Outbreak News Today

New Hampshire health officials have identified the first human case of Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) of 2017. A New Hampshire resident from Hanover has tested positive for JCV, a virus transmitted by infected mosquitoes. “Jamestown Canyon Virus is one of several viral infections that can be transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito in New […]The post Jamestown Canyon virus case reported in Hanover, New Hampshire resident appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Oakland County Health Division reports eight new cases of Hepatitis A in the last week associated primarily with the Farmington Hills area. The Health Division has not yet identified a source, but is investigating potential common factors such as contaminated food, sick individuals, travel, and healthcare exposure. “These new cases serve as a vital reminder […]The post Michigan: Eight new cases of Hepatitis A reported in the Farmington Hills area appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Infection with the “brain-eating amoeba”, Naegleria fowleri has claimed the life of a fifth victim in the capital city of Pakistan’s Sindh province. According to a report in The News, a 20-year-old man died from the protozoan infection at a Karachi hospital. The report quotes a physician who said: “He offered prayers five times a day. N […]The post 5th ‘brain-eating amoeba’ fatality reported in Karachi appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Philippines Agriculture Secretary, Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol said today on his Facebook page that two new cases of avian influenza have been confirmed by the Bureau of Animal Industry in Jaen and San Isidro towns of Nueva Ecija. The confirmation was made after.series of laboratory tests on specimens gathered from quails and layer chickens were conducted by […]The post Philippines bird flu: New cases reported in Nueva Ecija appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) reports a confirmed case of variant influenza A H3N2v in a child with exposure to pigs. Influenza viruses that normally circulate in pigs are called variant influenza when the virus is found in people. Related: Ohio sees more H3N2v cases linked to pig exposure Variant influenza viruses are different […]The post North Dakota reports 1st variant influenza case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

San Joaquin County health officials are reporting an increase in the number of reported cases of Cryptosporidiosis, or “Crypto” this summer. “Since early July, we have 17 people confirmed along with an additional 41 symptomatic contacts,” reports Dr. Karen Furst, Assistant Public Health Officer for San Joaquin County. In the past five years, San Joaquin County […]The post Crypto: San Joaquin County reports increase in parasitic infection appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Discussions on North Korea’s military arsenal -nuclear and conventional- has been headline news, particularly with threats coming from the Hermit Kingdom of missile launches towards Guam. North Korea’s tight borders make it tough to know great detail on what capabilities they really have. What about a biological weapons program? What do we know and not […]The post North Korea’s Bioweapon Program: What do we actually know? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Through the first seven months of the year, Vietnam has seen 80,555 dengue fever cases, an increase of 33.5 percent compared the same period in 2016. Health officials also reported five additional dengue-related fatalities, bringing the total to 22. Majority of cases were reported from the South (59 percent). A sharp increase in the number […]The post Dengue fever cases up by 33 percent in Vietnam appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) reported Wednesday on the first human West Nile virus (WNV) case of 2017. The case is a 44-year-old man from Clermont County is recovering from the West Nile virus infection and did not require hospitalization. In 2016, ODH reported 17 human West Nile virus cases. “This time of year, we could […]The post West Nile virus in Ohio: 1st human case reported in Clermont County man appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The following is an update on the cyclosporiasis situations in the United States and Canada: In the US, CDC has been notified of 570 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in persons who became ill in 2017. This number includes persons who reported international travel as well as persons who did not report travel. The reports have come […]The post Cyclospora in the US and Canada appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States, but it can be confused with similar conditions, including Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI). A team of researchers led by Colorado State University has identified a way to distinguish Lyme disease from similar conditions, according to a new study published Aug. 16 in Science Translational Medicine. […]The post CSU test differentiates Lyme disease from STARI appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

As millions of people in Somalia remain trapped in a devastating cycle of hunger and disease, WHO and health partners are working with national health authorities to save lives and reach the most vulnerable with essential health services. More than 2 years of insufficient rainfall and poor harvests have led to drought, food insecurity and […]The post ‘Somalia is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world’: WHO appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Anthrax has been confirmed in five cattle on a Crockett County premises, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) this week. The premises in Crockett County is located approximately 13 miles east of Ozona and has been quarantined. TAHC rules require proper disposal of affected carcasses and vaccination of other cattle on the premise prior to […]The post Texas confirms first anthrax cases of 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lyme disease is among the most contentious of topics in health and medicine. How did a bacterial infection turn into one of the the most controversial and virulent medico-political battles in medical history? Associate Professor of Microbiology at SUNY Adirondack and co-founder of the Lyme Action Network, Holly Ahern, MS joined me for a discussion on […]The post The history behind the Lyme disease controversy and what’s new in Lyme research appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

One of every three fish consumed in Spain is infected with anisakis, according to a Levante report (computer translated). The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) notes if the fish comes from the Bay of Biscay, the risk rises to 50 percent, while the species that arrive from the Mediterranean barely reach 6 percent. Spain leads […]The post Spain: Anisakis risk is high in Bay of Biscay fish appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to the avian influenza situation in the Philippines, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said to Pampanga local chief executives, poultry growers, and bird/fowl industry stakeholders Tuesday, “This is an urgent matter which is a big threat to our poultry industry. We should eradicate bird flu as a country and stop on finding ways to hide its […]The post Philippines Agriculture Secretary: ‘This is an urgent matter which is a big threat to our poultry industry’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Samoan Ministry of Health issued a dengue fever alert after two dozen cases were reported, including two suspected dengue-related deaths. Health officials were notified of severely ill cases from Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital in Apia, which is the chief hospital of Samoa. According to a Samoa Observer report, 54 lab tests have been requested and […]The post Samoa issues dengue alert appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since early 2017, San Diego County health officials have reported 333 hepatitis A cases in the local outbreak, 70 percent requiring hospitalization. Health officials also reported an additional fatality, bringing the total to 11. The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency reports the outbreak investigation is ongoing and note some difficulties contacting many […]The post San Diego County reports 11th hepatitis A death appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that compounds produced by the creosote bush, a desert plant common to the Southwestern United States, exhibit potent anti-parasitic activity against the protozoa responsible for giardia infections and an amoeba […]The post Parasites: Desert plant compounds show activity against Giardia, Naegleria appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A sixth case of Vibrio involving a Mobile County resident has been reported to the Mobile County Health Department. The individual was off-shore — not in Gulf Coastal waters — when they received an open wound while in water containing the bacteria. The species has been identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This makes six documented cases […]The post Alabama: 6th Vibrio case confirmed in Mobile County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Recent animal tularemia cases in Alaska has prompted officials to warn the public how to avoid the bacterial infection in themselves and their pets. Two domestic cats infected with tularemia died recently in the North Pole area and reports of sick snowshoe hares around Fairbanks and in the Matanuska Valley suggest outbreaks may be on the […]The post Tularemia kills two cats in the North Pole, sickens snowshoe hares around Fairbanks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Diphyllobothrium latum and related species (the fish or broad tapeworm) are the largest known tapeworms that can infect people, can grow up to 35 feet long. In the latest installment of the Parasites 101 series on the podcast, Parasitology teacher and author of Parasites: Tales of Humanity’s Most Unwelcome Guests, Rosemary Drisdelle joined me to talk about […]The post Diphyllobothrium: The largest known tapeworms that can infect people appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

For the second week in a row, officials in Coconino County, AZ report Yersinia pestis positive fleas discovered in the county. Last week fleas collected in the Red Lake area, approximately five miles northeast of Williams, tested positive for plague. This week, officials confirmed that fleas collected in the Doney Park area, northeast of Flagstaff, have tested […]The post Plague positive fleas detected near Flagstaff appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Cyclosporiasis is a treatable intestinal disease caused by the protozoan Cyclospora. It is transmitted through contaminated food, water or beverages and has an average incubation period of 7 days after ingestion of sporulated oocysts. Since the oocysts take approximately 10 days to mature before they are infective, direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely. Patients present with diarrhea, […]The post UK reports 78 Cyclospora cases so far in 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Texas health officials are working with K-Bar Dairy in Paradise, Texas to recall raw, or unpasteurized, milk due to laboratory evidence that it contains the harmful bacteria, Brucella. A person who drank milk from the Wise County raw milk dairy has been hospitalized for an infection of a strain of Brucella bacteria. The patient’s only known exposure is through the raw milk, […]The post Brucella prompts raw milk recall in Texas appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Plants have been used to produce a new vaccine against poliovirus in what is hoped to be a major step towards global eradication of the disease. A cross-cutting team of scientists, including Dr Johanna Marsian working in Professor George Lomonossoff’s Lab at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, has produced the novel vaccine with a method […]The post Plants have been used to produce a new vaccine against poliovirus appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

60 outbreaks of Hendra have caused the death of seven people and 102 horses to date Reported today in Scientific Reports by researchers from the University of Sydney, University of Melbourne and State University of New York, the study traces how pressures such as expanding human populations, urbanization and forest fragmentation altered the shape and size of […]The post Hendra virus: Expanding human populations on fruit bat habitats raises exposure risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the chickenpox outbreak among football players at San Diego State University, local media reports say that two additional players have been infected and yesterday’s practice was cancelled in an effort to get the situation under control. San Diego Union-Tribune sportswriter, Kirk Kenney tweeted yesterday–Cases of chickenpox with @Aztec_Football players has increased […]The post SDSU football: Chickenpox affects 5 players, Practice cancelled appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in South Africa are reporting a diphtheria outbreak that has affected four people, including one fatality, according to a local media report today. The four cases were reported in Helderberg in the Western Cape. The patients include a mother and two children and a neighbor. It is not […]The post South Africa: Diphtheria outbreak in Western Cape appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new article published by JAMA Neurology reports on a study of hospitalized adult patients with new-onset neurologic syndromes who were evaluated for Zika virus infection. The single-center study of 40 patients, include 29 with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), seven with encephalitis, three with transverse myelitis and one with newly diagnosed chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Of those 40 […]The post Neurological complications associated with Zika virus in adults in Brazil appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the malaria outbreak in Burundi, the World Health Organization (WHO) says the situation has shown marked improvement in the last weeks, though the overall situation remains serious. While improvement is noted, officials say even with a declining in cases in recent weeks, the number of cases are still much higher than last […]The post Malaria situation in Burundi shows improvement, still serious appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University’s Mailman School today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the CII-ArboViroPlex rRT-PCR Test, the first multiplex assay that simultaneously tests for the presence of Zika virus, all serotypes of dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and […]The post Four mosquito-borne virus assay gets FDA Emergency Use Authorization appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A national survey of parents, teens and healthcare providers (HCPs), sponsored by the non-profit Unity Consortium reveals a vast majority of parents and teens believe it is important for all teens to be vaccinated. However, in reality teen vaccination rates are far lower than where they should be. For instance, less than 50% of male teens and 65% […]The post Vaccines survey: A quarter of parents think vaccines not so important for teens appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The total number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen this year hit the half a million mark on Sunday, and nearly 2000 people have died since the outbreak began to spread rapidly at the end of April. From Apr. 27 through Aug. 13, 503,484 suspected cases have been reported, including 1,975 deaths. The overall caseload […]The post Yemen still reporting about 5000 cholera cases a day appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in the South Pacific archipelago of Fiji have reported more than 2200 dengue fever cases during the first half of 2017, according to local media. “During the last six months of this year there were 2,217 laboratory confirmed cases of dengue fever in Fiji and tragically six deaths that were attributed to this […]The post Fiji reports 2200 dengue cases in 1st six months of 2017, Australia invests millions to battle mosquito borne diseases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

At least three players with the San Diego State University (SDSU) football team have contracted the contagious viral infection, chickenpox and fears are that more may be infected. According to a report in The Score, Offensive lineman Ryan Pope and linebackers Tyler Morris and Temerick Harper have contracted the usually benign childhood disease. “I’m afraid that it might […]The post Chickenpox strikes the San Diego State football team appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the cholera epidemic in Yemen, health officials put the number of cases near a half million cases in less than four months, according to the World Health Organization country office in Yemen. More than 494,000 suspected cholera cases and 1966 associated deaths have been reported in 22 governorates and 298 districts […]The post Yemen: Cholera epidemic nears a half million cases since April appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Uganda Ministry of Health has reported a measles outbreak in the districts of Kampala and Wakiso, according to Prof. Anthony Mbonye, acting Director of Health Services. All the 5 divisions of Kampala, as well as several suburbs in Wakiso District, are affected. To date, 67 measles cases have been identified by surveillance and of this total, seven cases […]The post Measles outbreak reported in Uganda districts appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Industry is recalling various raspberry mousse cakes from the marketplace due to norovirus. Consumers should not consume and retailers, hotels, restaurants and institutions should not sell, or serve the recalled products described below. Retailers, hotels, restaurants and institutions are advised to check the labels of raspberry mousse cakes or check with their supplier to determine […]The post Norovirus prompts recall of Raspberry mousse cakes in Quebec appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and four Local Health Departments are investigating at least seven cases of salmonellosis affecting people in four Wisconsin counties. All seven of the patients consumed fresh shelled peas purchased at farmers markets. Shelled peas are loose, no longer in their […]The post Wisconsin salmonella cases linked to fresh shelled peas appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The New York City Health Department reported on the first confirmed human West Nile virus (WNV) of 2017. The patient is less than 50 years of age with underlying medical conditions and is in serious condition at a Manhattan hospital. The West Nile virus was first detected in New York City 18 years ago. Since 1999, […]The post First human West Nile virus case reported in New York City appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Just a few weeks after Apache County health officials reported fleas from prairie dogs burrows tested positive for Yersinia pestis, the agent of plague, Navajo County Public Health (NCHD) officials have confirmed that fleas collected in the Taylor area have tested positive for plague. NCHD have notified the residents and the burrows, which are located on private property, […]The post Arizona: Plague positive fleas collected in Navajo County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Monday, the Uganda Ministry of Health received a report of a suspect viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) death in Luwero district. The case, a 20-year old female presented with a high fever, dizziness and blood secretion from her ears and mouth. In addition, three other female patients have been admitted to Bishop Asili Hospital and are observation, according […]The post Uganda issues viral hemorrhagic fever alert appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Case count down After reporting more than 200,000 dengue fever cases in each of the last two years, some great news is being reported by Philippine public health officials. During the first six months of 2017, officials report a total of 43,770 dengue cases nationwide. This number is 36.8 percent lower (25,527) compared to the same time […]The post Dengue in the Philippines: Cases down 37%, Testing to be available at the malls appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A study, originally published in January in the journal, PLoS One, looked at the differences in geographical distribution of Lyme disease. Researchers suggests that under environmentally-realistic conditions, southern environments exert greater mortality pressure on ticks than is experienced by northern ticks, because of the increased desiccation stress under the warmer southern conditions. See New York from the water […]The post A look at the differences in geographical distribution of Lyme disease appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than 400 norovirus cases have been reported in Ohio and the outbreak is being linked to Mama C’s Donuts in Maumee, according to a Toledo Blade report. Toledo-Lucas County Health Department officials said that cases of the virus linked to food eaten at the restaurant has climbed to nearly 400 while 27 people fell ill by […]The post Ohio: Norovirus sickened hundreds, linked to Maumee donut shop appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Additional cases of type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2) have been reported recently in both Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) this week. Syria Three new cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) were officially confirmed at WHO headquarters in the past week, bringing the […]The post Polio update: More cVDPV2 reported in Syria, DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers and health care professionals not to use any liquid drug or dietary supplement products manufactured by PharmaTech LLC of Davie, Florida, and labeled by Rugby Laboratories, Major Pharmaceuticals and Leader Brands, due to potential contamination with the bacteria Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) and the risk for severe patient infection. […]The post Burkholderia cepacia risk prompts recall of several drugs, dietary supplements appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Thirty-two more people have been sickened by Salmonella in an update on the multistate outbreak of Salmonella Kiambu and Salmonella Thompson infections linked to Maradol papayas from the Carica de Campeche farm in Mexico. This brings the outbreak total to 141 cases [Salmonella Kiambu (51) or Salmonella Thompson (90)] from 19 states (Illinois, Ohio, and Texas are new states affected). 47 percent of the […]The post Illinois, Ohio, and Texas now report Salmonella infections linked to papayas appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the human infections with novel influenza A viruses found in Ohio, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported three additional cases in the past week. Three persons, all attendees at the same agricultural fair, were infected with influenza A (H3N2) variant (H3N2v) viruses. All three patients were children younger than […]The post Ohio sees more H3N2v cases linked to pig exposure appeared first on Outbreak News Today.