Outbreak News Today

In an update on the dengue fever situation in Thailand in 2018, the Bureau of Epidemiology, MoPH, Thailand is reporting a total of 37793 cases were reported from all 77 provinces through July 30 this year. Health officials are reporting 45 dengue related fatalities. Provinces reporting the highest morbidity rates include Nakornpathom, Phuket, Phichit, Tak and Krabi. Nearly half […]The post Thailand dengue update: Nearly 38,000 cases in 7 months appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Michigan Michigan state and local health officials have identified two confirmed cases of influenza A in individuals with exposure to swine at the Fowlerville Family Fair in Livingston County. The fair took place July 23-28, and several pigs from the fair tested positive for swine flu on July 27. Further laboratory testing is underway to determine […]The post Possible ‘swine flu’ cases investigated in Michigan, California appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Last week I reported on a Wisconsin man who contracted a very serious infection with the bacterium, Capnocytophaga canimorsus and quickly went into septic shock. It is suspected he contracted the bacterium from a dog lick. The latest news on his condition was he had all four limbs amputated. So what is Capnocytophaga? Joining me […]The post What is Capnocytophaga? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health reported today (computer translated) that some 33 deaths are suspected linked to the latest Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the country. The suspect deaths are from Mabalako (25), Mambasa (5) and Beni (3). In total, initial investigations by the surveillance teams reveal that community deaths […]The post Ebola update: 33 deaths suspected in new outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Transylvania Public Health has received more than 70 cases of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea reported by medical providers, as well as phone calls reporting similar symptoms in more than 200 people since Tuesday, July 31. Officials have received confirmatory laboratory tests from the N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health. Of those people who were tested by […]The post Norovirus sickens dozens in Transylvania County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The prevalence of Lyme disease is increasing in the United States, spiking significantly between 2016 and 2017, and has spread to all 50 United States and the District of Columbia, according to a new study recently released by Quest Diagnostics. Based on more than six million de-identified laboratory test results conducted over the past seven years, the Quest Diagnostics […]The post Lyme disease reported in all states: California and Florida see largest increases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the hepatitis A outbreaks of four midwestern states battling the viral disease, we look at the numbers in West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. West Virginia Since March 2018, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health has reported an increase in the number of confirmed cases of acute hepatitis A virus. As […]The post Hepatitis A: West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Greek health officials have reported 21 additional confirmed human West Nile virus (WNV) cases during the past week, bringing the country total to 43 in 2018. Of the total, 35 presented with neuro-invasive disease (WNND, encephalitis and/or meningitis and/or acute flaccid paralysis) and eight (8) cases with mild symptoms (febrile syndrome). No deaths have been […]The post Greece reports 21 West Nile virus cases in past week appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Brazil, the Ministry of Health reports the number of measles cases in the outbreaks in Amazonas and Roraima states now stand at 742 and 280, respectively as of Aug.1. Health officials say the outbreaks are related to importation. This was confirmed by the genotype of the virus (D8) that was identified, […]The post Brazil to begin measles, polio vaccination campaign Monday appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to the 12th annual Texas Lyceum Poll released this week, most Texans polled believe the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks. Seventy-six percent of people polled believe in the benefits of getting children vaccinated against diseases is greater than any perceived risks. Despite the poll results, Texas still has one of the highest rates of […]The post Texas: Most people believe the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Municipality of Maripipi, in the province of Biliran, Philippines was declared under state of calamity this week due to a chikungunya outbreak. As of Aug. 2, there were 101 cases of chikungunya reported in the city. The following villages have been hit the hardest: Binongto-an – 43, Ermita – 39 and Casibang – 4. Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by […]The post Philippines: Maripipi declared under state of calamity due to chikungunya outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning Friday concerning the long-term use of azithromycin (Zithromax, Zmax) for prophylaxis of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome to patients who undergo donor stem cell transplants because of the increased potential for cancer relapse and death. Results of a clinical trial found an increased rate of relapse in cancers affecting the […]The post Zithromax FDA warning: Increased risk of cancer relapse with long-term use after Donor Stem Cell Transplant appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Iowa health officials reported Friday on the first human West Nile virus (WNV) death in the state in 2018. The fatality was in an elderly adult from Central Iowa. In addition, a second case of human WNV infection has also been reported in a Palo Alto County adult male who has recovered. “West Nile virus is in […]The post Iowa reports 1st human West Nile virus death appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (computer translated) have reported the first outbreak of African swine fever in the country. 47 infected pigs were found dead in a local pig farm in Shenbei New District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province. This is also the first reported case in East Asia. The virus was laboratory confirmed by the China […]The post African swine fever reported in China, First reported case in East Asia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the multistate outbreak of Cyclospora infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a total of 395 laboratory-confirmed cases of Cyclospora infection in people who consumed salads from McDonald’s restaurants; the cases were reported by 15 states. On July 26, 2018, FDA completed analysis of an unused package of romaine lettuce and carrot mix distributed to […]The post Cyclospora outbreak: 400 cases, FDA analysis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region announced today that North Korea (DPR Korea) and Timor-Leste were verified for eliminating measles. According to WHO, elimination of measles is achieved when the country interrupts transmission of indigenous virus for over three years. Based on an in-depth review of the data and reports provided by national verification committees, the […]The post North Korea eliminates measles appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles situation in Dublin, Ireland, the Ireland HSE reported four additional measles cases–two adults and two children. These four individuals are likely to have developed measles from contact with one of the two earlier cases at hospitals in Dublin. Dr Helena Murray, Specialist in Public Health Medicine said: “Measles can be a […]The post Dublin measles outbreak grows by four cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Reunion are reporting an additional 59 dengue fever cases from the week of July 16, bringing the outbreak total to 6,345 cases confirmed since the beginning of 2018 (including 5 imported from Polynesia, Brazil and Thailand). To date, 134 patients required hospitalization and one death has been assessed as indirectly related to dengue fever. […]The post Reunion dengue outbreak update appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

French health authorities are reporting a decrease in measles cases in the country seeing around 20 cases weekly for the past several weeks. This follows reporting more than 100 measles cases weekly just a few short months ago. Since November 6, 2017, France has reported 2741 cases. Three deaths have been reported in 2018. 86 departments reported […]The post France measles outbreak decreasing appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Six out of twelve rat lungworm, or angiostrongyliasis cases confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2011-2017 in the continental United States (CONUS) were likely from autochthonous transmission in the southern United States, according to a MMWR report published today. Of the locally acquired cases that had no history of travel outside […]The post Rat lungworm: Half of cases in CONUS locally transmitted appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is one of the world’s largest mass gatherings. In 2018, Hajj will take place from about August 19 to August 24. Because of the crowds, mass gatherings such as Hajj are associated with unique health risks prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue travel […]The post CDC issues travel advisory for pilgrims going to the Hajj appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles situation in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the members of the committee of experts on measles, convened by the Ministry of Health of the Nation (computer translated), agreed on a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening the response after the appearance of the third case of this disease and the circulation […]The post Argentina: Health experts agree on actions to intensify the surveillance of measles appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The diphtheria outbreak in Venezuela that began in July 2016 continues. 1,904 suspected diphtheria cases reported, including 164 deaths: 324 cases and 17 deaths in 2016, 1,040 cases and 103 deaths in 2017, and 540 cases and 44 deaths through the halfway mark of 2018. Of note, in 2016, cases were reported in 5 states (Anzoátegui, […]The post Venezuela: 22 states and Capital district report diphtheria cases since 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Ukraine, the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine reports 822 cases in week 30 of 2018, bringing the case total to 27,502 this year. The good news is Ukraine officials are reporting a 7 percent decrease in cases compared to the previous week. […]The post Ukraine: More than 27,000 measles cases in 7 months appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Man and dog – a relationship that is nearly as old as time itself. Protector of our homes, pulling our sleds, finding missing people in rubble after an earthquake, dogs have been invaluable to the human race. However, dogs are indeed animals and exposure to dogs has the potential for a plethora of infectious diseases. […]The post Infections You Can Get From ‘Man’s Best Friend’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The presence of the Asian, or longhorn tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, has been confirmed in Pennsylvania, according to state agriculture officials. The tick was discovered on a wild deer in Centre County. The longhorn tick is an invasive species that congregates in large numbers and can cause anemia in livestock. It can carry several diseases that infect […]The post Invasive Asian ‘Longhorn’ Tick Confirmed in Pennsylvania appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Obesity, which increases influenza disease severity, also extends by about 1.5 days how long influenza A virus is shed from infected adults compared to non-obese adults, according to a multi-year study of two cohorts of Nicaraguan households. The findings implicate chronic inflammation caused by obesity as well as increasing age as reasons for extended viral […]The post Flu: Obesity extends duration of influenza A virus shedding by 1.5 days appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Nigerian government has launched the Viral Hepatitis Health Facility Directory, an easily accessible public guide with information on the location of health facilities that provide Hepatitis treatment services. The directory was launched by Health minister Professor Isaac Adewode during an occasion to commemorate World Hepatitis Day. It occurs annually and across the globe on […]The post Nigeria launches national Hepatitis treatment services directory appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A West Bend, Wisconsin man had all his limbs amputated after contracting a serious bacterial infection from likely a mere dog lick. According to their GoFundMe page, the family of 48-year-old Greg Manteufel said he became ill in late June and fell into septic shock. The relatively rare infection with the bacterium, Capnocytophaga canimorsus, “hit him with a […]The post Capnocytophaga: Wisconsin man has limbs amputated following likely dog lick appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

South Dakota health officials reported yesterday that a Brown County resident died of West Nile virus (WNV) associated causes, the state’s first WNV related death this season. The individual was in the 80 to 89 age group. To date this season, South Dakota has reported 10 cases of human WNV and three hospitalizations. CDC reports […]The post West Nile virus death reported in Brown County, SD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Prince George’s County Health Department has confirmed the county’s first locally acquired human case of the West Nile virus of the 2018 season. It’s reported the person showed symptoms last month. Lab results later identified the West Nile virus as the cause. The person is currently under medical care. The West Nile virus is […]The post Maryland: 1st human West Nile virus case reported in PG County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Texas health officials are warning the public about the increased risk of Vibrio infections naturally found in coastal water. Most infections occur between May and October, when the warmer water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico promote the growth of these bacteria. People can become ill after eating raw or undercooked contaminated seafood, particularly oysters, or […]The post Texas warns public of Vibrio risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Just four months after Guinea worm disease in South Sudan was declared “transmission interrupted”, three people in the town of Rumbek have been diagnosed with the disease, the first cases in South Sudan for more than 18 months, according to a UK Telegraph report. Until these reported cases, the last diagnosis of the disease in South […]The post Guinea worm disease resurfaces in South Sudan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 58 more ill people in the outbreak, bringing the total number to 79 people from nine states. Eighteen people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Four more states reported ill people: Illinois, Kansas, […]The post Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad: More Salmonella cases reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Macau government officials reported this week (computer translated) on a human H9N2 avian influenza case in Guangdong Province. According to the report, the patient is a 24-year-old woman and currently lives in Shenzhen. Symptoms appeared on July 21 and were admitted to hospital on July 23. The condition is now mild. This is the third human case of H9N2 […]The post H9N2 avian influenza case reported in Guangdong Province, China appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Just days after the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak had been declared over in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the DRC health ministry and World Health Organization (WHO) report that preliminary laboratory results indicate a cluster of cases of Ebola virus in North Kivu province. The Ministry of Health of the Democratic of […]The post Ebola cluster reported in North Kivu appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the cholera outbreak that has affected Nigeria since the beginning of the year is now ‘under control’ at least 4 of the 17 affected local government areas. In its latest epidemiological situation analysis, the WHO said 367 new suspected cases and 4 deaths were reported in the Adamawa, Bauchi, […]The post WHO says Nigerian cholera outbreak ‘under control’ in 4 states appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reported the outbreak of an unknown disease that has infected 25 people and killed an unknown number since it was reported on May 11. An outbreak notice from the World Health Organisation quoted the DR Congolese Ministry of Health saying the disease was confined to the Mabalako health […]The post WHO struggling to identify unknown killer disease in eastern DR Congo appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Filarial worms are long thread like worms that live in the tissue and body cavities of vertebrates. Their eggs mature into tiny larvae called microfilariae. There are at least eight filarids that are of importance to humans and today we’ll be talking about two of them—Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi. Joining me to discuss filariasis […]The post Filariasis: Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and their colleagues are a step closer to developing a broadly effective antibody treatment against the three major Ebola viruses that cause lethal disease in humans. Reporting July 17 in the journal Immunity, they describe the isolation of two potent monoclonal antibodies from human survivors of Ebola virus disease that, […]The post Vanderbilt team finds potent antibodies against three Ebola viruses appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne human infection in England and Wales. As elsewhere in northern Europe, the spirochaetes (Borrelia burgdorferi) are transmitted by the hard bodied tick, Ixodes ricinus, commonly known as deer or sheep ticks. Lyme disease is monitored in England and Wales through routine surveillance. Cases of Lyme disease are not statutorily […]The post Lyme disease in England and Wales appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The strategy used by the Oropouche virus to replicate in human cells has been described for the first time by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil and international collaborators in an article published in the journal PLOS Pathogens. According to the study, shortly after invading the cell, the pathogen “hijacks” an organelle called the […]The post Oropouche virus: How it replicates in human cells appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Twenty-nine cases of monkeypox have been detected in the Central African Republic (CAR) since the outbreak was confirmed in March. The WHO said since the beginning of 2018, recurrent monkeypox outbreaks have been reported in three health districts in the centre, the east and the south-west of the country. “Eleven cases have been laboratory confirmed […]The post Central African Republic: 29 cases of monkeypox detected since March appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says 42 suspected cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever have been detected in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in northern Uganda. In its latest epidemiological analysis, WHO said the first case, involving a female who came from Rwanda through the Democratic Republic of Congo, was confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute […]The post Rift Valley, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Uganda refugee settlement appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A patient that recently returned from a medical missionary trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has tested negative for Ebola, according to officials with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment via Denver Health. Denver Health posted on Twitter yesterday that a patient was being transported to the hospital with Ebola being considered […]The post Denver patient tests negative for Ebola appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the typhoid fever situation in El Salvador this year, health officials continue to see a rise in cases significantly higher than what was reported in 2017. According to a La Prensa Grafica report (computer translated), the total cases of 2017 was 675, while the total between January and June of this […]The post Typhoid cases up in El Salvador in 2018 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) alerted the public of a potential measles exposure at two Boston locations, after receiving notification of a confirmed case of measles on Friday. Anyone who visited the following locations during the specified dates and times could become ill between July 26 and August 10, 2018: Tasty Burger at 1301 […]The post Boston officials issue measles alert appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Ministry of Health of Malaysia (MOH) is reporting that a child has died suspected of Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) on Saturday. The 2-year 5-month-old child is from Kampung Pangtray, Daro , Mukah, Sarawak. He began to have a fever on July 24, 2018 and showed signs of palms and palms and oral ulcers […]The post Malaysia reports HFMD fatality in Sarawak child appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel notice recently for the country of Somalia because of a polio outbreak there. An outbreak of polio has been reported in Mogadishu and the Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions of Somalia. Somalia is reporting a total of four cases (with a total of 5 […]The post CDC warns travelers to Somalia of polio risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries Commissioner John McMillan has announced that three horses have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) by the department’s diagnostic laboratory in Auburn. The positive results came from horses in Houston, Mobile and Geneva Counties. EEE is a mosquito-transmitted disease that is more severe than WNV. The mortality rate […]The post Alabama: 3 horses test positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.