Outbreak News Today

The Florida Department of Health today reported the 43rd non travel-associated Zika virus case in the state in Miami-Dade County. DOH continues door-to-door outreach and targeted testing in Pinellas, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties and mosquito abatement and reduction activities are also taking place around the locations that are being investigated. DOH believes ongoing transmission […]

Officials with Yunnan Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission announced (computer translated) a confirmed case of H9N2 avian influenza in a Mengzi City boy. Confirmation of the virus was made by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention via a nucleic acid assay. The 10-year-old child was treated for the infection and has recovered. This is the second […]

Researchers at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) recently identified compounds that potentially can be used to inhibit Zika virus replication and reduce its ability to kill brain cells. These compounds now can be studied by the broader research community to help combat the Zika public health crisis. NCATS is part of the […]

A study shows that stimulating the production of interleukin-17A (IL-17A), one of the cytokines released by cells of the immune system, can be an effective strategy for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis, considered one of the six most important parasitic diseases affecting humans. The principal investigator in this research is João Santana da Silva, Full […]

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced it has initiated a clinical study of its preventive Zika vaccine (GLS-5700) in 160 subjects in Puerto Rico, where the Zika virus outbreak has been declared a public health emergency. The CDC estimates Zika will infect more than 25% of the Puerto Rican population by year end, providing the potential […]

On Sunday’s show, I had two fantastic guests to discuss two very interesting topics. In the first half, the Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD joined me for an interview to discuss […]

With the announcement yesterday of 41 locally transmitted Zika virus infections in Singapore, health officials in at least two Asian countries have responded to the issue. In Taiwan, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) raised the travel notice level for the country to Level 2: Alert for Zika virus on August 29, 2016.Pregnant women and women […]

In the European Union (EU), an increase in the number of human West Nile virus (WNV) cases has been reported in recent weeks, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). In the past two weeks, 43 total WNV cases were reported, 32 last week and 11 the week prior. Before this spike, the […]

In a follow-up to reports on the diphtheria situation in Malaysia, the health ministry is reporting the first case of the disease in Perak State, bringing the country total to 28, including 5 deaths. According to Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the patient, a four-year-old girl from Taiping became ill on Aug. 12 presenting […]

Due to two recent cases of young children being infected with E. coli, state health officials are reminding Michigan residents of the potential health risks associated with consuming unpasteurized milk or unpasteurized milk products, commonly referred to as raw milk or raw milk products. The two E. coli O157:H7 cases, which were reported in Oakland […]

Officials with the Province of Buenos Aires Ministry of Health are warning the public not to consume homemade or raw sausage, particularly product without a manufacturer’s label due to an increase in the parasitic infection, trichinosis. According to a Perspectiva Sur report (computer translated), as of Aug. 23, 49 cases of trichinosis have been reported in three districts in the […]

The Southern Nevada Health District is reporting its first human case of St. Louis Encephalitis in Clark County since 2007. The individual is male over the age of 50 who had the more serious neuroinvasive form of the illness. He was hospitalized and has been released. Most people who are infected with St. Louis Encephalitis […]

The number of dengue cases continue to rise in Sri Lanka. Sine our last report on Aug. 8, the island country has reported nearly 8,000 additional cases of the mosquito borne viral disease, bringing the total year-to date to 37,603. This is approximately double the cases (19,000) reported during the same period in 2015. In addition, […]

Because of local transmission of Zika virus in Florida, 42 cases to date, all eyes are on the Miami-Dade region and now Pinellas County. However, with all the attention on Zika, two human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) were reported during the past week, practically flying under the radar. The Florida Department of Health […]

In a follow-up on the cyclospora outbreak in the United Kingdom, the Head of Travel and Migrant Health at Public Health England reports more cases. Dr Katherine Russell said, “We continue to see high numbers of Cyclospora cases being reported. A total of 320 cases have now been reported since 1 June, with 230 reporting travel […]

The new oral anticoagulants provide the same stroke prevention as warfarin but cause less intracranial bleeding, reports an observational study in more than 43 000 patients presented at ESC Congress 2016 today by Dr Laila Staerk, a research fellow at Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark. “Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder […]

Dr. John England, Professor and Chair of Neurology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and colleagues in Honduras and Venezuela have reported a new neurological complication of infection with the Zika virus. They described the first confirmed case of Zika-associated sensory polyneuropathy in a paper published online by the Journal of the Neurological […]

A chimpanzee that died at a Cameroon sanctuary has tested positive for monkeypox earlier this month, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) last week. A group of 22 chimpanzees, including the dead animal, used to live in a 3-hectares enclosure isolated from the other compartments of the Mefou Primate Sanctuary. the Cameroon network of Animal diseases […]

In a follow-up to a report Saturday of the first locally acquired Zika virus case in Singapore, The Ministry of Health (MOH) now puts the local transmission case tally at 41. All the cases are residents or workers in the Aljunied Crescent/ Sims Drive area. They are not known to have travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, […]

A 47-year-old female Malaysian who resides and works in Singapore with no recent travel history is the country’s first locally transmitted, or autochthonous Zika virus case, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA). The patient had developed fever, rash and conjunctivitis since Aug. 25. She visited a general practitioner (GP) the following […]

Melioidosis (also known as Whitmore disease and Nightcliff gardener’s disease) is caused by the bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei. The disease though somewhat rare has been seen in areas of Southeast Asia and Northern Australia, particularly after heavy rains. In Thailand it is considered a disease of rice farmers. The organism is saprophytically found in soil and […]

On Friday, two cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) were confirmed by the Kentucky State Veterinarian’s office. One is a 5-year-old racking horse mare fin Barren County and the second a 11-year-old Quarter Horse mare in Hardin County, according to a Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) notice. Initial onset for both horses was Aug. 22. There […]

Detroit health officials have announced two cases of hepatitis A in the city in recent weeks during a press conference Thursday. The Detroit Health Department notes that both of the cases had come in contact with sewage that had backed up into a basement. While it is not yet clear how these individual contracted Hepatitis A, […]

During a recent Outbreak News This Week interview with Blue Marble Health author, Dr. Peter Hotez, I asked the infectious disease expert for his thoughts on the life and accomplishments of the eradicator of smallpox, D. A. Henderson, who died Aug. 19 at the age of 87. Hotez said the following: “D.A. was an amazing person, he was […]

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in a wild mallard duck from a state wildlife refuge near Fairbanks, Alaska. CDC considers the risk to the general public from these HPAI H5 infections to be low. No […]

On 30 July 2016, the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, announced a laboratory confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) in an 18-year-old Kuwaiti man who arrived in Thailand on 25 July with his family. The patient developed symptoms on 25 July during a flight from Kuwait to Bangkok. On 26 July he sought […]

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) reported on the first human West Nile virus (WNV) cases of the year on Thursday. Four cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) have been reported, three from Dawson County and one from Garfield have been identified. In addition to the human cases, one equine case in Petroleum […]

Last week, we learned of a miracle of sorts. Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando announced that 16-year-old Sebastian Deleon had survived an infection with the amoebic parasite, Naegleria fowleri, the fourth such case on record in the United States. The great work and rapid response of the team at Florida Hospital for Children and […]

From the introduction of the newly released book by Dr. Peter Hotez: Blue Marble Health refers to a changing global health paradigm in which the world’s neglected diseases and NTDs are increasingly found among the extremely poor who live amidst wealth. Ultimately, blue marble health provides a new framework for shaping public policy to control […]

In an update on the hepatitis A outbreak in Virginia, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) as of today puts the case tally at 35 Virginia residents who had tested positive for hepatitis A reported consuming a smoothie at Tropical Smoothie Café prior to becoming ill. Approximately 55% of the residents, for whom information is available, […]

Bat Conservation International (BCI) and the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are pleased to award $100,000 in funding to support critical research in the fight against White-nose Syndrome (WNS). Together, BCI and TNC reviewed and selected three solution-oriented projects that aim to identify and develop tools to improve survival of bats vulnerable to […]

As a further safety measure against the emerging Zika virus outbreak, today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a revised guidance recommending universal testing of donated Whole Blood and blood components for Zika virus in the U.S. and its territories. “There is still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission,” […]

Seven human infections with novel influenza A viruses were reported by two states, Michigan (4) and Ohio (3), during week ending Aug. 20, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All seven persons were infected with influenza A (H3N2) variant (H3N2v) viruses and reported exposure to swine in fair settings during the […]

The Hawke’s Bay District Health Board announced today that health care providers are beginning to see cases of suspected Reactive Arthritis, from the campylobacter infection. Reactive arthritis is painful but usually responds well to anti-inflammatories and treatment from a GP. To date GPs and pharmacies have reported eight cases. In addition, they reported on the second […]

A test that could provide a Zika diagnosis for patients less than 30 minutes in doctors’ and other healthcare providers’ offices is moving forward with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc. of Medford, New York, is […]

Back in 2011, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson did tweet “No to mandatory vaccines”. No context to the tweet; however, for the last five years, we must assume that was his stance. However, in an interview Wednesday on Vermont Public Radio (LISTEN), Gov Johnson appears to have reversed his former position on the public health issue: […]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today investigating the first imported case of Zika Virus Infection, and urged the public to adopt strict anti-mosquito measures and safe sex during travel. Pregnant women and those planning pregnancy should not travel to affected areas. The patient is a 38-year-old woman […]

An outbreak of Japanese encephalitis (JE) has killed 19 people, including four children in Myanmar this year to date prompting health officials to begin a vaccination campaign in the most needed areas, according to a Myanmar Times report. Due to the cost of the vaccine and limited supplies, the Department of Health announced it would begin […]

Health officials in Switzerland are reporting an increase in tick bites and tick borne diseases like Lyme disease through August this year. To date, there have been 8,400 cases of acute Lyme disease. This compares with the 5,300 reported in 2015. In addition, more than 100 cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) have been reported. This all comes […]

With the surge of the mosquito borne diseases, chikungunya and dengue, being reported out of Delhi, Indian health officials met Wednesday to discuss preparedness for the diseases. Delhi has recently reported a surge in these infections with “official numbers” being noted as 20 chikungunya and 311 dengue cases (however, sources from various hospitals place the figure far […]

The number of cases of the tickborne bacterial infection, anaplasmosis, are up significantly in the state of Maine, according to data from the state’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Through Aug. 18, the Maine CDC has reported 228 anaplasmosis cases. This compares to 186 cases in all of 2015. More than half the cases have been […]

The number of dengue fever cases in Eastern Samar for the first eight months of 2016 have more than doubled the cases reported during all of 2015, which has prompted health officials to describe the situation as “alarming”. According to Mrs. Concesa Balanga, Provincial Dengue Coordinator for the Provincial Health Office (PHO), from January to the last week of August […]

In a follow-up to a report last week, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reports 23 confirmed hepatitis A cases in Virginia residents in an outbreak linked to Tropical Smoothie Cafe restaurants in Virginia. According to data from the VDH, the cases by region include 7 in the Northern region, 4 in the Northwest, 8 in the […]

The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) is continuing its investigation of an ongoing hepatitis A outbreak on the island of Oahu, and today confirmed a new case in a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant. The flight attendant served inflight food and beverages to passengers on the following flights: July 31, 2016 — Flight HA22 from […]

In a follow-up to a report two weeks ago on the Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) outbreak in Tennessee racing quarter horses, the Department of Agriculture puts the outbreak total at 19. All are connected to two locations in Rutherford County and Bedford County. The investigation is ongoing. EP is a blood parasite that affects equines. Although it can […]

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) reported one additional locally transmitted Zika virus case today in Palm Beach County, bringing the state total to 43. Health officials note that the case is not connected to the investigation into an individual in Palm Beach County that was announced earlier this month. DOH has begun door-to-door outreach and […]

Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health have shown that it’s possible to diagnose a bacterial infection from a small sample of blood — based on the immune system’s response to the bacteria — in infants with fevers who are 2 months of age or younger. With additional research, the new technique could be […]

In a landmark discovery, researchers at Tel Aviv University have unraveled the metastatic mechanism of melanoma, the most aggressive of all skin cancers. According to a paper published Monday in the journal Nature Cell Biology, the scientists discovered that before spreading to other organs, a melanoma tumor sends out tiny vesicles containing molecules of microRNA. […]

A child from Malaysia’s Selangor state has been diagnosed with the serious vaccine preventable disease, diphtheria, bringing the case tally in the country to 27. Local media reports that the 3-year-old child had not been immunized against diphtheria, as the family practiced homeopathy treatment. Malaysia health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said, “This child started experiencing […]

Doctors writing in the journal Thorax have warned musicians who play wind instruments of a potential hazard they have dubbed ‘bagpipe lung.’ The warning comes after a man died of the chronic inflammatory lung condition hypersensitivity pneumonitis–thought to have been caused by regularly breathing in mould and fungi lurking inside the moist interior of a […]