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.

A dengue fever outbreak on the South Pacific archipelago of Fiji has prompted the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a travel notice for island nation. From January 2017 to April 2017, 913 laboratory-confirmed dengue cases have been identified on Fiji, including a fatality, prompting the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to […]The post Fiji dengue outbreak prompts CDC travel notice appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the Ebola virus disease situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health officials report a 2nd of the five samples tested was positive for Ebola virus of the Zaire sub-type using a technique call polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The outbreak is situated in Likati, Bas Uele province located in the northern […]The post Ebola update: 2nd person tests positive for Zaire sub-type appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to the cholera crisis in Yemen, officials with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have reported 11,000 suspected cases, including 184 deaths since Apr. 27. These numbers are up dramatically from the 2752 suspected cases and 51 deaths reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 11. The devastating outbreak […]The post Cholera: 184 deaths reported in Yemen since late April appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Welfare reported two imported cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) last week, prompting a outbreak declaration. A summary of the situation is as follows: The index case was a 16 year old female patient from Nouakchott in Mauritania, developed intense pain in the left ear and diffuse headache on Apr. 16. […]The post Senegal reports two imported Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan, together with WHO and UNICEF, launched today the second spring round of National Immunization Days (NIDs) for polio eradication in 2017. Over 9.5 million children under the age of 5 will be vaccinated against polio and more than 5.7 million children aged 2 to 5 will be given […]The post Afghanistan kicks off massive polio vaccination campaign appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new study describes an ambitious but feasible path toward what may have seemed unachievable just a decade ago: an end to the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. Using prevention surveillance data to model rates of HIV incidence, prevalence and mortality, investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health […]The post Ending the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. by 2025 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In all of 2016, the three polio endemic countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria saw a combined 37 wild poliovirus (WPV) cases, plus five circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) cases including three in non-endemic Laos, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Through May 10 this year, only five WPV cases have been reported […]The post Polio update: 5 total cases in 2017, Suspected VDPV case in Syria appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Green Chile Concepts, LLC is voluntarily recalling certain Green Chile Food Company brand burritos sold frozen, refrigerated and/or served prepared hot in certain convenience stores, vending machines, and retail locations because they may have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to a company news release Saturday. The affected product was distributed in packages […]The post Burrito recall: Green Chile Food Company brand may be Listeria contaminated appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the gastrointestinal illness (GI) outbreak in Yolo County, California schools, The Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency now reports over 952 students, teachers and staff are sick with stomach cramps, vomiting and/or diarrhea in schools throughout the county. The number of sick people is increasing every day at a very alarming rate. […]The post Norovirus: Yolo County reports over 950 cases in 32 schools appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lamb Weston is recalling 14 ounce packages of Red Robin Burgers and Brews Crispy Onion Rings manufactured by Fry Foods and sold in grocery stores, because the product may contain an undeclared milk allergen. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they […]The post Red Robin Onion Rings sold in grocery stores recalled due to undeclared milk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Following the recent recalls of Aunt Jemima Frozen Pancakes, Frozen Waffles & Frozen French Toast Slices and Save-A-Lot Pick 5 Mix & Match Chicken & Waffle Sandwich due to Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall of 130,071 pounds of meat and poultry frozen entrée products which included a non-meat ingredient […]The post Waffle recall expands: Potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The cholera outbreak in Yemen has claimed 51 lives and caused around 2752 suspected cases since Apr. 27, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO has rapidly distributed medicines and medical supplies, including cholera kits, oral rehydration solutions and intravenous (IV) fluids as well as medical furniture and equipment for diarrhea treatment centres. Ten new treatment […]The post Yemen reports 51 cholera deaths in two weeks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the mumps outbreak in Hawaii, The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) now reports 30 cases statewide with the confirmation of three cases in East Oahu residents Thursday. The disease has been confirmed in children and adults, both vaccinated and unvaccinated. The Department is investigating a cluster of cases exposed at the Job […]The post Mumps in Hawaii: Cases rise to 30 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the mumps situation in North Carolina, officials with the M.S. Shook Student Health Service at Appalachian State University report an additional confirmed case of mumps in a student, bringing the total to three. In addition, this brings the total mumps cases in Watauga County to four this year. This has prompted school officials […]The post Appalachian State University mumps tally among students is three appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the rat lungworm cluster in Hawaii, an additional case was reported on Hawaii Island, bringing the cluster total to 15 this year, according to a HawaiiNewsNow report. This brings the tally in the state to nine Big Island residents, four in Maui residents and two visitors from San Francisco who stayed in […]The post Rat lungworm: Additional case reported on Big Island appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Six meat loaders from the city of Thika in eastern Kenya have been hospitalized due to suspected anthrax infections, according to a Daily Nation report. Kiambu County Chief Health Officer, Stephen Njugunasaid said the six workers are currently admitted at Thika Level Five Hospital. The report states: The first patient is said to have been pricked by […]The post Anthrax sickens six slaughterhouse workers in Thika, Kenya appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Gauteng Province, South Africa, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported 17 cases of measles in Gauteng from March – April 2017. This follows an outbreak of 31 cases in the Western Cape in January-February 2017. The Western Cape outbreak was controlled by a vaccination campaign in […]The post Gauteng Province measles outbreak now 17 cases, Mass measles vaccination campaign this month appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An adult with laboratory-confirmed mumps has been identified in Anchorage, according to the State of Alaska DHSS, Division of Public Health. No recent travel was reported. The patient reported a relative who was visiting from abroad last month might have been the source of infection. The patient is known to have received one dose of […]The post Alaska: Mumps case confirmed in Anchorage appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States and melanoma is the most dangerous type. In fact, Melanoma kills an estimated more than 10,000 people in the US annually. May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month. This month to used to raise awareness about skin cancer and help people […]The post Melanoma: An interview with dermatologist, Dr Seth Forman appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A few weeks ago, I saw this print interview with on the Yale School of Public Health website and the expert being interviewed said something that really grabbed my interest: As more ticks become infected with Powassan virus and more people become exposed to them, Powassan could become epidemic like Lyme disease. Because it can […]The post Powassan virus: A discussion with Durland Fish, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In light of the measles epidemic in Italy, health minister Beatrice Lorenzin said that compulsory vaccinations will be effective in the country’s schools “by the end of next week”. News source, The Local reports that on Friday morning, Lorenzin confirmed that she had presented the white paper to the Italian cabinet, and that it would be passed by […]The post Compulsory vaccinations coming to Italy’s schools? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is investigating a confirmed case of human rabies. The Virginia resident was bitten by a dog while traveling in India. While the only documented cases of human-to-human transmission of rabies have been via organ transplantation, acting out of an abundance of caution, VDH is assessing those who had direct […]The post Rabies: Virginia reports case in traveler to India appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported three additional measles cases in Crow Wing County, bringing the state total to 54 confirmed cases. This outbreak and other infectious disease issues like multi-drug resistant TB and a rise in syphilis prompted Minnesota Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger asked the state Legislature for $5 million for an emergency fund. Measles […]The post Measles in Crow Wing County and the cost of the outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A person has recently died in San Luis Obispo County from Valley Fever, the county’s fifth death this year from the disease. The County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Department reminds residents to be aware of the risk of Valley Fever in this region so they can take precautions to limit their risk of […]The post California: San Luis Obispo County reports ‘significant increase’ of Valley fever appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) provided additional details on the Ebola outbreak in Likati district, Bas-Uélé Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Minister of Public Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Dr Oly Ilunga Kalenga, has informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of “an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)” in Likati […]The post Ebola outbreak in DRC: Additional details appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the measles epidemic in Italy, the Ministero della Salute reported an additional 304 measles cases since our last report one week ago, bringing the outbreak total to 2,224 cases since the beginning of the year through May.7. Despite the increase in cases, the health ministry says data from recent weeks seem to show […]The post Italy Health Ministry: ‘Recent data seem to show a downward trend in measles’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) has been confirmed in a patient in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the World Health Organization today. The DRC Ministry of Health in a statement said case was confirmed from tests on nine people who came down with a hemorrhagic fever in Bas-Uele province in the northeast […]The post Ebola confirmed in Democratic Republic of Congo appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness has struck a Town and Country elementary school, which required sending at least 140 children home sick, according to local media reports. The outbreak is at Lowry Elementary School in Hillsborough County and several children did test positive for norovirus. School officials say the building has received a “deep cleaning” and […]The post Norovirus sickens scores at Tampa elementary school appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Japan health officials are reporting a rise in foodborne parasitic infections from raw fish dishes, such as sushi and sashimi in recent years, so much that for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015, anisakiasis was the third most frequent cause of food poisoning, following that by norovirus and Campylobacter. According to the National Institute of Infectious […]The post Japan, sushi and the rise of Anisakis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In 2016, lyophilized CVD 103-HgR (Vaxchora, PaxVax, Redwood City, California), a single-dose, live attenuated oral cholera vaccine, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of cholera caused by V. cholerae O1 in adults traveling to cholera-affected areas. Lyophilized CVD 103-HgR is the only cholera vaccine licensed for use in the United […]The post Cholera vaccine, Vaxchora, is recommended for US adult travelers to an area of active cholera transmission appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Viral hepatitis C may affect thousands of Pierce County residents. National Hepatitis Awareness month calls attention to the potentially deadly infection that can cause cirrhosis or liver cancer—and how to avoid it. “Cases of acute and chronic hepatitis C in Pierce County are on a dramatic rise, especially among young people,” said Kim Desmarais, Tacoma-Pierce […]The post Washington: ‘Hepatitis C in Pierce County are on a dramatic rise’, appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

At least 35 people across Spain have been affected by a form of food poisoning known as Scombroid fish poisoning, prompting an advisory from the Agency for Consumption, Food Safety and Nutrition (Aecosan) not to consume and recall lots of tuna from Almeria purchased between April 25 and May 5, according to a El Mundo report (computer translated). […]The post Scombroid fish poisoning affects dozens in Spain, Tuna recalled appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Over just five years, the number of new hepatitis C virus infections reported to CDC has nearly tripled, reaching a 15-year high, according to new preliminary surveillance data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Because hepatitis C has few symptoms, nearly half of people living with the virus don’t know […]The post Hepatitis C in the US: Cases triple in past 5 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

As the rate of Lyme disease grows rapidly across the United States, new research offers veterinarians a forecasting map that tells them which parts of the country are most at risk of Lyme disease infections in dogs, which could also help track and predict Lyme disease in people. The forecast map, created by Michael Yabsley, […]The post Lyme disease in dogs: Forecast map created appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the meningococcal meningitis outbreak that began in Zamfara State last December, the number of cases has reached 13,420 suspected cases and 1069 deaths (8% CFR), according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) today. In the six most affected States — Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Yobe, Kebbi and Kano — a total of […]The post Meningitis in Nigeria: More than 1,000 deaths reported, outbreak continues to decline appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On this website, we’ve tried to get information on the infectious disease situation in Venezuela through a variety of unofficial sources (see below) as the Venezuelan Health Ministry did not publish an official Epidemiological Bulletin in close to two years…until now. The document that was published recently, provides data for the year 2016 and here […]The post Venezuela releases 1st Epi bulletin in a long time: Malaria and diphtheria summary appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Identifying areas of particular high impact is an important step to improving the environmental sustainability of production systems. Insects have been heralded as the foods of the future – and now the first study to measure the environmental impacts and identify hotspots associated with commercial insect production has been published. Cricket farming can be a […]The post Eating insects: Cricket farming can be a sustainable way to produce animal source foods appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Barton County Health Department (BCHD) along with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment are collaborating with health care and other public health partners to investigate the death of a Central Kansas adult due to meningitis. While laboratory results are not yet final, the death is suspected to be caused by Neisseria meningitidis, which […]The post Kansas: Meningococcal meningitis suspected as cause of death of Barton County man appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the botulism outbreak in Sacramento County, California state and local health officials report the source of their illnesses appears to be prepared food, particularly nacho cheese sauce, from the Valley Oak Food and Fuel gas station in Walnut Grove, based on the investigation and preliminary data. The sale of prepared food at this […]The post Botulism update: Possibly linked to nacho cheese sauce appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hepatitis Delta (or Hepatitis D) is caused by infection with HDV and is considered to be one of the most severe forms of viral hepatitis in humans. On Monday, at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) in Chicago, Illinois, Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., announced HDV/HBV co-infection prevalence data from an International Classification of Diseases (ICD) analysis. Results from two longitudinal […]The post Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) Infection in the U.S. growing: Poster appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Tuesday, the US Senate, in a vote of 57-42, confirmed Dr. Scott Gottlieb as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, M.D., issued the following statement congratulating Dr. Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on his confirmation as FDA Commissioner: “We are excited to partner with Dr. Gottlieb to protect and […]The post Gottlieb confirmed as FDA Commissioner appeared first on Outbreak News Today.