Outbreak News Today

After reporting in excess of 120,000 dengue fever cases and 322 deaths in 2015 and more than 100,000 cases and 231 deaths last year, the Malaysia Ministry of Health has reported a decrease in cases and deaths in 2017. For the year, health officials saw 83,374 cases and 171 deaths (through Dec 16) with more […]The post Dengue fever cases down in Malaysia in 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Food Lion is voluntarily recalling all code dates of its Food Lion brand Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits in an abundance of caution after being notified by its manufacturer today the product may contain Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune […]The post Food Lion Buttermilk Biscuits recalled due to Listeria risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is caused by a dangerous tick-borne virus, (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family, that is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asian countries south of the 50th parallel north – the geographical limit of the principal tick vector. In Sept. 2016, we reported on the first local transmission of the tick-borne infection, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic […]The post Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever: Increasing spread predicted appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Malaysian health officials have confirmed a case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection in a returning Umrah pilgrim, according to a release from director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today (computer translated). The patient, a 55-year-old patient from Selangor, returned home from the pilgrimage on Dec. 23. On December 24, 2017, he had symptoms of fever, cough, […]The post Malaysia: Umrah pilgram tests positive for MERS appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Greece, up to 28 December 2017, 922 measles cases have been notified in Greece, according to the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This number is broken down by category with 538 cases being laboratory confirmed, 317 probable cases and 67 possible cases in 2017. The […]The post Greece measles outbreak update: More than 900 confirmed, probable and possible cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than a dozen concert goers were hospitalized with possible norovirus early this morning in Gisborne, New Zealand, according to Tairāwhiti District Health. Fifteen people who were at the Rhythm and Vines music festival were admitted to Gisborne Hospital early this morning with severe vomiting and diarrhea. “Fifteen young people were transported to Gisborne Hospital where an isolation […]The post Rhythm and Vines music festival: 15 people with suspected norovirus hospitalized in Gisborne appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has confirmed a case of hepatitis A in a food handler working at a Safeway located at 610 Big Rock Lane in Okotoks. Patrons who consumed donuts purchased from the bulk bins at this location between December 1 and 21, 2017, may have been exposed to hepatitis A. “While we believe […]The post Alberta Safeway food handler tests positive for hepatitis A, Prompts warning appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Outbreaks or clusters of listeriosis have historically been linked to a wide variety of commonly consumed food items, including dairy products, ready-to-eat meat and seafood products, and vegetables and fruit. However, in South Africa, where the listeriosis outbreak closes in on 700 cases for the year, no specific food item(s) or food consumption patterns have been […]The post South Africa: Efforts are ongoing to identify the source of the listeriosis outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Syphilis numbers are growing around the US and around the world as more and more states and countries release data. In this interview from Apr. 2016, I speak to the Director of Communications for the American Sexual Health Association/National Cervical Cancer Coalition, Fred Wyand to discuss the syphilis situation. We go over the ABC’s of syphilis, why […]The post A syphilis primer appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with Public Health — Seattle & King County are reporting a likely norovirus outbreak associated with the Wild Ginger restaurant in Bellevue, WA. To date, nine cases have been identified. On December 26, 2017, Public Health learned of 5 ill persons with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea from one meal party that became ill after consuming […]The post Norovirus likely the cause of outbreak linked to Wild Ginger in Bellevue appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since the cholera outbreak began in Lusaka district, Zambia in early October, some 1,550 cases and 41 deaths have been reported through Dec. 29, according to a Facebook post by Zambia President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the high transmission intensity in Lusaka district continues with some 60 cases being reported […]The post Zambia cholera outbreak: President deploys military appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

While measles appears to be slowing some in Romania, cases are still being reported on a weekly basis. Since the epidemic began last year, 10,279 confirmed cases have been reported, according to the Romania National Center for Communicable Disease Control and Control Friday (computer translated). In addition, a 37th measles fatality has been reported in a six-month baby from Neamt […]The post Romania reports 37th measles death appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In this podcast, I pulled out a radio interview from the 4th of July 2016 weekend where the discussion was on foodborne parasites found in the United States. I was joined by microbiologist and the man behind the website, Parasitology Illustrated, Wilson Vientos. We spent at least a half hour talking about the Centers for Disease Control […]The post Foodborne parasites in the US appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Two people from Jammu and Kashmir State in northern India have been diagnosed with parasitic trematode disease, fascioliasis, according to a Rising Kashmir report this week. According to the report, the first case was a young male patient from the Sunderwani Pakherpora area of Budgam and was referred to Gastroenterology unit of Shere-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) […]The post Fascioliasis cases reported in northern India appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

It’s been several months since any new cases of type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2) have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); however, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) reported this week about two additional cases. The two new cases–one in Manono district, and one in Ankoro district, Tanganika province had onset dates of […]The post Polio: Democratic Republic of Congo reports two additional cVDPV2 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

I have not done a annual “Top 10” list of the major infectious disease news stories since 2013 and this is the first on this website. The number of important and newsworthy events of 2017 are numerous and to narrow it down to 10 is a challenge. Some may have different ideas on what constitutes […]The post 10 Most Important Infectious Disease Stories of 2017: Outbreak News Today appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials on South Australia are reporting 17 confirmed Salmonella cases linked to sandwiches, wraps, rolls and focaccias purchased from Gawler South Bakery in the past two weeks, prompting them remind the public of the importance of safe food handling practices. “Of these confirmed cases, three patients have been so severely ill they needed to be hospitalised,” SA […]The post South Australia: Salmonella cases linked to Gawler bakery appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A single enzyme. That is all the researchers behind a new study need to manipulate to prevent the feared Ebola virus from spreading. Because with the enzyme they also take away the virus’ ability to copy itself and thus produce more virus particles and more infection. The study has been published in the scientific journal Molecular […]The post Ebola virus stopped from spreading with the manipulation of a single enzyme appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In this podcast episode, originally from the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show in Mar. 2017, I look at the rare condition, usually brought on by medications or infections, Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) with a person that actually went through this painful immune-complex–mediated hypersensitivity complex. Donna Rushing of Tampa was diagnosed with SJS one year ago and talks about the […]The post Stevens-Johnson Syndrome: A personal story appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The National IHR Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported one additional case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection on Dec. 11. The patient is a 39-year-old male residing in Hemma Region, Oman. The case is currently asymptomatic, is in home isolation in Oman, and is being monitored for the development of symptoms. […]The post UAE reports additional MERS case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Got a sore throat? The doctor may write a quick prescription for penicillin or amoxicillin, and with the stroke of a pen, help diminish public health and your own future health by helping bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics. It’s time to develop alternatives to antibiotics for small infections, according to a new paper by scientists […]The post Reserve antibiotics for really serious conditions: Georgia Tech researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration and state health departments, reported today that they are investigating a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 infections (STEC O157:H7) in 13 states. The seventeen illnesses have been reported from California (3), Connecticut (2), Illinois (1), Indiana (1), Michigan (1), […]The post E. coli O157:H7 outbreak sickens 17, CDC investigates if related to Canada outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An outbreak of hepatitis A struck the city of São Paulo, Brazil in 2017 and the number of cases reported through November is an astounding 11 times the number of cases in 2016, according to an r7.com report (computer translated). Officials in São Paulo have seen 656 hepatitis A cases, including two deaths in the first 11 months […]The post Hepatitis A: Cases up nearly 1000 percent in São Paulo appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Gold Creek Equestrian Center in Woodinville, WA has been battling Equine Herpes virus 1 (EHV-1) infections in horses since mid-December, prompting the facility to be put under quarantine. On December 15, 2017 the Washington State Department of Agriculture reported EHV-1 a 13-year old Halflinger gelding at the facility in King County, WA. 37 of 60 horses have now been tested […]The post Seattle area equestrian center battles Equine Herpes, seven horses euthanized appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The parasitic disease, amebiasis, is being pointed to as the cause of an outbreak that sent at least 29 people to the hospital and killing one in Tigania West, Meru county in Central Kenya, according to a local media report. The outbreak affected families–adults and children. A 95-year-old man died. Initially, cholera was suspected; however, County public […]The post Amebiasis sickens dozens in Central Kenya sub-county appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

About three years ago, the website, VacTruth.com published an article entitled, “10 Reasons Not To Vaccinate”, which laid out such arguments like “Vaccine do NOT work”, “Are vaccines cause a host of ‘chronic, incurable, and life threatening diseases’? and “Vaccines have never been proven safe or effective”. The theme of my Jan. 2015 interview with Director of the […]The post Anti-vaccine arguments rebutted appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden is reporting a “limited” measles outbreak during the Christmas weekend, according to a hospital news release. As of Dec. 27, eight measles cases have been reported since the first case reported on Dec. 10. Most of the cases found are linked to each other. The hospital is working intensively […]The post Measles outbreak reported at Gothenburg, Sweden hospital appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Data provided by the Japan National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NCID) and reported by the news source, Asahi Shimbun, show that the country has reported a record number of invasive group A streptococcal disease cases, specifically, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) in 2017. A total of 525 patients with STSS were reported as of Dec. 10 include […]The post Japan reports record number of invasive group A streptococcal disease in 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to the USGS, White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent fungal disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern to the central United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in 31 states and five Canadian provinces (as of September 2017) have died from this devastating disease. Bat Conservation International Director […]The post Bats, White-nose syndrome and Bat Conservation International appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States with some 200,000 cases reported annually. It is an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies directed against the thyroid gland lead to chronic inflammation. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis occurs most commonly in middle aged women, but can be seen at […]The post Hashimoto’s disease Q & A appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today the recall of a common antibiotic due to mold contamination. AuroMedics Pharma is voluntarily recalling one lot of Linezolid Injection 600mg/300mL flexible bags, NDC 55150 -242 -51 batch CLZ160007 expiration August 2018 to the hospital level. This batch was distributed May 15 through August 14, 2017. The […]The post Linezolid injection recalled due to mold contamination appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to a recently published World Health Organization (WHO) Situation Report, a convergence of factors is threatening the region with large outbreaks affecting millions as bacterial meningitis season begins in West Africa. A dangerous combination of a new hyper-invasive strain of meningococcal meningitis serogroup C (Nm C) is circulating at the same time that an acute shortage […]The post Meningitis in Africa: ‘The risk of imminent large-scale epidemics is dangerously high’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this month, Samoan health officials reported a dengue fever outbreak that was first detected in October with the most affected areas being Apia Urban Area, Vaimauga District and Faleata District. Auckland health officials warned last week of an increase of travel-associated dengue fever cases recently due to travel in the region, particularly from Samoa, which accounts […]The post Auckland health officials warn of dengue risk when traveling to Samoa appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to a paper published in AIMS Public Health earlier this year–We estimate the number of lives saved and morbidity reduction associated with the discovery of the first human cell strain used for the production of licensed human virus vaccines, known as WI-38. The diseases studied include poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chicken pox), herpes […]The post Vaccine history: Cell strain WI-38 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The vampire bat is known to be the principle reservoir of rabies throughout Latin America, yet the burden of vampire bat-transmitted rabies on human lives and livestock has been largely anecdotal. Now, researchers have calculated that, in Peru, more than 500 cattle a year die of rabies. The new study, which also detailed risk factors, […]The post Rabies from vampire bats kill more than 500 cattle a year in Peru appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Uíge Province in northwestern Angola have reported 275,000 malaria cases for the first 11 months of 2017, according to Agencia Angola Press. In addition, 700 malaria-related deaths were recorded, primarily in children. Health minister, Sílvia Lutucuta has called on urgent action in the malaria battle, not only in Uíge, but elsewhere–“We are worried, not […]The post Angola: 275,000 malaria cases reported in Uíge Province this year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Norovirus – commonly referred to as the ‘winter vomiting bug’ – has arrived at sites across Northumberland and North Tyneside, according to Northumbria Healthcare NHS, to include an outbreak at Wansbeck General Hospital in Ashington. At least 180 people have contracted norovirus after a visitor brought mussels into the hospital for an inpatient. This prompted officials to impose […]The post Norovirus outbreak: Scores sickened at Wansbeck General Hospital, linked to mussels appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the Listeriosis outbreak in South Africa, since the beginning of the year through Dec. 21, a total of 658 laboratory-confirmed listeriosis cases have been reported to National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). In addition, the number of fatalities has risen to 61. Most cases have been reported from Gauteng Province (62%, 408/658) […]The post South Africa Listeriosis death toll rises appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

After reporting in excess of 5,000 cholera cases since August, the Borno State government declared the end of the cholera outbreak in the state last week. This occurred despite ongoing conflict and concurrent outbreaks in the area. The declaration came after the state marked 14 days (the length of time Vibrio cholerae bacterium persists and can be […]The post Nigeria: Cholera outbreak declared over in Borno State appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Namibian Ministry of Health are reporting an hepatitis E outbreak in the capital city of Windhoek. In mid-October, a Windhoek hospital began reporting patients with signs of acute viral hepatitis. They tested negative for hepatitis A, B and C. Samples were later sent out for testing for hepatitis E. Last week, of the […]The post Namibia reports hepatitis E outbreak in Windhoek appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Afghanistan health officials have reported an increase in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) cases in 2017, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) Weekly Epidemiological Monitor last week. In 2017, a total of 237 cases of CCHF including 41 deaths (CFR: 17.2%) have been reported throughout 27 provinces. Majority of these cases-71 cases (nearly 30 percent) including […]The post Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Afghanistan: Increase in cases in 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the measles outbreak in England, country health officials now put the outbreak total to 99 in several cities. As of 19 December, there have been 34 confirmed cases in West Yorkshire, 28 confirmed cases in Cheshire and Liverpool, 22 confirmed cases in the West Midlands, 11 confirmed cases in Surrey and […]The post England: Measles outbreak nears 100 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number outbreak cases of Escherichia coli O157 linked to the consumption of romaine lettuce in Canada has increased by 10 since our last report, bringing the total to 40. The additional cases were reported in Ontario (2) and Quebec (8). 40 cases of E. coli O157 illness under investigation in five eastern provinces: Ontario (8), Quebec (13), New […]The post E. coli O157 outbreak cases rise as 10 additional reported in Ontario and Quebec appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The hepatitis A outbreak among the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries is up to 3,813 since June 2016, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Friday. Since Sep. 29, officials have reported 950 new outbreak-confirmed cases from 22 EU/EEA countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, […]The post Europe reports nearly 1000 more hepatitis A outbreak cases in past three months appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since 2016, when Zika was declared by the World Health Organization as a public health emergency of international concern, the virus has become established in more than 80 countries, infected millions of people, and left many babies with birth defects (collectively called congenital Zika syndrome). Although scientists have made progress in their understanding of the […]The post Zika virus: A continuing public health and research challenge appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On 14 September 2017, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) informed WHO of a confirmed case of yellow fever in Kwara State. On 15 September, an official notification as per the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) was issued by the Nigerian National IHR Focal Point. The case-patient was a 7 year-old girl from Kwara […]The post NIgeria yellow fever outbreak update: WHO appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Wednesday, we reported on the latest on the Nigeria monkeypox outbreak. The next day, the World Health Organization (WHO) offered some additional details on the outbreak. The 61 laboratory confirmed cases were reported from fourteen states (out of 36 states)/territory: Akwa Ibom, Abia, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Lagos, Imo, Nasarawa, Rivers […]The post Monkeypox outbreak: 75% of cases in men appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen rages on as the year comes to a close and the problem with infectious disease outbreaks continue in lock-step as part of the crisis. First, the number of cholera cases in the current outbreak has followed in line with ICRC Yemen delegation head Alexandre Faite’s prediction in late September–“Considering the […]The post Yemen: Cholera cases top 1 million, 10 percent of suspected diphtheria cases are fatal appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lyme disease is one of the most common infectious diseases in the United States with about 329,000 new cases each year, according to statistics released in 2015 by the CDC. Lyme disease is a potentially disabling infection caused by bacteria transmitted through the bite of an infected tick to people and pets. The efficacy and accepted regimen […]The post Lyme disease: New research on Borrelia burgdorferi persistence appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to a previous report on the Salmonella Agona outbreak linked to infant nutrition products from the Lactalis Nutrition Santé (LNS), as of 21 December, 35 confirmed cases of Salmonella Agona infections among infants aged less than six months have been identified in different regions of France, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report. Sixteen infants […]The post UPDATE: Salmonella Agona outbreak linked to Lactalis formula appeared first on Outbreak News Today.