Outbreak News Today

As globalization and climate change spread tropical infectious diseases around the globe, not all populations have the same degree of susceptibility. Researchers from the Institut Pasteur, CNRS and the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health-University of Porto (i3S) identified gene variants common in people of Asian and European ancestry, making them more prone than […]The post People of Asian and European ancestry more prone than those of African origin to developing severe dengue: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In the past five years, Alaska received an average of <1 mumps case report per year. Starting in August 2017, there has been an increase in mumps activity in Anchorage. To date, 247 confirmed and probable cases, 214 and 33, respectively and it shows no sign of slowing. This has prompted Alaska health officials to provide […]The post Mumps outbreak in Alaska: Updated MMR vaccination guidelines issued appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this month, Michigan agriculture officials reported on two bovine tuberculosis positive cattle found at a processing facility led to the identification of a bovine TB positive roping cattle herd in Ottawa County, Michigan. The infected animals originated from an infected herd in Indiana, prior to that herd testing positive for bovine TB in December 2016. […]The post Michigan: Bovine tuberculosis detected in two counties appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Livingston, Oakland and Washtenaw county health departments are collaboratively working with three healthcare facilities to determine the health status of patients and staff who have been identified as being in close contact with a healthcare worker recently diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) disease. The healthcare […]The post TB exposure in Southeast Michigan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers at New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry), in collaboration with Rheonix, Inc. (Ithaca, NY), are developing a novel test for Zika virus that uses saliva to identify diagnostic markers of the virus in a fraction of the time of current commercial tests. The test, which was adapted from an existing model developed […]The post Zika rapid test that uses saliva to identify diagnostic markers of the virus being developed by NYU researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

“If you induce a back of the envelope calculations given the hundreds of thousands of people who died every year of smallpox prior to when the campaign was started and looking at it now that its gone, D.A.’s work has saved literally tens of millions of lives. You can argue that he’s may of saved more […]The post Thoughts on the eradicator of smallpox: ‘You can argue that he’s may of saved more lives than any other single human being in human history’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In 2009, infectious disease physician and University of South Florida professor, Dr. Sandra Gompf and her husband lost their son Philip to the parasite , Naegleria fowleri. In this 2015 interview, Dr Gompf joined me to discuss the amoeba, Philip’s infection, awareness campaigns she is involved in, new developments at the time in diagnostics and treatment and some […]The post Naegleria fowleri: A personal story appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Brazil Ministry of Health has confirmed 545 yellow fever cases and 164 deaths in the period from July 1, 2017 to February 20 this year, according to a news release Wednesday (computer translated). This is up from 409 cases and 118 deaths one week ago. In the same period last year, 557 cases and 178 […]The post Yellow fever: More than 130 confirmed cases reported in past week in Brazil appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials with the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment (WCDPHE) announced investigating an outbreak of Salmonella illness at Aims Community College in Greeley. Of the 8 confirmed Salmonella cases, 6 adults reside in Weld County, 1 in Larimer, and 1 in Boulder county. The outbreak may be associated with catered events held at Aims on […]The post Colorado: Salmonella outbreak at Aims Community College appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) announced the investigation into a multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to chicken salad produced by Triple T Specialty Meats, Inc. and sold at Fareway grocery stores. To date, 65 Salmonella Typhimurium infections, including 28 hospitalizations from five […]The post Triple T Specialty Meats chicken salad sold at Fareway linked to multistate Salmonella outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

AstraZeneca announced yesterday that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has voted in favor of a renewed recommendation for the use of FLUMIST® QUADRIVALENT (Influenza Vaccine Live, Intranasal) in the US for the 2018-2019 season. The recommendation follows the presentation of positive results from a US […]The post Flu vaccines: ACIP brings back FluMist for the 2018-2019 flu season appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

InDevR, a Boulder-based analytical technology and life science company, this week announced that it has expanded its VaxArray® product portfolio with a new reagent kit to address the “need for speed” in combating flu viruses with pandemic potential. The VaxArray Influenza Pandemic Hemagglutinin potency test kit is now available for flu vaccines containing H5, H7, […]The post Pandemic flu vaccines: New potency assay could shave weeks off the timeline appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) convenes technical consultations in February and September each year to recommend viruses for inclusion in influenza vaccines for the northern and southern hemisphere influenza seasons, respectively. Today, they released recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2018-2019 northern hemisphere influenza season and said the following: There was considerable […]The post WHO releases recommended composition of 2018-2019 influenza virus vaccines for use in the northern hemisphere appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Brain cysts from a pork tapeworm infection are one of the most common causes of seizures worldwide. Identifying the infection – called neurocysticercosis – is key to ensuring appropriate treatment, according to the first comprehensive guidelines on the condition, released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Society of Tropical Medicine […]The post Neurocysticercosis: Different forms require different treatments appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to Nigerian health authorities yesterday, 31 meningitis C cases were reported in Niger State, including four fatalities, local media reports. Health Commissioner, Dr. Mustapha Jibril, said the cases were reported in two councils–Magama (27 cases) and Katcha (4). The health ministry has activated all outbreak response mechanisms. Jibril also noted that there could be a […]The post Nigeria: Four meningococcal meningitis deaths reported in Niger State appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Maryland General Assembly will hold hearing next week on HB0880, a bill that would require insurance companies to cover their patients’ treatment for Lyme disease. The legislation sponsored by Frederick County Delegate Karen Lewis Young would require certain insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide certain coverage for certain long–term antibiotic treatment […]The post Maryland legislature to hold hearings on Lyme disease bill appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Nigerian health officials reported 68 new confirmed Lassa fever cases during the past week from seven States Edo (35), Ondo (19), Bauchi (1), Ebonyi (7), Anambra (4), Imo(1) and FCT (1) with four new deaths in confirmed cases from two states Ondo (2), and Bauchi (2). From 1st January to 18th February 2018, a total of […]The post Nigeria Lassa outbreak: 68 new confirmed cases last week appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

There has been one confirmed case of measles in Melbourne. The infection was acquired in Victoria and it is possible that the infection was acquired at Centrelink in Dandenong between Monday 22 January and Friday 2 February 2018. The case attended a number of locations in Melbourne whilst infectious including: Thursday 8 February 2018 Centrelink […]The post Measles case confirmed in Melbourne appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the voluntary destruction and recall of a large volume of kratom-containing dietary supplements manufactured and distributed nationwide under the brand names Botany Bay, Enhance Your Life and Divinity by Divinity Products Distribution of Grain Valley, Missouri. In cooperation with the FDA, the company has also agreed to […]The post FDA announces the destruction and recall of kratom dietary supplements appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemic–history’s worst epidemic which killed more people than all the military deaths in World War I and World War II combined. Historian and author of the book, The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, John M. Barry joined me to discuss several […]The post The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: A short history and lessons learned appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Federal and state health officials announced the investigation into a multistate outbreak of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:b:- infections linked to the consumption of kratom. To date, 28 cases, including eleven hospitalizations, have been reported in 20 states. In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the months before they became ill. Eight […]The post Salmonella outbreak linked to kratom, Dozens sickened in multiple states appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On today’s show we talke about a 3rd intestinal coccidian parasite and least common (remember we already discussed Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora), Cystoisospora belli, or you may remember it as Isospora belli. Joining me as always to talk about parasites is Parasitology teacher and author of the book, Parasites: Tales of Humanity’s Most Unwelcome Guests, Rosemary Drisdelle. Travel Deals […]The post Cystoisospora belli: The least common of the three intestinal coccidia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new blood test called the Tick-Borne Disease Serochip (TBD Serochip) promises to revolutionize the diagnosis of tick-borne disease by offering a single test to identify and distinguish between Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen responsible for Lyme disease, and seven other tick-borne pathogens. Led by scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia […]The post Single blood test can accurately detect Lyme, Babesia and half dozen other tick-borne diseases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The effects of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in 2014-2015 were felt not only directly, in the 28,616 cases of EVD and 11,310 deaths, but also indirectly, through the disruption in the provision of healthcare in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia — the countries most severely impacted by the outbreak. In a research article […]The post Liberia’s healthcare system post-2014 Ebola outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the salmonella outbreak in Iowa linked to chicken salad sold at Fareway stores, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) puts the confirmed and probable cases at 115, as of Feb. 20. The chicken salad, which is produced and packaged by a third party for Fareway, is implicated in multiple cases of salmonella illness across […]The post Iowa salmonella outbreak linked to chicken salad sold at Fareway tops 100 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Limerick, Ireland, the country’s Health Service Executive (HSE) is now reporting 15 confirmed measles cases and a linked case confirmed in Dublin. Most cases so far are associated with the Ballinacurra Weston and Carew Park (Southill) area of the city. These cases have attended a number of community and […]The post Limerick City measles outbreak update appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with Eastern Health are advising the public of an increase in the rate of infectious syphilis cases in the eastern region of Newfoundland and Labrador. While rates of syphilis infection declined in 2016, a recent trend indicates a steep increase in infectious syphilis rates. A total of 42 infectious syphilis cases were confirmed by […]The post Increase in syphilis cases reported in Newfoundland and Labrador appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO-EMRO) issued their Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) situation update for January 2018, which reveals 25 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS, including 8 associated deaths in the Kingdom. A nosocomial outbreak of MERS occurred in a private hospital in Hafr Albatin region, the date of onset of the […]The post Saudi Arabia reports 25 MERS cases in January appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The genetic cause behind a strain of typhoid’s resistance to five classes of antibiotics has been uncovered by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators at Public Health England and Aga Khan University, Pakistan. There is currently a major outbreak of typhoid fever in Pakistan, and there was a case in the UK […]The post Drug-resistance typhoid: Genetic cause found appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The increased supply of safe water in a rural African community has significantly reduced the chances of children contracting a parasitic disease, according to new research in eLife. The study, carried out in a community in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, demonstrated that increased provisions of safe water over a period of seven years have led […]The post Schistosomiasis significantly reduced with safe water supplies in rural KwaZulu-Natal: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Fiji health officials have declared a dengue fever outbreak in the subdivisions of Nadi and Ba in the Western Division, according to local media reports. A total of 312 confirmed cases have been recorded and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services says the confirmed cases has continued to rise above the expected levels for this time of the […]The post Fiji: Dengue outbreak declared in Nadi and Ba appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Palawan provincial health officials are putting the death toll due to a diarrhea outbreak in Balabac to 10, according to a Palawan News report. The number of people affected in this current outbreak is about 300. This outbreak follows one just a couple of months ago that sickened some 200. Tainted drinking water has been blamed […]The post Palawan: Diarrhea outbreak claims the lives of 10 in Balabac town appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Writer and author, Bob Arnebeck once wrote in A Short History of Yellow Fever in the US–From 1793 to 1822 yellow fever was one of the most dreaded diseases in the port cities of the United States. Statistically, one can dismiss it as inconsequential in comparison to tuberculosis and smallpox. Yellow fever did not kill that […]The post Yellow fever in the US: A short history appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Western Cape agriculture has confirmed that further incidences of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu have been detected amongst Western Cape sea bird populations. Amongst African penguins, seven cases from six different sites across the provincial coastline have tested positive. Due to the status of African penguins as endangered, a decision to treat infected birds has been […]The post Highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu reported in African penguins in Western Cape appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

After reporting a record low number of measles cases in 2016, Europe saw a massive 400 percent increase in cases in 2017, according to newly released EpiData. Measles affected 21,315 people and caused 35 deaths in 2017. The surge in measles cases in 2017 included large outbreaks (100 or more cases) in 15 of the 53 […]The post Europe measles cases up 400 percent in 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, last week announced that it has received pre-market approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the BD Onclarity™ HPV assay. The test detects 14 types of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) from specimens collected for cervical cancer screening (“Pap test”) in the BD […]The post HPV assay receives FDA approval appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Novartis and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have formed an alliance to advance development of Novartis’ drug candidate KDU731 for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis. Diarrheal diseases are one of the leading causes of childhood mortality globally, resulting in approximately 525,000 deaths each year and cryptosporidiosis is the second leading cause of infectious diarrhea in […]The post Cryptosporidium: Novartis and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation form alliance to develop drug candidate appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Vermont Department of Health is investigating an outbreak of mumps among students at St. Michael’s College and the University of Vermont. While the total number of mumps cases remains small, state health officials working with the St. Michael’s Student Health Office conducted two vaccination clinics last week, administering doses of the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps […]The post Vermont: Mumps Cases Confirmed at St. Michael’s College and University of Vermont appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Overuse of pre- and post-surgery antibiotics in low-income countries may contribute to higher levels of resistant surgical site infections following gastrointestinal surgery Globally, approximately 12% of patients develop a surgical site infection within 30 days of gastrointestinal surgery, according to a prospective cohort study of more than 12500 people in 66 countries, published in The Lancet […]The post One in ten people have infections following gastrointestinal surgery worldwide appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Peel Public Health is investigating a confirmed case of measles in an infant from Brampton who had recently travelled internationally. Anyone who was on Air Canada flight 879 which departed Zurich at 10:27 a.m. and arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport at 2:12 p.m. on Feb. 12 may have been exposed to measles. No other flights or travellers […]The post Canada: Brampton infant measles positive, Possible exposure on Air Canada flight appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) recently confirmed eight Schmallenberg virus (SBV) sheep abortion cases in Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone in Northern Ireland. These are first virus positive cases confirmed by AFBI in the west of the province. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Republic of Ireland have also recently reported suspected […]The post Northern Ireland: Schmallenberg virus reported in 8 sheep abortion cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

WA Country Health Service (WACHS) Kimberley public health staff are advising Kimberley communities that there is currently an outbreak of Acute Post Streptococcal Glomerulonephritis (APSGN) in the Kimberley region primarily affecting Aboriginal children aged between two and 13 years. Younger children, adolescents and adults can also be affected. APSGN is a kidney disease that can […]The post Western Australia health declares Acute Post Streptococcal Glomerulonephritis outbreak in Kimberley appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to a new study, screening all adults for hepatitis C (HCV) is a cost-effective way to improve clinical outcomes of HCV and identify more infected people compared to current recommendations. Using a simulation model, researchers from Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Stanford University found that this expanded screening would increase life […]The post Study: Screening all adults for Hepatitis C is cost-effective and improves outcomes appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) reported last week they continue to see an elevated number of hepatitis A cases in the state. Since the beginning of the outbreak in August 2016 through February 14, 751 cases, including 609 hospitalizations have been reported. This includes 25 fatalities. Macomb County has seen the most […]The post Michigan hepatitis A death toll now 25 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hong Kong health officials have reported investigating two linked cases of psittacosis, or parrot fever, a bird-borne disease. The first case involves a 51-year-old woman with good past health, who developed fever, cough, shortness of breath and malaise since late January. She was admitted to Ruttonjee Hospital on February 11 and was transferred to the intensive […]The post Hong Kong reports two-linked psittacosis cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the University of Kansas Watkins Health Services have reported an increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), in particular gonorrhea over the past year, according to a Lawrence World-Journal report. The number of gonorrhea cases rose 39 percent from 2016 to 2017, the report notes. All STIs are up in the whole of Douglas County, […]The post University of Kansas reports increase in gonorrhea appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Oakland County, MI health officials issued a public health advisory Friday after an employee of Red Lobster in Novi tested positive for hepatitis A. Guests who consumed food from the restaurant between Jan. 14 – Feb. 14 may have been exposed to hepatitis A. “Vaccination can prevent the disease if given within 14 days after potential […]The post Michigan: Hepatitis A confirmed in Novi Red Lobster employee appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

During 2005–2008, more than 1 billion live animals were legally imported into the United States for food or pet trade markets. One such animal, the swamp eel, can carry parasites (worms) called gnathostomes. If those eels are eaten undercooked or raw, this parasite can cause mild to serious (blindness, paralysis, and even death) consequences. This […]The post Gnathostomes and Asian swamp eels in the US appeared first on Outbreak News Today.