Outbreak News Today

Swedish public health authorities, Folkhalsomyndigheten, is reporting (computer translated) an outbreak of psittacosis, or parrot disease, since November 2018. According to officials, some 60 cases have been reported from the regions of Västra Götaland, Kalmar, Jönköping and Skåne. This is the highest number of cases reported in one winter in two decades. Those who have now fallen […]The post Sweden reports ‘parrot disease’ outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Canterbury, New Zealand, health officials put the total cases at 30, not including one under investigation. Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Ramon Pink says measles numbers continue to increase in Canterbury. “Measles is incredibly infectious and continues to circulate in our community. The only way to […]The post Measles in Canterbury: ‘Numbers continue to increase’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The bivalent Norovirus GII.4 oral tablet vaccine developed by Vaxart is moving forward–the initiation of a Phase 1b clinical trial. “The initiation of the bivalent norovirus vaccine Phase 1b trial marks a significant step towards our goal of developing a vaccine that can protect the most vulnerable patients from this highly infectious disease,” said Wouter […]The post Oral norovirus vaccine to enter Phase 1b trial appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

African swine fever (ASF) struck the largest pig producer in the world, China, last August, and more recently found its way to Vietnam. Here in the United States, the challenge is to keep the highly contagious and deadly disease out of the country. African swine fever reported in China, First reported case in East Asia Last week, […]The post African swine fever: USDA educating the public, Safeguarding the US appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Ireland have reported ten measles cases in Dublin City since the start of February 2019. This community outbreak of measles affecting adults and children. Recent cases have involved young adults working in Dublin city centre in the areas of Parnell Street, Dame Street and Baggot Street. Travel to France was identified as a risk. […]The post Dublin measles outbreak rises to 10 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the dengue fever outbreak in Palau, the Palau Ministry of Health has reported an additional 8 new lab-confirmed cases during the past week. This brings the outbreak total to 124 since Dec. 1, 2018. There have been no reported deaths attributed to dengue infection during this outbreak. The outbreak was declared by officials last […]The post Palau dengue outbreak reaches 124 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Guam health officials are reporting an outbreak of shigellosis. Ten cases have been reported so far in 2019, compared with 29 cases reported in all of 2018, according to The Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) Most Shigella infections are the result of bacteria passing from improperly washed hands from one person to the […]The post Guam reports Shigella outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

New York City health officials reported 23 additional measles cases from the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Williamsburg (21) and Borough Park (2), bringing the outbreak total to 181 since last October. The breakdown of cases from Brooklyn and Queens since the outbreak started is as follows: Williamsburg: 130 confirmed measles cases, Borough Park (46), Midwood/Marine Park (2) and one each […]The post NYC measles: 23 additional cases reported in Brooklyn neighborhoods appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The major cause of meningitis in Africa has changed in recent years, a study published in EBioMedicine and funded by Meningitis Research Foundation has confirmed. A type of bacterial meningitis called MenA (meningococcal group A) has seen huge declines but now meningococcal groups W, X and C have risen as major causes of meningitis in […]The post MenAfriVac brings down meningitis A in Africa, Other strains rising appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), two countries reported confirmed diphtheria cases between December 2018 and February 2019–Haiti and Venezuela. In Venezuela, the diphtheria outbreak that began in July 2016 remains ongoing. Through February 2019, Venezuela has seen a total of 2,726 suspected cases (1,612 confirmed), including 164 in 2019 to date. A total of […]The post Diphtheria update in Venezuela appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

UN health officials reported an update on the measles epidemic in Madagascar recently and it shows that the number of cases has risen to 105,170 since September 3, 2019. There were 634 reported deaths in health facilities and 567 community deaths including 114 measles-related deaths and 453 non-measles related death assessed by community workers. 70 […]The post Madagascar measles epidemic: 105K cases since September appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By: Candess Zona-Mendola of MakeFoodSafe.com Three people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease and one person has died following stays at the Christmas Mountain Resort in Wisconsin Dell. At this time, the local health authorities are investigating the outbreak. As the investigation unfolds, a representative for the resort told the local media that some of […]The post Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Linked to Christmas Mountain Resort appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Southern Nevada Health District has confirmed an internationally imported case of measles in Clark County. The patient is an international visitor and the potential Las Vegas exposure occurred between Saturday, March 9 and Monday, March 11. The Health District is advising people who visited the following locations during the times specified to review […]The post Las Vegas: Measles case confirmed, internationally imported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The measles outbreak in Ukraine has topped 30,000 cases early into 2019. According to the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 30,794 people – 13,825 adults and 16,969 children–have been affected through Mar. 14. In addition, a 9-year-old girl in the Rivne region died from complications of measles making her the 11th measles-related […]The post Ukraine measles outbreak tops 30,000 cases year to date appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An outbreak of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, has affected at least 209 children from Thanh Khuong Commune in the northern province of Bac Ninh, according to local media. Since last week, thousands of parents have rushed to Hanoi with their kids after news broke out that 57 children of the Thanh Khuong Kindergarten in […]The post Vietnam: Pork tapeworm outbreak affects hundreds of children in Bac Ninh appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) reports investigating a measles case in a 23-year-old man with travel history. He developed a fever on March 1 and consulted a private doctor on March 3 and March 4. He developed rash on March 4 and sought medical advice on the same day at St Paul’s Hospital, where he […]The post Hong Kong investigates measles case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

With some 1,200 measles cases and four deaths reported to date in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, the Department of Health 6 (DOH-6) will be conducting non-selective vaccination to 101 local government units (LGUs) in the region targeting some 408,687 children. The program, “Knock-out Tigdas” (tigdas is measles in Tagalog), will commence Monday. According to DOH-6, […]The post Philippines vaccination drive: 408K children targeted in W. Visayas appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Auckland, NZ health officials are reporting a new measles case in a 18 year old University of Auckland student who likely acquired the illness overseas. This is the fourth measles case in Auckland this year. Medical Officer of Health with Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS), Dr William Rainger says the contagious student attended a lecture and tutorial for COMLAW […]The post University of Auckland freshman contracts measles, New Zealand vaccine supplies appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreak on the archipelago of Mayotte, the Agence de Sante Ocean Indian reports (computer translated) the circulation of RVF continues as the human case count has risen to 101. Of those who could be interviewed, almost 80% report having been in contact with animals. Since the beginning […]The post Rift Valley fever update: 101 human cases in Mayotte appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Four cases of brucellosis have been reported in the municipality of Villa Juárez in the State of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, according to a Pulso report (computer translated). The cases are being linked to unpasteurized goat cheese. It is recommended that the population acquire cheese that is pasteurized to avoid this contagion. Brucellosis is a contagious disease of animals […]The post Brucella outbreak in Villa Juárez, Mexico appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, 2,400-plus Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases reported in 27 countries, including more than 800 fatalities. Since the beginning of the year, 117 cases have been reported in two countries–Saudi Arabia (104) and Oman (13). Some two dozen fatalities have been recorded. In Saudi Arabia, the […]The post MERS cases in 2019: 117 cases in Saudi Arabia and Oman appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with Department of Health-9 (DOH-9) are reporting a significant increase in dengue fever cases in Zamboanga City this year. Through Mar. 7, 719 dengue cases were reported in the city, an increase of 213 percent compared to the 230 cases during same period last year. In Zamboanga City, top ten barangays with dengue cases include Calarian/Southcom […]The post Zamboanga City reports 213% increase in dengue appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Nigeria health officials have reported nearly 6,000 measles cases since the beginning of the year, nearly double the number reported in 2018 during the same period. Borno State has been hit the hardest by measles reporting 3,600 cases, primarily in children under 5 years. 15 measles related deaths have been reported to date. According to […]The post Nigeria reports double the measles cases in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Measles Officials with the Philippine government reported today that number of measles cases reported nationally have risen to 21,396 through Mar. 14. Sixty-seven percent of cases were reported from five regions: Calabrazon (4,401), the National Capital Region (4,266), Central Luzon (3,409), Western Visayas (1,197) and Northern Mindanao (1,059). The death toll increase by 14 cases […]The post Measles epidemic in the Philippines update, Soccsksargen sees increase in dengue appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

New Zealand health officials are urging the public to stay alert to symptoms of measles and ensure that children aged between 15 months and 4 years receive their normal MMR vaccinations. There have now been 28 cases of measles confirmed in Canterbury, two cases in Dunedin and two isolated cases in Auckland. There has also been […]The post New Zealand officials urge public to get vaccinated in wake of measles outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Here are the top five posts on Outbreak News Today for the week of Mar. 9 through Mar. 15: 5. Rubella outbreak: CDC updates travel advisory for Japan The US CDC issued an updated travel notice for Japan due to the ongoing rubella outbreak. 4. Dengue vaccine passes FDA Advisory Committee hurdle U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and […]The post Infectious disease news: Top 5 posts for the week Mar. 9- Mar. 15 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Temple University mumps According to an update Friday, Temple University Student Health Services report 12 Temple students have tested positive for mumps and 37 are listed as probable. Local media reports there are 49 confirmed mumps cases in Philadelphia and surrounding counties linked to the outbreak at the college. Forty-six are in Philadelphia and three are in the surrounding counties. […]The post Temple mumps outbreak, Pennsylvania hepatitis A appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The New Jersey Department of Health is warning residents about a 3rd confirmed case of measles—a highly contagious disease— in an adult male from Ocean County who could have possibly exposed others to the infection between March 9 and March 14, 2019. The Department of Health is considering this a new outbreak of measles in […]The post Ocean County: 3rd measles case reported, a new outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic disease caused by trematode parasites, which health authorities say more than 200 million people are infected worldwide and in terms of impact, this disease is second only to malaria as the most devastating parasitic disease. In Nigeria, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Expanded Special Project for the Elimination of Neglected […]The post Schistosomiasis: 2 million Nigerian children receive treatment appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that it is conducting a five-year environmental surveillance of ticks to assess the risk of tickborne illnesses across Pennsylvania. The survey, which started in July 2018 in coordination with county governments, is part of the Pennsylvania Lyme Disease Task Force recommendations for combating the growing incidence of […]The post Lyme disease: Pennsylvania DEP conducting tick study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) reported that through Mar. 2, there has been 40,614 dengue cases nationally, a significant increase compared to 2018. The total is 16,383 or 68 percent higher compared to the same period last year’s 24,231 cases, according to health officials. The Department of Health (DOH) has urged the public to observe best […]The post Philippines: Dengue cases top 40K in 1st two months of 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services is investigating a suspected Salmonella outbreak at The Grille at Gold Dust West in Elko, Nevada. Seventeen suspected cases of Salmonella have been reported in the last week. Public health investigators have been investigating onsite at the Grille at Gold Dust West since Monday. […]The post Salmonella Outbreak Linked to The Grille at Gold Dust West in Elko, Nevada appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Five years ago, Bill Gates wrote in his blog that the deadliest animal in the world is the mosquito. When it comes to killing humans, no other animal even comes close. According to the World Health Organization, about 725,000 people are killed every year by mosquito-borne diseases. In an update of a post from 2015, I will […]The post 18 infections you can get from mosquitoes appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). It can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. The HAV outbreaks in all affected states among injection and non-injection drug users, homeless populations, and men who have sex with men […]The post Hepatitis A outbreaks in the US: The latest state by state data appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Philippines government issued an update today on the measles epidemic situation in 2019. Through Mar. 12, 20,308 measles cases have been reported since the beginning of the year. In addition, the measles related death toll has reached 301. The CALABARZON, Metro Manila and Central Luzon regions continue to report the most cases with 4,245, […]The post Philippines: Measles death toll tops 300 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Kentucky health officials are reporting a chickenpox outbreak at a school in the city of Walton. There are currently 32 cases at the Students at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart/Assumption Academy to date. “Although we have been working with the school to contain the illnesses since February,” stated Dr. Lynne Saddler, District Director of Health […]The post Chickenpox outbreak reported at Walton, KY school appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A rabies positive cat in the Winter Park, FL area has prompted an alert from the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. According to a tweet Thursday, the alert is for the Formosa Ave & Biscayne Dr. area in Winter Park. Health officials say the cat may have infected other animals in the area. Rabies […]The post Winter Park, Florida: Rabies alert issued appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Indiana University (IU) at Bloomington have reported the third mumps case in the same number of weeks, according to the student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. According to CDC guidelines, the campus is now experiencing an outbreak. The Dubois County Herald reports that IU spokesman Chuck Carney says in the most recent case […]The post Indiana University reports 3rd mumps case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The mumps outbreak linked to Temple University in Philadelphia has seen 11 confirmed and 17 probable cases since the initial report earlier this month. The outbreak has prompted school officials to take steps to update its immunization policy for prematriculation to require the following: two doses—Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine; two doses—Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine; and one dose within […]The post Temple University updates vaccination policy in light of mumps outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the report of a Butterball ground turkey recall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state health officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund infections linked to ground turkey products produced by Butterball, LLC. Officials say six people have been sickened […]The post Salmonella multistate outbreak linked to Butterball ground turkey appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, according to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA). It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure. Each child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of […]The post Huntington’s Disease: Fundraiser to be held in South Tampa appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Tasmania health officials are advising people who live on the East Coast, or plan on traveling there, to ensure they protect themselves against mosquitoes following a number of cases of Barmah Forest virus. To date, five confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been reported, with a two additional cases being investigated. Officials note that these cases represent the […]The post Tasmania: Five confirmed cases of Barmah Forest virus infection reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Ukrainian health officials reported an additional 2,235 measles cases in the past week, bringing the outbreak total for 2019 to 28,686. The country saw more than 54,000 cases in all of 2018. Since the beginning of the year, ten people have died from the complications of the measles. Europe sees nearly 900 measles cases in January, Romania tops […]The post Ukraine reports an additional 2,200 measles cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Marion County, OR have confirmed a case of measles in a resident. The case is linked to a traveler who recently visited Marion County. The case is unrelated to the measles outbreak in Clark County, Washington, and unrelated to a measles case in Multnomah County. The county is working with the Oregon Health […]The post Oregon: Measles case confirmed in Marion County, Unrelated to Vancouver outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange Public health investigators from the CDC, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture have linked Butterball ground turkey products to a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund. According to the USDA, “Wisconsin collected three intact Butterball brand ground turkey samples from a residence where 4 of the case-patients live. The […]The post Butterball Recalling Ground Turkey Amid Multistate Salmonella Outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on a report from January, European health officials say 32 infants and young children have all been affected by the same outbreak strain of Salmonella Poona linked to infant formula products based on rice proteins. 30 cases were reported in France, while one case each was reported in Belgium and Luxembourg. The suspected infant formula products based […]The post Europe: Salmonella Poona outbreak affects dozens in 3 countries appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the two latest cruise ship outbreaks investigated by the Centers for Disease Control’s Vessel Sanitation Program in February– Princess Cruises Island Princess and Viking Ocean Cruises Viking Star, officials have determined that the etiology for both outbreaks was norovirus. On the Island Princess February 8-18 voyage, a total of 110 passengers and crew were sickened. On the […]The post Norovirus confirmed as etiology of last two cruise ship outbreaks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Last October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the initial travel notice for Japan due to a rubella outbreak. This week they updated the notice. Since the beginning of the year through Mar. 3, Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases reports 768 rubella cases. Most cases continue to be reported in the […]The post Rubella outbreak: CDC updates travel advisory for Japan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Today, the American Medical Association (AMA) issued a letter to the CEOs of six tech giants– Amazon, Facebook, Google, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube–urging them to ensure their users have access to accurate, timely, scientifically-sound information on vaccines. See the letter below: Dear CEOs of Leading Technology Companies, At a time when vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly measles, are […]The post American Medical Association to tech companies: Physicians are troubled by reports of anti-vaccine related messages on your platforms appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Honduras is reporting an increase in dengue fever this year following a lengthy rainy season, according to the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). MSF says 81 percent of the 789 people treated for severe dengue since the beginning of the year across the north of the country have been children 15 […]The post Honduras: Sharp increase in cases of dengue fever, mostly children appeared first on Outbreak News Today.