Outbreak News Today

The incidence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has been steadily increasing across the countries of the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) with 21 081 cases reported in the EU/EEA over the last decade. According to data published by ECDC, the number of confirmed HEV cases has been increasing each year from 514 […]The post Hepatitis E in Europe: 10-fold increase reported from 2005-2015 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

There have been 4 documented cases of Vibrio vulnificus infection in Mobile County, AL in 2017 to date, according to the Mobile County Health Department. Officials note that three of the four cases occurred in Mobile County waters. The first case involved a Mobile County resident who consumed raw oysters in another state in March. […]The post Vibrio vulnificus: Mobile County reports 4th confirmed case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Arkansas has identified its first case of Heartland virus, a relatively new tickborne disease, in an individual living in the northwest part of the state. People become infected with Heartland virus through the bite of the Lone Star tick. Patients are most likely to be diagnosed with Heartland virus from May to September. Heartland virus […]The post Arkansas reports 1st Heartland virus case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), group B strep is the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in a newborn’s first week of life. July is International Group B strep awareness month and retired obstetrician and infectious disease specialist, Dr James A McGregor joined me to discuss a variety of topics related to […]The post July is International Group B Strep Awareness Month appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hydroxychloroquine, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat malaria and certain autoimmune diseases in pregnant women, appears to reduce transmission of Zika virus from pregnant mice to their fetuses, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The drug works by inhibiting autophagy, a process by […]The post Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, protects fetal mice from Zika virus: Study finds appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since the beginning of the year, Kenya has reported 277 visceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar cases, including seven deaths from two counties–Marsabit County in the mid-north of the country and Wajir County in the east of Kenya, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Marsabit County has reported a total of 162 cases and three deaths, coming […]The post Kenya reports nearly 300 kala-azar this year in two counties appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the malaria outbreak in the east African country of Burundi, 4,376,804 cases including 1,996 deaths (case fatality rate 0.05%) have been reported this year through the end of June. It’s been increasing persistently despite ongoing response interventions. During the most recent weekly data available (ending June 25), 173,355 clinical cases of malaria including 102 […]The post Burundi: Malaria outbreak continues unabated appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of dengue fever cases reported in Vietnam has increased by 11.3 percent during the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2016, according to the General Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, Viet Nam. Through June 18, Vietnam has seen 45,074 cases of dengue reported, including thirteen deaths. […]The post Vietnam: Dengue fever cases up 11 percent in 2017 to date appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The New South Wales (NSW) Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is urging horse owners to remain vigilant, following confirmation of Hendra virus infection in an unvaccinated horse near Lismore. NSW Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Christine Middlemiss, said the property near Lismore has been placed under movement restrictions by Local Land Services. “This is the first case […]The post Australia: NSW reports 1st Hendra virus of 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientist and engineer, Sarah Ferrari, who is a member of the Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease, a coalition of subject matter experts and stakeholders formed to promote best practices on Legionnaires’ Disease prevention joined me in the second part of this interview on Legionnaires’ disease and Legionella. LISTEN: Legionnaires’ disease and Legionella, Part One Related: Graceland […]The post Legionnaires’ disease and Legionella, Part Two appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed ten (10) more cases of residents with the mumps, raising the total number of statewide cases this year to 143. Six (6) of the additional cases of individuals are adults and four (4) are Kauai residents. None of the individuals required hospitalization and all are recovering. […]The post Mumps cases on Kauai double to eight appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Investigators have revealed that the Gram-positive, anaerobic bacterium Clostridium difficile is widely distributed in soil samples from children’s and dogs’ sandboxes located within the metropolitan area of Madrid. The researchers also found the presence of genetically diverse strains of C. difficile. The presence of certain strains displaying increased toxin production, and in some cases multidrug resistance, could constitute […]The post C. diff widely found in Madrid sandboxes: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Legionnaires’ disease is caused by the bacterium, Legionella. The bacterium was named after an outbreak in 1976, when many people who went to a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion got sick with pneumonia. In the United States, approximately 5,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease are reported annually. However, Legionnaires’ disease is likely underdiagnosed and the true […]The post Legionnaires’ disease and Legionella, Part One appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) released alarming new data showing that of 77 countries surveyed across the world, more than 60% report resistance to the last-resort treatment for gonorrhea. On the same day, Entasis Therapeutics announced that Zoliflodacin, a novel first-in-class oral antibiotic and one of the only treatments in development to address the rapidly-growing […]The post New treatment for drug-resistant gonorrhea, Zoliflodacin, to enter global Phase 3 clinical trial appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Europe has reported more than 14,000 measles cases since January 2016, including 35 deaths, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). While some 16 EU/EEA countries have reported outbreaks, two countries account for the vast majority of cases–Romania and Italy. In Romania, the total number of confirmed measles cases July 7 is 7,647, including 31 […]The post Romania measles cases up to 7600, Italy reports 2nd measles death appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to the human rabies outbreak in Serian District, Sarawak, Borneo, a fourth child from the district has been admitted to the hospital with suspected rabies. The Star Online reports, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said the hospital was still waiting for test reports to confirm if the child […]The post 4th human rabies case reported in Sarawak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials with the Misamis Oriental Provincial Health Office in Northern Mindanao, Philippines report that a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, or “diarrhea outbreak” was declared in Medina on June 29 has resulted in two fatalities as of yesterday. On July 7, health officials reported some 400 cases, which ballooned to 600 on Saturday. Two adult patients died due to apparent dehydration. […]The post Philippines: Gastrointestinal illness outbreak results in 2 deaths in Misamis Oriental province appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Long before the Zika virus became a global fear, cytomegalovirus, or CMV, was commonly infecting developing fetuses and causing many of the same brain and developmental impairments. The virus, one of only a handful known to be transmitted through the mother’s placenta to a fetus, infects nearly 1 million infants a year worldwide and is […]The post Duke research finding advances a CMV human vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An article published last year in the European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology, an international, peer-reviewed online journal, was the first to demonstrate the presence of Borrelia biofilm in human infected skin tissues making the spirochete resistant to treatment as the allows it to “hide out” from antibiotics. Study lead author and Professor and Department Chair at the Department […]The post Lyme disease: Borrelia biofilm in the body demonstrated appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On July 7, one premise in Pinellas County, Florida was placed under quarantine for clinical signs and positive PCR confirmation of strangles, according to a Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) alert Friday. The index case became clinical in June 30th. One of the five horses on the property were clinical at time of quarantine. This the first […]The post Strangles reported in Pinellas County horse appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A recent discovery by Cornell University researchers could lead to a new, effective treatment for persistent tuberculosis infections. Brian VanderVen, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, along with colleagues at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine have discovered a key metabolic mechanism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacteria, which could lead to new drugs for treating tuberculosis. The findings […]The post Tuberculosis: Cornell discovery could lead to a new, effective treatments appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) reported Friday on the first human West Nile virus (WNV) case on 2017 in a resident from Hilton Head Island. DHEC stresses the importance of paying attention to the most effective ways to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses: Repellents help keep mosquitoes from biting. Apply insect repellent containing DEET, […]The post Hilton Head resident 1st human West Nile virus case in SC in 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Just a day after Mobile County health officials reported three necrotizing fasciitis cases caused by Vibrio vulnificus, Alabama state health authorities issued a warning concerning entering bodies of water if you have cuts or abrasions. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) cautions: Many harmful organisms lurk in lakes, rivers, along the coast, and in other bodies of […]The post Alabama issues Vibrio warning: Don’t enter bodies of water if you have cuts or abrasions appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the dengue fever outbreak in Peru, the National Civil Defense Institute (INDECI) reports the total number of dengue confirmed cases countrywide is 20,930 while 42,297 are reported as probable. Piura is the most affected region with 9,632 confirmed cases and 32,886 un-confirmed (37 deaths confirmed). The Northern coast region (Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, […]The post Peru dengue outbreak: Northern coast region affected by El Niño costero appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Endari (L-glutamine oral powder) for patients age five years and older with sickle cell disease to reduce severe complications associated with the blood disorder. “Endari is the first treatment approved for patients with sickle cell disease in almost 20 years,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., acting director of […]The post Endari approved for treatment of sickle cell disease appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Tom Price, M.D., named Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., as the 17th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). “Today, I am extremely proud and excited to announce Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald as the new Director of the CDC,” said Secretary Price. […]The post Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald named new CDC director appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

State and local health officials continue to investigate an outbreak of hepatitis A cases in the city of Detroit, and Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, and St. Clair counties. From August 1, 2016 to June 26, 2017, there have been nearly 190 cases of confirmed hepatitis A including ten deaths reported to public health authorities in these jurisdictions. […]The post 10 hepatitis A deaths reported in Detroit area in past year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found evidence that the most difficult C. difficile cases, known as multiple recurring C. difficile infections (mrCDI), are rapidly becoming more common. This is documented in a recent study published in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine. Lead author and Professor of Medicine in the Gastroenterology Division […]The post Multiple recurring C. diff infections rising: An interview with Dr James Lewis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Data from 77 countries show that antibiotic resistance is making gonorrhea – a common sexually-transmitted infection – much harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat, according to a World Health Organization report today. “The bacteria that cause gonorrhea are particularly smart. Every time we use a new class of antibiotics to treat the infection, the bacteria […]The post Gonorrhea: Drug resistance growing, ‘May just be the tip of the iceberg’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

For nearly a year between July 2016 and May 2017, Alaska health officials reported two outbreaks of trichinellosis in the Norton Sound region associated with consumption of raw or undercooked walrus meat; five cases were identified in each of the two outbreaks. Walrus meat has been implicated in half of all trichinellosis cases reported in Alaska […]The post Trichinellosis in Alaska: Outbreaks linked to walrus meat appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the botulism outbreak in Ukraine this year, health officials announced (computer translated) Tuesday that 76 botulism cases, including eight fatalities have been reported. Part of the problem in getting the situation under control was the lack of botulism anti-toxin, which the country hasn’t had in stock since 2014. The antitoxin is […]The post Ukraine botulism update: 76 cases this year, anti-toxin received appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An illegal diversion of opioids by a hospital nurse tampering with syringes was responsible for a cluster outbreak of Serratia marcescens, a gram-negative bacteria, according to research published online today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Five patients admitted to five different hospital wards within University Hospital […]The post Serratia marcescens cluster linked to tampered syringes at Wisconsin hospital appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Washington has reported five hantavirus cases in 2017 and the most recent case in Spokane County has resulted in death. Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) said a man in his 50s has died from complications of hantavirus disease, or hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The rare respiratory illness is caused by infection with a hantavirus, usually spread by infected […]The post Spokane reports 1st ever hantavirus case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak linked to The Guest House at Graceland has grown to five cases, the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) tweeted today. Health officials reported the fourth case last week and the fifth case today. The SCHD says if someone who stayed at The Guest House at Graceland May 15-June 26 AND had/has Legionnaires […]The post Graceland Legionnaires outbreak now up to 5 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A recent study published in the Entomological Society of America’s Journal of Medical Entomology demonstrates the duration of attachment of a single nymphal blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) needed for the tick to be likely to transmit the bacterial species Borrelia mayonii, identified in 2016, is 48 hours or more, according to the study. By 72 hours, however, likelihood […]The post Lyme disease: The Borrelia mayonii discovery appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

It was has been called the island nation’s worst dengue fever outbreak ever, Sri Lankan health officials are now reporting in excess of 80,000 cases in 2017 through June. The number of fatalities reported stands at 227. This is significantly more than the 23,000 + cases reported during the same period in 2016 and nearly […]The post Dengue outbreak affects more than 80,000 in Sri Lanka appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Less than a week ago, officials at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that there is a high risk that the cholera epidemic will continue to spread, given the crippled health, water and sanitation sectors; conflict that prevents millions of people from accessing clean water; the onset of the rainy season; […]The post Yemen cholera outbreak now more than 275,000 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Ahead of what is projected to be one of the worst summers for tick-borne diseases in years in Westchester and Rockland Counties, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today urged, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to double-down on efforts to fully implement new laws, passed by Congress last year, that […]The post Powassan and Lyme disease: Chuck Schumer calls for Feds to ‘step up their game’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to a post from Ann C. Bracken, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Clinical Medical Services, Dartmouth College Health Service, a student has been confirmed with mumps. The infected student is in isolation on campus and is receiving medical attention. Student health advise those with concerns personal exposure risk or clinical symptoms contact the College health service, Dick’s House, for […]The post Mumps case confirmed at Dartmouth appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new species of bacteria that causes Lyme disease needs the same amount of time for transmission after a tick bite compared to previously implicated bacteria, according to new research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Existing guidelines for frequent tick checks and prompt removal of attached ticks remain the same. The […]The post Lyme disease: Prompt removal of ticks can help prevent transmission of Borrelia mayonii appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Rabies in Bataan Officials in Bataan province in Central Luzon, Philippines are appealing to dog owners to get their pets vaccinated after three people died after being bitten by rabid dogs. Bataan Governor Abet Garcia has directed the conduct of anti-rabies and vaccination drives down to the barangay, or village level to prevent casualties, according […]The post Philippines: Bataan reports 3 rabies deaths, Dengue down in Baguio appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

23andMe is a popular company that offers genomic analysis for customers using a saliva sample. They offer ancestry testing and health and ancestry testing for 100-200 dollars. My guest for this show, health law professor at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, Katherine Drabiak, JD warns in a new article, “Caveat Emptor: How the Intersection of […]The post 23andMe: USF professor warns of privacy risks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this week, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced this year’s first case of Japanese encephalitis confirmed in Chiayi County. The patient, a 54-year-old female, contracted the virus while in Japan. She had not been vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis. She is currently hospitalized. Thus far this year, as of July 3, 2017, 8 Japanese […]The post Japanese encephalitis cases in Taiwan rise to eight appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists at the University of York have discovered that parasites responsible for leishmaniasis – a globally occurring neglected tropical disease spread by sand flies – are mainly acquired from the skin rather than a person’s blood. Visceral leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that kills 20-40 thousand people each year across 56 countries, mainly in the […]The post Leishmaniasis mainly acquired from the skin rather than blood: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Sindh health ministry confirmed an additional death due to infection with the “brain-eating amoeba”, Naegleria fowleri on Tuesday, according to multiple media accounts. The victim of the lethal amoeba is a 29-year-old teacher from Karachi. This is the third such case in Sindh and second in Karachi in 2017 to date. It is […]The post Karachi: Another ‘brain-eating amoeba’ death reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

People with the movement disorder Parkinson’s disease have a much higher risk of the skin cancer melanoma, and vice versa, a Mayo Clinic study finds. While further research is needed into the connection, physicians treating one disease should be vigilant for signs of the other and counsel those patients about risk, the authors say. The […]The post Melanoma patients have fourfold higher risk of developing Parkinson’s and vice versa appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has been notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that a Missouri resident has tested positive for Bourbon virus infection. The case did not involve any travel outside of the state, indicating that exposure occurred in Missouri. The Bourbon virus belongs to a […]The post Bourbon virus: Missouri resident tests positive appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to the rabies situation in Serian District, Sarawak, Borneo, where three children were reportedly infected with the lethal virus, Malaysian media report that two of the siblings died today. The report notes that the six year old girl and her four year old brother died while a third victim, a seven year old […]The post Rabies update: Two children die in Borneo appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Rabies is among the deadliest communicable diseases in the world with a case-fatality rate of ~100% with out post exposure treatment and vaccination. People usually get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. It is also possible, but quite rare, that people may get rabies if infectious material from a rabid animal, such as saliva, […]The post Everything you wanted to know about rabies appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new portable device can quickly find markers of deadly, unpredictable sepsis infection from a single drop of blood. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois and Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, completed a clinical study of the device, which is the first to provide rapid, point-of-care measurement of the immune system’s […]The post Sepsis ‘lab-on-a-chip’ detects infection in a single drop of blood appeared first on Outbreak News Today.