Outbreak News Today

In a follow-up to a report one month ago, the dengue fever situation on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has grown to 13 locally acquired cases, prompting a health alert for the area, according to the Chile Ministry of Health (computer translated). The Mayor of the Region of Valparaíso, Jorge Martínez, and the Seremi de Salud, Francisco […]The post Easter Island Health Alert: 13 locally acquired dengue cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Queensland Health has been notified of a diagnosed case of measles on Brisbane’s Southside. The child visited a number of locations whilst unknowingly infectious. Metro South Health (MSH) public health physician Dr Bhakti Vasant said residents in the Brisbane and Logan areas in particular needed to be alert for symptoms. People who may have come […]The post Measles alert issued for Brisbane and Logan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) found no increased risk of autoimmune disorders in girls who received quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV4) vaccination, adding to the body of evidence for the safety of the vaccine. Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted disease worldwide, affecting 50%-75% of sexually active people. The HPV4 vaccine is […]The post Study: No link between HPV vaccination and risk of autoimmune disorders appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Uganda Ministry of Health has noted with concern reports of an Ebola outbreak in Mubende district making rounds across the different media platforms. “We would like to inform the public that there is no Ebola outbreak in Mubende or any other part of the country”, State Minister of Health, the Honorable Sarah Opendi stated Saturday. […]The post Uganda Health Minister: ‘No Ebola outbreak in Mubende or any other part of the country’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Anaplasmosis is a tickborne disease caused by bacteria called Anaplasma phagocytophilum. It is spread by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick, the same tick that transmits Lyme disease, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi and Powassan virus. In Vermont since 2010, the number of cases reported annually has increased, roughly doubling year after year–three cases in 2010, 2011 (10 cases), 2012 (17), […]The post Vermont reports doubling in anaplasmosis cases in 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

National guidelines assume that all patients who’re diagnosed with clinical sepsis in an emergency department will be admitted to the hospital for additional care, but new research has found that many more patients are being treated and released from the ED for outpatient follow-up than previously recognized. Despite the finding that about 16 percent of […]The post Sepsis patients treated and released from emergency departments do well with outpatient follow-up appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) patient has been diagnosed with highly probable healthcare associated Legionnaires’ disease caused by infection with Legionella bacteria, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County. The patient was admitted to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance hospital located at UWMC and is believed to be an isolated case. The patient’s medical history suggests that exposure to Legionella happened […]The post Legionnaires’ disease case reported in Seattle, exposure likely occurred at UWMC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Last Wednesday, The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (AFSCA) (computer translated) was warned by parents of children as well as by the Flemish regional public health agency that several children became ill in 2 schools near Pittem and Meulebeke, about ten of which were hospitalized. This prompted a temporary closure of the establishment that […]The post Salmonella sickens dozens of children in Flanders, Belgium appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hormel Food Corp., a Fremont, NE establishment, is recalling approximately 228,614 pounds of canned pork and chicken products that may be contaminated with foreign matter, specifically pieces of metal, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Saturday. The canned pork and chicken products were produced on February 8 through February […]The post SPAM recall: Mouth injuries reported due to metal objects in the can appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Palynziq (pegvaliase-pqpz) for adults with arare and serious genetic disease known as phenylketonuria (PKU). Patients with PKU are born with an inability to break down phenylalanine (Phe), an amino acid present in protein-containing foods and high-intensity sweeteners used in a variety of foods and beverages. Palynziq is a novel enzyme therapy for […]The post PKU treatment, Palynziq, receives FDA approval appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the progress on French company, Valneva’s Lyme disease vaccine candidate VLA15, the company expects to launch a Phase 2 study in the second half of 2018, subject to regulatory clearances, after reporting positive Phase 1 interim data for the vaccine candidate in March 2018. Phase 2 is intended to be conducted in Lyme-endemic regions in the […]The post Lyme disease vaccine Phase 2 study slated for second half of 2018 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) confirmed this week that a hepatitis A outbreak is occurring in Nashville, Tennessee. There have been 14 confirmed cases of acute hepatitis A in Nashville since December 1, 2017. The Metro Public Health Department is working with the Tennessee Department of Health on efforts to control the outbreak. There […]The post Nashville health officials confirm hepatitis A outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

India has reported 9,175 suspected chikungunya cases through April 2018, according to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program of the Ministry of Health. Karnataka state has reported the most cases at 4,879, followed by Gujarat (1357) and Maharashtra (966). During the past two years, India saw 62,268 (provisional) and 64,057 clinically suspect chikungunya cases in 2017 and 2016, respectively. […]The post India reports more than 9,000 chikungunya cases in first four months of 2018 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Two of the three patients died after leaving an isolation unit in Wangata hospital in Mbandaka city in the last week, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic confirmed. He said that both of the deceased had been given a safe and dignified burial and added that “it was only human” that sick people wanted to be with […]The post Ebola patients flee hospital, Need to step up efforts to explain the dangers of this disease: WHO appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An isolated outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF) has been detected on a single farm in the Jacobsdal area of Free State, South Africa, bordering Northern Cape. A total of 250 sheep deaths/abortions were documented and laboratory confirmed on 16 May 2018. No human cases have been detected to date. RVF is a viral zoonotic […]The post Rift Valley fever outbreak reported on Free State farm appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced this week that over 600 individuals may have been exposed to someone with active tuberculosis (TB) at the ManorCare Health Services Foulk Road facility in Wilmington during a nine-month period in 2017. Consistent with routine Division TB protocols, the agency is sending out letters to former residents and […]The post Possible TB exposure at Wilmington long term care facility appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hong Kong health officials urged the public to maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene as the local activity of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and enterovirus (EV) 71 infection has been increasing in the past two weeks. According to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health, the number of institutional HFMD outbreaks recorded […]The post Hong Kong reports increase in enterovirus 71, HFMD cases in May appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues. Since the beginning of the outbreak (on 4 April 2018), a total of 52 suspected EVD cases and 22 deaths (case fatality rate 42.3%) have been reported, as of 23 May 2018. Of the 52 cases, 31 have been laboratory […]The post DRC Ebola outbreak update appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) recently released the 2017 sexually transmitted disease (STD) data and it shows increases in chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis from 2016. In 2017, the number of chlamydia cases reported was 32,454, up from 31,195 cases in 2016. Gonorrhea and syphilis showed the same rise with gonorrhea (10,022 in 2017/ 8,165 in […]The post Washington reports increases in STDs in 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Nigeria reported no wild poliovirus cases since 2016 when the most recent case (by date of onset) was reported in Monguno Local Government Area, Borno, with onset on 21 August 2016. In addition, no circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus cases were seen in Nigeria since 2016, until now. According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), one […]The post Nigeria reports vaccine-derived polio case in Jigawa state appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The 86th OIE General Session was the occasion to give OIE Member Countries, an overview of the global animal health situation, as well as to analyse trends in the evolution of priority terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases. One of the key missions of the OIE is to ensure transparency of the global animal health situation, […]The post Global animal health situation addressed at 86th OIE General Session appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Just about two years ago, this website reported on the Zambian government sanctioned plan to cull 2,000 hippos as a ‘wildlife management tool’ to prevent the future spread of anthrax among wild animals. Just a short period later, the government suspended the cull “to allow for further consultation with stakeholders”. Now, the wildlife conservation organization, Born Free, […]The post Zambia to reinstate hippo cull over anthrax two years after suspending decision appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Biotechnology company, GeoVax Labs, Inc announced this week that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded the Company a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant in support of its novel Zika vaccine development program. The grant award of $300,000 will fund the second year of […]The post GeoVax Awarded NIH Grant for Novel Zika Vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The multi-disciplinary Central Team led by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is presently in Kerala constantly reviewing the situation of the Nipah Virus Disease, according to the India Ministry of Health. After reviewing the cases of all the patients who have lost their lives, the Central High-level Team is of the view that the […]The post India: Additional Nipah death reported in Kozhikode appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Indiana University (IU) researchers say they have detected increased numbers of the ticks that carry Lyme disease in Southern Indiana. The organisms, deer ticks, are not yet confirmed to carry Lyme disease. However, IU researchers said the presence of a known disease vector — like a deer tick — is commonly followed by a rise in […]The post Indiana: Deer ticks found in increased numbers in the southern part of the state appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

North Carolina health officials are encouraging the public to speak with their physician or local health department about hepatitis vaccination, testing and treatments as the numbers of newly diagnosed hepatitis B and C cases increased in the state in recent years. From 2012 to 2016, newly diagnosed cases of hepatitis B increased by 62 percent and […]The post North Carolina reports increase in hepatitis B and C cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hanoi, Vietnam Department of Health (computer translated) released new data on dengue fever and hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in the city this year and it shows dengue cases down this year while HFMD cases are increasing. From Jan. 1 through May 13, Hanoi health officials report 95 cases of dengue fever, down significantly […]The post Hanoi: Dengue cases down, HFMD cases up in 2018 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Public Health France has reported an additional 387 biologically confirmed and probable dengue fever cases in the past week on Reunion Island. This brings the total since the beginning of the year to 3416 laboratory confirmed or probable cases. Seventy-five people required hospitalization for their illness, nine with severe dengue. Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by […]The post Reunion reports an additional 400 dengue cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today that the multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to kratom is over. A total of 199 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella were reported from 41 states. Thirty-eight percent of ill people were hospitalized, and no deaths were reported. This outbreak included infections from several types of Salmonella: Salmonella I 4,[5],12:b:-, Salmonella Heidelberg, Salmonella Javiana, Salmonella Okatie, Salmonella Weltevreden, and Salmonella Thompson. […]The post Salmonella outbreak linked to kratom over: 199 cases in 41 states appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

CEPI—the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations—today announced a collaboration with Profectus BioSciences, Inc. and Emergent BioSolutions Inc. under which Profectus and Emergent will receive up to $25 million to advance the development and manufacture of a vaccine against the Nipah virus, a bat-borne virus that can spread to both humans and livestock. Under the terms […]The post Nipah virus: $25 million agreement to advance the development and manufacture of a vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala state, India, the Ministry of Health provided the following numbers as of May 23: Total number of confirmed cases: 13 Total number of suspected cases: 16 (15 are admitted in Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode and 1 is admitted in Manjeri Medical College in Malappuram District. Lab […]The post Nipah virus update: 13 confirmed cases, 11 deaths appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Emergex Vaccines Holding Limited, a biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to enable synthetic vaccine development in the field of infectious diseases, today announces that it has filed a patent in the USA for its novel pandemic flu vaccine. The patent, entitled, ‘Reverse Peptide Vaccines’ covers the use of peptides derived from human influenza A, […]The post Emergex Files a Patent in the USA for its novel Pandemic Flu Vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to the World Health Organization, over 216 million people were infected with malaria in 2016, and 445,000 individuals died from the disease. The key to solving this health crisis is early-stage diagnosis when malaria therapeutics are most effective. A new prototype for a portable instrument capable of early-stage malaria detection has been developed by […]The post USC Engineers Develop New Portable Malaria Screening Instrument appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this week, we reported on the humanitarian assistance in the battle against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo given by the Canadian government. Since then, more reports of assistance have been rolling in from a variety of places. UK UK International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt announced they will be providing £5 million in […]The post More funding help for the Ebola outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

West Virginia health officials are reporting an increase in the number of confirmed cases of acute hepatitis A virus since March. As of May 18, 106 cases (98 confirmed, 3 probable, 5 suspect) have been seen. Three-quarters of the cases required hospitalization and no deaths have been reported. Most (87%) of those cases in have occurred […]The post West Virginia hepatitis A outbreak tops 100 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A first-in-human trial evaluating an experimental treatment for Ebola virus disease has begun at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Phase 1 clinical trial is examining the safety and tolerability of a single monoclonal antibody called mAb114, which was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious […]The post Experimental Ebola treatment in Phase 1 clinical trial appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with Public Health – Seattle & King County are reporting a bat found near Husky Stadium at the University of Washington (UW) last Saturday was rabies positive and at least one person was bitten. The bat was reportedly found near Union Bay behind Husky Stadium at around 2:00 p.m. The bat acted aggressively and bit at […]The post University of Washington: Rabid bat bites one, others may have been exposed appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A measles outbreak that began in March in Okinawa has grown to near 150 cases across the country, according to the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID). As of May 16, 149 cases have been confirmed, including the 99 in Okinawa. In addition to Okinawa, health officials have reported 23 cases in Aichi, 17 in Fukuoka […]The post Japan reports scores of measles cases in recent weeks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Javier Buceta, associate professor of bioengineering, Paolo Bocchini, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and postdoctoral student Graziano Fiorillo of Lehigh University have created a modeling framework that takes a zoonotic perspective on Ebola. The team’s approach works by tracking the migratory patterns of bats, which are believed to be a main carrier of the […]The post Ebola: Lehigh University researchers’ framework tracks the ecological drivers of bat migration patterns to predict the next outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Kenya has been certified guinea worm free by the World Health Organization. Speaking in a ceremony where she received the certificate from the World Health Organization, Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Sicily Kariuki noted that the achievement was as a result of concerted efforts by the Government and its partners. The CS revealed that Beyond Guinea […]The post Kenya certified as Guinea Worm free, Maternal and neonatal tetanus is next appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the human rabies situation in Thailand, the Bureau of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health has reported the ninth human fatality due to rabies this year. The cases were from Surin, Songkla, Trang, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, Prachuapkirikan, Phattalung, Nong Khai and Yasothon. DDC Director-General, Dr. Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, has warned any […]The post Thailand reports 9th human rabies fatality appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Results RNA, LLC of Orem, UT was issued a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month over a number of unapproved/misbranded new drugs sold, including one for Lyme disease, where serious violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act were found. The Lyme disease product, Ultimate Lyme Support Extra Strength, a combination […]The post FDA issues warning to Utah company over unapproved Lyme disease product appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Outbreak update In an outbreak update on the Ebola Virus Disease situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health officials say the situation continues to evolve. According to the DRC Ministry of Health, from 4 April 2018 to 20 May 2018, a cumulative total of 51 EVD cases, including 27 deaths (case fatality rate […]The post Ebola: Outbreak update, Vaccinations and What about unintentional spread by travelers? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala state in southern India, ten deaths have been reported, mainly from Kozhikode and Mallapuram. Officials say around 94 people have been quarantined inside their homes. Some nine people are under surveillance in hospitals. No new case has been reported in the last 24 hours, said Kerala Health […]The post Nipah situation under control: India health minister appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Nepal for having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem – a milestone, as the country becomes the first in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to defeat the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. A letter acknowledging validation was presented yesterday to Nepal’s Minister of State for Health and […]The post Nepal eliminates trachoma as a public health problem appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists have identified a molecule found on human cells and some animal cells that could be a useful target for drugs against chikungunya virus infection and related diseases, according to new research published in the journal Nature. A team led by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis conducted the research, which was […]The post Chikungunya: Researchers identify target for treatment appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Collin Peterson (D-MN), the co-chairs of the Congressional Lyme Disease Caucus, are pushing bipartisan legislation to create a new national strategy for Lyme disease and strengthen treatment and prevention of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases during May, Lyme Disease Awareness Month. “So many patients suffer from the debilitating effects of this […]The post Reps. Smith, Peterson push new, historic Lyme Disease legislation appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NSF International Controlling Legionnaires’ disease will require a universal, preventive-based approach by a bevy of stakeholders ranging from building owners to hospital administrators, from public health officials to policymakers, and from scientists to water system engineers. In other words, it’s going to take a village to get a handle on the deadliest waterborne disease […]The post Legionella Conference 2018: Controlling This Deadly Bacteria Will Take a Village appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Today marks a turning point in how we deal with Ebola – we are moving from a strategy of containment to one of offering communities protection and care- Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response, May 21, 2018 on Twitter. Vaccination efforts commenced today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as health […]The post WHO on Ebola: ‘Vaccination will be key to controlling this outbreak’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Monday, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced this year’s first Japanese encephalitis case confirmed in an over 50-year-old male who resides in Pingtung County. On May 14, 2018, the case began to develop symptoms, including lethargy, headache and fever. Subsequently, he sought medical attention at a hospital. On May 17, when his […]The post Taiwan reports 1st Japanese encephalitis case of 2018 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.