Outbreak News Today

The Southern District Health Board in New Zealand is reporting a second confirmed case of measles in Marlborough, which is believed linked to the case reported last week in Milford Sound. The woman in her 20s has been in isolation in Marlborough since Tuesday 20 November and public health officials say it’s unlikely she would have infected anyone. “The […]The post New Zealand: Second case of measles confirmed on South Island appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The South Sudan Ministry of Health on Thursday declared a Yellow Fever (YF) outbreak in Sakure, Nzara County, Gbudue state. Addressing a press conference in Juba, Hon. Ms Awut Deng Acuil, the Acting Minister of Health, urged the general public to be vaccinated against yellow fever to protect themselves from the risk of yellow fever […]The post Yellow fever outbreak declared in South Sudan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison report taking action after four patients had developed symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease. Those affected include three formerly hospitalized patients and one inpatient . When hospital officials learned that four patients had developed symptoms of Legionnaires’, the patients were tested and all four tested positive on a urine test. All […]The post Legionnaires’ disease cases linked to University of Wisconsin hospital appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Ocean County, New Jersey, county health officials have reported three additional cases, bringing the total cases to 18. In addition, there are also 14 potential cases under investigation. Vaccination is encouraged and those children involved with exposure to a confirmed case may be subject to an order […]The post New Jersey: More measles in Ocean County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers have generated six Zika virus antibodies that could be used to test for and possibly treat a mosquito-borne disease that has infected more than 1.5 million people worldwide. The antibodies “may have the dual utility as diagnostics capable of recognizing Zika virus subtypes and may be further developed to treat Zika virus infection,” corresponding […]The post Zika virus: 6 antibodies produced, Could be used for diagnostics and treatment appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) health officials are reporting that since the beginning of the current Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri in July, the cumulative number of cases is 426, of which 379 are confirmed and 47 are probable. This put the total cases over the 2000 Uganda outbreak (425) to become […]The post Ebola outbreak: DRC cases reach 426, 2nd largest outbreak on record appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with public health, agricultural, and academic experts to understand the possible threat posed by the spread of the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) in several U.S. states since its discovery in 2017, according to today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “The full public health and agricultural impact […]The post Longhorned tick spread in the US: ‘The full public health and agricultural impact of this tick discovery and spread is unknown’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Forget MRSA and E. coli, there’s another bacterium that is becoming increasingly dangerous due to antibiotic resistance – and it’s present on the skin of every person on the planet. A close relative of MRSA, Staphylococcus epidermidis, is a major cause of life-threatening infections after surgery, but it is often overlooked by clinicians and scientists because it […]The post Antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis threat should be taken more seriously: Researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the increases in syphilis in Japan, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases has put the case tally for the year over 6,000, the first time that has happened in decades. According to their most recent data ending Nov. 18, Japan has recorded 6,096, the highest number since 1970. Tokyo and Osaka accounted for more than […]The post Japan syphilis cases top 6,000, More rubella cases reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Achdut LTD. of Ariel, Israel, is recalling its Tahini products of all packages and sizes produced on the following dates: April 7th to May 21st 2018, because it may be contaminated with Salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising consumers and retailers not to eat, serve, or sell the recalled tahini products as they […]The post Achdut Tahini products recalled, linked to Salmonella outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the measles outbreak in Israel, health officials have reported 2,040 cases nationally, according to an Algemeiner report. Health Ministry officials say cities with large haredi populations suffered the highest number of measles cases. Jerusalem has seen 874 cases, followed by 266 in Beit Shemesh and 149 in Tzfat. Tel Aviv has reported 52 cases to […]The post Israel measles outbreak tops 2,000 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Rockland County, NY, local health officials now put the outbreak total at 83, as of Nov. 28. The measles outbreak in Rockland is not limited to one community however it is affecting residents of Spring Valley, New Square, and Monsey. Due to Rockland County’s small geographic size, […]The post Measles in Rockland County hits 83 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

UN and Philippines health officials are advising parents to ensure their children are vaccinated against measles as the number of cases of the viral disease has increased by more than 350 percent in 2018. According to numbers from the World Health Organization (WHO), 17,298 cases have been reported in 2018 to date. This is a 367 […]The post Philippines: Measles cases up dramatically in 2018 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Yangon, Myanmar are reporting a rising number of dog bites recently, over 1300 in October and an average of 60 a day in November, and of course the major concern is rabies. According to a Myanmar Times report, a total of 8629 people suffered dog bites from January to October this year. Most […]The post Myanmar: 25 human rabies deaths reported in Yangon this year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Ohio state health officials declared a hepatitis A outbreak over the summer after observing an increase in cases linked to certain risk factors since the beginning of 2018. Since the declaration, the number of outbreak cases has nearly hit 1000. According to The Ohio Department of Health (ODH), 971 outbreak cases have been reported to date. One […]The post Ohio hepatitis A outbreak nears 1,000 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Malaysia Ministry of Health is reporting an additional human rabies case in Sarawak, Malaysia. This is the 14th case reported in the state since the end of June 2017. The patient is a 21-year-old man living in Batu 7, Kuching, Sarawak. He was bitten by an unknown dog on Oct. 4. After the bite, he […]The post Rabies: 14th human case reported in Sarawak, Malaysia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Ukrainian health officials reported an additional 2,138 measles cases in the past week, up 15 percent from the week prior. During the week ending Nov. 24, 729 adults and 1,409 children were positive for measles. Since the beginning of 2018, the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine has reported 42,040 measles cases (15,864 […]The post Ukraine reports another 2,000 measles cases in past week, Annual total tops 42,000 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Zamboanga City, in the southern Philippines, city health officials say the case count is 495 since the beginning of the year. While officials were hoping to lift the outbreak status in the city, three measles cases were recorded in the past three weeks. “We need to have zero cases […]The post Zamboanga City measles tally nears 500, dengue cases rise since September appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the Acinetobacter baumannii cases in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of University Hospital in Newark, the New Jersey Department of Health reported on the deaths of two premature infants infected with the bacterium. The infants contracted the infection six weeks ago and, due to other medical conditions related to being born premature, the bacterial […]The post Newark, NJ: Two additional deaths in infants with Acinetobacter baumannii appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hawai‘i state health officials have recently reported two additional confirmed cases of rat lungworm disease in individuals from Hawai‘i Island, bringing the state total this year to seven. One of the cases was a toddler from East Hawaii. The child became ill in October and was hospitalized. Since then, the toddler has been transferred to Oahu for […]The post Hawaii rat lungworm case tally now at 7 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Florida health officials have issued a warning for patrons of a Lake Buena Vista restaurant after a food service worker tested positive for hepatitis A. The Florida Department of Health in Orange County (DOH-Orange) reports the individual worked at the Morimoto Asia restaurant located at 1600 East Buena Vista Drive in Lake Buena Vista. Health officials advise people who consumed […]The post Florida: Hepatitis A warning for patrons of Morimoto Asia restaurant appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) situation in the US this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports an additional 10 confirmed cases, bringing the total to 116 confirmed cases of AFM in 31 states. These 116 confirmed cases are among the total of 286 reports that CDC received […]The post AFM confirmed cases increase by 10 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new candidate HIV vaccine from Scripps Research surmounts technical hurdles that stymied previous vaccine efforts, and stimulates a powerful anti-HIV antibody response in animal tests. The new vaccine strategy, described in a paper on November 23 in Science Advances, is based on the HIV envelope protein, Env. This complex, shape-shifting molecule has been notoriously difficult […]The post Scripps Research scientists unveil promising new HIV vaccine strategy appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with provincial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada, as well as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA), to investigate an outbreak of E. coli infections in Ontario, Quebec, […]The post Canada E. coli outbreak: 22 cases in three provinces appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Madagascar health officials have reported 46 human plague cases since Aug. 1. Of this total, 14 have died. Bubonic plague accounts for 36 of the total cases, including five fatalities. The remaining 10 cases were pneumonic plague. Nine pneumonic plague cases died from their illness. Confirmed cases of plague have been reported from the following districts: […]The post Madagascar plague update appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Wellcome Photography Prize revamped in its 21st year by global charitable foundation Wellcome Focus on health in society and the impact of health issues on people and communities worldwide Call for entries now open across four new categories One category dedicated to this year’s theme of ‘outbreaks’ A new international photography prize celebrating compelling imagery […]The post Wellcome launches £20,000 photography prize to showcase powerful stories about health appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state authorities, continues to investigate a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections associated with consumption of romaine lettuce in the U.S. As of Nov. 26, 2018, this outbreak has resulted in 43 people becoming ill in 12 states, with the last reported […]The post E. coli O157:H7 outbreak: ‘Appears to be related to “end of season” romaine lettuce harvested from California’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) has been certified to perform yellow fever regional reference lab functions in the Arbovirology department that supports yellow fever diagnostic surveillance. This makes UVRI the only certified Yellow fever reference laboratory in Eastern Africa and the second in the African Region, the other being Institut Pasteur Dakar (IPD) in […]The post Uganda Virus Research Institute approved as Yellow fever reference laboratory appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since the first measles cases were reported in the urban health district of Antananarivo Renivohitra (in the heart of the capital city, Antanarivo), health officials have seen 3,239 laboratory confirmed or epidemiologically linked cases. No deaths have been reported to date. More than eight out of 10 cases have been reported in Antananarivo-Renivohitra while a smaller […]The post Madagascar measles outbreak tops 3,000 since October appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services in Namibia has reported a suspected anthrax outbreak in Opuwo District, Kunene Region, located in the far north-west part of the country. The outbreak was originally recognized in late October when four patients presented at the district hospital with wounds (skin lesions) and swelling on various parts of […]The post Suspected anthrax outbreak in Namibia affects dozens appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

After reporting a significant decline in malaria cases from 2015 through 2017, Philippine health officials have seen a resurgence in the mosquito-borne parasitic infection in 2018. Through Nov. 16 this year, Palawan has reported 4,162 cases (some 300 cases higher than last year), with the town of Rizal accounting for 65 percent of the total (2,718). […]The post Palawan, Philippines report resurgence in malaria in 2018 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Nigerian health officials reported three additional confirmed Lassa fever cases during the week ending Nov. 18 in Edo and Ondo states. One death was reported among the cases. Since the beginning of the year, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has seen 562 confirmed and 17 probable cases and 161 deaths ( a greater than […]The post Nigeria reports three additional Lassa fever cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

News of North Carolina’s largest chickenpox outbreak since the vaccine was available 23 years ago was reported in an Asheville school, which has grabbed a lot of attention recently. Closer to home, a chickenpox outbreak has been reported in a Polk County, Fl school where a half dozen children were infected. The common denominator among the […]The post Chickenpox outbreak in an Asheville school: A ‘viral exchange center’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Texas Department of Health recently issued health alerts after four infants were hospitalized with botulism after using pacifiers containing honey. While essentially rare worldwide, ninety percent of the world’s cases of infant botulism are diagnosed in the United States, mainly because of physician awareness. So what is infant […]The post Infant botulism and honey pacifiers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports reported earlier this month (computer translated) that of the nearly 1,000 suspect schistosomiasis cases tested in Rakhine State, 520 were Schistosoma mansoni IgG (Elisa) positive. In addition to Rakhine, some people with schistosomiasis were detected in Shwe Kyin of Bago region and Inn Lay of Shan state. Prevention, treatment and diagnosis […]The post Schistosomiasis: More than 500 hundred test positive in Rakhine state in October appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the hepatitis A outbreak in Arkansas, The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) has reported 195 outbreak cases since February. The outbreak is primarily situated in the northeastern part of the state. The bulk of the cases have been reported in Greene, Craighead, Clay and Lawrence counties. Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable, highly […]The post Hepatitis A outbreak in Arkansas: Nearly 200 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

There is currently a statewide outbreak of syphilis in Arizona, a bacterial infection that is usually spread by sexual contact. Medical providers are seeing the largest increase of syphilis cases in women and newborns. A pregnant woman can pass syphilis to her unborn child, which is called congenital syphilis. Congenital syphilis can lead to problems […]The post Arizona reports 45 congenital syphilis cases through November appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials in Puerto Octay, Lagos region, Chile are issuing a health alert after an outbreak of the tapeworm infection, diphyllobothriasis had been reported. According to local media (computer translated), six cases in adults ages 30-60 have been confirmed positive for the parasite. They all noted being frequent consumers of raw fish, mostly as ceviche. “From the hospital in […]The post Fish tapeworm outbreak reported in Los Lagos, Chile appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

South African health officials reported recently an increase in Salmonella cases in KwaZulu-Natal Province over the past two months and say Salmonella was also the most likely cause of two recent foodborne disease outbreaks reported from eThekwini Municipality. Two weeks ago, local media reported at least 20 people have been hospitalized in Durban. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases […]The post South Africa: Salmonella outbreak reported in KwaZulu-Natal appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is reporting a suspected outbreak of yellow fever in Edo State. Following the report of an outbreak of fever of unknown origin in four Local Government Areas in Edo state, the state public health team commenced investigation. On the 21st of November 2018, nine cases […]The post Yellow fever in Edo State, Nigeria appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Brazilian Ministry of Health is calling on the public to take actions to prevent mosquito bites and the proliferation of the mosquito vector of dengue, Zika, yellow fever and chikungunya. The call to action is under the hashtag #CombateAedes to continue the national mobilization to combat Aedes aegypti. In Brazil, the majority of cases and epidemics of […]The post Brazil health officials call on public to #CombateAedes in the battle against dengue and chikungunya appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Here are the top five posts on Outbreak News Today for the Thanksgiving week, the week Nov. 17 through Nov. 23: 5. North Carolina: Chickenpox outbreak reported at Asheville school The largest outbreak of chickenpox in North Carolina since a vaccine for the virus became available in 1995 was reported in Asheville. 4. New Jersey health officials report 11th death […]The post Infectious disease news: Top 5 posts for the week Nov. 17- Nov. 23 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Israeli health officials report concluding their investigating into a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak, primarily in the south of the country, within the Bedouin sector settlements. The products linked to the outbreak are manufactured by the Almadain Food Products Ltd. (Madco) Ltd., a company in Jerusalem. More than 30 listeriosis cases were reported to the Ministry of Health, some […]The post Israel: Listeria outbreak linked to ‘Jerusalem Deli’ meats appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A DNA vaccine tested in mice reduces accumulation of both types of toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to research that scientists say may pave the way to a clinical trial. A new study by UT Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute shows that a vaccine delivered to the skin prompts an immune response […]The post Alzheimer’s disease: DNA vaccine reduces both toxic proteins in mice appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The New Jersey Department of Health is warning residents of additional exposures associated with an outbreak of measles— a highly contagious disease—in Ocean County. A highly suspect case of measles associated with the Ocean County outbreak has potentially exposed individuals in Passaic County. This Passaic County resident could have exposed others to the infection while […]The post New Jersey measles: 15th case in Ocean County, Potential exposures in Passaic County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The islands of Guadeloupe in the Leeward Islands has reported the first confirmed dengue fever cases since April 2016, according to the regional health agency (ARS) this past week. ARS has reported five confirmed cases in Abymes, Pointe à Pitre, Guava and 2 in Petit Bourg. In addition, one case was confirmed in St. Martin. The circulating serotype is DEN1 (type […]The post Guadeloupe reports first confirmed dengue cases in more than 2 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the autochthonous dengue fever situation in France, an additional case has been reported in the department of Hérault (commune of Clapiers), bringing the total locally transmitted cases to seven. To date, 5 cases have been identified have been identified in Saint Laurent du Var (Alpes-Maritimes) and two in Hérault. Officials note that these two episodes of […]The post France reports additional indigenous cases of dengue appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to a report on the second known human case of rat hepatitis E (HEV), Hong Kong officials report: The second patient was a 70-year-old retired female with underlying illnesses on immunosuppression. She had developed abdominal pain, headache, anorexia, malaise and palpitation since May 1, 2017, and was admitted to a public hospital […]The post Rat hepatitis E: Additional details on second case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising consumers and retailers not to eat, serve, or sell pork products produced by Long Phung Food Products, which is linked to a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections. There have been four people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria reported from four states (Louisiana, Michigan, Tennessee, and […]The post Foodborne outbreaks: Listeria linked to pork products, E. coli outbreak statements appeared first on Outbreak News Today.