at 1,220, of which 1,154 are confirmed and 66 are probable. In total, there were 772 deaths (706 confirmed and 66 probable). The meeting of the […]The post Ebola update: Case count, ‘Not a Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange Watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe have caused a Salmonella outbreak. 23 people have been hospitalized. 93 people have been infected with Salmonella. 27 people in Ohio have Salmonella infections. 19 people in Michigan have Salmonella infections. 18 people in Indiana have Salmonella infections. 16 people in Kentucky have Salmonella infections. 5 people in […]The post Salmonella Outbreak From Watermelon, Honeydew, and Cantaloupe Sickens 93 People appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in an update today that a total of 109 people have infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 from six states, making it the third-largest multistate E. coli outbreak reported in 20 years. Seventeen ill people have been hospitalized. No deaths and no cases of hemolytic uremic […]The post E. coli outbreak linked to ground beef, 3rd largest reported in 20 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A ranch dog from Quay County is the first plague case of 2019 in New Mexico, health officials report. The dog has recovered from his illness with treatment from his veterinarian. Plague is an infectious disease of animals and humans that is caused by the bacteria called Yersinia pestis. These bacteria are usually transmitted through […]The post Plague case reported in ranch dog from Quay County, New Mexico appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Reunion report an additional 904 dengue fever cases during the last week of March, bringing the total to nearly 5,000 since the beginning of the year. In addition, the number of hospitalizations are increasing with 25 to 30 recorded weekly’ New transmission zones have been identified in Saint-André, Saint-Denis, Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Suzanne. […]The post Reunion dengue cases near 5,000 in Q1 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the mumps cases at the Indiana University at Bloomington campus, a seventh confirmed mumps case has been reported. According to the Indiana Daily Student, the seventh student infected with mumps is in the same fraternity as two members who had previously been diagnosed, Carney said. Two of the three students live […]The post IU: 7th mumps case confirmed appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Africa: Vaccination levels fall short in several countries Mozambique cholera cases climb, Large vaccination campaign rolled-out Philippines reports 56K dengue fever cases in Q1 of 2019 Tularemia: Ticks test positive in San Diego County MERS: UTMB researchers develop a potent and safe […]The post Madagascar measles cases near 123K since September appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A study by the University of Southampton shows that several low-and middle-income countries, especially in Africa, need more effective child vaccination strategies to eliminate the threat from vaccine-preventable diseases. Geographers from the University’s WorldPop group found diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis) vaccination levels in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Mozambique and […]The post Africa: Vaccination levels fall short in several countries appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the cholera outbreak in Mozambique, the Ministry of Health (MOH) had reported more than 3577 cases and 6 deaths since declaring a cholera outbreak on 27 March in the wake of Cyclone Idai. Earlier this week, the MOH reported concluding a successful six-day emergency cholera vaccination campaign that reached more than […]The post Mozambique cholera cases climb, Large vaccination campaign rolled-out appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Philippine health officials have advised the public to take precautionary measures to avoid contracting dengue saying it was going to be a “big dengue year” this year, which is turning out to be true. From Jan.1 to Mar. 30, 55,976 cumulative cases with 227 deaths have been reported. This compares with 31,247 cases with 168 […]The post Philippines reports 56K dengue fever cases in Q1 of 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

San Diego County health officials have reported several ticks trapped in routine monitoring along Lopez Canyon Trail in Sorrento Valley have tested positive for tularemia. This is the first reported finding of tularemia in the county this year, prompting officials to urge the public to remember to protect themselves and their pets when hiking. The best way […]The post Tularemia: Ticks test positive in San Diego County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A collaborative team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Saudi Arabia and Canada developed a potent and safe vaccine that protects against the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS. The findings recently were published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. MERS was first identified when someone died from the viral infection […]The post MERS: UTMB researchers develop a potent and safe vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

New Zealand In New Zealand, health officials have confirmed 72 measles cases since the beginning of the year, including 23 that required hospitalization. More than half the cases were reported from Canterbury, while nearly two out of 10 cases were from Waikato. The majority of cases have occurred in children, adolescents and young adults aged […]The post Measles: New Zealand and Australia updates appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

It was recently reported that a polio worker in Pakistan was shot and killed while he was supporting polio eradication and immunization efforts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The victim has been identified as Mr Wajid Ali of the Kamali Union Council of Tehsil Haleemzai in Mohmand District. This tragic incident drew condemnation from UN health […]The post Pakistan polio worker killed, WHO condemnation appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Valneva SE, a biotech company developing and commercializing vaccines for infectious diseases with major unmet needs, announced today it will present on its Lyme disease and chikungunya vaccine candidates on April 16th, 2019 at the 19th World Vaccine Congress in Washington, D.C. Valneva’s Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Lingelbach, will provide an update and discuss next […]The post VALNEVA to Present on Lyme and Chikungunya Vaccine Candidates at the 19th World Vaccine Congress appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles situation in Ottawa, health officials have reported an additional case in a person that traveled internationally. The two cases are NOT connected. Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is working closely with local health care providers and hospitals to contact individuals and families who may have been exposed to the infectious case. […]The post Canada: Additional measles case reported in Ottawa, Exposure locations appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia confirmed two additional mumps cases in students yesterday, bringing the total to three. The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé said that the three cases at Penn are not related to each other. All three students are no longer in isolation and are no longer contagious, Dubé said. […]The post Penn reports more mumps in students appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has reported 13 measles cases year-to-date in 2019. Of the 13 cases, there are 11 outbreak cases–7 in Ocean County residents and 4 in one Monmouth County household. This household has a direct epidemiologic link to the outbreak community in Ocean County. Between October 2018 and January 2019, […]The post New Jersey reports 13 measles cases year to date appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Martin County, Florida are reporting 16 hepatitis A cases as of today. The Health Department is investigating the possible modes of transmission. Officials are utilizing local, regional and state resources in this investigation. An investigation includes interviews with confirmed cases to gather lifestyle information, including food histories, that can help to pinpoint common links. […]The post Florida: Hepatitis A outbreak grows in Martin County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health is reporting an pneumococcal disease outbreak in people working the shipyards in Vestnes municipality. Since January this year, nine people working in the shipbuilding industry in Møre og Romsdal have been hospitalized with severe pneumococcal disease. These are confirmed with the same bacterial strain. The patients have been treated and discharged. In addition, […]The post Norway: Outbreak of pneumococcal disease reported in shipbuilding industry appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Ireland health officials are reporting an increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), prompting calls for the public of the importance of using condoms to protect against STIs. According to the publication of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) 2018 report on STIs today, provisional data indicate a 7% increase in STIs in 2018 compared to 2017, the predominant […]The post Ireland reports 7 percent increase in sexually transmitted infections appeared first on Outbreak News Today.