Outbreak News Today

While the incidences of many other infectious diseases have declined over the past decade, the number of cases and outbreaks of dengue virus have continued to increase. The spread of dengue to new areas is likely due in large part to trends in air travel, researchers now report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Dengue virus affects […]The post Dengue: Air travel linked to spread in Asia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Pennsylvania Lyme Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Wolf reminded residents Thursday they can take steps to prevent mosquito and tick bites, highlighting the increase of Lyme disease cases in Pennsylvania over the past two years. According to the 2016 Lyme disease data, more than 2,000 more cases of Lyme disease were reported in 2016 than in 2015. The […]The post Lyme disease news: Pennsylvania Lyme, New additions to Global Lyme Diagnostics Scientific Advisory Board appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have developed a mouse model to study Zika virus transmitted sexually from males to females, as well as vertically from a pregnant female to her fetus. They are using the model to study how and when the virus is spread, including how the virus crosses the placenta, as well […]The post NIH scientists track Zika virus transmission in mice appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of cyclosporiasis cases reported in Texas this year-to-date has eclipsed the total cases reported in 2016, according Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) data Aug. 1. To date, 160 cases have been reported. There were 148 cases of cyclosporiasis in Texas reported last year. Harris and Bexar counties have reported the most cases […]The post Texas cyclospora cases top 2016 numbers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

While mosquitoes and horses in North Idaho have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) in the past, health officials have never reported a local transmission case in a human–until now. The Panhandle Health District has confirmed a human case of West Nile virus in North Idaho. A Kootenai County resident over the age of 50 […]The post Idaho: 1st ever locally transmitted West Nile virus case reported in Kootenai County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NSW Health is urging the community to wash their hands and stay at home if affected by gastroenteritis, following an increase in viral gastroenteritis notifications and emergency department presentations in hospitals across the state. More than 1,900 people attended NSW emergency departments with gastroenteritis in the past week, a 34 per cent increase on the […]The post Australia: Viral gastroenteritis surge reported in NSW appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Microbes that live in the gut don’t just digest food. They also have far-reaching effects on the immune system. Now, a new study shows that a particular gut microbe can prevent severe flu infections in mice, likely by breaking down naturally occurring compounds — called flavonoids — commonly found in foods such as black tea, […]The post Gut microbe prevents severe flu infections in mice: Research appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Mavyret (glecaprevir and pibrentasvir)to treat adults with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1-6 without cirrhosis (liver disease) or with mild cirrhosis, including patients with moderate to severe kidney disease and those who are on dialysis. Mavyret is also approved for adult patients with HCV genotype 1 infection who have been […]The post AbbVie’s Mavyret receives FDA approval for treatment of hepatitis C appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The cholera outbreak in Yemen continues as health officials reported some 33,000 cases last week. From 27 April to 1 August 2017, 443,166 suspected cholera cases and 1,921 deaths (CFR: 0.4%) have been reported in 95.6% (22/23) of Yemen governorates, and 89.2% (297/333) of the districts, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Poor sanitation […]The post Yemen: It’s not just cholera, officials monitoring meningitis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Zika virus is still a risk in New York City and city health officials remind the public to travel with caution. Through July 28, the NYC Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene has reported 100 travel associated Zika virus cases. Broken down by borough it’s as follows: Bronx (31), Brooklyn (22), Manhattan (29), Queens (17) and […]The post NYC reports 100 travel associated Zika cases in 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Botulinum toxins are currently used on more than 80 medical conditions including Muscle spasms, Overactive bladder, Chronic migraine, Cervical dystonia, Sweating and Cerebral Palsy (CP). The new toxin, Botulinum neurotoxin type X (BoNT/X), has the potential to open up a new field of toxin therapeutics related to intracellular membrane trafficking and secretion. Since Botulinum neurotoxins […]The post New Botulinum toxin discovered: BoNT/X has the potential to open up a new field of toxin therapeutics appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The modern lifestyle of those in the developed world and it’s emphasis on hyper-cleanliness, is taking a toll on children’s lifelong health–Kids not being exposed to good microbes, the over-use of antibiotics and the like have resulted in rises in asthma, allergies and a lengthy list of other chronic conditions. Coauthor of the book, Let Them […]The post Can kids be too clean? An interview with ‘Let Them Eat Dirt’ coauthor, B. Brett Finlay, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Ebola virus RNA can persist in the semen of survivors more than two years after the onset of infection researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found. The research team, which included investigators from Ohio-based Clinical Research Management and the ELWA Hospital in Liberia also observed the detection of Ebola virus […]The post Ebola virus RNA persists in semen more than 2 years after infection: UNC researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A team of US researchers has discovered that three different species of Klebsiella bacteria can cause life-threatening infections in hospital patients and that all three share genes that confer resistance to the most commonly used antibiotics. The study, published this week in mSphere®, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, improves physicians’ understanding of Klebsiella infections and […]The post Antibiotic resistance: Three Klebsiella species cause life-threatening infections and all three share genes that confer resistance appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Through August 1, Malaysia health authorities have reported 58,327 dengue fever cases, including 131 deaths. Selangor state has reported the most cases, accounting for 55 percent of the country total. Kuala Lumpur has reported more than 5,500 cases. ReGrow Your Hair – New FDA Cleared | Clinically Proven HairMax – Models Starting at $199 Nationally, […]The post Malaysia: Dengue most prevalent infectious disease appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

There are two new confirmed cases of measles in an outbreak affecting the Newport and Torfaen areas, bringing the total number to 12. Among the new cases are people who visited healthcare settings while they were infectious, prompting Public Health Wales to again warn that people with measles symptoms should not go into public waiting […]The post Wales: Two new cases in Gwent measles outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Parasitic meningitis caused by the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is being reported as the cause of death of a 48-year-old Karachi, Pakistan women, according to Pakistani media. According to officials with the Sindh government, the patient had been suffering from extreme headaches, nausea and drowsiness for some days and died within one day of admission. The report does […]The post 4th ‘brain-eating amoeba’ death reported in Karachi appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Florida Department of Health (FLDOH) reported Tuesday on the confirmation of the first sexually transmitted Zika case in 2017. The case was confirmed in Pinellas County. While the individual had no travel, their partner recently traveled to Cuba and was ill with symptoms consistent with Zika. Both tested positive for Zika. The department notified mosquito […]The post Florida: Sexually transmitted Zika infection confirmed in Pinellas County, 1st of 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Just in the past week, I reported on cyclospora outbreaks in Ontario, Canada and Texas and an increase in cases in New York City on this website. Parasitologist and author of the book, Parasites: Tales of Humanity’s Most Unwelcome Guests, Rosemary Drisdelle joined me to discuss Cyclospora in the latest installment of Parasites 101 on […]The post Parasites 101: Cyclospora appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Saliva is no way to pass a Zika virus infection. According to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who conducted studies with monkeys, casual contact like kissing or sharing a fork or spoon is not enough for the virus to move between hosts. Their findings were published today in the journal Nature Communications. Scientists believe that […]The post Zika virus not passed via saliva: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Thousands of patients suffering from invasive fungal infections in intensive-care units or after organ transplantation will benefit from the latest insights into diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, published today in the prestigious journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Fungal infections invading the bloodstream, lungs or other organs can cause prolonged illness and in extreme cases can lead to […]The post Diagnosing and treating invasive fungal infections: New insights published appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today investigating a probable case of botulism after receiving injections of botulinum toxin locally, and again urged the public that such injections should only be prescribed and performed by registered doctors. The female patient, aged 33 with underlying illness, has […]The post Suspected iatrogenic botulism case investigated in Hong Kong appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On July 28th the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection received notice of two confirmed cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Both affected horses were yearling fillies owned by the same owner residing in Monroe County. It was reported that both fillies were vaccinated in November 2016 and again in December 2016 but […]The post Wisconsin reports first Eastern Equine Encephalitis cases in Monroe County horses appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health authorities in Chile are reporting a suspect leprosy case in a Haitian citizen living in the city of Valdivia in the southern part of the country, according to a Biobiochile report (computer translated). Minister of Health, Carmen Castillo said the patient, a 28-year-old individual, is a “suspected case” of leprosy and that treatment was initiated […]The post Chile reports suspected leprosy case in Valdivia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to the hepatitis A outbreak in Portugal this year, 402 cases have been confirmed since the beginning of the year, according to local media (computer translated). The majority of cases occurred in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley regions. This is up from 322 cases one month ago. According to the latest DGS data, […]The post Portugal hepatitis A outbreak tops 400 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In 1980, 890 cases of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) were reported and nine out of 10 cases were associated with menstruation and linked to the use of higher absorbency tampons. Today, TSS is relatively rare, but but serious clinical syndrome typically caused by bacterial infection due to Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes. Toxic shock progresses quickly. Its […]The post The story behind the Toxic Shock Syndrome outbreak investigation of the late 70s-early 80s appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

With the flooding from Typhoon Gorio over the weekend, the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) issued a waterborne diseases advisory for the following–typhoid fever, cholera, leptospirosis, and hepatitis A. Typhoid fever is an infectious disease which is also known as enteric fever or just typhoid. It is caused by bacteria known as Salmonella typhi. It spreads […]The post Philippines: Typhoons prompt advisory over typhoid, cholera, leptospirosis and hepatitis A appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to a report on a diarrhea outbreak in Misamis Oriental, Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) noted the clustering of Cholera cases in the Municipality of Medina. The Regional Epidemiology Surveillance and Disaster Response Unit X (RESDRU X) of the DOH Regional Office No. X conducted initial investigation. 557 suspect cases were identified in […]The post Cholera cluster reported in Misamis Oriental, Philippines appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

U.S. Reps. John Katko (NY-24) and Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) last week announced bipartisan legislation to increase tick-borne illness prevention and improve public health efforts in states like New York with high rates of tick-borne diseases. “With steady increases in cases of tick-borne illnesses, like Lyme disease and Powassan, in Central and Upstate New York, it is critical […]The post Lyme disease: Syracuse’s Rep. John Katko introduces The Tick Identification Pilot Program Act of 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo’s Biomedical Science Institute (ICB-USP) in Brazil have discovered a new virus in a migratory bird species. This is such a rare find that it can be considered a stroke of luck, especially because the virus in question is avian paramyxovirus 15, which belongs to the same family as […]The post Brazil: New virus, avian paramyxovirus 15, discovered in migratory bird appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The outbreak of H1N1 influenza in Myanmar, that began more than one week ago, has resulted in at least 10 fatalities, according to a Reuters report Monday. The situation has got so bad that Myanmar health authorities asked the World Health Organization for help to combat a deadly outbreak of swine flu last week. “We have […]The post Myanmar: H1N1 influenza death toll now 10 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Kingdom of Tonga in the Pacific Ocean may be small in population, but it is kicking big goals in public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated that the country has eliminated lymphatic filariasis — also known as elephantiasis — as a public health problem. Lymphatic filariasis is a mosquito-borne disease that damages […]The post Tonga eliminates lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The vaccine-preventable disease was reportedly eradicated in Venezuela decades ago; however, it saw a reemergence in 2016 with 324 cases. According to a Reuters report this weekend, Venezuela notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of around 123 cases of suspected diphtheria between January and mid-June, bringing the total number of suspected cases in the past year […]The post Diphtheria cases continue spread in Venezuela appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Antibiotics are lifesaving drugs, but overuse is leading to one of the world’s most pressing health threats: antibiotic resistance. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are developing a tool to help physicians prescribe antibiotics to patients who really need them, and avoid giving them to individuals who don’t. Scientists from the University’s National […]The post New tool to distinguish between viral, bacterial infections developed by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to a CDC report from April, stocks of the only yellow fever vaccine licensed in the United States have been depleted, prompting the Food and Drug Administration to allow the use of an unlicensed yellow fever vaccine. Last Monday, Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of YF-VAX said their stock of the vaccine is totally depleted and will be unavailable […]The post Yellow fever vaccine, YF-VAX, out-of-stock: FDA to allow use of Stamaril appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In the month of July, Sri Lankan health authorities have reported more than 27,000 dengue fever cases, almost triple the number of cases reported in July 2016 (10,715) bringing the 2017 year-to-date total to 114,215, including more than 300 deaths. In addition to the Colombo area, Gampaha has also reported greater than 20,000 cases. Approximately 45.04% of dengue […]The post Sri Lanka dengue update: More than 20,000 cases in Gampaha appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

At the request of veterinarians and the public, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health placed canine influenza back on its official list of reportable diseases; it was previously removed in 2016. Reportable diseases are those with the potential to negatively impact Minnesota’s domestic species. These diseases pose a significant risk to the animal, and in […]The post Minnesota to start tracking canine influenza cases again appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in New York City are reporting an increase in newly reported cases of chronic hepatitis B, while at the same time, newly reported chronic hepatitis C cases dropped slightly. From 2015 to 2016, there was a 9.4 percent increase in newly reported hepatitis B cases; the rise is likely due to screenings targeted […]The post Hepatitis B increases reported in NYC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Epidemiologist with the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ryan Maddox, PhD, joined me to discuss Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and other human and animal prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). This interview was originally recorded on the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show on Mar. 8, 2015. Get the […]The post Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and other prion diseases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health Canada issued a travel notice Thursday for travelers going to Europe in light of the current measles outbreak. The following European countries have reported cases of measles in 2017: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Measles is a highly contagious […]The post Health Canada advises travelers to Europe about measles appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of cases in the Cyclospora outbreak in British Columbia and Ontario has nearly doubled since the last report two weeks ago. Since July 14, 47 additional cases were reported. A total of 104 cases have been reported in two provinces: British Columbia (6) and Ontario (98). The source of the outbreak has not been identified. To […]The post Canada cyclospora outbreak tops 100 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The City of Lubbock Health Department has seen an increase in reports of recreational water illnesses (RWIs) including Cryptosporidium (Crypto). RWIs are caused by germs spread by swallowing or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, water play areas, and natural bodies of water such as lakes. RWIs account for a wide variety of […]The post Texas: Lubbock reports increase in ‘Crypto’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Seattle and King County are investigating a salmonellosis outbreak caused by Salmonella Stanley, an uncommon strain of Salmonella bacteria. Six persons infected with Salmonella Stanley were reported to Public Health during July 17–July 24. On July 26-27, genetic fingerprinting results for four of the six cases became available, and all had the same genetic fingerprint, suggesting that they have some […]The post Outbreak: Rare salmonella strain investigated in King County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Some 20+ employees at Winchester Hospital in Massachusetts have shown symptoms of possible scabies infestation after a recent admission of a patient who likely was infested, according to hospital officials. In a letter to patients, Richard Weiner, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs writes: On Wednesday, July 26, we discovered that a patient who was recently admitted […]The post Possible scabies outbreak at Massachusetts hospital appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Two articles have been published in recent days on the website, America’s Last Line of Defense, which made claims that Christian actor and filmmaker, Kirk Cameron had leprosy, prompting questions to the validity. The first article states that Cameron has a mutated form of leprosy ( leprosis metapupalis carnivore) that is so rare, less than one in 600 […]The post Kirk Cameron DOES NOT have leprosy appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Less than two weeks after issuing a health advisory, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is reporting 145 cases of infection with the parasite, Cyclospora. Counties hardest hit include Harris (35), Bexar (21) and Tarrant (14). Long-lasting illnesses caused by the parasite, with symptoms like watery diarrhea, loss of appetite and fatigue, have […]The post Texas cyclospora cases double in two weeks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Ministry of Health of Somalia has reported 1068 acute watery diarrhea (AWD)/cholera cases and 3 deaths for week 28 (10 – 16 July 2017) with a case-fatality rate of 0.3%. Of these, the highest number of cases (286/27%) was reported in Middle Shebelle region, followed by Mudug, Sool and Banadir. The cumulative number of […]The post Somalia: Cholera cases rise by 1000 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the San Diego County, CA hepatitis A outbreak, health officials report the outbreak has grown to 275 cases and eight deaths. Seventy percent of the cases required hospitalization and all eight people had underlying medical conditions at the time of their death. People who are either homeless or using illicit drugs […]The post Hepatitis A: More deaths reported in San Diego appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A horse in Benton County tested positive for rabies on July 24. The attending veterinarian initially examined the horse on July 18 and reported it was recumbent, but able to stand with assistance. Additional clinical signs included facial spasms, low grade fever and incoordination. The horse was reportedly eating and drinking normally. The owner elected […]The post Rabies: Minnesota horse tests positive appeared first on Outbreak News Today.