Outbreak News Today

Health and district administration officials in Bagalkot district in the Indian state of Karnataka are experiencing a surge of scores of malaria cases during the past week causing officials to make moves to get the outbreak under control, according to a Deccan Herald report. The four affected villages, Guggalmari, Hirekodagali, Hanumanal and SB Gudur, have seen a combined […]

Ceres Nanosciences, Inc. (Ceres) announced Tuesday the publication of a three year 300-person clinical study in the Journal of Translational Medicine. The study, titled: “Application of Nanotrap technology for high sensitivity measurement of urinary outer surface protein A carboxyl‐terminus domain in early stage Lyme borreliosis” documents the development and data behind Ceres’ groundbreaking test for Lyme […]

The Chineses National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) is reporting two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Zhejiang this fall bringing the total reported by the NHFPC since October 2015 to four, all from Zhejiang. According to the NHFPC, the cases comprise a woman aged 62 in Shengzhou, and a female farmer aged 51 […]

A Brazilian man who recently returned from the last country currently reporting Ebola, Guinea, is being tested and monitored for the lethal viral disease, according to the Ministry of Health today (computer translated). Minister of Health, Marcelo Castro said Wednesday that the patient, an unnamed 46-year-old male resident of Minas Gerais returned to Brazil last Friday […]

November 7 through 15 is Valley Fever Awareness Week in Arizona as declared by state Governor Douglas Ducey and health officials in Arizona are stepping up investigations into a increase in Valley fever cases in recent months. Director for the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Cara M. Christ, M.D. said in her blog today: Although […]

The Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) reported an additional six dengue fever cases in the current outbreak on the Big Island today. This includes the addition of two more pediatric dengue cases. As of Nov. 10, there are 33 locally-acquired cases of dengue fever on Hawaii Island. Broken down, 29 cases have been in adults; four have […]

A research team lead by scientists from the Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences reported Monday in a study published in the journal, Acta Veterinaria Scandinavia of four horses presenting with Listeria monocytogenes kerato-conjunctivitis. According to the abstract: Listeria monocytogenes has been reported to cause various infectious diseases in both humans and animals. More […]

Vaxart, Inc., a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing oral recombinant vaccines that are administered by tablet rather than by injection, announced positive results demonstrating that the company’s oral norovirus vaccine candidate elicited substantial systemic and mucosal immune responses to norovirus in preclinical studies. The data were presented at the 16th Annual World Vaccine Congress […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Cotellic (cobimetinib) to be used in combination with vemurafenib to treat advanced melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body or can’t be removed by surgery, and that has a certain type of abnormal gene (BRAF V600E or V600K mutation). Melanoma is the most aggressive […]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (November 10) investigating an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) at a kindergarten-cum-child care centre in Yuen Long affecting 22 pupils, and hence appealed to the public and management of institutions to maintain personal and environmental hygiene against AGE. The affected pupils, […]

The number of dengue fever cases in the Philippines has surged in recent months and as of the beginning of October, the number of cases are up 32 percent compared to the same period last year. From 1 January to 3 October 2015, there were 108,263 suspected cases of dengue, including 317 deaths, reported in Philippines. […]

Dr John Croese, an adjunct professor at James Cook University and a gastroentologist at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, and Dr Paul Giacomin, a scientist at JCU’s Cairns Campus, have been awarded more than $860,000 by the National Health and Medical Research Council to study the treatment of celiac disease using hookworms. Celiac disease […]

Five years after the introduction of an affordable conjugate meningitis A vaccine, immunization has led to the control and near elimination of deadly meningitis A disease in the African “meningitis belt.” In 2013, only four laboratory-confirmed cases of meningitis A were reported by the 26 countries in the meningitis belt. The findings are part of […]

After denying the presence of Zika virus in the country, Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Espinoza stated that they are investigating nine suspect cases, according to a La Página report (computer translated). Espinoza said the samples were sent to laboratories in the United States for confirmation of the new disease. He stated that none of El Salvador’s neighbors have […]

The findings from the investigation of a foodborne outbreak that sickened dozens of teachers at Roosevelt High School in Des Mosines, Iowa in late October were released by the Polk County Health Department and showed that Clostridium perfringens was detected in several person’s stool sample and in meat served at the luncheon. The Polk County Health […]

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 […]