Outbreak News Today

The Arizona Department of Health Services and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health confirmed today the state’s first case of Zika virus in a Maricopa County resident. The older adult woman traveled outside of the United States to a Zika affected area before developing symptoms of illness. “We have been expecting a travel associated […]

Health officials in Puerto Rico are reporting 101 additional Zika virus infections on the island during the past week, according to a news release Monday (computer translated). Sixteen of the cases were reported in pregnant women. This brings the total locally transmitted cases to 350 and 40 in pregnant women. In addition, Secretary of the Department […]

The Bahamas Ministry of Health and its agencies including the Public Hospitals Authority, Department of Public Health and the Pan American Health Organization in an update Monday maintains that a suspected case of Ebola at the Princess Margret Hospital is unlikely. A meeting was held this morning with senior Health Officials led by the Minister of […]

The 9th meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) regarding the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa took place by teleconference on Tuesday, 29 March 2016. The Committee was requested to provide the Director-General with views and perspectives as to whether the event […]

The incidence of dengue fever in southeast Asia continues to be high in a number of the countries, including Thailand and Malaysia. The Department of Epidemiology in Thailand puts the total case count through Mar. 28 at 13,411 in all 77 provinces. Three additional dengue related fatalities were reported in the past week bringing the […]

Rockland County health officials reported Monday of a bacterial meningitis fatality. The individual was a foreign national who was visiting relatives for the holidays. During the visit, the individual fell ill and was taken by the family to a local hospital. Health officials do not specify what country the deceased was from or any other […]

Hamilton health officials have reported 17 animal rabies cases in Mar. 2016 to date, bringing the total to 65 in the city since Dec. 2015. Prior to this, the province of Ontario hasn’t seen a scourge of rabies since 2007. The rural township of Glanbrook has seen the most animal cases at 20. While bats have […]

In the first study of its kind, researchers found patients with S. aureus skin and soft tissue infections took, on average, just 57% of their prescribed antibiotic doses after leaving the hospital, resulting in nearly half of them getting a new infection or needing additional treatment for the existing skin infection. The study, published in […]

In a follow-up to the E. coli outbreak in Connecticut, state health officials (DPH) say they are investigating 15 confirmed cases of E.coli O157 infection. The number of cases could increase in the near future as DPH is actively identifying individuals who were not initially reported. So far, investigators have been able to link 14 […]

The Florida Department of Health reminds Floridians to take precautions to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a poisonous gas produced by burning fuels such as gasoline, natural gas, propane, kerosene, charcoal and wood. CO from these sources can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces, such as your home or garage. The […]

The types of gene mutations that contribute to autism are more diverse than previously thought, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the March 24 online issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics. The findings, they say, represent a significant advance in efforts to unravel the genetic basis of […]

Smallbatch Pets Inc. is voluntarily recalling one lot of frozen dog duckbatch sliders due to their potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands […]

Podcast of the Mar. 27, 2016 show. The Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, the first and only radio program dedicated to infectious disease and health news and information, airs every Sunday at 8 pm ET in the Tampa Bay area on AM 1380 The Biz and online at http://1380thebiz.com/ Related: Outbreak News: Elizabethkingia anophelis and Lassa fever […]

The closely related Hendra and Nipah viruses (referred to jointly as henipaviruses) are deadly cousins of the more common mumps, measles, and respiratory syncytial viruses, all members of the paramyxovirus family. Henipavirus outbreaks are on the rise, but little is known about them, partly because research has to be conducted under extreme level containment conditions. […]

The controversial 2016 documentary, Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, directed by discredited former physician and anti-vaccine activist Andrew Wakefield, has been pulled from the line-up at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival by co-founder, Robert De Niro Saturday. As you may recall, Wakefield had his 1998 study published in The Lancet retracted six years ago after being found guilty of […]

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall of the anti-tuberculosis drug, Onecure, after one component of the drug failed specifications. Onecure, which is manufactured by Novartis Ltd. in Tongi, Bangladesh, imported in the Philippines by Sandoz Philippines Corporation and distributed by The Generics Pharmacy Inc., is a combination of Rifampicin, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide and Ethambutol […]

Officials with the Madeira Health Department are reporting two imported Zika virus cases in women who traveled to Brazil, according to a news release (computer translated). One Zika case is being investigated to determine if it was sexually transmitted. Mosquito borne infections are not unknown to the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal. In 2012-2013, officials reported […]

The number of mumps cases reported at Butler University in Indianapolis is up to 24 since the first cases were identified on Thursday, February 11, and confirmed Friday, February 12, by the Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD). All diagnosed individuals have been isolated and will not return to campus activities until they are symptom-free. In addition, […]

Connecticut health officials are reporting an outbreak of seven confirmed cases of E.coli and two cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) six of the seven patients recently visited the Oak Leaf Dairy Farm, a goat farm in Lebanon, CT. As a precaution, Oak Leaf Farm is currently not […]

A critical report in the Tampa Bay Times Saturday, which is essentially saying the Florida Department of Health (DOH) is “cooking the books” concerning HIV data in the state, was quickly responded to the state health officials the same day. Health officials say the claims by the newspaper are completely false and accuse the media organization for knowingly […]

A woman who is pregnant is the third Kentucky resident who has tested positive for Zika virus disease after traveling to an affected area where the virus is circulating, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is reporting. Test results were reported to DPH by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has […]

In a follow-up report from Winnebago County, Ill, the shigellosis outbreak that began in Oct. 2015 has grown to 152 cases and according to Todd Kisner, Interim Director for Center of Health Protection and Promotion, health officials continue to see four cases weekly and fears that number may increase. The majority of these cases are isolated […]

A cow on a farm in Givron, Ardennes, in northern France has been confirmed positive for classical Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) earlier this week, according to a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) report Friday. The affected bovine, a Salers female born on April, 8th 2011, showed paresis and was euthanized on March, 1st 2016. Samples made on […]

The total number of Elizabethkingia cases reported to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) since Nov. 2105 now stands at 59, according to a health department update Mar. 23. At least 17 deaths have been reported in association with this, what the CDC calls, the largest outbreak of Elizabethkingia. Health officials breakdown the cases […]

Every year, some 900,000 children are hospitalized and 100,000 die from rotavirus infection in India. This has prompted the Indian government to add the rotavirus vaccine to the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) in an effort to reduce diarrheal illness and deaths in the country. Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare […]

Early in February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new interim guidance on preventing sexual transmission of Zika virus. Yesterday, federal health officials updated the guidance as follows: Men and their nonpregnant sex partners (couples) who want to reduce the risk for sexual transmission of Zika virus should use condoms consistently and correctly […]

The Southern Nevada Health District has received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that a Clark County resident has tested positive for the Zika virus. The patient is an adult male who recently traveled to Guatemala. “The Health District has been actively monitoring all developments related to the Zika virus and […]

California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith today announced the first confirmed case of Zika virus acquired in California. This case involves transmission of Zika virus through sexual contact with a Zika infected partner who returned from a country where Zika virus was circulating, not from a […]

Scientists from the University of Oxford (UK) and the Evandro Chagas Institute (Brazil), along with collaborators from a number of other institutions, sequenced seven genomes of the Brazilian Zika virus (ZIKV), including one fatal adult case and one newborn with microcephaly. The analysis shows that Zika virus in the Americas arose from a single introduction, […]

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), as of today, more than 121,000 people are on a waiting list for a life saving transplant. In addition, they say on average, 22 people die each day while waiting for a transplant. A recent study in JAMA Surgery by researchers from the University of Florida College of Medicine, […]

More than a quarter of the travel associated Zika virus cases since January 1, 2015 have been reported in Florida, not altogether surprisingly. The Sunshine state reported two additional cases, the first from Clay and Collier counties, bringing the state total to 75. The Declaration of Public Health Emergency currently includes the 14 affected counties – Alachua, […]

Squirrel pox, a disease fatal to red squirrels, has been confirmed in Tollymore Forest Park. It has been five years since the first recorded death due to the squirrel pox virus in Northern Ireland. The decline of red squirrels in the UK and Ireland is blamed primarily on the effects of this virus as well […]

Republican Presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump, has had a number of views on the issue of health care over the years. Let’s take a look at what he said: “I support health care for people. I want people well taken care of. But I also want health care that we can afford as a country. I […]

The state of Massachusetts has seen 30 mumps cases so far in 2016 and more than half have been in Harvard University students. Through Mar.22, 16 mumps cases have been confirmed among Harvard students. In addition to Harvard, other Boston area schools have reported cases to include Boston University, UMass Boston and Tufts University. Outside of Massachusetts, mumps […]

After reports of a Yale College student who was treated last month for meningococcal disease and now has a recurrence of the initial infection, the University is reporting a second possible case of meningococcal disease in a student. According to Director, Yale Health, Paul Genecin, M.D., second Yale College student fell ill while on break and was tested for meningococcal disease. […]

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a press release on a Listeria outbreak investigation linking raw milk produced by Miller’s Organic Farm in Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania, as the likely source of this outbreak that sickened two and killed one in 2014. However, at least one organization disputes the CDC claims saying the agency’s purpose […]

APOPO, an international organization that trains African Giant Pouched Rats to sniff out landmines and tuberculosis (TB), has been awarded a Development Innovation Ventures grant by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) U.S. Global Development Lab. The USAID DIV award will enable APOPO to study the effectiveness of its tuberculosis detection rats to proactively screen patients […]

China has now reported six imported yellow fever cases from travelers to the African nation of Angola and the first case from east China’s Fujian Province was confirmed Thursday, according to Chinese media. According to the Fujian Health and Family Planning Commission, the patient is a 42-year-old woman from Fuqing City who presented with symptoms of fever, chills and joint […]

The yellow fever outbreak in Angola, which began in the capital city Luanda in December 2015, is being called the worst in 30 years as ten out of the eighteen provinces in Angola continue reporting yellow fever cases with a a total of 459 confirmed cases and 178 deaths to date. “Such outbreaks usually occur in […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Impavido (miltefosine) to treat a tropical disease called leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by Leishmania, a parasite which is transmitted to humans through sand fly bites. The disease occurs primarily in people who live in the tropics and subtropics. Most U.S. patients acquire leishmaniasis overseas. Impavido […]

Gerber Products Company is voluntarily recalling specific Organic pouch products after identifying a packaging defect that may result in product spoilage during transport and handling. Because of our commitment to high quality, Gerber is working to retrieve from retailers and online stores the remaining pouches from the four affected batches of GERBER® Organic 2ND FOOD […]

The Vietnamese Department of Preventive Medicine reported today (computer translated) on a case of Zika virus infection in an Australian tourist that traveled to Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dong Province in Central Highlands region, and the two south-central provinces of Khanh Hoa and Binh Thuan. The individual arrived in Vietnam on Feb. 26 and left […]

Between 10 and 16 March 2016, the National IHR Focal Point for Germany notified WHO/EURO of 2 cases of Lassa fever. Details of the cases The first case was a medical health care worker evacuated to Cologne, Germany from Togo on 25 February for treatment of complicated falciparum malaria. The patient passed away on 26 […]

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) has helped state, local and tribal health officials identify an outbreak of “hypervirulent” strep bacteria in the American Southwest. Identified in Flagstaff, Ariz., from January to July 2015, this outbreak of the emm59 clone of group A Streptococcus is directly related to cases identified recently in New Mexico. This strain […]

North Dakota health officials say that the number of mumps cases in the state has risen to nine, according to local media. The cases are in Ward, Stark, McHenry, and Cass County. Last week, the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) issued a health advisory over the mumps situation, as all the cases have been […]

Health officials in Coconino County, AZ are have reported the second Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) of the year. The individual has recovered from the illness. The first case was reported in January and resulted in the death of the individual. It is unknown where the current case contracted the virus. HPS is not limited to one geographic location. […]

The National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO last week of 29 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus, including 11 deaths. Onset dates range from 17 January to 19 February. Cases range in age from 21 to 78 years, with a median age of 57 years. […]

At least 37 people were arrested in east China’s Shandong Province over a vaccine scandal in which improperly stored or expired vaccines were illegally sold in many areas of the country since 2011, according to a Xinhua report. The investigation involves 12 vaccines, 2 immune globulin and one therapeutic product. On Sunday officials released the names of […]

The Hawaii Department of Health reported Wednesday on one additional dengue fever case, bringing the state total to 263 since Sep. 11, 2015. This new case helps to remind everyone that this outbreak remains active and is not anticipated to be considered over anytime in the near future, Hawaii County officials note. Of the 263 […]

For the third time since Dec. 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) is investigating a norovirus outbreak onboard the Oceania Cruises vessel, Oceania Riviera. The latest voyage, which began on Mar. 20, has reported 52 passengers ill with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Specimens have been collected, tested onboard and found to […]