Outbreak News Today

The Arkansas mumps outbreak is the second largest statewide outbreak in the United States in the past fifteen years and according to Dr Dirk Haselow with the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), he sees it getting worse, in fact, he believes the outbreak may end up being the largest since the turn of the century. […]The post Arkansas, mumps and the MMR vaccine: A discussion with Dr Dirk Haselow appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in New Mexico report investigating a Legionnaires’ disease cluster in Chaves County in the southeastern part of the state. The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) has identified six patients from Chaves County with confirmed Legionnaires’ disease since the first week of October 2016. Two of the six cases, a 69-year-old woman and a 65-year-old woman, […]The post Legionnaires’ disease cluster investigated in New Mexico appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

An Iowa State University research team has identified the specific mutations that have led to the virulence of a major bacterial threat to ruminant animals such as cattle and sheep. The discovery could pave the way for new treatment options and possibly even a vaccine to help sheep and cattle producers fend off the bacteria, […]The post Campylobacter mutations that contribute to virulence identified: Iowa State University appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Six years after the island nation of Haiti began experiencing the worst cholera outbreak in modern history, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon apologized to the people of Haiti. During an informal meeting of the General Assembly on the United Nations Thursday, Ban expressed deep regret for the loss of life and suffering caused by the country’s cholera epidemic, […]The post Haiti receives apology from UN, Cholera plan unveiled appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Bakkavor Foods USA, Inc. is voluntarily recalling Trader Joe’s Mediterranean Hummus (SKU #90642) and Trader Joe’s White Bean & Basil Hummus (SKU #91107) with “USE BY” date codes up through and including 12/15/2016, because these products have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism, which can cause serious and […]The post Food recall: Trader Joe’s hummus potentially Listeria contaminated appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden, unexplainable death of children under the age of one. While rates have significantly decreased due to research and public advocacy, it remains the leading cause of infant death in Canada. Researchers from the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine are one step closer to understanding how […]The post Sudden infant death syndrome and cigarette smoke link: A University of Calgary study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Public Health Wales is reminding local people of important steps to take as norovirus is known to be circulating in the community in North Wales. The reminder comes as a number of wards at Wrexham Maelor, Chirk Community and Mold Community Hospitals are closed or partially closed to admissions due to outbreaks of norovirus. Betsi […]The post North Wales reports norovirus circulation appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The China National Health and Family Planning Commission announced an addition human case of avian influenza A(H5N6) in Guangxi in southern China. The patient is a 30-year-old female farmer from Liuzhou. She developed symptoms on November 8 and was hospitalized on November 18. She is now in a serious condition. The patient had contact with dead poultry before […]The post China reports another human H5N6 avian flu case appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Over 120 Islamic scholars, the ulama, gathered in a conference on 3 November 2016 in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, to express their support for Afghanistan’s polio eradication programme. The ulama highlighted that the polio vaccine was crucial for children’s health, called on all Afghans to cooperate with health workers during polio vaccination campaigns, and endorsed a […]The post Afghanistan: Ulama supports polio vaccination program appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Two suspected cases of mumps have been reported at Yale University, one in an undergraduate living on campus and one in a graduate student living off campus, Yale Health Director, Paul Genecin, M.D. wrote yesterday. Over 90% of Yale undergraduates have received mumps vaccine, but it is still possible for students or other members of […]The post Yale reports two suspected cases of mumps appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A team of researchers in Brazil and at the Yale School of Public Health has published the first report demonstrating that the Zika virus can cause glaucoma in infants who were exposed to the virus during gestation. Exposure to the Zika virus during pregnancy causes birth defects of the central nervous system, including microcephaly. Brazilian […]The post Zika- glaucoma link demonstrated in Yale study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Alaska Section of Epidemiology is working in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Arctic Investigations Program and the Municipality of Anchorage on characterizing and responding to an increased number of invasive Group A Streptococcus (GAS, also known as Streptococcus pyogenes) infections identified through ongoing surveillance and that are caused by a […]The post Alaska: Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections in Fairbanks and Anchorage appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Public Health – Seattle & King County has reported nine confirmed or probable mumps cases in King County, all in the Auburn area, with an additional five cases being investigated. Eight of the nine mumps cases are among children between 8-17 years of age, with one adult case, 23 years of age. No one has been […]The post Washington: Nine confirmed or probable mumps cases reported in Auburn area appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

While Arkansas has seen the most mumps cases of any state this year (1652), most being reported in the northwest corner of the state, only a handful of cases have been linked to Arkansas colleges and universities to date. Today, the Arkansas Department of Health has confirmed two cases of mumps involving University of Arkansas […]The post University of Arkansas reports two mumps cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The mumps outbreak continues at the University of Missouri as the school’s Student Health Center puts the total confirmed and probable mumps cases at 128 through Nov. 30. The Health Center says the majority of cases continue to have links to students in Greek organizations. All infected students met the immunization policy requirement of two Measles/Mumps/Rubella […]The post University of Missouri mumps outbreak tops 100 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to the mumps outbreak at the State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz) in Ulster County, NY, school health officials have reported an additional 12 confirmed cases in the past week, bringing the total cases to 32. Per campus protocol, the affected students, who have been immunized against […]The post SUNY New Paltz mumps outbreak increases by a dozen appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of mumps cases reported in Arkansas continues to grow as health officials today put the provisional total case count (suspected and lab confirmed) at 1,652. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) says throughout this outbreak, 90% to 95% of school-aged children and 30% to 40% of adults involved in the outbreak have been […]The post Arkansas mumps outbreak rises, ‘Strain may have evolved enough to surmount the vaccine’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In 2015, fourteen people died from primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) due to the protozoan parasite, Naegleria fowleri, in Sindh province. Officials today reported a Naegleria fowleri death in a 30-year-old Karachi woman, according to Pakistani media. The report does not indicate how the woman contracted the amoeba. Naegleria fowleri (commonly referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba”), is […]The post Karachi woman dies from Naegleria fowleri appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

New York Blood Center (NYBC) today announced groundbreaking findings toward the development of vaccines for the prevention of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. The findings were revealed in a new study on the effective design for a MERS vaccine, which was published in the most recent issue of the highly regarded, peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications. MERS, a severe respiratory […]The post MERS vaccine progress published in recent study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Venezuelan Society of Public Health and the National Epidemiological Defence Network issued their sixth alert concerning diphtheria this week and now reports the disease is present in six Venezuelan states–Monagas, Sucre, Anzoátegui, Apure, Bolívar, and Miranda, including the capital city of Caracas, according to a Efecto Cocuyo report (computer translated). The report notes that the number of […]The post Diphtheria cases rise in Venezuela: More than 200 cases according to report appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services issued a health alert Monday concerning a reported increase in norovirus outbreaks. Since late September of this year, 12 confirmed or suspected norovirus outbreaks have been identified in senior care settings. More than 250 people have been sickened and five required hospitalization. Historically, norovirus outbreaks occur […]The post Montana reports increase in norovirus outbreaks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of cholera cases in Haiti increased to two or more times the numbers observed prior to Hurricane Matthew, which landed on Oct. 4, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported today. Through the end of October, a total of 34,656 suspected cholera cases, including 339 related deaths have been reported in Haiti. Since Hurricane Matthew […]The post Haiti cholera cases up since Hurricane Matthew, 729,000 people vaccinated appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials with Public Health – Seattle & King County reported the diagnosis of Vibrio vulnificus in a King County resident recently. The 50-something woman was diagnosed two weeks ago with the rare wound infection. It is believed she contracted the bacterial infection while she was preparing the tilapia fish and cut her finger. She was hospitalized and is […]The post Washington woman contracts Vibrio vulnificus linked to tilapia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Texas Department of State Health Services and Cameron County Department of Health and Human Services today announced the first case of Zika virus disease likely transmitted by a mosquito in Texas. DSHS is supporting Cameron County’s response to the case and to the ongoing risk of Zika in the community. The patient is a […]The post Zika virus: Texas reports 1st local transmission appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The first HIV vaccine efficacy study to launch anywhere in seven years is now testing whether an experimental vaccine regimen safely prevents HIV infection among South African adults. The study, called HVTN 702, involves a new version of the only HIV vaccine candidate ever shown to provide some protection against the virus. HVTN 702 aims […]The post HIV vaccine trial to take place in South Africa appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Research on the mosquito-borne Rift Valley fever in east Africa and the Arabian Peninsula shows that current surveillance systems are unable to detect the virus in livestock before it spreads to humans. A coherent policy is needed to combat the viral disease, which has the potential to spread to previously unaffected areas, according to studies […]The post Rift Valley fever: More cohesive policies needed to battle viral disease appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The outbreak of cholera in the southern Ghana city of Cape Coast has grown to 400 cases since it began about one month ago, according to a local media report. The University of Cape Coast hospital has seen half of the cases alone, prompting health authorities to call the outbreak “alarming”. Health officials have attempted […]The post Cholera outbreak: Cape Coast reports 400 cases in past month appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

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In a follow-up on the malaria epidemic in Venezuela this year, according to a statement from the Venezuelan Society of Public Health Network, the local transmission case tally has grown to 200,000 through Nov. 5. “In the first 44 weeks of the year, 199,902 new indigenous malaria cases were reported throughout Venezuela, representing an 73.4 percent increase […]The post Venezuela malaria update: 200,000 cases, 75 percent in Bolivar State appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

LSG Sky Chefs Supply Chain Solutions, Inc. announced recently that it is issuing a voluntary recall for sandwiches containing hummus spread and sold at several 7-Eleven stores around the country, to include: 7-Eleven Chicken and Hummus sandwiches the company produces for 7-Eleven stores in the Pittsburgh, PA, Cleveland, OH, and the Buffalo, NY markets; Approximately 103 […]The post 7-Eleven: Sandwiches containing Sabra hummus recalled in several states, possible Listeria contamination appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Five cases of Mayaro virus (MAYV) were detected in patients in Amazonas state in northwestern Brazil in 2016, according to a G1 Globo report (computer translated). According to the Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado Tropical Medicine Foundation (FMT-HVD), the five cases were detected in a research project of the institution in partnership with Fiocruz da Amazônia, which […]The post Mayaro fever: Five cases confirmed in Amazonas this year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By now, we are all too aware that chronic Lyme disease can be found in 80 countries worldwide, affecting tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions around the globe. We know that chronic Lyme disease is the New Great Imitator, imitating 350+ conditions from Alzheimers, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis to Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis and […]The post Lyme in Iceland too? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The health authority of Mainz-Bingen district in eastern Germany (computer translated) is currently investigating several human cases of tularemia, or hare plague/rabbit fever. The six affected had participated in early October on a vintage in the northern district. A few days later they got high fever and complained of a severe general feeling of illness. […]The post Tularemia cases investigated in eastern Germany appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Raritan Pharmaceuticals, a contract manufacturer for Homeolab USA, is voluntarily recalling homeopathic products containing belladonna extract (see products below) due to the potential for variation in the content of belladonna extract in the products. The U.S. FDA has tested some products and recovered varying levels of belladonna extract content from what is declared on the […]The post Belladonna extract prompts recall of CVS homeopathic products appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Marion County Health Department is investigating an outbreak of mumps. Since October 3, there have been 12 suspect mumps cases reported. Laboratory tests done within the last two weeks confirmed that four of those cases were infected with mumps. The age range of affected individuals is 1 year of age to age 40. Mumps is […]The post Mumps outbreak investigated in northwest Oregon appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) reported the following sporadic cases in the city in recent days and weeks: On November 11, 2016, CHP recorded a case of psittacosis affecting a 70-year-old female with underlying illness. She presented with fever, productive cough, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea […]The post Hong Kong: Strep suis, psittacosis and necrotizing fasciitis cases reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On Friday, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced the sixth indigenous dengue case confirmed since this summer. The case is a 56-year-old female who resides in Ruiguang Village, Nehihu District, Taipei City. On November 18, she sought medical attention at a clinic in her neighborhood after developing fever, muscle ache, and joint pain. […]The post Local dengue transmission reported in Taipei City woman appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

As Zika spreads throughout the world, the call for rapid development of therapeutics to treat Zika rings loud and clear. Taking a step further in identifying a possible therapeutic candidate, a team of researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS), in collaboration with scientists from the University of North Carolina, have discovered the mechanism by which […]The post Duke researchers: How highly potent antibody neutralizes Zika infection discovered appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A cow located in Elma Ward has tested positive for rabies. This is the third confirmed rabid animal in Perth County since 2015. A skunk and another cow, both in Ellice Ward, tested positive for rabies in April 2016 and in December 2015. “This positive result continues to remind us that rabies is still present […]The post Ontario: Cow tests positive for rabies in Perth County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreak in the West Africa country of Niger, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the following update this week: On 30 August, the Ministry of Health in Niger notified WHO of unexplained deaths among humans, along with deaths in livestock in the Tahoua region of Niger. On […]The post Rift Valley fever outbreak continues in Niger appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Brazil Ministry of Health reports (computer translated) 855 cities, or approximately 37 percent, are in a situation of alert and risk of outbreak of the mosquito borne viral diseases, dengue, chikungunya and Zika, according to the Fast Index Survey for Aedes aegypti (LIRAa) of 2016 released by the Health Minister, Ricardo Barros yesterday. . […]The post Brazil: Chikungunya cases up dramatically, dengue down slightly in 2016 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Vaccines are one of the most successful scientific breakthroughs and most cost-effective health investments in history. In fact, with the exception of safe drinking water, vaccine is widely considered to be the greatest medical invention of modern civilization. So how did we get to this point where parents refuse to allow their children to receive […]The post Vaccines Are Undervalued And Underappreciated And Who Is To Blame? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Dominican Republic Ministry of Health on Wednesday reported (computer translated) updates on the situation with two infectious diseases–cholera and leptospirosis. Health officials report that in 2016 to date, the country has seen 1,097 cholera cases, which included 23 deaths (case fatality rate of 2.1 percent). The number of cases reported this year is about twice […]The post Dominican Republic: Cholera and leptospirosis updates released appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) outbreak in Los Angeles County, there was a new febrile horse with mild neurologic deficits at Los Angeles Equestrian Center (LAEC) Tuesday in one of the quarantined barns. Diagnostic samples were sent to CAHFS laboratory for testing and results are positive for non-neuropathogenic EHV-1. The owner of […]The post Equine Herpes Virus: Additional case reported at Los Angeles Equestrian Center appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than one billion people in the world are infected with parasitic worms — that’s one in six people on the planet — a problem that’s been neglected for many years. A new interdisciplinary team led by researchers at the University of Calgary is applying knowledge about parasitic worms in livestock to help understand the […]The post University of Calgary researchers battle parasitic worms appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

One case of mumps has been confirmed and an additional 3 associated probable mumps cases have been reported in 4 adults in Dallas. Exposure to mumps likely occurred during a Halloween party which took place on October 29th 2016 in the 75219 zip code. Symptoms have included fever, and parotitis or orchitis, with onset of […]The post Dallas: Confirmed and probable mumps cases linked to Halloween party appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Everyday we are reporting mumps outbreaks and cases from states, universities and colleges and grade schools in the United States, much more than usually seen in recent years. And the 2016 mumps data year-to-date shows that we haven’t seen this many cases in a decade. Through Nov. 19, the provisional mumps total reported to the Centers […]The post Mumps in the US 2016: Most cases seen in a decade appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of confirmed and probable mumps cases at the University of Missouri has increased in the past week as the school’s Student Health Center puts the total at 73 Wednesday, up from 58 about one week ago. University officials say many of the cases have links to the Greek Life community. Mumps is spread […]The post Mizzou mumps outbreak: Many linked to Greek Life community appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The State University of New York College at Geneseo, or SUNY Geneseo Student Health Services reported in an update Tuesday that the number of mumps cases in students has climbed to four confirmed cases. Of the four cases, two are in on-campus students, while two are in off-campus students. All confirmed cases of the mumps […]The post Mumps at SUNY Geneseo up to 4 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Officials in Madison County, in Central New York state, announced on their Facebook page that two cows tested positive for rabies in the town of Smithfield. Cattle most often become infected with rabies when they come in contact with infected raccoons, skunks or foxes. Cattle in barns or other enclosures are at risk of rabies […]The post Rabies: Two cows test positive in Central New York appeared first on Outbreak News Today.