Outbreak News Today

Health officials in Vietnam say the dengue fever situation in the country a rapid downward trend in dengue cases is being seen. Since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded over 53,000 dengue fever patients in 54 cities and province including 34 deaths. Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used […]

The number of locally-acquired cases of dengue fever on Hawaii Island grew by four since Friday as the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) reported a total of 27 cases as of Monday. Of the confirmed cases, 19 are Hawaii residents and 8 are visitors. 25 cases have been in adults; two have been pediatric. All are recovering. […]

Cases of acute sleeping sickness among people in rural Uganda fell by 90 per cent after researchers prevented transmission to humans by eliminating the parasite from domestic cattle. Researchers at Edinburgh aim to extend the project to all of the districts in Uganda that are affected by acute sleeping sickness, treating approximately 2.7 million head […]

In 1996, the city of Delhi, India saw more than 10,000 dengue fever cases making it the worst outbreak in modern times…until now. Multiple Indian media sources report that the dengue tally in the capital city has swelled to an alarming 15,254 cases, including 365 cases seen during the first week of November. About half […]

Is your home making you sick? It could be! No one wants to think of their home as an unsafe place, but the key to keeping your family healthy is to be aware of the risks. Keep reading to learn about some of the hazards you might find in your household, as well as some […]

The dengue fever outbreak in the Taiwanese southern city of Tainan appears to be under control as health officials reported less than two dozen cases Sunday. However, in Kaohsiung City, Taiwanese health officials say that dengue activity is at it’s peak as 210 new cases were reported putting the case tally in the city over 9,000. […]

On Friday, a representative with UNICEF warned of the regional spread of cholera as the cholera outbreak grows, with cases reported in several neighboring countries to include Syria, Kuwait and Bahrain. In response to this, the Director of Information at the Iraqi Ministry of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al-Rudaini said, “these statements are inaccurate,” and “the ministry has […]

Reduced vaccination coverage in children due to parental failure to get their children vaccinated has led to an increase in the vaccine-preventable disease, diphtheria, in recent years including cases in children, according to a Russian media report (computer translated). From the years of 2009 through 2011, Latvia saw a total of 14 diphtheria cases, none […]

A new study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publication, Emerging Infectious Diseases, suggest a number of risk factors for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) illness. According to the abstract, Saudi Arabia and United States researchers write: Risk factors for primary Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) illness in humans are incompletely […]

Malaysia now joins the Philippines and Thailand as the three southeast Asian countries who have reported more than 100,000 dengue fever cases in 2015. Health officials say that as of Nov. 6, Malaysia has reported a total of 102,217 cases nationwide and 282 deaths. This total is a 16 percent increase compared to the same period […]

Oregon health officials reported a large increase in the sexually transmitted infection (STI), syphilis since 2007, infect, they put the increase at approximately 1500 percent. In 2007, 26 syphilis cases were reported, while some 450 were seen in 2014. This substantial increase has prompted health officials to create SyphAware, where the website’s sub title states: OREGON IS […]

The number of dengue fever infections in the Western hemisphere has topped the 2 million case mark, nearly doubling the totals of all recent years with the exception of 2013 when about 2.4 million cases were seen. According to UN health officials, the total tally as of Nov. 6 is 2,007,421, including 1,007 fatalities, giving it […]

Cerus Corporation announced last week that OneBlood, Inc. has signed a multi-year purchase agreement for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma. The INTERCEPT System reduces the risk of transfusion-transmitted infection in platelet and plasma components by inactivating a broad spectrum of viruses, gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, spirochetes, parasites and leukocytes. “Safety of the blood […]

The Public Health Department, in cooperation with the Cal-Poly Health Center, is carefully monitoring a number of cases of viral meningitis in students associated with the University. Since late October, five cases of viral meningitis have been diagnosed in University students, with four hospitalizations. Other cases of suspected viral meningitis have also been seen at […]

With the addition of four West Nile virus (WNV) fatalities during the past week, California has now seen a record high in deaths caused by the mosquito borne virus. Previous highs were in 2014 (31) and 2004 (29). The WNV-related fatalities have been reported in to California Department of Public Health (CDPH) from Butte (1), Kern […]

The Norway Institute for Public Health, or Folkehelseinstituttet has announced a mumps outbreak, primarily among university students. The first reported cases were in the Trondheim area–the Norwegian technical and University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the University College of Sør-Trøndelag (HIST) in late October. Now the case count hovers around 80 and health officials expect the cases to […]

The bacterial disease, Tularemia, is a relatively uncommon infection seen in Canada as atested by the Public Health Agency of Canada who states, “Between 1940 and 1981, there were 289 reported cases of tularemia in Canada and 12 deaths.” In fact, about 100 cases were reported in Canada during the past decade. On Friday, for the […]

The number of shigellosis cases in the Kansas City, MO metro area has topped 400 cases, according to a local media report Friday. This is more than double the number of cases reported just one month ago. On Thursday, the Jackson County Health Department (JCHD) reported more than 60 cases of Shigella mostly in the […]

In a follow-up to the mumps outbreak among students and staff at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, the school is reporting that the number of mumps cases on campus is over 100, nearly doubling in the past month. Student health at Iowa has announced a number of free vaccine clinics in the next […]

In a statement Friday, Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s representative in Iraq warned: “There is unfortunately a high risk that cholera will reach more areas of Iraq, affecting marginalized and displaced children, women and their families in particular, so we have to act fast.” The warning comes after the country’s cholera tally has increased to 2325 cases across 15 of […]

With the addition of four autochthonous cases Friday, Hawaii health officials now put the state’s dengue fever outbreak at 23. Of the confirmed case, 15 are Hawaii residents and 8 are visitors. 21 cases have been in adults; two have been pediatric. The outbreak has prompted health officials to issue a letter to Hawaii residents and […]

Today, the World Health Organization declares that Ebola virus transmission has been stopped in Sierra Leone. Forty-two days, that is two Ebola virus incubation cycles, have now passed since the last person confirmed to have Ebola virus disease had a second negative blood test. “Since Sierra Leone recorded the first Ebola case in May 2014, […]

Three weeks ago, the Colombia Health Ministry confirmed the first cases of local transmission of Zika virus in the country. This has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a travel notice for travelers to take precautionary measures to prevent contracting the mosquito borne virus as there is no vaccine or medicine […]

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Public Health Protection Unit and Infection Control Team are investigating an increased incidence of Serratia marcescens in the Neonatal Unit within the Maternity unit linked to the Royal Hospital for Children. Tragically, this weekend a premature baby with existing complex medical problems died following Serratia marcescens infection and our deepest sympathies […]

Nationally, the Phillipines has seen a significant increase in dengue fever cases in 2015 as the number of cases during the first nine months has exceeded 100,000 and it is 32 percent higher than the period in 2014. The Ilocos Region, or Region 1 has not been immune as health officials report dengue cases in […]

With addition of 377 locally acquired dengue fever cases, including 301 from Kaohsiung City alone, the total dengue fever cases that have been seen in Taiwan this year has reached a cumulative total of 30,298 since the summer. The number of cases in Kaohsiung City continues to rise from week to week, while the dengue situation in Tainan […]

An international study led by University of Queensland (UQ) researchers has tracked the re-emergence of a childhood disease which had largely disappeared over the past 100 years. Researchers at UQ’s Australian Infectious Diseases Centre have used genome sequencing techniques to investigate a rise in the incidence of scarlet fever-causing bacteria and an increasing resistance to […]

A Napa Valley man underwent emergency surgery recently to remove a tapeworm larvae that lodged in his brain that doctors said would have been life-threatening within 30 minutes, according to local media. Luis Ortiz, a 26-year-old university student, said the headaches began in August, which later turned more serious and caused him to slip into […]

The number of autochthonous, or “locally acquired” dengue fever cases in Hawaii continue to rise a week after the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) confirmed the first cases last week. As of November 4, 2015, there have been 15 confirmed cases identified on the Big Island of Hawaii. Dengue is not endemic in Hawaii, however it is intermittently imported […]

Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have discovered cancer cells originating in a common tapeworm may take root in people with weakened immune systems, causing cancer-like tumors. It is the first known case of a person becoming ill from cancer cells that arose in a parasite – in this case, Hymenolepis nana, […]

In a follow-up report to the E. coli outbreak in the Portland Metro area and a number of counties in Washington possibly linked to Chipotle restaurants, the total case count has nearly doubled from 22 cases Saturday to 41 cases today. Oregon health officials are reporting a total of 12 cases of Shiga toxin E. coli linked […]

Although gonorrhea susceptibility to the antibiotic cefixime has been improving in recent years, suggesting a halt of a drift towards antibiotic resistance, data for 2014 indicates a worsening of susceptibility, according to a study in the November 3 issue of JAMA. Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted disease that, if untreated, can cause a number […]

People who practiced yoga or took natural products (dietary supplements other than vitamins and minerals) were more likely to do so for wellness reasons than to treat a specific health condition, according to analysis of data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Yoga users reported the most positive health benefits, compared to users […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Nucala (mepolizumab) for use with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of asthma in patients age 12 years and older. Nucala is approved for patients who have a history of severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) despite receiving their current asthma medicines. Asthma is a chronic disease that […]

The Ministry of Health on the island country of Cape Verde announced Tuesday that Zika virus has been confirmed in the capital city of Praia, according to a MOH press release (computer translated). Health officials say blood samples on 17 people were confirmed positive for Zika virus by the Pasteur Institute in Dakar. This is the first […]

Mosquito borne illnesses have become a concern in the United States once again in 1999 when West Nile virus was detected for the first time in humans here in New York City. Since that time, West Nile virus is a regular seasonal issue with a couple thousand deaths reported since 1999. We also saw the […]

Bacteria are all around us, we are told. However, according to the National Institutes of Health, less than 1% of them cause disease in people. Well, that list may have just gotten a little bigger. A 47-year-old French man sustained a nasty foot infection from a bacterium never before known to cause disease in people, […]

Officials at the Yukon Health and Social Service are issuing an alarm in the province over the dramatic increase in the sexually transmitted infection, gonorrhea, in 2015. According to a post on the officials Facebook page, so far in 2015, the number of cases of Gonorrhea in Yukon is 6 x higher than expected. According to […]

The series of compounds known as the halogenated phenazines, or HPs, can kill dangerous bacterial biofilms present in recurring and chronic bacterial infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. The discovery may one day offer a cure for persistent bacterial infections that are largely resistant to conventional antibiotic treatments. “Using synthetic chemistry, we have […]

The hepatitis A virus can trigger acute liver inflammation which generally has a mild course in small children but which can become dangerous in adults. The virus, which is found worldwide, has previously been considered to be a purely human pathogen which at most is found in isolated cases in non-human primates. An international team […]

With more than 200 cases of dengue fever reported as of Monday in the Darfur states in Sudan, the country’s Federal Ministry of Health reports that dengue fever has reached “an epidemic stage”, according to African media sources. The epidemic has prompted a team of international experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) to go to Sudan and […]

For more than one year, Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone have been experiencing the largest and most complex outbreaks of Ebola in history. Outbreaks are continuing in Guinea. Currently, there are no known cases of Ebola in Liberia and Sierra Leone. This Saturday will be the 42nd day post new Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) case […]

Diphtheria is caused by a potent toxin produced by certain strains of the bacterium, Corynebacterium diphtheriae. This very serious disease can be prevented through vaccination. In the Asian country of Laos, diphtheria outbreaks have been reported in a third of the country’s provinces accounting for 588 cases through October 2015. The cases occurred mainly in children under […]

2014 was a brutal year for measles in the Philippines as the country saw more than 58,000 cases and 110 fatalities. For the first nine months of last year, the archipelago reported in excess of 53,000 cases and 102 deaths. What a difference a year makes. For the first nine months of 2015, the Philippines […]

In a follow-up to a report last week concerning locally acquired cases of dengue fever in Hawaii, state health officials now put the case tally at 10. Officials have identified at least one dengue “hotspot”in South Kona, in the Ho’okena / Honaunau area; however, there could be more. Local transmission means that mosquitoes in the […]

The contagious viral disease, mumps, has been seen in high levels, particularly on the campuses of several Midwestern universities this year to include the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign among a number of other schools and community colleges. Here is what is happening at three other schools currently: Penn State The university, in […]

Health authorities in Weld County, Colorado have confirmed three cases of typhoid fever among individuals who had eaten at a restaurant in Firestone in August, two which required hospitalization for their illness. Colorado state and county health officials believe the illness was acquired from an infected food handler at a franchised Qdoba Mexican restaurant in Firestone. […]

A new campaign is calling for an end to human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies by 2030. The End Rabies Now campaign urges the international community to step up efforts to eliminate human deaths due to canine-mediated rabies around the world in just 15 years’ time. End Rabies Now is an initiative of the Global Alliance […]

In a follow-up to a report three weeks ago concerning the ongoing malaria epidemic in Venezuela, health officials now have put the case tally in the epidemic to 105,757, according to a local media report (computer translated). The number of cases in 2015 is the highest number recorded since Venezuela began keeping records in 1936. 88,500 […]

Up to 176 travelers from the UK and Canada contracted the parasitic infection, Cyclosporiasis, while on holiday in the Riviera Maya region of Mexico this summer, according to Eurosurveillance report last week. Cyclospora cayetanensis was identified in 176 returned travelers from the Riviera Maya region of Mexico between 1 June and 22 September 2015; 79 in the […]