Outbreak News Today

In an update on the measles epidemic in Madagascar, UN health officials report, 6,607 cases of measles, including 41 deaths in the week ending Feb. 24. This down several thousand cases from the prior week (9,902). This brings the outbreak total to 86,985 cases, including 1,141 deaths since the outbreak began in early September 2018. About […]The post Measles deaths top 1,100 in Madagascar appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lats month, Myanmar health officials reported a measles death in a young child in Mandalay region, according to local media. In 2017 and 2018, Myanmar reported 1,293 and 1,330 measles cases, respectively. About 75% of these cases were under 15 years of age. From Feb. 17 through Feb. 28, health officials held a Measles supplementary immunization campaign […]The post Myanmar reports measles death, Measles vaccination campaign in Yangon appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Thailand health officials reported an additional 500-plus chikungunya cases during the past week, bringing the outbreak total, primarily in the south, to 2,551 cases. No deaths have been reported. Pattani, Phuket and Songkla provinces continue to be the most affected by the outbreak. Concerning dengue fever, officials say since the beginning of the year, 9,914 […]The post Thailand: Chikungunya cases up 500 in past week, nearly 10,000 dengue cases reported in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A few weeks ago, articles were published concerning the Kentucky hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreak, the nation’s largest, and the states response, or lack of adequate response. The response was criticized as “too low and too slow”. As the state reports it’s 44th hepatitis A fatality, the Kentucky legislature has advanced a proposal that calls for […]The post Kentucky reports 44th hepatitis A death as lawmakers look at response appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles situation in Texas, state health officials report an additional case in Collin County, bringing the state total to 11. Texas had nine confirmed cases in 2018 and one in 2017. In Clark County, WA, an additional measles case was confirmed Tuesday, bringing the total there to 71. Measles is […]The post Additional measles cases reported in Texas, Washington appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in New York City continue to report a rising measles outbreak in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. In the past week, an additional 25 measles cases were reported, with 22 confirmed in the Williamsburg neighborhood. This brings the outbreak total to 158 confirmed cases of measles in Brooklyn and Queens since October. Most […]The post Brooklyn: An additional 25 measles cases reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

LA County health officials confirmed a measles case in a person who traveled through LAX Airport while infectious on Thursday, February 21, 2019. The individual arrived on China Eastern flight 583 at the Tom Bradley International Airport (TBIT) Terminal B, Gate 133 on Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. and had a layover at Delta Airlines, […]The post Possible measles exposure at LAX appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the mumps outbreak at Temple University in Philadelphia, city health officials report 11 confirmed cases (8 in Temple Student Health, 1 by NJ DOH, 1 Montgomery County DOH and 1 Bucks County DOH) and eight probable cases. From January 1 to February 28, 2019, 30 states and the District of Columbia […]The post Philadelphia DOH: 19 mumps cases part of the Temple outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Arizona state health officials are reporting a confirmed case of measles in a 12-month-old infant from Pima County. The child has recent Asia-related travel. The Pima County Public Health Department and the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) are currently investigating to learn if there was any community exposure to the disease. “We are working with our […]The post Measles: Pima County infant diagnosed, linked to travel appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the DOH-7, covering the Central Visayas region, are reporting a more than 1,300 percent increase in measles cases during the first two months or so of 2019. Records show that a total of 737 measles cases, an increase of 1,317 %, have been reported in the region as of March 6. Of the […]The post Cebu area: Measles cases up 1,300 percent in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A goat that tested positive for rabies has prompted South Carolina health officials to refer at least nine people to their health care providers after being potentially exposed to rabies by a goat in Anderson County. The potential exposures occurred when the victims were handling the goat on their property southwest of Honea Path, S.C. The […]The post Rabies: Goat potentially exposes 9 in South Carolina appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of hepatitis A cases continue to rise in Florida, State health officials reported 232 additional cases in February 2019, bringing the outbreak total to 971 cases since last year. The cases reported in February were from 30 of Florida counties. Of the total outbreak cases, 3/4s of the patients required hospitalization and five […]The post Florida: 232 hepatitis A cases reported in February appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization’s regional office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO) reported a total of 76 laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in the month of February. Officials say 68 of the cases were reported from Saudi Arabia with 10 associated deaths and 8 from were reported from Oman with 2 associated deaths. A […]The post MERS: 76 cases reported in February appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues as country health officials report more cases and deaths. The DRC Ministry of Health (MOH) is now reporting 923 cumulative cases, with new cases reported in new confirmed cases Butembo and Biena, and 582 deaths. Health […]The post Ebola, violence on health workers and more cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Zombo District, Uganda is located in the eastern part of the country bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Earlier this month, officials with the country’s health ministry reported two probable cases of pneumonic plague. The initial case has died. She previously lived in Atungulei village in Mahagi District, Ituri Province, DRC. A second patient, a relative […]The post Uganda: Probable pneumonic plague reported in Zombo District appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The measles epidemic in the Philippines has increased by some 2,200 cases in a five day span, according to the latest government numbers. From Jan. 1 through Mar. 7, 18,553 cases were reported, up from 16,349 reported on Mar. 2. CALABARZON accounts for the most cases with 4,807 cases , or 26 percent of cases […]The post Measles: 2,200 additional cases reported in the Philippines in 5 days appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with two large grocery store chains announced Friday the Hometown Food Company recall of on two specific lot codes of Pillsbury Unbleached All Purpose Flour because it may be contaminated with Salmonella. Both Publix and Winn-Dixie issued notices on March 8. Roughly 12,185 cases of impacted Pillsbury Unbleached All Purpose Flour product were distributed through a […]The post Publix, Winn-Dixie announce recall of Pillsbury Unbleached All Purpose Flour due to Salmonella risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Canterbury is a region on New Zealand’s South Island and home to the city of Christchurch. According to health officials today, the region is experiencing a measles outbreak. The number of confirmed cases of measles in Canterbury now stands at twenty-five and is likely to rise further over the coming days and weeks, according to the Canterbury District […]The post New Zealand: 25 measles cases reported in Canterbury appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in northern Luzon, Philippines saw 24 laboratory-confirmed Japanese Encephalitis (JE) cases in 2018 after reporting 36 the three prior years combined. This has prompted health officials to administer JE vaccines to children in the region. CAR is one of four pilot regions in the country. “We will be conducting a house-to-house immunization […]The post Philippines: Japanese Encephalitis vaccination drive in Cordillera Administrative Region appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Japan is reporting a measles outbreak this year as health officials there say 258 cases have been recorded in the first two months of 2019. The hardest hit areas of Japan include Osaka, Mie and Aichi prefectures. This has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a travel notice recently. Travelers […]The post Travel advisory issued for Japan over measles outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the hantavirus outbreak in Argentina, since November 2, 2018, the Argentine Republic has faced an outbreak of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), the most recent cases were reported on February 7, 2019. To date, there have been 34 confirmed cases and 12 deaths, according to a letter to ProMED Mail from Gustavo Palacios, […]The post Argentina: Hantavirus outbreak strain characterized appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

People are infected with Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) through contact with blood, body fluids, or tissues of RVFV-infected animals, mainly livestock. In addition, several mosquito species can spread RVF virus. On the archipelago of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, the number of human cases continue to rise. According to health officials (computer translated), 82 human cases of […]The post Rift Valley fever in Mayotte: 82 human cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The measles outbreak in Europe continues as 19 countries reported cases in January 2019, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). 881 cases were reported from the 19 countries, while 10 reported no measles. Germany did not report measles data for January 2019. Overall, case numbers continued to increase compared with the […]The post Europe sees nearly 900 measles cases in January, Romania tops list appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Ireland health officials are reporting a large rise in the number of mumps cases reported in the first nine weeks of 2019 compared to the same period last year. According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), 451 mumps cases were notified in the first nine weeks compared to 60 for the same time period in 2018. Twenty […]The post Ireland: Mumps cases up dramatically in 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Ethan Lindenberger, the 18-year-old high school student from Norwalk, Ohio, who gained notoriety in November by asking about how to get vaccinated despite the opposition of his mother on Reddit, testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions earlier this week on a panel that consisted of medical experts. Also testifying on Vaccines and Public […]The post Vaccines: Ohio student, Ethan Lindenberger, testifies in front of US Senate committee appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The University of Louisville (UofL) Campus Health Services is reporting an undergraduate student has been diagnosed and hospitalized with meningococcal meningitis. The student resides in a UofL residential hall with a roommate who has not shown symptoms of the disease but is being treated preventively for it. The student remains in good condition and is being […]The post Louisville student hospitalized with meningococcal meningitis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Here are the top five posts on Outbreak News Today for the week of Mar. 2 through Mar. 8: 5. Chikungunya outbreak tops 2,000 in Thailand Thailand’s chikungunya outbreak, particularly in the south, has topped 2,000 cases in 2019. 4. Vaccines: Large study demonstrates no link found between MMR vaccine and autism Yet another large study shows that their […]The post Infectious disease news: Top 5 posts for the week Mar. 2- Mar. 8 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted this week on on the safety and effectiveness of Sanofi Pasteur’s Dengvaxia® (Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine Live Attenuated). In people 9 to less than 17 years of age, the Committee voted favorably on effectiveness (13 to one) and safety (10 to four). In people […]The post Dengue vaccine passes FDA Advisory Committee hurdle appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An international panel of the foremost researchers on infectious disease and antimicrobials has formed new guidelines on the use of polymyxins, a class of antibiotics employed as a last resort to treat deadly, drug-resistant bacteria. The guidelines, published last month in Pharmacotherapy, set new standards for the clinical use of polymyxins, including on maximum dosage, treatment […]The post Antibiotics: Polymyxin guidelines established, a last resort treatment appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Plague is endemic in Madagascar and a seasonal upsurge, predominantly of the bubonic form, usually occurs yearly between September and April. According to the general secretary of the Madagascar Ministry of Health, between 300 and 600 suspected cases are reported each year, with about 30 cases of pulmonary plague and 10 to 70 deaths. Since Aug. 2018, Madagascar health […]The post Madagascar plague cases top 100 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Public Health Agency of Sweden, or Folkhälsomyndigheten have reviewed some recent human Echinococcus multilocularis infection and conclude that some recent infections cannot be ruled out that they were infected in Sweden. A review of the cases and the fact that in recent years the tapeworm has also been demonstrated among Swedish foxes, means that the Public Health […]The post Sweden: Echinococcus infections may be locally acquired appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of measles cases continue to rise in Ukraine, albeit at a slightly lower level in the past two weeks, according to the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. During the 9th week of 2019, 2,524 people – 1,230 adults and 1,312 children – became ill with measles. An additional […]The post Measles epidemic: 26.5K cases and 10 deaths in Ukraine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health has reported a confirmed measles case in a resident, the first case since 2013. The patient is an adult who was exposed to measles during an international flight. Although measles is no longer endemic in the United States, measles epidemics overseas have resulted in imported cases and resulting secondary […]The post San Francisco reports 1st measles case since 2013 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the mumps outbreak at Temple University in Philadelphia, Mark Denys, MHA, BS, RN, Director of Student and Employee Health Services at the school said at present, ten Temple students have tested positive for mumps. Five other students are probable for mumps. Four students are currently under investigation for possible mumps. From January 1 to […]The post Temple mumps outbreak: 10 confirmed cases, 5 probable appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Boston health officials are warning the public of a possible measles exposure. According to the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) an individual with confirmed measles traveled from New York City to Boston and subsequently to New Hampshire on Feb. 26. Persons who were at any of the following locations may have been exposed: 4:00 PM – 8:30 PM Greyhound […]The post New York City to Boston bus trip and a traveler with measles appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Each year there are nearly 11 million cases of typhoid, a disease that is spread through contaminated food, drink and water. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine are leading an international consortium that is studying the impact of a typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) in an effort to accelerate introduction of the vaccine […]The post Typhoid: Introduction of conjugate vaccine, progress and challenges appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Europe has recorded the most measles cases in years when seeing more than 75,000 cases in 2018. In Ukraine alone, 54,000 cases were reported. In 2019 to date, Ukraine has already recorded 24,000 cases and nine deaths. Poor immunization coverage has contributed to the measles outbreak in Ukraine. In 2018, the measles vaccination rate for newborn babies […]The post Measles in Ukraine: Vaccination rate for newborn babies was only 54 per cent in 2018 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

One case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 has been reported this week in Baruten LGA, Kwara state, Nigeria, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The case, the first one reported in Nigeria and globally in 2019, had onset of paralysis on 22 January 2019. The country continues to be affected by two separate cVDPV2 […]The post Nigeria reports 1st vaccine-derived poliovirus case of 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Philippines measles epidemic has topped 16,000 cases through the first two months of the year, including 261 fatalities and the CEO of the Philippines Red Cross says they need to get children vaccinated. Philippines Red Cross Chairman and CEO, Richard Gordon said: “Some 2.6 million children could be at risk, so we are drawing on the […]The post Philippines Red Cross: 2.6 million children could be at risk for measles appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In 2017, health officials in Oregon reported a tetanus case in a 6- year-old boy who was unvaccinated. The child sustained a forehead laceration while playing outdoors on a farm; the wound was cleaned and sutured at home. This case was discussed in the “Notes from the Field” in the latest issue of the CDC’s […]The post Tetanus: First pediatric case in >30 years in Oregon appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Antibiotic resistance is spreading from wastewater treatment plants The products of wastewater treatment have been found to contain trace amounts of antibiotic resistant DNA. These products are often reintroduced to the environment and water supply, potentially resulting in the spread of antibiotic resistance. As such, researchers at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of […]The post ‘We’re quickly getting to a scary place that’s called a post-antibiotic world’: Researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles situation in Iceland, four Icelandic individuals have been diagnosed with measles in the country. The first individual was infected abroad but the three remaining were infected in Iceland. The infection was transmitted to these three individuals onboard a domestic aircraft on 15 February 2019. Of these four infected individuals, two are […]The post Iceland: All four measles cases were unvaccinated appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Philippines Department of Health’s (DOH) Epidemiology Bureau reported today that there are 36,664 dengue cases reported covering the period from January 1 to February 23, 2019. This is 14,703 or 67% higher compared to the same time period last year (21,961 cases). This has prompted the DOH to remind the public to practice the […]The post Dengue cases up 67 percent in the Philippines appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Saturday, March 9th more than 750 people will gather at Elva Rouse Park in St. Petersburg to join the fight to find a cure for a deadly illness. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, progressively paralyzes its victims, attacking nerve cells and pathways in the brain or spinal cord, taking away their ability […]The post Tampa: Families and patients join the movement to cure ALS appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In diffuse cutaneous leishmanisis (DCL), a rare form of leishmaniasis, parasites grow uncontrolled in skin lesions across the body. For the first time, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have now profiled how the human immune system responds to a DCL infection and, in turn, how Leishmania amazonensis adapts to the human host. American tegumentary leishmaniasis– […]The post Cutaneous leishmaniasis: How does the body responds to DCL? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Vancouver, BC, British Columbia health officials report seventeen confirmed cases of measles have been reported in 2019 amongst BC residents as of Mar. 7. Two cases with rash onset in January and one case in February, respectively, were adults who acquired measles during travel to the Philippines, where […]The post Canada: 17 measles cases reported in British Columbia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

New Jersey health officials are reporting a hepatitis A cluster affecting the homeless and/or drug users in the southern counties. To date, 26 case have been reported in Camden (9), Burlington (6) and Gloucester (11) counties. Anyone can get hepatitis A, but recently, these southern counties have reported increased cases among those who have had close, personal […]The post New Jersey reports hepatitis A cluster among homeless, substance abusers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Jory Lange Chicago’s Department of Public Health is investigating a Salmonella food poisoning outbreak linked to Supermercado Rivera. Six Chicagoans have been infected with Salmonella. All six people consumed food from Supermercado Rivera’s kitchen. The Salmonella-contaminated food was purchased on February 23 and February 24. Some of the people who got sick ate […]The post Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Supermercado Rivera in Chicago appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The outbreak of measles in Japan continues with 33 additional cases reported in the week of Feb. 18-24, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo. This brings the total to 258 cases in the first eight weeks of 2019. Osaka prefecture has reported the most cases with 94, followed by Mie (50) […]The post Measles in Japan: Most are genotype D8 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles situation in Texas, the Texas Department of State Health Services is now reporting 10 measles cases in the state in 2019. This is more than the total reported in all of 2018. Texas reported nine cases of measles in 2018 and one in 2017. The latest case is in an adult […]The post Texas reports more measles, tops 2018 total appeared first on Outbreak News Today.