Outbreak News Today

Through integration with a wearable thermometer, the Thermia online health educational tool developed at Boston Children’s Hospital has enabled prediction of seasonal influenza outbreaks in China one month earlier than before, according to a new study in the American Journal of Public Health. “The fact that we were able to predict influenza outbreaks faster than […]The post Influenza: Predicting outbreaks with patch-like wearable thermometer appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the chikungunya outbreak in Pakistan, the Sindh Health Department has reported 627 suspected cases of the mosquito borne disease in Karachi since May 1, according to a Pakistan Today report Saturday. This brings the total case count in the city to 2722 since the beginning of the year. Of the cases this […]The post Karachi chikungunya cases rise in May appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the animal anthrax case in Jura, Switzerland, the surveillance system set up by the Consumer and Veterinary Affairs Department in Jura detected a second bovine case, according to a Swiss media report (computer translated). The infected cow was detected on May 12 from the Jura farm after presenting symptoms of the lethal […]The post Anthrax: Switzerland reports second cow positive in Jura appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is notifying the public of a confirmed case of Mycobacterium chimaera infection in an adult open heart surgery patient. “We are sharing new information about the potential risk of exposure to M. chimaera bacteria as well as reassuring patients and families that the risk of infection remains low. To date, we […]The post Alberta reports Mycobacterium chimaera infection in an open heart surgery patient appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is alerting British Columbians after six people in BC were infected with the same strain of E. coli O121 between February and April, 2017. A sample of flour from one of the ill people was tested by the BCCDC Public Health Laboratory. The flour was positive for the same strain […]The post British Columbia reports separate E. coli outbreak linked to Rogers flour appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), three new Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases were reported on May 19, bringing the outbreak total to 32. The new cases include one probable case in Ngayi and two suspected cases in a new health area called Ngabatala. Of the 32 cases, two are confirmed, three are listed as probable and […]The post Democratic Republic of Congo: Three additional Ebola cases reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Measles has been confirmed in a 16-year-old who traveled to the United States on vacation, according to New Jersey health officials. The person may have exposed others in New Jersey while visiting between May 12 and 15 while infectious. People who came in contact with this person could develop symptoms as late as June 5. Who is […]The post New Jersey measles: Travel-related case in Bergen County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

After a period of heavy flooding, which helped spread viral infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a dengue epidemic in the city of Piura, where 19 people have died according to a euronews report (computer translated). According to official figures, 3,150 cases have been confirmed in Peru in the latest outbreak, with another […]The post Peru dengue epidemic update: Piura reporting 300 cases daily, Army trained to assist appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of hepatitis A cases has grown by nearly 20 cases in Lanarkshire, Scotland in the past two weeks, according to health officials Friday, prompting NHS Lanarkshire’s Department of Public Health to remind the public to look out for the symptoms and signs of hepatitis A infection. The total cases confirmed as of May 19 is 61. […]The post Lanarkshire hepatitis A outbreak grows to 61 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

South Africa has been experiencing an increase in malaria this year and the South African National Parks, Kruger National Park issued an advisory on malaria for visitors. Kruger National Park (KNP) Management would like to caution visitors to the Park to take precautionary measures against Malaria before visiting the Park, although classified as a low risk […]The post Kruger National Park advises visitors on malaria appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials in the Baldwinsville Central School District, in the Syracuse, NY metro area, sent a letter to parents this week concerning several diagnosed cases of the vaccine-preventable disease, pertussis, or whooping cough. The school district says nearly all students within the District are vaccinated against pertussis. Our custodial staff members have taken extra measures to […]The post Pertussis reported in Baldwinsville schools appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

World Health Organization today appointed legendary Indian movie star Mr Amitabh Bachchan as its Goodwill Ambassador for Hepatitis in South-East Asia Region to boost awareness and intensify action to arrest the hepatitis epidemic. “I am absolutely committed to the cause of hepatitis. As a person living with hepatitis B, I know the pain and sufferings […]The post Bollywood legend, Amitabh Bachchan appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Hepatitis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

While they monitor about 100 different outbreak events around the world at any given time, Chief Scientific Officer for Metabiota, a California based provider of epidemic risk analytics, Eddy Rubin MD, PhD joined me on the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show to discuss the measles outbreak in Europe that has affected thousands this year to give his analysis. […]The post Measles in Europe, Ebola in DRC and USAID PREDICT: An interview with Dr Eddy Rubin appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Dutch vaccine manufacturer, Bilthoven Biologicals, announced that in early April (computer translated), two employees were accidentally exposed to the poliovirus after a spill at the vaccine production plant. According to The Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu) or RIVM (computer translated), one of the employees were actually infected with […]The post Netherlands: Bilthoven Biologicals employee infected with polio after accident appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than 50 deaths due to cholera have been reported in Yemen since the beginning of the week. According to WHO, more than 240 people have died from cholera in just the last three weeks, out of a total of 23,400 infections. The agency estimates that 7.6 million people live in areas at high risk of […]The post Yemen cholera crisis spreading at ‘unprecedented’ speed appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on a previous report on Italy Health Ministry’s proposal to make childhood vaccines compulsory for the country’s schools, The Council of Ministers approved the law making what was once recommended now mandatory, according to the Ministero della Salute Friday (computer translated). Vaccinations covering 12 common diseases will be required to register children for state childcare […]The post Italy makes childhood vaccines compulsory appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an MMWR update today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now reports 77 cases of emerging, and frequently multidrug-resistant yeast, Candida auris through May 12, 2017 in seven states. The breakdown by state is as follows: New York (53 cases), New Jersey (16), Illinois (four), Indiana (one), Maryland (one), Massachusetts (one), and Oklahoma (one). Nearly six out of […]The post Candida auris in the US: 90 percent of isolates from NY, NJ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a turnabout, a biochemical self-destruct trigger found in many other types of cells appears to guard the lives of brain cells during an infection with West Nile virus. UW Medicine scientists led research showing that this chemical pathway doesn’t have to sacrifice brain cells to destroy the viruses and recruit the body’s defenses against […]The post Brain fights West Nile Virus in unexpected way appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

While the dengue fever burden has decreased nationwide in the Philippines during the first few months of 2017, the capital city of Negros Occidental province, Bacolod City has seen a doubling in cases through the first five months, according to a Sun Star report Thursday. Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environmental Sanitation Division, […]The post Philippines: Bacolod City reports doubling of dengue appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in Likati Health Zone, Bas Uele Province in north-east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the World Health Organization (WHO) reported nine additional suspected EVD cases Thursday in Ngayi and Azande. This brings the total EVD cases to 29 (two confirmed, two probable and 25 suspected) and three deaths. Most […]The post DRC Ebola outbreak rises to 29 total cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new study led by Colorado State University researchers found that Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito that carries Zika virus, might also transmit chikungunya and dengue viruses with one bite. The findings shed new light on what’s known as a coinfection, which scientists said is not yet fully understood and may be fairly common in […]The post Aedes aegypti mosquito can transmit Zika, dengue and chikungunya simultaneously in the lab appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Rat lungworm The Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH), Maui District Health Office, will hold a public informational meeting on rat lungworm disease on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at the Mitchell Pauole Community Center on Molokaʻi from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The meeting will include an opportunity for the public to ask questions. A […]The post Hawaii: Rat lungworm public meeting, Mumps cases rise appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Southern Nevada Health District is reporting its first human case of West Nile virus in Southern Nevada in 2017. The individual, a male over the age of 50, has the more serious neuroinvasive form of the illness. The Health District will not provide additional information regarding this individual. There were two reported West Nile […]The post Southern Nevada man is 1st human West Nile virus case of 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Onondaga County Health Department received reports of five cases of mumps in Onondaga County over the past few days. Four cases were reported in Syracuse University students, while the fifth case is reported in a local high school student. All cases are still under investigation, and parents and students of these two institutions will […]The post Mumps: 5 cases reported in Syracuse appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The fight to contain the 2013-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa was hampered by the lack of an effective treatment or vaccine. Researchers funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have studied the blood of an Ebola survivor, searching for human […]The post Antibodies from Ebola survivor protect mice and ferrets against related viruses appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Outbreaks of a parasitic infection linked to swimming pools and water playgrounds are increasingly being reported to CDC, with twice as many outbreaks in 2016 as in 2014. At least 32 outbreaks caused by Cryptosporidium, or Crypto linked to swimming pools or water playgrounds in the United States were reported in 2016, compared with 16 outbreaks in […]The post Cryptosporidium: Outbreaks linked to swimming pools double since 2014 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Measles The Auckland Regional Public Health Service has been notified of a new case of measles from recent travel overseas, and requests people watch for symptoms of measles if they have been to the following public places at the same times as the infected person. Westfield Mall Albany Sunday 7 May, 5.20pm to 6pm Hobsonville […]The post Auckland: New measles case reported, Mumps update appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Tampa Bay, FL area jumped eleven spots to be ranked number 11 in the latest Orkin’s list of Top 50 Mosquito Cities. The Tampa/St. Petersburg metro area was joined by four other Florida areas on the list–Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (5), Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne (12), Mobile-Pensacola (15) and West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce (16). Atlanta took the dubious honor of topping […]The post Tampa is the #11 ‘Mosquito City’, according to Orkin appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On November 17, 2015, actor Charlie Sheen publicly disclosed he was HIV-positive on NBC’s Today Show. How might such celebrity announcements affect public health in the population at large? That’s a question scientists and advocates grappled with in a study published last year in JAMA Internal Medicine led by San Diego State University Graduate School […]The post HIV: Charlie Sheen’s disclosure led to uptick in OraQuick sales appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Before 2011, the annual number of scarlet fever cases reported in Hong Kong was typically below 250, according to the Department of Health. However, since the outbreak in the first half of 2011, Hong Kong has reported no less than 1100 cases through 2016. And 2017 is off to high numbers in the first months. […]The post Scarlet fever in Hong Kong: Cases rise significantly in recent years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of norovirus cases in the Yolo County outbreak now tips the scales at 2091, according to county spokeswoman Beth Gabor via an ABC 10 report Wednesday evening. This is a more thn doubling of cases in less than a week and affects more than 60 percent of the schools. The outbreak’s tentacles have now […]The post Norovirus cases top 2000 in Yolo County, Sacramento County schools reporting suspect cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to the Health and Family Planning Commission of Shanxi Province, a 66-year-old woman from Datong, Shanxi Province has contracted avian influenza A(H7N9), becoming the first such human case in the province. The patient is currently in serious but stable condition. Experts from the Chinese CDC and the provincial CDC were sent to Datong to help […]The post China bird flu: 1st H7N9 avian flu case reported in Shanxi Province appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A follow-up on the botulism and norovirus outbreaks in California Botulism outbreak in Sacramento County The California Department of Public Health, in collaboration with Sacramento County Public Health (SCPH) and neighboring county public health departments, is continuing to investigate an outbreak of foodborne botulism. This outbreak is associated with prepared food, particularly nacho cheese sauce, […]The post California: Botulism, norovirus outbreaks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

La Nica Products, Inc. of Miami, FL is recalling six thousand pounds of cheese, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term […]The post Miami company recalls 6,000 lbs of cheese due to Listeria risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers have developed a test that can rapidly and reliably diagnose sepsis, a potentially life-threatening complication of bacterial infections. Rapid diagnosis of sepsis in hospitalized patients is crucial because in severe cases, there is an average 7.6% decrease in survival rate per hour from the onset of low blood pressure without effective antimicrobial treatment. Early […]The post Sepsis: Researchers develop rapid test appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Between 15 May and 16 May 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on two new suspected Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases in Azande (one case) and Nambwa (1 case) health areas in Lakati Health Zone in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This brings the total suspected EVD cases to 21, […]The post Two additional suspect Ebola cases reported in DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

While the investigation into the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the northern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues, several African countries discussed and activated their preparedness plans or increased vigilance at their borders in response to the DRC outbreak. Even though the DRC has successfully contained previous EVD outbreaks, and has capacity […]The post Ebola: African countries activate response plans appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The following is the statement by Commissioner Christos Stylianides (computer translated) on the Ebola epidemic in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The European Union is determined to provide all necessary support to respond to the recently declared Ebola epidemic in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The authorities of the DRC, […]The post European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management statement on Ebola outbreak in DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The measles outbreak that began in mid-April in Rudaki district, Tajikistan, has grown to 345 cases through May 1, according to the International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The outbreak has now spread to the capital city of Dushanbe and the surrounding districts as well as Khatlon oblast and the trend of sharp increase in new […]The post Measles outbreak in Tajikistan: Sharp increase in new cases is expected to continue appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) wants to remind people living in and visiting the State to take precautions against being bitten by ticks and potentially exposed to Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. New Hampshire has one of the highest incidence rates of Lyme in the country. According to the […]The post Tickborne diseases: New Hampshire health officials remind people to take precautions appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published a rapid risk assessment to assess the risk of outbreaks and transmission of communicable diseases during the WorldPride festival period taking place in Madrid in June 2017. For respiratory and vector-borne diseases, the risk is considered low, for food and waterborne diseases the risk is low […]The post WorldPride Madrid 2017: European officials say STI risk is moderate to high appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Texas’ first West Nile illness of the year has been reported to the Department of State Health Services, an adult woman from Montgomery County who developed the neurologic form of the disease in late April. As mosquito counts climb, the state of Texas is appealing to the public to help with the effort to stop […]The post Texas reports 1st human West Nile virus case of 2017 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A Kansas State University researcher recently discovered that a commonly used spice is a champion at reducing carcinogenic compounds in grilled meats. J. Scott Smith, professor of animal sciences and industry, found that black pepper nearly eliminates the formation of heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, which can form on the surface of meat when it is […]The post Black pepper helps limit cancerous compounds in meat: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Sunscreen can be a valuable tool for skin cancer prevention — but only if it’s used correctly. When applying sunscreen, many people make mistakes that could compromise their protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, which may increase their risk of skin cancer. Some of those mistakes are highlighted in new research published online today […]The post Skin cancer: Using sunscreen correctly appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Statement attributable to UNICEF’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean on health data in Venezuela “Data on infant and maternal deaths released last week by the Ministry of Health in Venezuela provides stark evidence of the impact of the prolonged crisis on women and children in the country. “Despite the efforts of the […]The post Venezuela: Infant and maternal deaths up significantly in 2016 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Taiwan health officials reported the first locally acquired dengue fever case of 2017, according to a recent news release (computer translated). This has prompted health officials to advise the public to strengthen their anti-mosquito efforts. The patient is a 27-year-old woman from Kaohsiung City who presented with headache, fever, muscle soreness, joint pain, eye socket pain, loss […]The post Kaohsiung City woman is Taiwan’s 1st locally acquired dengue case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the mumps outbreak in Hawaii, The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) Monday confirmed nine (9) additional cases of mumps in Hawaii residents, bringing the total number of cases in 2017 to 39. Of the cases confirmed today, eight (8) of the cases live on Oahu and one (1) case resides […]The post Hawaii reports most mumps since 2001 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Measles has now spread to south central Minnesota for the first time in 2017 as Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) officials report two confirmed cases in Le Sueur County. The outbreak total is now 58 in the state with the county breakdown as follows: 49 in Hennepin County, 3 in Ramsey County, 4 in Crow Wing County […]The post Minnesota measles: Cases now reported in Le Sueur County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.