Outbreak News Today

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is announcing the availability of about $70 million in supplemental funding to states, cities, and territories to support continued efforts to protect Americans from Zika virus. The funding, distributed through CDC’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (ELC) Cooperative Agreement, will further support activities to protect […]

In a follow-up on the multistate hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen strawberries used in smoothies at Tropical Smoothie Café locations prior to August 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported this week updated data on the outbreak. As of October 17, 2016, 134 people with hepatitis A have been reported from nine states: […]

Every year, more than 350 million people in over 120 countries contact dengue fever, which can cause symptoms ranging from achy muscles and a skin rash to life-threatening hemorrhagic fever. Researchers have struggled to create effective vaccines against dengue virus, in part because four distinct serotypes, or strains, cause the disease and a vaccine must […]

A team at Griffith’s Institute for Glycomics identified a unique sensory structure that is able to bind host-specific sugar and is present on particularly virulent strains of Campylobacter jejuni. In their paper A direct-sensing galactose chemoreceptor recently evolved in invasive strains of Campylobacter jejuni published in Nature Communications this week, the team explain that the ability to […]

Every year at this time, New South Wales (NSW) Health issues a warning about the risk of Lyssavirus as the bat breeding season begins in the region. Health officials warn people not to approach or handle injured bats and flying foxes to avoid exposure to the potentially fatal Australian Bat lyssavirus, which is closely related to […]

Scientists have linked mutations in a single gene to autism in people who have a rare tumor syndrome typically diagnosed in childhood. The findings, in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), may lead to a better understanding of the genetic roots of autism in the wider population. The findings are published Oct. 19 in the […]

Officials with the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), in an update Wednesday, now is reporting 626 suspected and lab confirmed cases of mumps. ADH officials remind us that this is an active outbreak. Mumps case counts are provisional and include cases that are currently being investigated. Because this number is provisional, the numbers reported may occasionally […]

New research to be presented at the 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition finds that lice can be the end of a happy summer for many kids at sleepaway camp. Researchers from the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital tracked lice infections in more than 500 summer camps over a three-year period […]

The CDC has recommended that 11- to 12-year-olds receive two doses of HPV vaccine at least six months apart rather than the previously recommended three doses to protect against cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Teens and young adults who start the series later, at ages 15 through 26 years, will continue to need […]

The Clemson family has gained a new namesake: Legionella clemsonensis, a novel strain of the Legionella bacteria, the most common cause of waterborne bacterial outbreaks in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave the honor of naming L. clemsonensis to students in a collaborative research group called CU and the […]

Despite achieving elimination of leprosy as a public health problem ten years ago (a prevalence of < 1 case per 10 000 population), India still reports the highest number of leprosy cases on the globe by a long shot. In 2015, there was more than 210,000 new leprosy cases reported worldwide and India accounted for some 60 […]

Just days after Vietnam health officials raised the epidemic alert level after reported a potential Zika-related microcephaly case in a four-month old child Krong Buk district, Dak Lak province, the health ministry has reported the fifth Zika virus case in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), and the 9th case overall. In a emergency meeting yesterday, Pasteur Institute director, Phan […]

Health officials with the Wichita Falls-Wichita County Public Health District reported Wednesday of a laboratory-confirmed human case of tularemia in a county resident. Local media report that the patient was mowing his lawn at his home in Iowa Park when he accidentally ran over baby rabbits in the tall grass. In addition, one of his dogs […]

UPDATE: Canadian media report the number of mumps cases since September is nine in Manitoba, the majority linked to the University. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) reported Wednesday that an unspecified number of students at the University of Manitoba Fort Garry campus recently diagnosed with Mumps, prompting a Mumps Alert to be issued. Mumps is […]

The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed an additional case of hepatitis A in an Oahu food service worker. The infected case is an employee at McDonald’s of Kahala, located at 4618 Kilauea Avenue in Honolulu. Affected dates of service are Sept. 20– 21, 23–24, 27–29, and Oct. 1, 4–5, 7, and 11, […]

Total combined cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in 2015 reached the highest number ever, according to the annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There were more than 1.5 million chlamydia cases reported (1,526,658), nearly 400,000 cases of gonorrhea (395,216), and nearly 24,000 […]

The outbreak of the parasitic disease, cryptosporidiosis, in Central Ohio increased by 22 cases in the past week, bringing the total in the three counties of Columbus, Franklin and Delaware counties to 937. Crytosporidium, or “Crypto” is a protozoan parasite that causes diarrhea. It is found in the fecal matter of a person who has been […]

McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has reported dozens of cases of the viral disease, hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) Wednesday. Since the beginning of the fall semester, 60 cases have been reported. This is a contagious illness caused by a version of enterovirus that is a common illness in infants […]

In a follow-up on the screwworm situation in the Florida Keys, US and Florida agriculture officials report that screwworm has been detected in multiple Keys west of Big Pine and No Name Keys. As of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) update Tuesday, screwworm flies have been detected in the following areas: Big […]

A man from Shenzhen province, China has died from an infection with the “brain-eating amoeba”, Naegleria fowleri in early September, according to a Chinese media account. According to the report, the man contracted the lethal parasite after “bathing in water” at a scenic spot in the province with his family in August. In less than a […]

In a follow-up on the cholera outbreak in Yemen, The World Health Organization (WHO) and health partners urgently require support from the international donor community to contain the spread of acute watery diarrhea/cholera in Yemen. A total of US$ 22.35 million is required by the Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene clusters, of which US$ 16.6 […]

On October 18, a new Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) case was confirmed in Osceola County, Florida. The 4 year old grade male’s vaccination history is unknown and he had no recent travel history. Clinical signs began on October 9 and the horse was euthanized for humane reasons one day later. This is the fifth confirmed […]

UPDATE: The CDC just released new data today (10-19-16) which shows Pennsylvania now has reported 10,038 cases. With more than two months left in the year, Pennsylvania remains the Lyme disease capital in the US once again. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, as of the week ending Oct. 8, Pennsylvania […]

A team of investigators from the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) will arrive today in Bacolod City to attempt to determine what sickened some 145 students in the village of Barangay Handumanan, according to local media. In the past several days, 145 students from Handumanan Elementary School have been hospitalized with symptoms of food poisoning. DOH-Western Visayas […]

In a follow-up on the food poisoning outbreak linked to refried beans in Western New York Mighty Taco restaurants, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issued the following statement concerning the etiology yesterday: “The Wadsworth Center, the public health laboratory of the New York State Department of Health, has identified Bacillus cereus in patient […]

In a follow-up on the malaria epidemic situation in Venezuela, the president of the Medical Federation of Venezuela (FMV), Douglas Leon Natera said Monday that the country recorded more than 180,000 cases of malaria, according to a El Nacional report today (computer translated). Eighty percent of the cases have been reported in Bolivar state. Leon […]

A lot of attention has been on the mumps outbreak in northwest Arkansas, which has swelled to 567 suspected and lab confirmed cases; however, Arkansas is not the only state to report high number of mumps cases in 2016 to date. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that through the […]

Just two days after Vietnamese health officials reported their sixth and seventh Zika virus cases, the Ministry of Health reports today (computer translated) on a microcephaly case in a four-month old child Krong Buk district, Dak Lak province. The Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology has opened up an investigation and blood samples have been sent to […]

In the United States, approximately 5,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease are reported annually. Legionnaires disease outbreaks have made the news recently in the US as seen in Hopkins, Minnesota, Seattle, Memphis and most recently, the detection of Legionella bacteria in water in American Airlines hangars at the Dallas Ft Worth airport, not to mention the outbreak in Flint, […]

Michigan health officials have previously reported big increases in shigellosis cases in Genesee and Saginaw counties, now health officials in Ingham County report investigating an outbreak of the bacterial disease. The Ingham County Health Department has confirmed eight cases of Shigella infection in recent weeks and has approximately 30 cases under investigation. On average, the […]

The global wellness industry grew 10.6% in the last two years, from a $3.36 trillion market in 2013 to $3.72 trillion in 2015, according to research released today by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). This new data on the ten markets that comprise the global wellness “cluster” provides fresh evidence that wellness is one of […]

In a study that could one day help eliminate the tragic birth defects caused by Zika virus, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have elucidated how the virus attacks the brains of newborns, information that could accelerate the development of treatments. The study, led by TSRI Associate Professors Hyeryun Choe […]

Health officials in Singapore reported last week the eighth dengue related death in the city in a 11-year-old Singaporean male who stayed at Woodleigh Close. According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the boy was admitted to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) on 30 August 2016 and passed away on the same day. He was […]

The vaccine-preventable disease, tetanus, has been considered eradicated among children in the Central European country of Slovenia for the past twenty years, health officials report a case in a unvaccinated child as reported in local media Friday. The National Public Health Institute (NIJZ) says while the disease was considered eradicated among children for the past […]

In a follow-up to a report on the chikungunya outbreak in southern Leyte’s Maasin City, The Department of Health (DOH) in the region has intensified its information educational campaign in the three affected barangays (villages). In addition, self-protection method is being recommended by health experts to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes by wearing long sleeves, […]

The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has confirmed the first influenza cases of the season. To date, five cases have been confirmed involving various age ranges from children to the elderly. Cases include three from Missoula County and two from Lewis and Clark County. Public health officials say that these first confirmed […]

The Vietnamese General Department of Preventive Medicine reported on Saturday (computer translated), two additional Zika virus cases in two women from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). This brings the total Zika virus case count in the country to seven and four in HCMC. The details of the cases are as follows: The first case is a […]

In a follow-up on the first screwworm infestation in the United States in decades, and the first in Florida in half a century, the number of endangered Key deer that needed to be euthanized because of the deteriorated condition caused by the screwworm is in the dozens since September (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer […]

Health officials in Washtenaw County, MI have confirmed a measles case in an adult resident with a recent history of international travel. The individual is receiving medical treatment after being seen at the University of Michigan East Ann Arbor Health and Geriatrics Center on Thursday, Oct 13. The East Ann Arbor Health and Geriatrics Center is located at […]

Kuster’s, Inc. of is voluntarily recalling 14,238 pounds of its shredded, sliced and cubed cheese out of an abundance of caution. Kuster’s, Inc., was notified by its supplier, Farm Country Cheese, Lakeview, MI, that the cheese has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections […]

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), working in conjunction with local health and shellfish authorities, announced Thursday that shellfish beds in the town of Wellfleet have been closed effective immediately due to a large outbreak of suspected norovirus illness believed to be linked to consumption of shellfish […]

With the addition of 28 animal rabies cases reported in Ontario last month, the case count for the year-to-date stands at 222, according to Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) data. Through September, the majority of cases were reported in raccoons (131), followed by skunks (61) and bats (28). LISTEN: Rabies: A comprehensive interview with Pamela Wilson Nationally, Canada […]

Health officials in the US Virgin Islands (UVI) are investigating an outbreak of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) diagnosed at an ophthalmology practice in St. Thomas. Thirty probable cases have been reported and confirmatory testing is pending. EKC is a highly contagious viral conjunctivitis that can cause corneal scarring. Conjunctivitis refers to the inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is a […]

Vancouver Coastal Health is warning customers not to consume any produce or ready-to-eat foods made in-house at Foody World, at 3000 Sexsmith Road in Richmond, due to possible Listeria contamination. So far at least six people have been hospitalized due to the illness. Potentially contaminated items include all ready-to-eat meat products such as BBQ pork […]

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced new partnerships to help countries eliminate and control neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Over the next five years new and expanded partnerships will provide 1.3 billion treatments, leverage $6 billion in donated drugs, and prevent more than 585 million people from needing treatment for NTDs. Over the next […]

Because of the two cases meningococcal disease B in University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) students recently, University Health Services (UHS) announced they will be offering the vaccine series free of charge to students starting next Thursday. UHS will be offering the two meningitis B vaccine series, Bexsero and Trumenba, at the SERF on the following dates and times: Thursday, […]

A pill a day for 12 weeks. The new direct-acting antivirals (DAA) are effective in curing the hepatitis C virus infection, a potentially fatal disease that attacks the liver. But they are expensive–approximately $60,000 per patient. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM), The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, […]

Just a couple of weeks after researchers from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in Western Pennsylvania published a study revealing that one in three deer ticks carry the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorfferi, a biology professor from Muhlenberg College in Allentown and several students tested ticks in the Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania to determine the burden of […]

The number of cholera cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to date in 2016 is significantly higher the same period in 2015, according to UNICEF data published today. Between January and October 2016, a total of 22,002 cases of cholera with 646 deaths were reported in the DRC. Compared to the same […]

In a follow-up to the multistate outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia linked to oral liquid docusate sodium manufactured by PharmaTech, Davie, Florida, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported this week that the investigation, in addition to detecting the bactertium in more than 10 lots of oral liquid docusate sodium, it also revealed B. cepacia in the water system used to […]