Outbreak News Today

Another school year will soon begin for many students in Tennessee and now is the time to make sure they receive the required immunizations for school attendance. ‘’Vaccines are critical protection for our own children and help keep other kids around them safe from many diseases,’’ said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “The measles outbreak […]

A growing number of people in Vermont are becoming ill with diseases spread by ticks, such as Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. The good news is these illnesses are preventable. To help you be tick smart, the Vermont Department of Health’s Brattleboro District Office is holding a series of presentations about the simple actions you can […]

The Department of Public Health and Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino today announced updated Zika figures and hundreds of thousands of dollars in new funding to combat the virus. According to test results released today by the state Department of Public Health (DPH), of 25 Connecticut patients who have tested positive for the Zika virus, 16 […]

Five percent of adults from a cohort of 400 people reported using antibiotics without a prescription during the previous 12 months. Twenty-five percent said they would use antibiotics without contacting a medical professional. These findings demonstrate yet another factor abetting the spread of antibiotic resistance. The research is published ahead of print July 11 in […]

NSW Health is urging the community to wash their hands and stay at home if affected by gastroenteritis, following an increase in emergency department presentations in hospitals across the state. More than 1600 people attended NSW emergency departments with gastroenteritis in the past week, a 14 per cent increase on the usual number for this […]

As the intense heat of late summer drives Oklahomans to find relief in lakes, rivers and streams, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) wants to remind everyone of the risk of water-related illness as natural bodies of water are not disinfected. Recreational bodies of water can be contaminated with germs from sewage spills, animal […]

In a recent CBS News report, which took data from a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program, called County Health Rankings & Roadmaps and compiled the top 20 “drunkest cities” in the US. What was found was that Wisconsin accounted for 60 percent of the top 20. The report notes that […]

In an article published in PLoS Genetics on July 5, scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the Belgian-based Université catholique de Louvain identify for the first time the genetic and metabolic mechanisms underpinning the therapeutic action of a bacteriophage known for its therapeutic potential. Given the worrying rise in bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the […]

In a follow up to a report Friday, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has established an Avian Influenza Control Zone in Ontario to control the movement of animals, products and equipment in the area to minimize disease spread. The boundary of the Avian Influenza Control Zone covers a 3km radius from the single premises confirmed […]

Lyme disease expert, Clinical Director for the Division of Infectious Diseases and Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Paul Auwaerter joined me on last evenings Outbreak News This Week Radio Show to answer questions about Lyme disease diagnostic testing, treatment, chronic Lyme disease and Lyme literate physicians. LISTEN to the podcast of the show below: The […]

Boulder, CO police responded to a report of an 18-year-old man who purposely ingested ricin after manufacturing it in his home in the 900 block of Poplar Place. The victim died later in the evening at the University of Colorado Hospital. According to Tom Dowd, Detective Sergeant with the Boulder Police Department, they worked with the Boulder […]

This is a viral infection of the skin caused by a poxvirus. It results in lesions that are smooth, firm and spherical ranging in size from 2-5mm. The lesions may be yellow, white or flesh colored. They may show an indentation at the top of the lesion. This infection is most frequently seen in children […]

Sri Lanka health officials have seen the total dengue fever case tally rise by 1845 since our last report, bringing the total to 22,799 through July 8. The capital region of Colombo has recorded 7369 cases to date alone. Local media reports that the death toll due to dengue is 40 in Sri Lanka to date. The World […]

The number of people infected with the parasitic disease, trichinosis, has grown to 20 people in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, Russia, according to a Sib.fm report (computer translated). The public health investigation reveals that the hunters contracted the parasite in May after preparing smoked bear meat which was consumed. Shortly after consuming the not fully […]

I spoke with Dr Bobbi Pritt with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota on the February 14, 2016 airing of the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show about the recently published discovery of a new species of bacteria (Borrelia mayonii) that causes Lyme disease in people. Dr. Pritt discussed how Mayo researchers made the discovery and […]

In the latest update from the Colombian National Institute of Health (computer translated), health officials reported an additional 1134 suspected Zika virus cases during the past week, with slightly more than half of the cases actually delayed from previous weeks. During the past month, Colombia has averaged some 1400 Zika cases per week. Since the beginning of […]

A deadly bacteria that can be picked up by a simple sniff can travel to the brain and spinal cord in just 24 hours, a new Griffith University and Bond University study has found. The pathogenic bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei, which causes the potentially fatal disease melioidosis, kills 89,000 people around the world each year and […]

Tracing the movements of patients at a South Korean hospital has helped identify how Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus was transmitted from a single super-spreader patient in an overcrowded emergency room to a total of 82 individuals over three days including patients, visitors and health-care workers. The study, published Friday in The Lancet, maps […]

The Kroger Co. has recalled Kroger Deluxe S’mores Ice Cream (48 oz, tub) sold in its retail stores because the product may contain peanuts not listed on the label. Kroger initiated the recall when a supplier, Grain Craft, indicated a raw ingredient may have become contaminated with low levels of peanut residue. People who are […]

Venezuela recorded the most malaria cases in decades in 2015 (HERE), ending the year with a total 136,402 cases. However, the data for the first 25 weeks of 2016 put the country over the 100,000 case threshold, a whopping 68 percent increase compared to the same period in the record year of 2015, according to the […]

Health officials in Brazil say they are seeing the most deaths due to influenza A (H1N1) since 2009, the year of the worldwide pandemic, Brazilian media reported Thursday (computer translated). Through June 25, Brazil has reported 1,233 deaths due to H1N1 influenza with 112 deaths reported in just the past week. More than 6500 H1N1 influenza cases […]

On July 1, 2016, an unvaccinated five (5) year-old grey thoroughbred (TB) mare in San Diego County displaying neurologic signs including ataxia, depression, stiffness in neck and spine an severe lip twitching, was confirmed positive for West Nile Virus (WNV). The onset of clinical signs began on July 24th. The mare is alive and recovering slowly. West […]

Infection with Strongyloides stercoralis is frequently asymptomatic or may show few clinical signs. However on occasion it can persist for many years due to autoinfection and depending on the immune status of the individual, be life threatening with dissemination and hyperinfection. Humans get infected with this nematode parasite by its ability to penetrate skin. They […]

Though this horribly disabling disease is virtually unknown to many Americans, trachoma is responsible for an estimated 7-8 million cases of permanent blindness particularly in the Middle East and Africa. The organism that causes trachoma is Chlamydia trachomatis serovars A-C. These types are different from the types of Chlamydia that commonly cause the sexually transmitted […]

Aflatoxin is a potent toxin and a very serious health issue in many parts of the developing world. Major outbreaks have been seen in Africa, India, Malaysia and Taiwan over the years. This mycotoxin is a natural toxin produced as a secondary metabolite to certain strains of the fungus Aspergillus, in particular Aspergillus flavus and […]

The Gram stain: even many lay people have heard of this basic but incredibly important test that serves an integral role in the microbiology laboratory. Here I would like to give a brief overview over the basics of the Gram stain. The staining procedure for bacteria was discovered over 100 years ago by Hans Christian […]

Walking pneumonia is a very common type of respiratory illness, with an estimated 2 million cases annually in the United States, caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The mycoplasmas are the smallest known free-living bacteria and are unique because they lack a cell wall. “Walking pneumonia” is an atypical pneumonia and gets its name from the fact […]

Schistosomiasis, also referred to as Bilharzia and Katayama fever, is an infection with a type of Schistosoma parasite. The schistosomes or blood flukes are parasites that have been around since antiquity. It was described in writings in the Gynacological Papyrus of Kahun from 1900 BC. Calcified ova have been found in Egyptian mummies from 1250 […]

Last week, U.S. Senator and physician Rand Paul applauded the decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement changes called for by Dr. Paul and a bipartisan Senate coalition to increase access to much-needed treatment for those battling an opioid addiction. The Administration announced today that HHS will raise the number of […]

A case of hepatitis A has been reported in a food handler at the Pizza Works restaurant in Custer. The food handler worked shifts between June 19 and July 5. Individuals who ate at the restaurant during that time period should contact their health care provider to determine if they need a shot of immune […]

An outbreak of schistosomiasis, or bilharzia that affected dozens of school children at Maradu Primary School in Francistown, Botswana is reportedly under control, according to Dr Gobezie Solomon, coordinator of the District Health Management Team (DHMT) of Greater Francistown. The outbreak that began in mid-May resulted in 42 positive cases of schistosomiasis. All the 42 cases were registered […]

Over time on this radio program, I’ve had a number of Lyme disease advocates on the show discussing their positions on the various aspects of the bacterial disease (HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE ). In an effort to offer some balance to these viewpoints, I had a discussion with the Clinical Director for the Division of Infectious Diseases […]

Health and Social Security Minister Nickolas Steele says there is need for a collective effort to mitigate against the effects of Zika, with nine confirmed and 30 suspected cases of the virus. During the weekly post cabinet briefing, Minister Steele said two persons are currently warded with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), at the General Hospital. Guillain-Barré is a disorder in which the body’s […]

Carson City Health and Human Services (CCHHS) and Douglas County Mosquito Abatement (DCMA) are reporting the first human case of West Nile virus in the Carson City-Douglas County area for 2016. The 65+-year-old individual confirmed to have West Nile Virus had the more serious form of the illness, which can impact the brain and surrounding […]

In a follow-up to a report earlier today, the Salt Lake County Health Department (SLCoHD) announced that a county resident infected with ‪‎Zika‬ virus died in late June. The deceased individual, who was elderly and had an underlying health condition, had traveled this year to an area of the world where mosquitoes are known to […]

The number of Zika virus cases reported in the United States increased by 198 during the past week, putting the total imported cases to 1132, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. An additional sexually transmitted Zika case (14) and an additional case of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), the 5th, was also reported. Through […]

According to a tweet from the Salt Lake County Health Department about an hour ago, the first Zika virus related death has been reported. They note in a second tweet that the sex of the patient has not been released. Salt Lake Health (@saltlakehealth) tweeted at 1:56 PM on Fri, Jul 08, 2016: #SLCo sees […]

Veg-Pak Produce Ltd. is recalling Longo’s brand Hot Red Thai Chili Peppers Red Thai from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product described below. The affected product was distributed in Ontario. Check to see if you have recalled product in your home. Recalled product should […]

Preliminary testing by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of H5 avian influenza on a duck farm near St. Catharines, Ontario as a low pathogenic subtype. Pathogenicity refers to the severity of the illness caused in birds. Further testing by the CFIA is underway to confirm the precise subtype and strain […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Differin Gel 0.1% (adapalene), a once-daily topical gel for the over-the-counter (OTC) treatment of acne. Differin Gel 0.1% is approved for use in people 12 years of age and older. Differin Gel 0.1% is the first in a class of drugs known as retinoids to be made […]

The State Public Health Lab in Raleigh Thursday reported a positive rabies result in a kitten from Cumberland County. Animal Control picked up a kitten on Wednesday, July 6, at the Animal Hospital of Fayetteville on Fort Bragg Road. The kitten, which was approximately 4 months old, got into an alteration with an unknown animal […]

The Los Angeles County Departments of Public Health (Public Health) and Health Services are partnering with community providers caring for gay/bisexual men, or men who have sex with men (MSM), and HIV infected populations to increase vaccinations for Invasive Meningococcal Disease. “Public Health continues to work every day to protect health and stop the spread […]

Viral hepatitis has become one of the leading causes of death and disability across the globe – killing at least as many people annually as TB, malaria or HIV/AIDS. This is the finding of new research from scientists at Imperial College London and University of Washington, who analysed data from 183 countries collected between 1990 […]

After a record-breaking year in 2015 in British Columbia when dozens of people became infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections, The BC Centre for Disease Control ( BCCDC ) has confirmed the first case of illness this summer linked to the bacterium known as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, or Vibrio and the consumption of raw oysters. This year’s illness was reported June […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Thursday approved the Roche cobas HPV Test as the first test for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that can be used with cervical cells obtained for a Pap test and collected in SurePath Preservative Fluid. The FDA approves HPV tests to be used with specific collection fluid, which store and […]

In a follow-up on the hepatitis A outbreak in Caerphilly, Wales, Public Health Wales says over 250 children at Ysgol Rhydygrug , Aberfan, Kidz Den After School Club and Nursery Rhymes in Treharris Community Centre were vaccinated last week. Currently there are 17 confirmed and two probable cases of Hepatitis A, all cases can be […]

Thirteen new cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) were confirmed at a Medina County captive white-tailed deer breeding facility on June 29, 2016. Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) discovered these cases while conducting an epidemiological investigation on the quarantined facility after a 3 ½-year-old captive white-tailed doe tested […]

The Coconino County Public Health Services District (CCPHSD), announced today that a human case of tularemia, also known as rabbit fever or deer fly fever, was confirmed in the Flagstaff area of Coconino County. The individual died from the illness. Health officials do not specify how the individual contracted the bacterial disease. There have been […]

The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) issued a quarantine order after the death of eight horses due to Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) were reported from the municipality of Yopal, Casanare, according to a Caracol Radio report (computer translated). The manager of ICA in Casanare said in a press release, “It is the duty of the Institute to prevent […]

Since confirming the first case of influenza A (H1N1) in late April, the number of cases in Panama requiring hospitalization due to this type of flu has grown to more than 1800, including 42 fatalities, according to local media (computer translated). The death toll includes three recent cases confirmed yesterday, said director of the Gorgas Memorial Institute, Nestor […]