Outbreak News Today

Officials with the Colorado Department of Health & Environment (CDHE) have reported a significant rise in hepatitis A cases statewide in 2017, particularly in men who have sex with men (MSM). Through July 21, officials report 49 cases year-to-date, more than the total from all of 2015 (24) and 2016 (23). The breakdown by county is […]The post Colorado experiencing hepatitis A outbreak, already double last year’s total appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new study from India raises questions about the dangers to human health of farming chicken with growth-promoting antibiotics–including some of the same drugs used in raising millions of chickens in the United States and worldwide. The study, led by researchers from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) and published today in Environmental […]The post High levels of antibiotic-resistance in Indian poultry farming raises concerns appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer said, “The great tragedy is that this cholera outbreak is a preventable, man-made humanitarian catastrophe. “It is a direct consequence of a conflict that has devastated civilian infrastructure and brought the whole health system to its knees. “I find this needless suffering absolutely infuriating. The world is […]The post Cholera outbreak expected to double in Yemen: One in every 45 Yemenis will be affected appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel notice for Sri Lanka in light the current dengue epidemic. The Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka has reported 103,114 suspected dengue cases and more than 250 deaths since the beginning of the year. Public health officials are responding by increasing mosquito control efforts […]The post CDC issues travel notice for Sri Lanka because of dengue outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A 10-year-old Venezuelan boy who was hospitalized at the Santo Antônio Children’s Hospital suspected of having pharyngotonsillar diphtheria died Tuesday morning, according to a Globo.com report (computer translated). He had been hospitalized since July 12 in an isolation ward at the Santo Antônio Children’s Hospital in Boa Vista. In a statement, the City of Boa Vista reported […]The post Brazil: Venezuelan child dies from suspected diphtheria appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Hong Kong reported the cause of a local case of Japanese encephalitis (JE) affecting a male patient who stayed in Grantham Hospital in the entire incubation period–a blood transfusion given while hospitalized. The patient aged 52 was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital on May 10 for organ transplant for his underlying illness. He […]The post Blood transfusion transmitted Japanese encephalitis confirmed in Hong Kong appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says “Hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver. The liver is a vital organ that processes nutrients, filters the blood, and fights infections. When the liver is inflamed or damaged, its function can be affected. Heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and certain medical conditions can cause hepatitis. […]The post Talking Hepatitis A with Dr Amesh Adalja appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hawaii state health officials reported an additional 18 confirmed mumps cases, bringing the total to 172 in 2017 to date. Twelve of the cases are from Oahu, four are from Kauai and two are from Hawaii Island. Nine of the new cases of individuals are adults. Of the 172 total, the majority of the confirmed cases […]The post Hawaii mumps outbreak rises by an additional 18 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health is reminding the community to prevent mosquito bites with 19 human cases of West Nile virus infection reported this season, including one death. The individual who died was an older adult who also suffered from additional health issues. Sadly, older adults are most at risk for serious complications of West […]The post Arizona: West Nile virus death reported in Maricopa County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

For the third year in a row, the United Kingdom is reporting an increase in the parasitic infection, cyclosporiasis since May, according to a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report Friday. Since the beginning of the year, the UK has seen 58 cases, with at least more than half linked to overseas travel. Like […]The post Cyclospora increase reported in the UK, Many linked to Mexico travel appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since the Haiti cholera outbreak began in October 2010, months after the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, more than 800,000 cases have been reported, including about 9500 deaths. Although the numbers have decreased dramatically over the years, the island nation still sees thousands of cases annually. Today, cholera outbreaks are reported in Kenya, Nigeria, the DRC , […]The post Cholera: The disease, the Yemen crisis and the vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Illinois health officials confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) in the state for 2017. The Will County resident in his 60s became ill at the end of June. “This is typically the time of year we start to see human cases of West Nile virus in Illinois,” said Illinois Department of Public Health […]The post West Nile virus reported in Will County: 1st Illinois case this year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Through July 19, the number of cholera cases reported in Yemen has reached 368,207 suspected cases, including 1,828 deaths since Apr. 27. According to the humanitarian organization, Oxfam, the number of people with cholera in Yemen is now the largest ever in any country in a single year since records began, topping the previous annual record of […]The post Yemen cholera outbreak is now the largest ever in any country in a single year: Oxfam appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Prior to 2013, the last human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in Canada was in Manitoba nearly 90 years ago. However, experts at the University of Alberta (UAlberta) say four cases have been reported in the past four years prompting UAlberta infectious diseases expert, Stan Houston to say, “This is significant enough to warrant a watchful eye on […]The post Echinococcus cases in Alberta: ‘This is significant enough to warrant a watchful eye on the problem’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on a report Thursday concerning a salmonella investigation in Maryland, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and public health and regulatory officials in several states announced the investigation into a multistate Salmonella Kiambu outbreak likely linked to yellow Maradol papayas. As of Friday, 47 people infected with the outbreak […]The post Salmonella outbreak linked to Yellow Maradol Papayas, One dead in NYC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to a report last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel notice to medical tourists to the Dominican Republic. Serious infections with bacteria—called nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)—recently have been reported in US residents who had cosmetic surgery on the island. Most, but not all, of these people had surgery […]The post Medical tourism: CDC recommends that people do not have surgical procedures at the CIPLA clinic in the Dominican Republic appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health director for the Apache County (AZ) Health Department said in a news release Wednesday that fleas from prairie dogs burrows have been confirmed positive for the bacterium, Yersinia pestis, the agent of plague. The burrows are located in Old Concho on the south side of Highway 61. The die-off occurred earlier in the month. Sexton […]The post Plague bacteria detected in prairie dogs burrows in Apache County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Sri Lanka’s dengue epidemic has gone over the 100,000 cases mark with the health ministry putting the tally at 101,698 as of today. This is more than 4-times higher than the average number of cases for the same period between 2010 and 2016. Approximately 43% of the dengue fever cases were reported from the Western Province and […]The post Sri Lanka: Dengue cases top 100,000 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention (KEELPNO) reported a human West Nile virus (WNV) case in an individual who lives in an agricultural area in Argolida, Peloponnese. This is the first human WNV case in Greece in two years. Health officials advise people living and visiting Greece should take precautions to avoid being bitten by […]The post Greece health officials report human West Nile virus case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the cholera situation in Kenya (HERE and HERE), the World Health Organization (WHO) reports a total of 1216 suspected cases including 14 deaths (case fatality rate: 1.2%) have been reported since 1 January 2017. The cholera outbreak has appeared in Kenya in two waves. The first cholera outbreak reported in 2017 was […]The post Kenya cholera update: Over 1200 cases reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with SA Health in Australia are reporting five cases of cryptosporidiosis linked to the consumption of Moo View Dairy’s unpasteurized cow’s milk prompting a recall and a health warning. Kevin Buckett, Director of Public Health at SA Health said they’ve seen some recent cases of people getting sick from raw milk. ” I wanted to […]The post Crypto infections linked to raw milk in South Australia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced testing at the State Hygienic Laboratory (SHL) has confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus disease in Iowa in 2017. A middle age (41-60 years) Ida County male tested positive for the virus. He was not hospitalized, and is recovering. In addition, surveillance has […]The post Iowa: Ida County man is state’s 1st West Nile virus case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Vietnam has seen in excess of 50,000 dengue fever cases in 2017 to date, including 15 deaths and the capital city of Hanoi has been struck hard in recent weeks by the mosquito borne viral disease, according the Strait Times. The report notes that in just the past week, 1,100 cases have been reported, citing […]The post Dengue in Hanoi, Vietnam: 1100 cases reported last week appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak linked to the Guest House at Graceland, Shelby County health officials put the case count at nine. Officials request that individuals who visited the Guest House at Graceland, located at 3600 Elvis Presley Blvd., between May 15 and June 26, 2017 and have experienced any of the signs […]The post Legionnaires’ disease linked to Graceland: 9 confirmed cases, Aquatics facilities reopen appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lyme disease is a tickborne disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi in which antibiotics are the standard treatment. However, this type of treatment is not always effective and relapses occur. Researchers in Connecticut have been studying the use of Stevia for the treatment of Lyme disease as an alternative to routine antibiotics. Professor and Department […]The post Lyme disease, Stevia and the quest for better treatments appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

As the number of dengue fever cases in Sri Lanka barrels toward 100,000 cases in 2017 to date, the country will be getting help in the battle against the potentially deadly mosquito borne viral disease from Australia. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop said she joined Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Karunanayake to announce the […]The post Australia to assist Sri Lanka in dengue battle appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Maryland Department of Health is warning consumers to avoid eating Caribeña’s yellow, Maradol papayas because of potential contamination with Salmonella bacteria. Yellow, Caribeña-brand Maradol papayas have been distributed to stores throughout Maryland. Consumers are encouraged to check their papayas and throw them away, if they match the brand and type. The department’s Laboratories Administration tested five yellow […]The post Papayas: Salmonella potential prompts health warning in Maryland appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

For the first time since the March-April outbreak, officials with New South Wales Health (NSW Health) have issued a measles alert in the Sydney CBD and Leichhardt after confirming an imported case in an infected tourist. The young adult international traveler probably caught the infection in their home country and first developed symptoms in Melbourne on […]The post Australia: Measles alert issued for Sydney appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The center of a public health debate is whether parents should have their children vaccinated. Tara Smith, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at Kent State University’s College of Public Health, challenges statements made by influential individuals who oppose the widespread use of vaccines, and she calls upon her colleagues in the scientific community to speak out […]The post Vaccines: Epidemiology professor tackles anti-vaccination statements appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A panel of leading clinicians and researchers across various general and specialty pediatric fields developed comprehensive treatment recommendations to help guide the management of youngsters with a broad spectrum of neuropsychiatric conditions defined by the terms Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and PAN Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS). The treatment recommendations, focusing mainly […]The post PANDAS: New treatment recommendations published appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Federal and Alabama agriculture officials announced Tuesday an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), a neurologic disease of cattle, in an eleven-year old cow in Alabama. This animal never entered slaughter channels and at no time presented a risk to the food supply, or to human health in the United States. This is the nation’s 5th detection […]The post Alabama cow is the 5th Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy case in the US appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is investigating a confirmed case of wound botulism in a 48-year-old man from Doña Ana County. The patient is an injection drug user and the suspected source of infection is either a soiled skin injection site, contaminated injection devices or contaminated heroin. The man is currently hospitalized. In […]The post Wound botulism confirmed in Doña Ana County man appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in New Hampshire are investigating an individual that recently visited New Hampshire was subsequently found to be infected with the measles virus. This person traveled to Hampton Beach while considered infectious from approximately noon until 6pm on July 9, 2017 and spent time on the beach as well as at several locations on Ocean […]The post New Hampshire officials investigate measles case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

With the peak summer travel season under way, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reminding travelers to Europe and other global destinations to take steps to protect themselves against measles amid outbreaks of the disease. More than 14,000 cases of measles have been reported in Europe since January 2016, according to the […]The post Measles in Europe: CDC reminds travelers about vaccination appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Two weeks ago I interviewed health law professor at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, Katherine Drabiak, JD on an article she wrote, “Caveat Emptor: How the Intersection of Big Data and Consumer Genomics Exponentially Increases Informational Privacy Risks” published in Health Matrix: Journal of Law-Medicine that discusses consent and privacy policies of which consumers should be aware with […]The post 23andMe responds to my interview with Prof. Katherine Drabiak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Garden of Light, Inc. dba Gluten Free Solutions of East Hartford, CT, is voluntarily recalling the Woodstock Organic Matcha Vanilla Oats, 1.8 oz. which is manufactured by Garden of Light for Blue Marble Brands. The product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in […]The post Woodstock Organic Matcha Vanilla Oats recalled due to potential Listeria contamination appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to a report last week concerning a Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreak linked to raw oyster consumption in Seattle, Washington, Public Health — Seattle & King County officials say as many as 25 people may have become ill since early June. The health department investigation is looking at multiple reports of persons ill with watery diarrhea, abdominal […]The post Vibriosis outbreak in Seattle: Up to 25 people may have become ill appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type-2 (cVDPV2) outbreak in Syria, UN health officials report four additional cases this week, bringing the total to 27. Mayadeen district in Deir Ez-Zor governorate has seen 26 confirmed cases while 1 case has been confirmed from Tell Abyad district, Raqqa governorate. Monovalent type-2 oral polio vaccine (mOPV2) reached […]The post Syria polio (cVDPV2) outbreak rises to 27 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Visiting Scientist at the University of Guelph, Jason “The Germ Guy” Tetro, joined me to discuss mumps and the reasons it has made a comeback. Jason gives a thorough talk on mumps and talks about why mumps has seen a resurgence, as he explains in his recent article in Huffington Post Canada, “The trouble wasn’t due to the vaccine. […]The post Mumps: Why it’s seen a resurgence appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than 20 additional Candida auris (also called C. auris) cases have been reported in the US in the past two months since our last update in May. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Friday, the clinical case tally is now at 98 from nine states–New York (68), New Jersey (20), Illinois (4) and one […]The post Candida auris case tally nears 100 in the US appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

You can lead a doctor to disinfection, but how do you get them to clean…or wipe ….or swab a stethoscope? That’s the question raised by a new quality improvement project published in the July issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). It is […]The post Infection control: Stethoscope hygiene failures can lead to patient infections appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new test is the best-to-date in differentiating Zika virus infections from infections caused by similar viruses. The antibody-based assay, developed by researchers at UC Berkeley and Humabs BioMed, a private biotechnology company, is a simple, cost-effective way to determine if a person’s infection is from the Zika virus or another virus of the same […]The post New assay detects and differentiates Zika virus infections from dengue appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to a new report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report finds that as of 2015, 30.3 million Americans – 9.4 percent of the U.S. population –have diabetes. Another 84.1 million have prediabetes, a condition that if […]The post Diabetes: Nearly 10 percent of Americans have the serious disease appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) has confirmed the first human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) disease for the season. Additionally, three birds from Grand Forks County have tested positive for WNV. To help avoid contracting the virus, state and local health officials urge people to protect themselves from mosquito bites The two […]The post North Dakota reports West Nile virus cases in LaMoure and Barnes counties appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Vosevi to treat adults with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1-6 without cirrhosis (liver disease) or with mild cirrhosis. Vosevi is a fixed-dose, combination tablet containing two previously approved drugs – sofosbuvir and velpatasvir – and a new drug, voxilaprevir. Vosevi is the first treatment approved for patients who have been […]The post Hepatitis C drug, Vosevi, receives FDA nod appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Myanmar has seen 10,101 dengue fever cases, including 54 deaths during the first six months of 2017, according to an Eleven Myanmar report. The country’s largest city, Yangon has reported more than 2800 cases and 18 deaths. The country has experienced a year-on-year increase in dengue infection rates. An average of more than 10,000 people are infected […]The post Myanmar reports more than 10,000 dengue cases in first six months appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) reported Monday the first West Nile Virus-associated death of the 2017 season. The death involved a senior adult with underlying medical conditions. Last year, TCPH reported two associated deaths for the season. West Nile Virus can affect anyone, although people age 50 and older run a higher risk of […]The post Tarrant County reports 1st West Nile virus death of 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In this Aug. 2013 interview following a correspondence published in the journal, Nature, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Columbia University and founder of Virology Blog, Vincent Racaniello, PhD explains what gain-of function experiments are and went on to make his case of why he was for doing it. I also introduced some of the arguments against performing these experiments […]The post Gain-of-function experiments appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) reported today that it was an outbreak of measles that hospitalized more than 100 kids, killing nine in Tripura Para, Sitakunda, according to the Dhaka Tribune. Prof Abul Kalam Azad, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services said a five-member rapid response team of IEDCR, led by its […]The post Bangladesh: Measles sickens 100 children, kills nine in Sitakunda appeared first on Outbreak News Today.