Outbreak News Today

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University are challenging the convention that tetanus and diphtheria vaccine boosters need to be administered every 10 years. Their paper in Clinical Infectious Diseases recommends that the current adult vaccination schedule should be revisited. “We have always been told to get a tetanus shot every 10 years, but actually, […]

Holy Week is being celebrated throughout the Christian world and in the predominately-Catholic Philippines; this week is taken very seriously, so much so that the practice of self-flagellation and crucifixion is practiced, most famously in the Pampanga province. However, there are serious risks of deadly bacterial infection when these acts of penitence are performed. It […]

While neighboring island St. Croix has recorded a number of Zika virus infections, St. Thomas hasn’t seen any until now. The Virgin Islands Department of Health received confirmation over the weekend of a case positive for Zika virus in a 39 year old male on St. Thomas. “The Department anticipates additional cases will be confirmed […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Taltz (ixekizumab) to treat adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes patches of skin redness and flaking. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder that occurs more commonly in patients with a family history of the disease, and most often begins in people between […]

The yellow fever outbreak that began in Viana, Luanda province, Angola last December has grown to more than 1,000 cases nationwide, according to a World Health Organization update. As of 21 March, 16 of the country’s 18 provinces have reported YF suspected cases – 13 of these provinces have reported imported cases linked to Luanda. Local […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported Monday on a case of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) with confirmed Zika virus infection in the United States. According to the UN agency, the case is an elderly male resident of the United States with recent travel to Central America. He developed an acute febrile illness shortly after returning to the […]

The Bangladeshi Health Ministry has reported the first local transmission of Zika virus in a 67-year-old Chittagong man, according to a Times of India report. “The virus was found in the man as we tested old blood samples of nearly 1,000 people afflicted with fever in 2014 and 2015,”according to Mahmudur Rahman, director of the ministry’s Institute […]

An individual from Giza, Egypt is the fourth confirmed human H5N1 avian influenza case reported in 2016, according to a FAO report. This is the second case reported from Giza, while the others were reported in Sohag and Cairo. This follows a record year in H5N1 cases in Egypt in 2015 when more than 160 […]

A specialized gene editing system designed by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University is paving the way to an eventual cure for patients infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In a study published online this month in the Nature journal, Scientific Reports, the researchers show that they can both […]

South Korean health authorities have reported the first confirmed case of the mosquito-borne virus, Zika, in a traveler who returned from Brazil, according to local media. Health officials say the 43-year-old man returned to Korea via Frankfurt Airport in Germany on March 11. He visited the South American country for work purposes from Feb. 17-March 9. He […]

In a follow-up to a report last week about a possible Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) case at a Fayetteville, Arkansas hospital, the Department of Health (ADH) said in a release: The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) learned this week that in December of 2015 Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville performed surgery on a patient who was later […]

With World TB Day right around the corner, India Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda said, “The Government of India stands committed to accelerating its efforts to combat tuberculosis in the country”. He said that the battle against tuberculosis (TB) is continuous and the country’s attention needs to steadfast and aggressive. As part […]

A University of Manchester team is to develop a new vaccine against the Zika virus as part of a new initiative to counter the disease which has spread rapidly across the Americas in the last few months. The team will create and test a vaccine based on a safe derivative of a pre-existing smallpox vaccine […]

Federal health officials reported today on a norovirus outbreak onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Gem 10-day voyage. 135 of the nearly 4,000 passengers and crew on the Norwegian Gem experienced symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea and specimens collected and tested onboard using a norovirus rapid test were positive for the contagious virus. In response to the outbreak, Norwegian Cruise Line […]

On the Sunday, Mar. 20 airing of the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, two important outbreaks were spotlighted with interviews with infectious disease experts. During the first half, the medical director of Infection Control at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and clinics in Madison, Wisconsin, Dr. Nasia Safdar joined me to discuss the Elizabethkingia anophelis outbreak in […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Anthim (obiltoxaximab) injection to treat inhalational anthrax in combination with appropriate antibacterial drugs. Anthim is also approved to prevent inhalational anthrax when alternative therapies are not available or not appropriate. Inhalational anthrax is a rare disease that can occur after exposure to infected animals or contaminated animal products, […]

On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a rule finalizing three previously-issued interim final rules designed to further reduce the potential risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), sometimes referred to as “mad cow disease,” in human food. The final rule provides definitions for prohibited cattle materials and prohibits their use in human […]

An unvaccinated young child in Antwerp, Belgium died from diphtheria last week, according to Belgian health officials Thursday. The 3-year-old girl was presented with symptoms on Mar. 6 and was admitted to intensive care five days later. The diagnosis with diphtheria was made on Mar. 15. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), […]

Following recent reports of an American contracting Zika virus infection while in the Philippines, The Department of Health (DOH) said they expect the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue Level 2 travel notice for the archipelago. Health Secretary Janette Garin said Saturday, “It would be expected because Zika has been found in the […]

The New Mexico Livestock Board imposed a quarantine — no horses in, no horses out — on a private racehorse-training facility in southern New Mexico after a single horse there was confirmed to have the parasitic disease– equine piroplasmosis (EP). The quarantine was imposed on Jovi Training Stables late Friday after one horse there was confirmed to […]

Brazil has reported dramatically more dengue fever cases year after year in the Western hemisphere, most recently about 1.6 million cases last year and some 1.4 million cases in 2013. This has changed little early in 2016 as Brazil has reported 224,000 dengue cases in the first approximately two months of this year. This accounts […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued travel notices Friday for the West African countries of Nigeria and Benin due to current outbreaks of Lassa fever. In Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported 254 total cases, of which 129 have been confirmed by laboratory testing as of Mar. 14. The […]

Approximately one week after the first imported yellow fever case was reported in China, Beijing health officials reported two additional imported cases in citizens who traveled to Angola, according to a Chinese media report. The cases from Fujian Province and Sichuan Province, both men aged 44 years, developed symptoms while in Angola and the virus […]

Just days after Cuba reported their first autochthonous Zika virus infection in a Havana woman, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a notice for travelers to the Caribbean island. Because Zika virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes, CDC recommends that travelers to Cuba protect themselves from mosquito bites. In addition, CDC recommends that pregnant […]

The US Virgin Islands Department of Health confirmed four additional cases of Zika on St. Croix this week, bringing the total to 11 cases. No new cases of dengue were reported this week; the total remains 7 confirmed dengue cases. “The Department of Health also continues to test pregnant women without symptoms of Zika. […]

The New Mexico Department of Health announced Friday that a 46-year-old Bernalillo County man has tested positive for Zika virus infection. Testing was conducted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Fort Collins, Colorado. The man acquired the virus while traveling to Central America. “We have anticipated that travel-related cases would be identified […]

To date, New York state has reported 42 travel associated Zika virus cases, second in the nation behind Florida, accounting for 16 percent of all cases nationally. Earlier this week, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a comprehensive six-step action plan to combat potential transmission of the Zika Virus in communities across New York State. Cuomo’s plan targets […]

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) on Friday announced that the first case of Zika virus detected by the State Laboratory. According to DPH, the patient, 60-69 years of age, travelled to a Zika-affected area and had onset of illness on the day of return in early March. The patient’s illness was characterized by skin […]

Panama’s Ministerio de Salud (MINSA) reported Friday (computer translated) of a newborn was diagnosed with microcephaly who died Thursday at the Children’s Hospital, just hours after being born. On Friday, testing for Zika virus returned positive. The mother had no history and never reported symptoms of Zika virus infection. The case is the first reported outside of […]

Tri-Union Seafoods LLC is voluntarily recalling a 2,745 cases (equal to 107,280 cans) of Chicken of the Sea brand 5 oz. canned chunk light tuna in oil and 5 oz. canned chunk light tuna in water. This recall has been initiated because the product may have been undercooked due to an equipment malfunction, which was […]

In a follow-up on the Legionnaires disease outbreak in Genesee County, MI, state health officials additional cases and deaths associated with legionellosis. “To date, 88 cases and ten deaths have been identified in total for the 2014 and 2015 outbreaks in Genesee County,” said Eden Wells, M.D., Chief Medical Executive with the the Michigan Department of […]

North Carolina health officials say that the sexually transmitted infection, syphilis are highest since the year 2000 and cases increased 40 percent from 2014 to 2015. The highest number of cases in some of the state’s most populous counties: Cumberland, Durham, Guilford, Mecklenburg and Wake. The majority of syphilis cases are reported in males. In calendar year 2014, men […]

Responding to a request from the Ministry of Health in Cabo Verde, WHO is sending a team to Cabo Verde, with joint participation of experts from WHO AFRO and the Institut Pasteur, Dakar. Although the number of cases of Zika in Cabo Verde is declining, the Minister of Health announced on 15 March the first […]

Health officials in Monroe County, IN say the mumps outbreak that was first identified on the Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington campus has now spread in persons outside the University into the greater Monroe County community. To date, no links have been confirmed among cases, suggesting the mumps virus may be expanding in the community. […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health officials are investigating a multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that resulted in two cases and one death in 2014. Two people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria were reported from California (1) and Florida (1). Both illnesses occurred in 2014 in elderly individuals. Both people […]

Two of the biggest infectious disease stories will be the feature of the upcoming airing of the Outbreak News This Week Radio show this Sunday–Elizabethkingia anophelis and Lassa fever. Joining host Robert Herriman will be the medical director of Infection Control at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and clinics in Madison, Wisconsin, Dr. Nasia Safdar to discuss the Elizabethkingia […]

Correction: Only one contact is positive for Lassa. The other two tested negative. In a follow-up to the Lassa fever situation in Germany, see HERE, HERE and HERE, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is reporting (computer translated) additional nosocomially transmitted contacts with the original patient who contracted the virus in Togo, bringing the total to three infected and […]

In response to a request from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Thursday issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Trioplex Real-time RT-PCR Assay, a diagnostic tool for Zika virus that will be distributed to qualified laboratories. The assay allows doctors to tell if an individual is currently infected with chikungunya, dengue, or Zika using […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 258 travel associated Zika virus cases as of Wednesday. Florida, New York and Texas have recorded the most cases. In addition, federal health officials report that 18 of the cases were in pregnant women, while six are classified as sexually transmitted. The US territories of […]

The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is encouraging expectant mothers to schedule early and regular prenatal care visits to help ensure their children are born healthy and strong. As part of this effort, CDPH launched a new ad campaign promoting the importance of prenatal care to prevent congenital syphilis (CS) in babies, which has […]

The Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission reported today on 23 additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) with onset of symptoms between January 17 and February 19. The patients comprise 18 men and five women aged 21 to 78, seven of whom (six men and one woman) have died. Seven cases are from Zhejiang, […]

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today investigating the second imported human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) infection in Hong Kong this year affecting an 81-year-old woman. This is the 15th imported case reported in Hong Kong since 2013. The patient, with underlying illnesses, traveled to […]

California health officials are warning the public about the danger of consuming illegally manufactured Mexican-style soft cheeses, often sold by street vendors. “These cheeses are often made with raw, unpasteurized milk and under unsanitary conditions,” said California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “We are seeing a dramatic […]

A national laboratory in Chantilly, Va., has confirmed a preliminary diagnosis of an extremely rare condition known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) following a Feb. 15, 2016, diagnostic lumbar puncture of a patient at Washington Regional Medical Center. The preliminary lab results were received by WRMC the afternoon of March 15, 2016. WRMC infectious disease specialist […]

In a follow-up to a report of a yellow fever case/fatality in Kenya, the government is reporting a second case of the mosquito borne viral disease in Nairobi’s South C area, according to local media. A suspected yellow fever patient who also arrived from Angola, the epicentre of the yellow fever outbreak, is currently undergoing tests in Nairobi […]

Another Massachusetts university is reporting confirmed mumps cases in their student population–this time it’s Tufts University in Medford, according to local media accounts. University officials say two cases have been confirmed and one is a suspect case. In an update in the Harvard mumps outbreak, thirteen mumps cases have been confirmed among Harvard University students, […]

The rapidly changing news in the world of the largest and longest Ebola outbreak in history, it took a rapid turn again yesterday as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the end of the recent flare-up of Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone. As of March 17, 42 days have passed, two incubation cycles of the […]

Michigan health officials reported today the confirmation of a Elizabethkingia anophelis isolate in a blood culture in a resident who died which matches the outbreak strain in Wisconsin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) last week of the match. The Michigan case resulted in the death of […]

Florida health officials reported on four additional travel-associated Zika virus infections today, three from Alachua County and one in Brevard County. This brings the state total to 66. Of the cases confirmed in Florida, seven cases are still exhibiting symptoms. According to the CDC, symptoms associated with the Zika virus last between seven to 10 days. […]

In a follow-up to the American medical missionary who died in Cologne, Germany of Lassa fever contracted in Togo, German media are reporting (computer translated) that a funeral home worker who had contact with the deceased has contracted the virus and is currently being treated at a special isolation unit at Frankfurt University Hospital. The employee tested positive […]