Outbreak News Today

The Philippines struggles with human rabies cases, ranking number 10 among the top countries with human rabies deaths. During the first six months of 2016, the Philippines province of Pangasinan have reported 14,390 animal bite cases and 14 human rabies deaths. To put this into context, in all of 2015, the province saw 19,037 animal bite cases and 19 human […]

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced Friday the fourth and fifth human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) in the state this year. One resident, in Norfolk County, is in her 40s and developed a milder form of the disease. She was never hospitalized. The other resident, from Middlesex County, is in his […]

Health officials in Vigin City, Ilocos Sur, in the northern area of Luzon, Philippines are reporting about 180 chikungunya cases in July and August this year and 241 cases total year to date. Carmeliza Singson, the provincial health officer of Ilocos Sur said the town with the highest number of confirmed cases is mountainous Galimuyod town […]

After reporting four patients infected with Legionella, including two fatalities, it appears that the corrective actions and enhanced precautions implemented by the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) are working as the Seattle hospital has not reported an additional case in 12 days. However, Public Health – Seattle & King County caution it is possible additional cases will […]

A multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7) infections is being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) and officials in several states. The outbreak, which has sickened seven people, hospitalizing five, from four states has been linked to beef products […]

The world watched helplessly as the Ebola virus consumed West Africa in the Spring of 2014; international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse stepped forward to help. Now “Facing Darkness” shares the moving story of how relief teams relied on their faith and courage to battle this deadly disease. This event comes to cinemas nationwide for […]

The University Health Center at the University of Maryland at College Park has identified one confirmed and two suspected cases of mumps, according to a notice published Friday. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mumps is a viral illness that is transmitted by direct contact with respiratory droplets or saliva from an […]

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Amjevita (adalimumab-atto) as a biosimilar to Humira (adalimumab) for multiple inflammatory diseases. Amjevita is approved for the following indications in adult patients: moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis; active psoriatic arthritis; active ankylosing spondylitis (an arthritis that affects the spine); moderately to severely active Crohn’s […]

On Friday, Peel Public Health confirmed its first human case of West Nile Virus for 2016. An 80 year old male Mississauga resident started showing flu-like symptoms in early-September and has tested positive for West Nile Virus. “This first case confirms that there is West Nile activity in Peel and is a reminder to residents […]

In a follow-up to a report earlier this week on the Rift Valley fever outbreak in West Africa, The Red Cross Society of Niger has quickly mobilized 60 volunteers to disseminate information and preventive messages in communities affected by the outbreak. According to the relief organization, the first cases emerged in the Tahoua region of Niger in […]

State and local health officials in two counties are investigating an ongoing outbreak of Campylobacter infections linked to raw milk from Larga Vista Ranch in Pueblo County. According to the Pueblo City-County Health Department, El Paso County Public Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 12 confirmed and eight probable human cases of […]

Florida health officials’ response this summer to the first identified cases of local transmission and the first identified outbreak of Zika virus infection in the continental United States, including aggressive mosquito control efforts, helped to interrupt local transmission and reduce the effect on the community, including pregnant women. During late June through early August, 29 people were identified as […]

The number of dengue fever cases in the capital city region of Colombo, Sri Lanka has eclipsed 13,000 cases through Sep.22, according to the Epidemiology Unit of the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health. The 13,059 dengue cases in Colombo accounts for more than 30 percent of the 41,173 cases reported nationwide. In addition to the cases […]

In a follow-up to a report two weeks ago concerning possible leprosy cases in two students at Indian Hills Elementary in Jurupa Valley, California, Riverside County Public Health says laboratory testing on one of the children, performed by the National Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Laboratory Research Program in Baton Rouge, was positive for the bacterial disease. A […]

An outbreak of cholera has claimed six lives in the Lagos, Nigeria community of Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), according to a local media report. The Health Ministry’s Epidemiology Unit reports forty-five cholera cases in the current outbreak. The outbreak strain has been identified as the Vibrio cholerae “Ogawa” strain. The outbreak has been linked to a […]

Rockville, MD biotech company, Sanaria, announced Thursday that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Fast Track designation for its preventative vaccine for malaria, Sanaria® PfSPZ Vaccine. According to the FDA, “Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate the development, and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fill an […]

During the past month, fourteen monkeypox cases, including one fatality have been reported in four villages in the Sub-prefecture of Mingala in the Central African Republic (CAR), according to Reliefweb (computer translated). This is the first outbreak of monkeypox in CAR since late 2015 in the Prefecture of Mbomou. According to health officials, some patients are being […]

A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine-led team of international researchers has for the first time identified a fungus as a key factor in the development of Crohn’s disease. The researchers also linked a new bacterium to the previous bacteria associated with Crohn’s. The groundbreaking findings, published on September 20th in mBio, could lead […]

Mosquito saliva influences transmission of viruses to a bitten mammalian host. For example, it contains factors that dampen the host immune response and so facilitate infection. A study published in PLOS NTDs reports on a saliva protein with the opposite effect: D7, a protein present in Aedes aegypti saliva, binds to Dengue virus (DENV) and inhibits its […]

Two animals in two counties may have exposed eleven people to rabies, according to South Carolina health officials. In Clarendon County, nine people have started post-exposure treatment after potentially being exposed to rabies by a stray kitten that tested positive for the disease, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). The kitten was found […]

Blue Bell Ice Cream is voluntarily recalling select products produced in its Sylacauga, Alabama, plant because they were made with a chocolate chip cookie dough ingredient supplied by a third party supplier Aspen Hills, Inc., due to the potential for it to contain Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections […]

The Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) has received laboratory confirmation of five individuals diagnosed with Legionnaires Disease. Based upon current findings, SCHD has closed the La Quinta Inn located at 2979 Millbranch Road, 38116. An investigation is currently ongoing, and SCHD officials are working with the establishment to identify sources of transmission, to remediate to […]

The Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) confirmed the first human death due to West Nile Virus (WNV) in Shelby County, and health officials continue to urge residents to assist in reducing the mosquito populations as well as take precautions to prevent mosquito bites. Humans can contract WNV after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Although […]

A Biosecurity Research Institute study has found important results in the fight against Zika virus: Culex mosquitoes do not appear to transmit Zika virus. Researchers at Kansas State University’s Biosecurity Research Institute studied Culex species mosquitoes from across the country, including Vero Beach in Florida, which is near Miami-Dade County where mosquitoes are spreading Zika […]

Minnesota health officials have reported two additional Legionnaires’ disease cases in the outbreak in Hopkins, Minnesota, bringing the total cases to 14, according to CBS Minnesota report. In addition, the first fatality due to Legionnaires’ has been reported. The 14 cases have been seen in patients ages in their 20s to their 90s. The investigation […]

In a follow-up to a report from February on the leprosy situation in Florida in 2016, updated data from the Department of Health shows the case tally has risen to 14 through Sep. 22. The case count, all confirmed, are broken down by county as follows: Alachua (1), Bay (1), Brevard (8), Broward (1), Martin (1), […]

In 2015, Romanian health officials say only seven confirmed cases of measles were reported through the whole year and no fatalities. During the first eight months of 2016 is a totally different story as the Health Ministry has registered 675 cases to date, including 2 deaths in infants (a third death is under investigation). Why […]

Neighboring West Africa countries, Miger and Mali, are experiencing outbreaks of the viral disease, Rift Valley Fever (RVF), where nearly 100 cases and at least 21 deaths have been reported. The outbreak in Niger has sickened 52 people since August, including 21 fatalities, according to The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA). And the aid agency […]

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) announced Tuesday that a new case of West Nile Virus (WNV) has been confirmed. The patient, in his 70s, was diagnosed with WNV by testing completed by the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory, and is currently hospitalized in Boston. This is Boston’s first confirmed human case of WNV this […]

Streptococcus pneumoniae likely is not a term immediately recognizable by most individuals, even if they have had unpleasant run-ins with the common bacterium. However, experts at Mississippi State University are pioneering pathways to new treatment options. Primarily affecting those at opposite ends of a typical lifespan, it can cause ear infections in young children and […]

SA Health has been notified of two cases of measles: a 9 month old male and a 22 year old female both from metropolitan Adelaide. These cases are likely community contacts of a previous case who had travelled to south-east Asia. The cases were in the settings listed below whilst infectious: Starplex Gym, 18-20 Alexander […]

For the first time in the United States, health officials have identified a cluster of gonorrhea infections that shows both decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and very high-level resistance to azithromycin. Ceftriaxone and azithromycin are the two drugs that make up the dual regimen that is the last available effective gonorrhea treatment option. An experimental oral […]

The world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, Quest Diagnostics, today announced the availability of a new antibody test service that aids the diagnosis of infection with the Zika virus. The service is based on the Zika Immunoglobulin M (IgM) Antibody Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Zika MAC-ELISA), developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]

The Miaoli County Public Health Bureau has reported more than 140 cases of Salmonella linked to roast duck, according to a Taipei Times report Wednesday. The 143 food poisoning cases have been associated with a shop selling duck Miaoli County’s Toufen Township. Health officials have fined and temporarily closed the shop after lab results received on Monday […]

Hong Kong health officials are highlighting an important milestone fro the city today–measles elimination in Hong Kong. The World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Verification Commission has confirmed that Hong Kong SAR (China) has achieved the interruption of endemic measles virus transmission. The city of more than 7 million joins Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, […]

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) received confirmation today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the first human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Rhode Island in 2016. A 49-year-old Pawtucket resident was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis caused by WNV on August 12th and was admitted to Rhode Island Hospital […]

In a follow-up on the mumps outbreaks in Arkansas and Oklahoma, health officials in Arkansas have seen the outbreak top 200 cases with official suspected and lab confirmed cases now at 210. The outbreak affects 30 schools in the Huntsville, Rogers, and Springdale School Districts in northwest Arkansas. In the mumps outbreak in Garfield County, Oklahoma, the […]

Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) officials confirmed Anthrax in white-tailed deer in Kinney County on September 16, 2016. The affected premises is located approximately 12 miles east of Brackettville. The premises has been quarantined and TAHC rules require proper disposal of affected carcasses and vaccination of livestock on the premises prior to release of the […]

The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa, Manila confirmed and the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) reported today about six additional locally acquired, or autochthonous Zika virus infections, bringing the total in the country to nine. The six new cases include one from Cebu City, four from Iloilo City and one from Laguna province (CALABARZON). […]

An outbreak of the bacterium, Acinetobacter baumannii, has hit the Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca in Spain, infecting a dozen of patients, according to a La Verdad report (computer translated). The Ministry of Health says 28 patients have been affected by the outbreak strain of Acinetobacter since June, 12 getting infections (pneumonia, bacteremia or infection in […]

Health officials in Mesas County, Colorado announced today the first human tularemia case of 2016. The patient was likely exposed to the disease, often referred to as Rabbit Fever, in the Redlands area. The Mesa County Health Department says rabbits from the east side of the Redlands and southwest of Fruita have tested positive for tularemia this summer. […]

On 8 September 2016 the National IHR Focal Point for Austria notified WHO of a laboratory confirmed case of Middle-East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. This is the second case of MERS-CoV in Austria. (The first MERS-CoV case in Austria was notified on 30 September 2014). The patient is a 67 year old male visitor […]

Officials in Florida have reported the 20th case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in a horse in 2016. The 11 year old Quarter Horse mare from Sumter County was last vaccinated for EEE in late Summer 2015 per the owner and had no recent travel history. Clinical signs began on August 13 and the horse was euthanized […]

The short answer is yes. Legionella pneumophila, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, lives in virtually all water systems. These bacteria exist in the natural environment of lakes, ponds, and rivers but in such small concentrations that they typically pose little threat to humans. The trouble starts when the bacteria survive the conventional treatment provided […]

The mysterious illness that sickened more than 100 at a Lamar County, Alabama school recently has been identified as norovirus, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) Monday. The gastrointestinal outbreak swept through South Lamar School in Millport last week sending a large number of students home sick. Health officials say the school cooperated […]

The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) announced the state’s second West Nile virus-related death in 2016. The individual was a man who resided in central North Dakota and was older than 60 years of age. “This death is an unfortunate reminder that West Nile virus can cause very severe disease, especially for those over […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Exondys 51 (eteplirsen) injection, the first drug approved to treat patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Exondys 51 is specifically indicated for patients who have a confirmed mutation of the dystrophin gene amenable to exon 51 skipping, which affects about 13 percent of the population with DMD. […]

Today, one premise in Hillsborough County, Florida was placed under quarantine for strangles, according to a Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) alert. The horse began showing respiratory signs in September 7 after being imported from a Louisiana Kill Facility and as was isolated. A respiratory panel taken returned positive for strangles and EHV 4. The one […]

Kellogg Company is voluntarily recalling approximately 10,000 cases of Kellogg’s® Eggo® Nutri-Grain®Whole Wheat Waffles because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. No other Eggo products are impacted by this recall. Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune […]

Minnesota health officials reported three additional Legionnaires’ disease cases in the city of Hopkins, bringing the outbreak total to 12. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says two of the three new cases required hospitalization for their illnesses. The investigation into the source of the cases is ongoing. Minnesota typically sees 50 to 60 cases of […]