Outbreak News Today

After reporting on some possible mumps cases at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Tuesday, The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) has confirmed two cases of mumps involving UCA students today, both of whom live off campus, and several others are still being investigated. Arkansas has been experiencing a mumps outbreak since late August and as of today, […]The post Mumps confirmed in University of Central Arkansas students appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Popcorn Shoppe in Tiffin, Ohio is voluntarily recalling its Olde Tyme Recipe Popcorn Balls, Edwards Orchard Popcorn Balls and Edwards Orchard West Popcorn Balls (4 individually wrapped 5oz. popcorn balls in a clear plastic bag) due to an undeclared milk and soy allergen. This recall has been initiated due to the ingredient label not […]The post Popcorn recalled due to an undeclared milk and soy allergen appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Public health officials have reported that mosquitoes in Palau are infected with Zika virus and are spreading it to people prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a travel notice for the Pacific archipelago of over 500 islands. Travelers to areas with active Zika virus transmission who have not already been infected […]The post CDC travel notice for Palau due to local Zika transmission appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

4C Foods Corp. is voluntarily recalling 4C Grated Cheese, Homestyle Grated Cheese, and Cento Grated Cheese Brands due to possible contamination with Salmonella. Other 4C Foods products, including any other cheese products, are not impacted by this recall. Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or […]The post Grated cheese recalled due to Salmonella risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

While Thailand has seen in excess of 50,000 dengue fever cases this year, another virus transmitted by the vector, Aedes aegypti has affected nearly 700 people in the Kingdom, according to a Straits Times report today. With the addition of 33 Zika cases reported in the past week, the country’s total has surpassed 680 cases since the […]The post Thailand Zika case count nears 700 for 2016 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A team of engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin is reporting new findings on how the influenza vaccine produces antibodies that protect against disease, research that suggests that the conventional flu vaccine can be improved. The findings were reported in the journal Nature Medicine on Nov. 7. The UT Austin team […]The post Flu vaccine can be improved: Texas researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health have identified an antibody from an HIV-infected person that potently neutralized 98 percent of HIV isolates tested, including 16 of 20 strains resistant to other antibodies of the same class. The remarkable breadth and potency of this antibody, named N6, make it an attractive candidate for further development […]The post HIV: NIH scientists identify potent antibody that neutralizes nearly all strains appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Between 2013 and 2016, tens of thousands of people in West Africa contracted Ebola virus disease, making the epidemic the largest and longest on record. But the number of reported cases — roughly 28,000 — may be an underestimate of the total number of people infected, since it includes only people who showed symptoms of […]The post Ebola in West Africa: Outbreak may be underestimated due to asymptomatic cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to the mumps outbreak at the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz, school health officials report two additional confirmed cases, bringing the outbreak total to 15. The mumps outbreak on campus has prompted the New York State Health Department and the Ulster County Health Department to advise the SUNY New Paltz swim team […]The post SUNY New Paltz mumps outbreak increases to 15 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

West Nile virus may be much more deadly than previously believed, with deaths attributable to the mosquito-borne disease occurring not just in the immediate aftermath of the infection but also years later, long after patients seem to have recovered from the initial illness, according to a new study presented today at the 2016 Meeting of […]The post West Nile virus more deadly than previously thought appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Philippines health officials confirmed 10 additional Zika virus cases Tuesday, bringing the country total to 33. The new cases were reported from Calamba, Laguna (2), Bacoor, Makati, Antipolo, Muntinlupa, Mandaluyong, Manila, Caloocan and Las Piñas. Officials are still trying to confirm the pregnancy status of the Las Piñas patient. The Western Visayas and Metro Manila have […]The post Zika updates for the Philippines, Vietnam appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Zika virus is most commonly transmitted in humans as the result of a bite from an infected mosquito or from an infected human to another human. What is not well known is that the virus also can be transmitted via the environment if an individual is pricked with an infected needle or has an […]The post Zika virus can live for several hours on hard non-porous surfaces: Researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to the Equine Herpesvirus-1 Myeloencephalopthy (EHM) outbreak in Los Angeles County, CA, on Monday, one horse at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center (LAEC), displaying a fever yesterday and placed in quarantined isolation, has been confirmed positive for non-neuropathogenic EHV-1 yesterday, according to an EDCC alert. Additionally, the two febrile horses which tested negative on […]The post Equine herpes: Seven confirmed cases in LA County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundae frozen desserts is voluntarily being recalled due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination from Aspen Hills, Inc. Cookie Dough Pieces. This issue was identified when Aspen Hills, the supplier of the cookie dough pieces used as an ingredient in Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough […]The post Weight Watchers: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundae recalled due to Listeria risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Driven by burgeoning ecotourism and military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, a parasitic infection called leishmaniasis is showing up in more U.S. patients, often stumping doctors. Rapid diagnostic tests and innovative treatments are among the strategies to address leishmaniasis highlighted in new guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American […]The post Ecotourism and military deployments driving up leishmaniasis cases in the US appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Bacterial keratitis, an infection of the cornea often caused by contact lenses, malnutrition, or an injury, can lead to corneal scarring, one of the leading causes of blindness around the globe, according to the World Health Organization. It has blinded more than 400,000 children worldwide. Antibiotic drops can save a patient’s eyesight by effectively treating these […]The post Povidone-iodine eye drops equally effective as antibiotic drops in treating bacterial keratitis: Research appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Autism is an agonizing puzzle, a complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors. One piece of this puzzle that has emerged in recent years is a biochemical cascade called the mTOR pathway that regulates growth in the developing brain. A mutation in one of the genes that controls this pathway, PTEN (also known as phosphatase […]The post Autism: Researcher finds clues to altered brain wiring in ASD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Oregon State University (OSU) Student Health Services reported Monday that a undergraduate student at the OSU Corvallis campus is being treated at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center for meningococcal disease. Medical personnel confirm that meningococcal disease is uncommon. It is caused by bacteria present in the throat or nasal passages of about 10 percent of the general […]The post Oregon State University undergrad treated for meningococcal disease appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

As of the end of October, Romanian health officials have recorded approximately 1,000 measles cases, this compares to seven cases in 2015. The outbreak in Romania has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a travel alert for Americans going to the southeastern European country. CDC recommends that travelers to Romania protect […]The post CDC issues travel notice for Romania due to measles outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today that flu is officially confirmed in all three counties with new lab-confirmed cases in New Castle and Sussex counties. The first New Castle County cases include a 77-year-old woman who was discharged following a hospital stay, and a 64-year-old male. No deaths have been reported. The […]The post Delaware: Flu confirmed statewide appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Various strains of avian influenza, or bird flu has reared it’s ugly head throughout Europe, South Asia and Israel. One of the best sources on the happenings with avian influenza worldwide is Avian Flu Diary, a blog covering pandemic and seasonal influenza, H5N1 bird flu, Emerging Infectious Diseases, public health and community & individual preparedness. Here are […]The post Avian influenza update: What is the latest? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to a recent report concerning dozens of people associated with Spokane’s House of Charity becoming ill with symptoms resembling norovirus, the Spokane Regional Health District reports the confirmation of norovirus as the etiologic agent of the outbreak. Local officials continue to urge patrons who visited the House of Charity since Thursday to return […]The post Norovirus confirmed at House of Charity in Spokane appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

About five weeks after Hurricane Matthew struck the already devastated country of Haiti in the Caribbean, physician and Haitian Hearts founder, Dr John Carroll came back to the show for an update on the Haiti catastrophe. Dr. Carroll was on the show on Oct. 9, days after Hurricane Matthew and gave a in depth look […]The post Podcast: Haiti update, American Leprosy Missions appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

There are more and more examples of the ways in which we can benefit from our bacteria. According to researcher Rolf Lood from Lund University in Sweden, this is true for the skin as well. He has shown that the most common bacteria on human skin secrete a protein which protects us from the reactive […]The post Propionibacterium acnes has disease protective properties: Swedish researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The outbreak of the protozoan parasite, Cryptosporidium, in Central Ohio has surpassed the 1,000 case mark, Columbus Public Health reported Friday. The official case tally , affecting not only Columbus County, but neighboring Franklin and Delaware Counties, reached 1,003 as of Nov. 11. The “Crypto” outbreak was declared in August. Health officials say most cases report multiple exposures […]The post Ohio: More than 1,000 Cryptosporidium cases reported in Columbus area appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The number of Burkholderia cepacia bloodstream infections associated with contaminated prefilled saline flush syringes has increased by more than 100 in the past month, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On Oct. 9, this site reported at least 36 potential cases of B. cepacia linked to Nurse Assist I.V. Flush Syringes in four […]The post Burkholderia cepacia outbreak linked to prefilled saline flush syringes now 149 cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The National Health Institute of the Peru Ministry of Health has confirmed a death due to melioidosis, an infection caused by the bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, according to a news release last week(computer translated). The patient is a 19-year-old woman who was traveling in the north coast of the country. She presented with pneumonia and sepsis when B. pseudomallei. She died seven […]The post Melioidosis fatality confirmed in Peru appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Pará state in northern Brazil are concerned about the number of Chagas disease cases seen this year as two fatalities were reported recently in the city of Barcarena, according to G1 report (computer translated). Between January and September 2016, 127 cases of the disease were registered in Pará. The State Department of Public Health […]The post Chagas cases in northern Brazil concern officials appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease chikungunya appear to be driven by infections centered in and around the home, with women significantly more likely to become ill, suggests new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Institut Pasteur in Paris and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. The findings, published […]The post Chikungunya: ‘Lazy mosquitoes’ linked to more infections in women appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Spokane Fire Department reported Saturday that about 40 overnight guests and staff at the House of Charity have shown symptoms consistent with norovirus and tests are being run to confirm a diagnosis. This has prompted a voluntary isolation order to be issued. “If people are sick they need to stay away from the rest of the […]The post Spokane: Possible norovirus outbreak at House of Charity appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Veteran’s Day prompted a flurry of stories on bile duct cancer, or chlolangiocarcinoma and Vietnam veterans after the Associated Press discovered hundreds of patients in recent decades and the large number of claims denials by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The cause of the cancers may be linked to eating raw fish while fighting in Southeast Asia […]The post Liver flukes, Vietnam Vets and cholangiocarcinoma appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers from the University of Toronto have discovered that mice infected with the common gut parasite Tritrichomonas muris are at an increased risk of developing inflammatory colitis. Their findings, which have been published online in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, expand the type of gut-resident microorganism that can affect the health of their host and suggest […]The post Tritrichomonas muris increases risk of colitis: Researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Health officials in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in southern Vietnam reported six additional Zika virus cases during the past week, bringing the city total to 35. Tran Dac Phu, director of the Preventive Health Department, said HCMC has a high risk of infection due to its large population, which is around 12 million including migrants. […]The post Vietnam Zika virus cases rise: Tally tops 40 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

As the global spread of the Zika virus continues, efforts are underway to halt the disease’s transmission. While no licensed therapies or vaccines to protect against the Zika virus are currently available, new research published in the journal npj Vaccines demonstrates how a synthetic DNA vaccine approach successfully protected against infection, brain damage and death […]The post DNA-based Zika vaccine showed protection from infection, brain damage and death appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since 6 June 2016, health clinics in IDP camps in Borno State have seen increasing numbers of measles cases. From early September until late October, 744 suspected cases of measles, and 2 deaths, were reported from WHO-established EWARS reporting sites. The majority of these children had never been vaccinated against measles and most of them […]The post Nigeria: Measles vaccination campaign in Borno State appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up to the salmonella outbreak on Oahu linked to poke that contains limu (also called “ogo” or “seaweed”), The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) Sanitation Branch has ordered Marine Agrifuture LLC (also known as Olakai Hawaii) to immediately cease and desist selling or distributing their products, Kahuku Ogo, Robusta Ogo, and Sea Asparagus. The […]The post Salmonella outbreak in Hawaii: Marine Agrifuture issued cease and desist order appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi infection) is a parasitic infection that can lead to fatal cardiac disease. While Latin America is known as an endemic area, there have been relatively few studies investigating the prevalence of Chagas disease in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. A paper published in PLOS Neglected Diseases led by researchers at […]The post Chagas disease burden in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Hinty’s has recalled their Black Bean and Yam Chili from the marketplace because it may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum. The affected product was distributed in Ontario. The details of recalled products are below: There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products. The Canadian Food Inspection […]The post Hinty’s Chili recalled due to botulism risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local Health Officials are investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A illnesses linked to frozen strawberries. Epidemiologic and traceback evidence indicate frozen strawberries imported from Egypt are the likely source of this outbreak. The recalled product was distributed by […]The post California: Seven Monterey County establishments Id’d in hepatitis A warning appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a follow-up on the mumps alert at the University of Missouri, the Student Health Center at the school now reports seventeen confirmed cases of mumps in MU students since the beginning of the Fall semester. Additional students with clinical signs and symptoms of mumps are awaiting test results. Mumps is an infection caused by the […]The post University of Missouri mumps outbreak rises to 17 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

According to the Wisconsin Division of Public Health (DPH) Communicable Disease Epidemiology Section (CDES), Wisconsin has experienced an increase in the incidence of giardiasis cases statewide this year. The majority of the increase occurred in the Northern and Northeastern regions of the state. Through Nov. 5, Giardia cases climbed to 690 this year compared to 471 […]The post Wisconsin reports increase in Giardia infections in 2016 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) reported a sporadic case of human myiasis caused by the Old World screwworm in a 46-year-old woman with underlying conditions. She lived with family in a private housing estate in Tuen Mun. Since mid-October, she attended a general outpatient clinic regularly for dressing of right breast wound. Worms were […]The post Screwworm infestation reported in Hong Kong appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health reported investigating a case of infection by Streptococcus suis, a kind of bacteria from pigs. The female patient, aged 74 with underlying illnesses, presented with fever, dizziness, vomiting and pain and swelling in her right hand since November 8. She was admitted to […]The post Hong Kong woman hospitalized with Streptococcus suis infection appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) has reported two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9), bringing the number of human cases to 777 on the Chinese Mainland since 2013. What is known about the two patients is as follows: A female farmer aged 77 from Huzhou, Zhejiang, in serious condition. She bought […]The post H7N9 avian influenza: Two additional cases reported in China appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Leprosy in Britain’s red squirrels is being caused by the same species of bacteria responsible for human infections, a DNA study has found. One of the strains – affecting squirrels on Brownsea Island, off England’s south coast – shares close similarities with that responsible for outbreaks of the disease in medieval Europe. Researchers tested 25 […]The post UK: Mycobacterium leprae detected in red squirrels appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A multi-drug resistant infection that can cause life-threatening illness in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and can spread from patient to patient has spread globally and is becoming increasingly virulent, according to new research published in the journal Science. The study, led by the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, also suggests […]The post Mycobacterium abscessus infections in cystic fibrosis patients spreading: UK researchers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Elective surgeries have been postponed at Maine’s largest hospital this week because a patient was reported to have a suspected prion disease. The Maine Medical Center (MMC) says a patient at recently underwent a biopsy procedure and the specimen was reported by pathology as being suspicious for prion disease. Details of the case are not being […]The post Maine: Potential prion disease prompts delayed surgeries at MMC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Despite a 79% worldwide decrease in measles deaths between 2000 and 2015, nearly 400 children still die from the disease every day, leading health organizations said in a report released today. “Making measles history is not mission impossible,” said Robin Nandy, UNICEF Immunization Chief. “We have the tools and the knowledge to do it; what […]The post Measles: 400 kids die daily from vaccine preventable disease appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In an update on the Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy outbreak in Los Angeles, two additional horses at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center were moved to quarantined isolation—one due to elevated temperature with pending Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) test results and the other with elevated temperature and confirmed positive for non-neuropathogenic EHV-1 nasal swab. Nine horses currently reside in quarantined isolation. […]The post Horses: Equine Herpes outbreak in Los Angeles appeared first on Outbreak News Today.