Outbreak News Today

After three years and 300 patients, George Mason University researchers have proof that their early-detection urine test for Lyme disease works. It’s the largest study of its kind looking at early-stage indicators for Lyme disease, said Lance Liotta, co-director and medical director of the George Mason-based Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine. “We are […]

Singapore health officials are reminding travelers to receive vaccination against yellow fever at least ten days before travelling to yellow fever endemic countries. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is issuing this reminder as Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo are currently experiencing large outbreaks of the disease. We also expect more travelers to Rio de Janerio, […]

Hong Kong health officials (CHP) are advising the public to remain vigilant with personal hygiene as the city enters the peak season of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection. “The activity of both HFMD and EV71 infection is on the rise. The usual peak season is from May to July, […]

Personal hygiene products such as soaps and toothpastes that contain the antibiotic triclosan do not have a major influence on microbial communities or endocrine function, according to a small, randomized trial. The study findings were published online this week in mSphere, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. “There are a lot of […]

A scientific paper released today in the Journal of Antibiotics presents the pre-clinical development of Ramizol®, a first generation drug belonging to a new class of styrylbenzene antibiotics with a novel mechanism of action. The research was undertaken by Australian company Boulos & Cooper Pharmaceuticals in partnership with the University of South Australia, Flinders University, Eurofins […]

Wisconsin health officials reported today on the first Zika virus case in the state. The individual who tested positive is a woman who recently traveled to Honduras, where Zika-infected mosquitoes are present. There have been no locally-acquired cases of Zika virus infection in Wisconsin or in the continental United States. “Wisconsin is one of the last […]

On May 9th, media in San Miguel de Tucumán reported that local health authorities had identified the country’s first cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infections not transmitted through sexual contact. These cases were reported in two adult residents of a neighborhood in the southern area of the city. One of the adults is a […]

Health officials with the Barry-Eaton District Health Department (BEDHD) announced today that the norovirus outbreak that sickened more than 100 individuals who dined at Carrabba’s on West Saginaw Highway in Lansing, Michigan is over. The gastrointestinal illnesses occurred during the May 7 & 8 weekend. No illnesses related to this cluster have been reported by individuals who dined […]

Everyone has heard of common germs like E.coli or influenza, but what about Streptobacillus moniliformis or Capnocytophaga? If not treated quickly, both can kill people within days. But they are so rare that doctors and labs probably have never seen them and may mistake them for more common diseases like meningitis. Enter MicrobeNet, an innovative […]

The overall risk of a Zika virus outbreak across the WHO European Region is low to moderate during late spring and summer, according to a new risk assessment published today by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. While this risk varies across the Region, it is higher in countries where Aedes mosquitoes are present. “The […]

Since the beginning of the year, the West African country of Liberia has reported 38 suspected Lassa fever cases. Suspected cases were reported from 6 prefectures: Bong (17 cases, including 9 deaths), Nimba (14 cases, including 6 deaths), Gbarpolu (4 cases), Lofa (1 case), Margibi (1 case) and Montserrado (1 case). Laboratory testing to date […]

A serious and sometimes fatal bacterial infection, known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), may soon be beatable thanks to the efforts of University of South Florida scientists who have isolated and tested an extract from a sponge found in Antarctica. The sponge extract, known as Dendrilla membranosa, yields a new, natural product chemical which has shown […]

Officials with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Social Welfare and Public Health Bureau (computer translated) say nine people are currently being treated for tuberculosis (TB) and an additional 34 are being treated for latent TB after exposure to an infected student last year. The index student, studying at a Japanese language school in 2015, developed symptoms of TB […]

In a follow-up on the outbreak onboard the Silversea Cruises ship, Silver Spirit, last month, health officials reported yesterday that the cause of the outbreak that sickened 37 was Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). The outbreak on the Silver Spirit voyage from March 3 – 21 resulted in the sickening of 24 of 388 passengers and 13 of 366 crew members. According […]

High levels of water hardness in the home may be linked to the development of eczema early in life, according to a new study led by King’s College London. Eczema affects around a fifth of children in the UK. Skin barrier impairment and dry skin are thought to be triggers of eczema in early life, […]

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is reporting increasing numbers of two viral diseases–enterovirus and hepatitis A, prompting calls for preventive measures. According to the surveillance data compiled by Taiwan CDC, coxsackie A virus is currently the dominant strains circulating in the community. Cases of enterovirus 71 (EV 71) infection have also continued to […]

The “acid” in “acid reflux” may not be the direct cause of damage to the esophagus as previously suspected, according to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Dallas VA Medical Center. For more than 80 years, it has been assumed that stomach acid backing up through the esophagus damaged the lining of the esophagus by […]

Connecticut health officials have reported a total of six imported Zika virus cases to date, including two additional cases reported last week. The two women, one pregnant, one not, contracted the virus while traveling in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, respectively. The Department of Public Health (DPH) reports of the six, the first four have […]

Third and Fourth Documented Hantavirus Cases in New Mexico for 2016 The New Mexico Department of Health announced today that a 30-year-old man from San Juan County has died of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). An 84-year-old man from Santa Fe County is currently hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed HPS. These are the third and fourth cases of […]

How well do you understand sunscreen? For many consumers, the answer is not so well. According to new research, many people are still puzzled by the wide range of SPF numbers on product labels, and some may not be using sunscreen properly, which could increase their skin cancer risk. In a 2016 American Academy of […]

According to an online survey conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the majority of Americans are not planning to alter their outdoor plans this summer because of the Zika virus. The Zika virus is an emerging concern for park and recreation professionals nationwide, as it is a public health crisis threatening to […]

Two newly released studies of county, city, and state health departments starkly illustrate the need for continued Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) funding to safeguard our nation’s health. The studies were conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), in coordination […]

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services confirmed the first case of Hantavirus for 2016, in a Cascade County resident. Details of the case investigation suggest that the exposure may have occurred during the cleaning of a barn. This is one of 43 Hantavirus cases reported in Montana since 1993. Montana typically sees 1 to […]

The China National Health and Family Planning Commission announced today an additional 11 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9). The details of the cases are as follows: 1. A man aged 64 in Wuhu, Anhui, who had poultry exposure and died; 2. A man aged 86 in Zhangzhou, Fujian, who had poultry exposure and is in […]

Out of an abundance of caution and commitment to our consumers, we have voluntarily recalled a small quantity of Quaker Quinoa Granola Bars that may be impacted by sunflower kernels received from an ingredient supplier that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The affected product is limited to 6.1 ounce boxes of Quaker Quinoa Granola […]

A team of surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), led by Curtis L. Cetrulo, Jr., MD, and Dicken S.C. Ko, MD, announced today that they have performed the nation’s first genitourinary reconstructive (penile) transplant. The 15-hour operation, which took place earlier this month, involved surgically grafting the complex microscopic vascular and neural structures of a donor […]

Health officials with the Moniteau County Health Center are actively investigating a shigella outbreak that has sickened more than 70 students, faculty and family members in the school district. “We have been actively involved in educating school officials and families on how to minimize transmission of this bacteria,”writes Andrea Kincaid, RN / Administrator with the health […]

At least 75 children and infants have become ill with varicella, or chickenpox since March in the Orthodox Jewish community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, according to New York City health officials. The children, with an average age of three, were mostly unvaccinated (72 percent) or undervaccinated (14 percent). Chickenpox is a common, usually benign childhood disease caused by the […]

The number of travel-associated Zika virus cases in California are now 46, as of last Friday, according to the California Department of Public Health. This count includes nine cases in pregnant woman and one case classified as sexually transmitted. This is an increase in one case during the past week. Los Angeles and San Diego […]

A woman who traveled to an area with active Zika transmission contracted the mosquito borne virus becoming the first such case in Nova Scotia. She has recovered from her illness. “The risk of Zika infection is very low for Nova Scotians and Canadians. To our knowledge, no cases of local transmission from a mosquito to a person […]

In a follow-up to a report yesterday about an anthrax outbreak in Bangladesh’s Sirajganj district, local media reports reveal the outbreak has grown significantly in the past day. In a single village at Ullapara upazila (sub-district) in Sirajganj, 40 additional anthrax cases have been reported in the past 24 hours. According to the district health office, some […]

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is the first in the world to genetically engineer a clone of the Zika virus strain, a development that could expedite many aspects of Zika research, including vaccine and therapeutics development. Cloning the virus unlocks scientists’ ability to more quickly develop countermeasures and […]

The last reported yellow fever outbreak in Uganda was in 2010; however, since January 2016, Uganda has been experiencing a yellow fever outbreak in Masaka and Rukungiri districts, with 30 suspected cases and 11 deaths. This has prompted an emergency mass vaccination campaign in Masaka and Rukungiri districts. East African Business Week reports that Uganda has received […]

A trace investigation from the 64th bovine tuberculosis infected herd conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and the United States Department of Agriculture recently confirmed a medium-sized beef herd as bovine TB positive in Alcona County. This is the 65th cattle herd in Michigan found with bovine TB since and […]

Meningitis epidemics in Africa are most prevalent in the “meningitis belt” that stretches across sub-Saharan Africa. About 26 countries and 450 million people live in this area. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Weekly Meningitis Bulletin for West Africa, through Apr. 30, a cumulative total of 13,423 suspected cases of meningitis have been notified […]

On the Sunday, May 15 airing of the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show on AM 1380 The Biz in Tampa and streaming worldwide, I focused on the topics of DDT. Internist and President of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness, Jane Orient, MD joined me in the discussion during the first half. In the second half, I explored the paper […]

There are a lot of issues in Brazil that could make a would be traveler to take pause about whether it’s a good idea to head to Rio for the games–political upheaval, poor sanitation and waterborne illness and violent crime, among other issues. The latter so much so that Brazilian soccer legend Rivaldo had warned tourists […]

Viruses have a way of taking over the headlines from time to time–in 2009 it was H1N1 influenza. A couple of years ago, Ebola dominated the airwaves and today, it is difficult to turn on the news or read a news source with something about Zika virus. Virology, or the study of viruses, is a […]

Melinta Therapeutics, a privately held company developing novel antibiotics to treat serious bacterial infections, announced last week top-line results from the second Phase 3 study (RX-3341-303 NCT01984684) of Baxdela (delafloxacin), an investigational anionic quinolone in development for the treatment of patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). Baxdela met the primary endpoints required […]

Public Health authorities have warned Tasmanians to be alert for measles symptoms after a returned traveler was diagnosed with the highly infectious illness. Acting Director of Public Health Dr Mark Veitch said Tasmanian residents and visitors may have been exposed to measles in the following settings: Thai Airways flight TG 465, Bangkok-Melbourne, arriving early afternoon […]

Officials at South Australia Health (SA Health) reported three people have been diagnosed with meningococcal disease in the past week in South Australia. So far this year there have been 11 cases of meningococcal infection. This compares to seven cases at the same time last year and 30 for all of 2015. Adelaide Now reports: Of the 11 […]

Two additional imported Zika virus cases were reported in recent days in China–one in Guangdong Province and one in Beijing, bringing the country total to 18. The Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province reports a 37-year-old man who lives in Venezuela. He arrived in Mainland China through the international airport in Xiamen, Fujian on April […]

Dozens of people in Bangladesh’s Sirajganj district have been infected with anthrax, according to district health officials. The Daily Star reports the affected individuals from Jamtoli village in Kamarkhand upazila and Koijuri village in Shahjadpur upazila contracted the serious bacterial disease after coming in contact with the meat of anthrax-infected animals. Health personnel have been dispatched to the area […]

After reporting 27 leprosy, or Hansen’s disease cases in 2015, six cases have confirmed during the first four months of 2016 after the most recent case was reported in late April. According to Florida Department of Health data, a confirmed case was reported from the Winter Spring, Seminole County area toward the end of April. From […]

The number of imported Zika virus cases in the United States has topped 500, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday. The case count stands at 503, which include 48 in pregnant women and 10 sexually transmitted cases. No local transmission of Zika has been reported in […]

Hy-Vee, Inc., based in West Des Moines, Iowa, is voluntarily recalling its frozen Hy-Vee Vegetable Fried Rice and frozen Hy-Vee Chicken Fried Rice products across its eight-state region due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, […]

Montero Farms of McAllen, Texas is recalling Orange Habanero Peppers, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), […]

The number of measles cases reported by the Waikato District Health Board Population Health Service (DHB) is now up to 20 confirmed cases of measles in the Waikato and 12 are under investigation. The lasted is a case in a student at Morrinsville College, which has prompted school officials to take the following actions to include cancelling all […]

DDT or dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane is a pesticide that has saved incalculable amounts of lives since its use during World War II. In the opinion of this author, DDT is up there with vaccinations, antibiotics and sanitation as the most important public health measures ever and particularly in the last century. Its use against the body louse […]

The mumps outbreak on the Harvard University campus has reached 59 confirmed cases as of Thursday, May 12, according to Cambridge public health officials. The cases include current Harvard students, faculty, and staff. The contagious viral outbreak has caused concern with school officials, particularly with Commencement activities and those studying abroad this summer. According to Harvard University Health […]