Outbreak News Today

The Salvadoran Institute of Social Security (ISSS) confirmed the deaths of two people from the bacterial infection, Vibrio vulnificus, according to a local media account (computer translated). According to officials, a 61-year-old man was treated in the emergency in early August. He presented with fever, diarrhea, red skin on his lower limbs, and as part of his […]The post El Salvador: Two deaths due to Vibrio vulnificis reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Costa Rican Health Ministry issued a health alert last week due to malaria outbreaks reported in neighboring Nicaragua and the first autochthonous transmission of malaria in the country since 2012. According to a TeleSur report (computer translated), the health ministry said due to the high endemicity of malaria in Nicaragua and the high rate of constant migration […]The post Locally transmitted malaria prompts health alert in Costa Rica appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hepatitis A has been a significant problem in two metropolitan areas separated by nearly 2,000 miles this year. Of course I’m talking about San Diego County, CA and Detroit, MI and surrounding areas. Since the beginning of the year, health officials in San Diego County have reported 421 cases in the local outbreak, in which […]The post Hepatitis A outbreaks in San Diego and Detroit: Similar numbers, viruses not identical appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Young adults heading off to high school, college and university should ensure they’re protected against the mumps, public health officials advise, as the number of new cases continues to rise. In the last month alone there have been 13 news cases of the mumps in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, which includes Whistler and Squamish […]The post Mumps: More cases reported in Vancouver region appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The US House of Representatives recently passed a budget bill recently that includes full funding for the Fort Detrick, MD laboratory, the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC). The bill included a bipartisan amendment authored by Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6) to fully fund the NBACC. The amendment was co-sponsored by Republican Dan Donovan (NY-11). The budget […]The post Bioterrorism: US House of Representatives pass budget bill that includes funding for the NBACC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In this interview from the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show in May 2017, we looked at this amazing story of an individual with a multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection and the use of an experimental therapy involving bacteriophages — viruses that target and consume specific strains of bacteria. Case study lead author and the primary physician of the […]The post Bacteriophage therapy: A remarkable story appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Ministry of Public Health of Chad has launched a national “Heroes of Guinea-worm campaign” to accelerate the prompt detection and containment of all human cases and animals infected with Dracunculiasis medinensis(the Guinea worm). “The campaign focuses on creating awareness about the disease and sensitizing people living in districts and regions about ways to prevent the […]The post Guinea-worm disease: All cases reported from Chad this year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Although 29 states and the District of Columbia allow marijuana use for medical purposes, few medical students are being trained how to prescribe the drug. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis surveyed medical school deans, residents and fellows, and examined a curriculum database maintained by the Association of American Medical Colleges […]The post Medical marijuana: Few medical schools training students appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists at the University of Southampton have made a significant discovery in efforts to develop a vaccine against Zika, dengue and Hepatitis C viruses that affect millions of people around the world. In a study published in Science Immunology, researchers have shown that natural killer cells (NK cells), which are a fundamental part of the body’s […]The post Vaccine news: ‘Significant discovery’ in efforts to develop vaccine against Zika, dengue and Hepatitis C viruses appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

People who consumed raw milk or raw milk products from one Texas dairy should contact their health care provider immediately, warn health investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Raw milk from the K-Bar Dairy in Paradise, Texas (northwest of Fort Worth), tested […]The post Brucella warning issued over raw milk, Seven states identified appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

San Diego County health officials are advising the public that anyone who may have eaten or had beverages at the World Famous restaurant in Pacific Beach on seven specific dates and times that they may have been exposed to a person with the hepatitis A virus. The dates and times of potential exposure at the […]The post Hepatitis A warning issued for patrons of World Famous restaurant in San Diego appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

San Diego County health officials are advising the public of the detection of a plague positive squirrel at the Cedar Grove Campground on Palomar Mountain. A ground squirrel trapped in routine monitoring tested positive for the agent of plague, Yersinia pestis. County environmental health officials said it is common to find the bacteria that causes plague in […]The post Plague warning: Squirrel tests positive near Palomar Mountain appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

GlaxoSmithKline announced Wednesday that the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted unanimously that the data support the efficacy and safety of Shingrix for the prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in adults ages 50 and over. FDA Advisory Committees provide non-binding recommendations for consideration by the […]The post GSK shingles vaccine receives FDA approval for adults 50 and over appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

With an increase in the mosquito-borne viral infections caused by chikungunya in areas of Italy, the National Center for Blood (CNS) of the Higher Health Institute (ISS) suspended donations of blood and blood components in the municipality of Anzio and the Municipality of Rome, according to the health ministry (computer translated). Seventeen cases of the disease have […]The post Italy: Chikungunya prompts suspension of blood donations in Rome appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An E. coli O157 outbreak that began in August has now sickened more than 20 people, including the first fatality reported in a 3-year-old girl from Tokyo. According to Japanese media, the child consumed a tainted dish (fried shrimp and bamboo shoots) from the Rokku branch of the deli chain “Delicious” in the Gunma prefectural capital […]The post Japan: E. coli outbreak results in child’s death, linked to deli food appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Twenty-two pneumonic plague cases, including five deaths have been reported in Madagascar since August, according to an AFP report via African media. “There have been no deaths since Monday,” according to senior health ministry official Willy Randriamarotia. He added that there was widespread panic in the eastern region of Tamatave which has not seen the plague […]The post Pneumonic plague outbreak reported in Madagascar appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Rhode Island health officials are warning the public, pregnant women in particular, about not consuming the soft cheese, Queso fresco made with unpasteurized milk due to the health risks associated with it. The Rhode Island Department of Health issued the warning while investigating two Listeria monocytogenes infection cases. Queso fresco, queso blanco, panela, and asadero-style […]The post Rhode Island issues warning about Queso fresco amid Listeria cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than 40 hippopotami in Ruaha National Park have succumbed to the lethal bacterial disease, anthrax, according to a local media report. A spokesman for the south-central sanctuary said this is the largest number of hippos to have been killed in the park by the disease caused by the bacterium, Bacillus anthracis. Christopher Timbuka, Ruaha […]The post Anthrax downs 42 hippos in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Whether a community is made up of people who spend their days entirely outside or those who rarely see sunshine, the amount of time residents spend outdoors can affect how Zika virus spreads throughout the population. That’s the conclusion of a new study conducted in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and published this week in PLOS Neglected Tropical […]The post Zika spread linked to how much time people spend outside appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The New York State Department of Health is advising any patient who has received an intravenous infusion, injection, or a blood draw at Tomorrow Medicine’s two Westchester County locations be tested for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. Additionally, Commissioner of Health, Dr. Howard Zucker, ordered Tomorrow Medicine’s owner, Dr. Timothy […]The post NY health officials warns of blood borne pathogen exposure at Tomorrow Medicine Westchester County locations appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On 30 August 2017, the national IHR focal point of Oman reported one case of Middle East respiratory syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The last report of MERS-CoV from Oman was on 29 November 2016. The patient is a 54-year-old male living in Al Musanaa Batinah region. He was not a health care worker and did not have […]The post Oman reports 1st MERS case in 9 months appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to a Brucella case reported in Texas last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Advisory concerning the investigation. The strain has been identified as Brucella RB51, a rifampin and penicillin resistant strain. Federal health officials write: A person who drank raw milk from K-Bar Dairy in Paradise, Texas, has […]The post Texas brucellosis update: Rifampin and penicillin resistant strain appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Children’s Hospital in New Orleans are reporting a small group children who developed a surgical site infection suspected to be Mycobacterium abscessus post cardiac surgery. The surgeries were performed in late-May and June this year. The infection is treatable and all patients are currently undergoing successful treatment in this hospital. The investigation into the cluster shows […]The post New Orleans Children’s Hospital reports cluster of Mycobacterium abscessus infections appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to test results from the annual European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP), resistance levels to the main antimicrobials used for treatment of gonorrhea infection have seen an encouraging decrease since 2010. However, resistance to one antibiotic agent which is part of the suggested dual therapy of gonorrhea remains high and threatens the effectiveness of […]The post Europe: Gonorrhea strains becoming more susceptible to main treatment options appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Federal and state health officials are investigating a multistate outbreak of Campylobacter infections linked to puppies sold through Petland, a national pet store chain. The outbreak includes 39 people with laboratory-confirmed Campylobacter infections or symptoms consistent with Campylobacter infection who live in 7 states (Florida (11), Kansas (5), Missouri (1), Ohio (18), Pennsylvania (2), Tennessee (1), and Wisconsin (1)) and were […]The post Campylobacter outbreak linked to Petland puppies sickens dozens appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

With more than 1000 suspected and confirmed cases of cholera including 30 deaths in Borno state as of 07 Sept 2017, World Health Organization (WHO) has intensified its response efforts to contain the outbreak in Muna internally displaced persons (IDPs)camp in Maiduguri, Jere, Monguno and Dikwa local government areas (LGAs). Prior to the outbreak, WHO […]The post Nigeria: Cholera outbreak in Borno State, containment efforts intesified appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials in Kyrgyzstan are reporting an anthrax outbreak in the At-Bashinsky district of the Naryn region in eastern Kyrgyzstan, according to a local media account (computer translated). Currently, three people are in the hospital, another 15 are under medical supervision. Doctors say the individuals contracted the dangerous bacterial infection cutting animal carcass. About 10 days later, the appearance […]The post Anthrax outbreak reported in Naryn region, Kyrgyzstan appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

As the Sri Lanka Health Ministry outlines plans to launch National Mosquito Control Week later this month, the total case count in the country has topped 150,000 cases, more than three times the numbers reported in 2016 at this time. Although there is a significant drop in the number of dengue patients now, health officials warns the […]The post Sri Lanka dengue count tops 150,000 just before National Mosquito Control Week appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Through Sept. 5, 37 state have reported human West Nile virus (WNV) cases in 2017. Now we can add two more as two northeastern states report their first cases of the year. The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) announced Friday that a resident of New Haven has tested positive for WNV infection. The patient, […]The post Connecticut, Massachusetts report 1st human West Nile virus cases of 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An outbreak of measles has been declared in KwaZulu-Natal Province. An increase in number of laboratory-confirmed measles cases was observed in Ethekwini and Umgungundlovu districts from July 2017. As of 5 September 2017, a total of 23 laboratory-confirmed measles cases has been reported in four of the 11 districts in KwaZulu-Natal: Ethekwini (14), Umgungundlovu (6), […]The post South Africa: Measles outbreak declared in KwaZulu-Natal Province appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The mumps outbreak in the Canadian province of Manitoba has seen huge numbers since about a year ago with health officials reporting some 853 confirmed cases reported to Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living since Sept. 1, 2016. Just through the first six months of 2017, more than 600 cases have been recorded. This is an […]The post Manitoba mumps outbreak in the hundreds, vaccination rate low appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

There has been a heightened awareness of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in the Philippines recently prompting an increased health seeking behavior such as in Pampanga, a province north of Manila where 32 confirmed JE cases were recorded. This has resulted in a rise in demand of the JE vaccine. However, Philippines Department of Health (DOH) officials say that […]The post Philippines DOH: ‘There is no outbreak of Japanese encephalitis’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A 3-year-old girl from from Tingo María, Leoncio Prado Province in central Peru is in a Lima hospital (Hospital Dos de Mayo with) a serious infection with a “unusual” bacteria. In fact, according to a El Comercio report (computer translated), she is the only case of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica infection reported in Peru The child has been hospitalized […]The post Peru reports child infected with rare Elizabethkingia meningoseptica appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. announced that ATA230 was granted orphan drug designation for the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia and disease in immunocompromised patients by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ATA230, an allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy targeting antigens expressed by CMV, has been investigated in one Phase 1 and two Phase 2 clinical studies in […]The post CMV drug, ATA230, granted orphan drug designation appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Tennessee health officials are reporting an increase in the mosquito borne diseases, West Nile virus and La Crosse Virus. To date, 19 human cases of West Nile Virus infection and 11 cases of La Crosse Virus infection have been confirmed. What is La Crosse encephalitis virus? La Crosse encephalitis virus (LACV) is transmitted to humans by the bite […]The post Tennessee reports 11 La Crosse Virus cases to date appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

With the investigation ongoing in San Diego County over the local outbreak of hepatitis A, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors ratified a local health emergency yesterday. The emergency was declared on Sept. 1 by the County public health officer to raise awareness of the outbreak and allow the County to potentially ask for mutual […]The post San Diego County: Nearly 400 hepatitis A cases reported in outbreak, local health emergency declared appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The regional Department of Health (DOH-7) office in Cebu City says there has been nine human rabies deaths recorded year-to-date, according to a Philippines media report Wednesday. So far in 2017, more than 20,000 animal bites have been reported to local health officials. This compares to 59,773 animal bite cases and eight deaths caused by rabies in […]The post Cebu reports 9 human rabies deaths appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with almost 300,000 deaths occurring each year. More than 80 percent of these deaths occur in developing nations. The advent of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines has significantly reduced the number of those who develop and die from cervical cancer. And thanks to an […]The post Gardasil 9 greatly reduces the risk of HPV infection and associated diseases: Moffitt study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Brazilian Ministry of Health announced Wednesday the end of the yellow fever outbreak. The last case was registered in June. The outbreak that started in Dec 2016 accounted for 777 confirmed cases and 261 deaths. The southeastern region was the hardest hit seeing the vast majority of cases. Nearly 37 million yellow fever vaccine doses […]The post Brazil announces end of yellow fever outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A 5-year-old Cumberland County mare is the first reported case in 2017 of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), a serious, mosquito-borne illness in horses. The horse had not been vaccinated against EEE and died on August 28, 2017. “Horse owners need to be vigilant in vaccinating their animals against diseases spread by mosquitoes,” said New Jersey […]The post New Jersey reports 1st Eastern Equine Encephalitis case in Cumberland County horse appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

During World War II, the Soviet Red Army was forced to move their biological warfare operations out of the path of advancing Nazi troops. Among the dangerous cargo were vials of Francisella tularensis, the organism that causes tularemia and one of the world’s most infectious pathogens. Years later, a Soviet defector claimed that his country had […]The post Tularemia: Molecular map shows how to disable potential bioweapon appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than 100 people have been sickened by cholera in a barangay, or village near the beaches in the municipality of Oas in Albay province, according to an Abante report (computer translated). One individual has died. The outbreak began Saturday when residents of the area started reported symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. The patients were immediately […]The post Cholera outbreak sickens scores in Albay appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

CDC epidemiologist and author of a recent study published in The Journal of Pediatrics, Dr. Jennifer McQuiston joined me to talk about the tick borne disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) and the importance of timely treatment with the drug of choice, doxycycline. Because the antibiotic carries the warning of tooth staining in children under 8 years of age, […]The post Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and the importance of timely treatment with doxycycline appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Auckland Auckland, New Zealand is seeing the most mumps cases in a single year in more than two decades. According to the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS), 311 confirmed and probable cases have been reported this year. In 1994, at least 200 cases were reported; however, since then only a handful of cases were reported annually. […]The post Mumps news: Auckland reports most cases in 20 years, Japan reports hundreds suffering hearing loss appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Mississippi health officials today reported an additional four West Nile virus (WNV) cases, bringing the total to 45 year-to-date. Only California and Texas have reported more cases. In 2016, Mississippi saw 43 total cases. So far this year cases have been reported in Bolivar, Calhoun, Clarke, Clay (2), Covington, Forrest (4), Hinds (8), Humphreys (2), […]The post Mississippi West Nile virus case count higher than 2016 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A collaborative team of scientists, led by a group at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, have successfully protected nonhuman primates against one of the most deadly viruses in the world, Lassa fever, eight days after they became infected. The findings are now available in Nature Medicine. The virus, for which there are no […]The post Lassa fever: UTMB researchers develop treatment effective eight days after infection appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NSW Health has launched an investigation into a hepatitis A outbreak following confirmation of 12 cases in the past five weeks alone in Sydney and surrounding areas. Dr Vicky Sheppeard, Director Communicable Diseases with NSW Health, said 10 of these people contracted the disease in Australia – considerably higher than the average two cases of […]The post Hepatitis A cases in Sydney prompts investigation appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) warns consumers of possible hepatitis A exposure associated with produce that was possibly contaminated by a worker at a street-side fruit vendor who was infected with Hepatitis A. The fruit vendor was located on the corner of W Ave L and 20th Street West, in […]The post California: Lancaster fruit vendor with hepatitis A prompts warning appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The presence of the bacterium Kingella kingae in children’s throats was strongly linked to bone and joint infection with the same bacterium, according to new research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). Bone and joint bacterial infections in children can have devastating effects on long-term mobility and can cause death. Previously, most infections were thought to be […]The post Kingella carriage in children’s throats strongly linked to bone and joint infection: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.