Outbreak News Today

A number of news accounts out of Pakistan have reported on a chikungunya outbreak in several areas of Pakistan in recent days. Reports on hundreds, if not thousands of cases have been published in media accounts in Karachi. In the areas of Malir, one report put the case tally at 3000. Yesterday, the Pakistan Ministry of […]The post Pakistan: ‘No cases of chikungunya virus have yet been confirmed’ according to health agencies appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Puerto Rican health officials reported an additional 512 confirmed Zika virus cases the week ending Dec. 3, bringing the island total to 35,648 since the first local case was reported in late in 2015. The number of cases in pregnant women infected with the mosquito borne virus now stands at 2,864, while more than 300 people required hospitalization […]The post Puerto Rico Zika tally nears 36,000 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have developed a vaccine against salmonella poisoning designed to be taken by mouth. The findings are detailed in an article published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. In earlier studies, the UTMB researchers developed potential vaccines from three genetically mutated versions of the salmonella […]The post Salmonella oral vaccine developed at UTMB appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An elderly Central Iowa woman is the Hawkeye State’s first flu-related death of the 2016-2017 influenza season, according to state health officials. The woman reportedly had underlying health conditions. While flu activity has been low so far in Iowa, Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, says this death is an indication that […]The post Iowa reports 1st flu death of the season appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On the Dec. 18 airing of the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, I looked a new study by researchers from Kansas State University that looked at the food safety habits of TV celebrity chefs. “I think that celebrity chefs have a responsibility for entertaining us, but they also have a responsibility to give us good food,” […]The post Podcast: Nanotherapeutics ribbon cutting, Testing for Babesia in the Blood supply appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today that in view of a notification from the Japanese authorities about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan and a notification from the United Kingdom (UK) authorities about an outbreak of H5N8 in […]The post Japan, UK and Serbia poultry banned in Hong Kong due to bird flu appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health report investigating the first imported human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Hong Kong this winter. The patient, a 75 -year-old male with underlying illnesses, traveled to Changping, Dongguan alone on November 28 and attended a hospital there for chest discomfort on December 8. […]The post Hong Kong: Imported human case of H7N9 avian influenza reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists have made an important new discovery in the study of Human African Trypanosomiasis, more commonly known as African sleeping sickness. The findings could have a major impact on the way the disease is diagnosed, treated and potentially eradicated. The team of researchers, from the University of Glasgow’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology and […]The post African sleeping sickness can also be transmitted and spread via the skin: Glasgow researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Sunnyvale, CA molecular diagnostics company, Cepheid today announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Xpert® MRSA NxG, the next generation methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection control test from the leader in healthcare-associated infection (HAI) testing. Xpert® MRSA NxG is an accurate, on-demand, molecular test that delivers actionable results […]The post One-hour MRSA test receives FDA clearance appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have developed the first vaccine for chikungunya fever made from an insect-specific virus that doesn’t have any effect on people, making the vaccine safe and effective. The newly developed vaccine quickly produces a strong immune defense and completely protects mice and nonhuman primates from disease […]The post Chikungunya vaccine developed by UTMB researchers, Made from an insect-specific virus appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

New research suggests that age cut-offs for deceased organ donors prevent quality kidneys from being available to patients in need of life-saving transplants. A study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN) found that even kidneys from donors 80 years of age can function for years […]The post Organ donations: Kidneys from elderly deceased individuals can function for years after transplantation appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Newborns with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) — a common virus in the herpes family — may have an increased risk of developing acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), according to new research published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). The study suggests the risk is even greater in Hispanic children. Although […]The post CMV linked to increased risk of common childhood leukemia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists have discovered the mechanism that hijacks the immune system’s response to tuberculosis, revealing an important new drug target for the disease that kills more than 1 million people each year. Herman Sintim, Purdue University’s Drug Discovery Professor of Chemistry, collaborated with scientists at Johns Hopkins University to determine how tuberculosis turns off a human […]The post Tuberculosis virulence factor identified, may be target for new drug appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

GENETIC ENGINEERING AND BIOTERRORISM “In warfare there are no constant conditions. He, who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent, will succeed and win. “ Sun Tzu The biological weapons and the whole set of biological agents capable to be abused in some of the future asymmetric or even symmetric conflicts is a […]The post Chimera virus: How far science can go? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Washington State Department of Health (WSDH) is reminding people across the state to make sure they take precautions to help stop the spread of mumps. This comes after state health officials report 88 confirmed and probable cases statewide. King County has reported 78 cases (19 confirmed, 59 probable) to date, with the bulk of […]The post Washington mumps outbreak: 78 cases in King County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

HIV, SARS, Ebola, H1N1, Zika, the list of communicable global health threats seems ever growing. And all too often, the limited resources available to fight these diseases must be picked up and redeployed, often haphazardly, as the next new threat emerges. But what if there were ways to wage a more effective war against all […]The post Waging a more effective war against viral outbreaks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health and county health departments of Garfield, Kay and McCurtain counties continue to investigate and provide a public health response to an outbreak of mumps. To date, 342 outbreak-associated mumps cases have been reported, which includes 292 cases from Garfield County alone. McCurtain and Kay counties have reported 20 and 19 […]The post Oklahoma mumps outbreak: Nearly 300 cases in Garfield County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Whatcom County, in northern Washington State, have received reports of outbreaks of suspected norovirus infections over the past couple of weeks involving a school, a nursing home, and a basketball team. While transmission has been stopped in the schools and nursing home, they anticipate that the community will see more cases during the holiday season. […]The post Norovirus expected to increase during the holiday season in Whatcom County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

About 18 months ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began looking into screening blood donors for the parasite, Babesia microti. Officials say that B. microti is the highest-ranking pathogen that is transmitted by blood transfusion in the U.S. for which no donor screening is available. Scientists at the American Red Cross in Gaithersburg, MD and the […]The post Babesia screening for donor blood: An American Red Cross study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Pop culture icons can influence our fashion choices, dietary habits and brand preferences, but can celebrities also influence our medical decisions? The answer is a resounding yes, according to a new Harvard Medical School study analyzing the rates of genetic testing for breast cancer in the aftermath of Angelina Jolie’s 2013 op-ed piece in The […]The post The Angelina Jolie effect on breast cancer genetic testing appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since the beginning of the Fall Semester in August, 228 cases of mumps have been identified (both confirmed and probable) in Mizzou students, according to the University of Missouri Student Health Center (SHC). Most of the students are reporting associations with friends who have mumps, Greek organizations, or interactions in local bars. The SHC does note […]The post Missouri mumps outbreak tops 200 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

CDC has issued Zika-related travel and testing guidance for Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, following reports from Texas public health officials of five cases spread locally by mosquitoes. This information suggests that there may be a risk of continued spread of Zika virus and therefore pregnant women are at some risk for Zika virus infection. CDC […]The post Zika guidance issued for Brownsville, Texas appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of dengue fever cases in Vietnam are up 23 percent during the first nine months of 2016, compared to the same period last year, according to WHO data released this week. From Jan. 1 through Sep. 30, there were 79,204 cases of dengue including 27 deaths, reported in 44 out of 63 provinces […]The post Vietnam dengue fever and Zika virus updates appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Eucrisa (crisaborole) ointment to treat mild to moderate eczema (atopic dermatitis) in patients two years of age and older. Atopic dermatitis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, is often referred to as “eczema,” which is a general term for the several types of inflammation of the skin. Atopic […]The post Eczema ointment, Eucrisa, receives FDA nod appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hong Kong health officials report today that they are investigating a case of probable botulism. This has prompted them to remind the public that botulinum toxin injection should only be prescribed and performed by registered doctors. The patient, a 29-year-old woman with good past health, developed drooping eyelids, blurred vision and generalized weakness since December 12. She attended […]The post Hong Kong officials investigate probable botulism case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Celebrity chefs are cooking up poor food safety habits, according to a Kansas State University study. Kansas State University food safety experts Edgar Chambers IV and Curtis Maughan, along with Tennessee State University’s Sandria Godwin, recently published “Food safety behaviors observed in celebrity chefs across a variety of programs” in the Journal of Public Health. […]The post Celebrity chef’s food safety habits need improvement: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers from Folkhälsomyndigheten (Sweden’s Public Health) and Uppsala University are reporting that rabid bats are present in the southern areas of the country, saying Sweden is no longer rabies free. They studied and analyzed saliva and blood samples from bats over six years and found that of the 450+ bats tested, 14 had rabies specific antibodies in their blood. […]The post Sweden no longer rabies free: Researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Zika virus remains a mystery. Isolated from macaque monkeys in the Ziika Forest in Uganda in 1947, the virus was shown to infect humans not long after, but it was identified as a benign disease, with mild symptoms. For this reason, it was not heavily studied until almost 70 years later when it appeared […]The post Zika mutations acquired trans-Pacific contributed to changes in pathology; Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Last week, Gaithersburg, MD based biopharmaceutical company, Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced the signing of a nearly $1 billion contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to supply the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) approximately 29.4 million doses of BioThrax anthrax vaccine through September 2021. BioThrax is the only anthrax vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug […]The post Bioterrorism threats: Anthrax vaccine contract, botulism antitoxin approval in Canada appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Today, the Florida Department of Health announced the 2016-2017 grant awards for 27 projects to support research leading to the prevention of or cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. Funding is provided through the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program that supports research for better prevention, diagnosis, treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s disease. Governor Rick […]The post Alzheimer’s Disease research: Florida DOH announces grants appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) today awarded the State of Texas a $5 million grant for Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) in order to combat the Zika virus. The grant comes as part of the supplemental Zika funding awarded by Congress to increase public health preparedness and response funding to protect Americans from […]The post Texas receives $5 million grant to battle Zika appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Macao SAR Government Health Bureau held a press conference today announcing that a 58-year-old Guangdong male tested positive for H7N9 avian influenza virus, of which is the first case confirmed in Macao, according to a Chinese media report (computer translated). According to the press briefing, the HAD was found to contain H7 subtype avian influenza […]The post Macao reports human H7N9 avian influenza case: Media account appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Zika virus can make thousands of copies of itself in fetuses’ brains and in the placentas of pregnant women, which may help explain how the virus causes devastating birth defects and pregnancy losses even if a woman had only a minor illness. A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is […]The post CDC study sheds light on how Zika virus can cross the placenta and infect the fetus’s brain appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is reporting increased norovirus activity, specifically in the cities of Casper and Cheyenne, prompting them to issues prevention recommendations against the gastrointestinal illness. Commonly describe as “stomach flu” or “food poisoning,” norovirus is spread when people eat or drink contaminated food and beverages, touch surfaces contaminated with the virus or […]The post Wyoming: Norovirus reports climbing in Casper and Cheyenne appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission reported five additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) on the Mainland. The details of the cases are as follows: A man aged 59 from Fuzhou, Fujian, exposed to poultry market, in serious condition; A male farmer aged 58 from Kunshan, Jiangsu, in serious condition; A man aged 63 […]The post H7N9 avian influenza: More cases reported on mainland China appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Malaria Report 2016 reveals that children and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa have greater access to effective malaria control. Across the region, a steep increase in diagnostic testing for children and preventive treatment for pregnant women has been reported over the last 5 years. Among all populations at risk […]The post Malaria: WHO report notes ups and downs of control appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In communities where bed bugs are present, educating teachers and children about them is a powerful tool for prevention. Schools are often a primary avenue through which the pest can spread, as it hitches a ride from one place to another in clothes and book bags. That’s why a collaborative group of insect scientists, educators, […]The post Bed bug curriculum: A powerful tool for prevention appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Alabama health officials are reporting an increase in congenital syphilis in 2016, prompting calls for pregnant women to get tested for the serious sexually transmitted infection. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) reported three cases of congenital syphilis per year in 2014 and 2015. Thus far in 2016, ADPH reports that at least ten infants […]The post Congenital syphilis cases up in Alabama, Pregnant women urged to get tested appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Achaogen, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibacterials addressing multi-drug resistant (MDR) gram-negative infections, today announced that its lead product candidate, plazomicin, met the objective of non-inferiority compared to meropenem for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and achieved superiority for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) primary efficacy endpoints in the Phase 3 […]The post Antibiotic candidate, Plazomicin, achieves positive results in Phase 3 clinical trials appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

During Sunday’s show I was joined by Dr Marm Kilpatrick, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz to talk about his recently published study in Nature Communications —Anthropogenic impacts on mosquito populations in North America over the past century. The study finds the main drivers of growing mosquito populations in several states were the gradual […]The post Podcast: Outbreak News This Week 12-11-16 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Deep River Snacks is issuing a voluntary recall for certain Sour Cream & Onion Kettle Chips after being informed by a tertiary ingredient supplier that buttermilk powder used in the seasoning may contain traces of Salmonella. Although no pathogenic bacteria have been found in any of our ingredients or in any of the Deep River […]The post Salmonella prompts potato chip recall appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are reminding the public that collecting and eating hazardous wild mushrooms can lead to serious illness and even death. This comes after nearly 700 wild mushroom poisoning cases were reported statewide from November 2015 to October 2016. CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith says, “It is […]The post Poisonous wild mushroom advisory in California appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Puerto Rican Health Department Secretary Ana Ríus declared a influenza epidemic on the island last week due to the island experiencing a rapid increase in cases nearing 10,000, according to a Yahoo Noticias report (computer translated). To date, 9,591 cases have been reported this season. “As of last season, there have been 9,591 cases of influenza on the […]The post Puerto Rico declares influenza epidemic appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department announced Friday they were investigating four probable cases of mumps in Pierce County. The cases are linked to the outbreak in south King County. “Public health is essential to address disease outbreaks, especially those that cross county boundaries,” said Nigel Turner, communicable disease division director at Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. “We […]The post Washington mumps: Pierce County reports probable cases, linked to Kings County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

April showers bring May flowers, and many of us will be working in the garden trying to beautify our yards. Gardening seems like it is a pretty safe pastime, however there are numerous hazards that can be encountered in the garden. You could come across a snake, hurt your back, get sunburn or get inoculated […]The post A Thorny Situation – Fungal Hazard in Gardens Called Sporothrix appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Some of the roughly 1 million cases a year of the parasitic disease leishmaniasis don’t fit with the standard definition of the disease–the patients have unusual symptoms and front-line medicines don’t work. Now, researchers have discovered why many of these cases are so different–they’re caused by parasites with distinct genetic variations. The finding, reported in […]The post Leishmania parasites have distinct genetic variations: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lyon, France biotech firm, Valneva SE, announced Friday that its vaccine candidate VLA15 against Lyme disease is now progressing into clinical testing (Phase I) following the Investigational New Drug application (IND) clearance from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the approval of the Clinical Trial Application (CTA) in Europe (Belgium). Currently, there is no licensed vaccine […]The post Lyme disease vaccine progressing into Phase I trials appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A Michigan State University research team is the first to show how a common bacterium found in improperly cooked chicken causes Guillain-Barre Syndrome, or GBS. The federally funded research, now published in the Journal of Autoimmunity, not only demonstrates how this food-borne bacterium, known as Campylobacter jejuni, triggers GBS, but offers new information for a […]The post How Campylobacter triggers Guillain-Barre Syndrome: Michigan State research appeared first on Outbreak News Today.