Outbreak News Today

A 59-year-old Bernalillo County woman has been confirmed as the third human plague case of the year in the Land of Enchantment and the second case from Bernalillo County, health officials report today. The woman is recovering from her illness. “All three of New Mexico’s human plague cases this year have been septicemic plague, which is […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared Liberia free of Ebola virus transmission in the human population. Forty-two days have passed since the second negative test on 22 July 2015 of the last laboratory-confirmed case. Liberia now enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance. If this sounds familiar, well it is. Back in May, the UN […]

New York City health officials are reporting a small cluster of Legionnaires’ cases at the Melrose Houses in the South Bronx. There have been four cases of Legionnaires’ at the Melrose Houses in the South Bronx over the past 6 months: one occurring earlier in the year, two during the recently ended South Bronx outbreak, and […]

The Pueblo City-County Health Department announced additional fleas have tested positive for plague in Pueblo County; the fleas were captured during an investigation of a prairie dog die off near the Beulah Highway (Hwy 78) and Water Barrel Road. This adds to Turkey Creek and Hatchet Ranch areas of Pueblo County where fleas have also […]

The investigations are ongoing in two important infectious disease outbreak in the US upper midwest–the Blastomycosis outbreak linked to the Little Wolf River in Waupaca County near New London, Wisconsin and the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak among residents at the Illinois Veteran’s Home – Quincy. The Wisconsin Division of Public Health are reporting a slight increase in confirmed […]

Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that its Focus Diagnostics products business has received FDA 510(k) clearance to add the genital swab claim to its Simplexa HSV 1 & 2 Direct molecular test on the Integrated Cycler. The new labeling clearance follows FDA’s de novo 510(k) clearance and CLIA […]

As previously reported on this website, Butte County, in the California Central Valley, is topping the Golden State in human West Nile virus cases by a large margin, reporting 36 cases, or 43 percent of California’s cases to date. Now in addition to the mosquito borne virus, Butte County health officials are reporting a significant increase […]

Sincerely Nuts Inc. of Brooklyn, NY, is recalling packages of Sincerely Nuts Macadamia Nuts (Raw) Whole and Sincerely Nuts Macadamia Nuts (Raw) Unsalted Halves and Pieces 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 […]

Early treatment of flu-hospitalized people 65 and older with flu antiviral medications cuts the duration of their hospital stay and reduces their risk of needing extended care after discharge, a new CDC study finds. The study is the first to look at the benefits of early antiviral treatment on preventing the need for extended care […]

A new study led by a UC San Francisco sleep researcher supports what parents have been saying for centuries: to avoid getting sick, be sure to get enough sleep. The team, which included researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, found that people who sleep six hours a night or less […]

Global health officials are reporting the confirmation of two cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) in south-western Ukraine. The cases, ages 4 years old and 10 months old have onset of paralysis on 30 June and 7 July 2015. The World Health Organization (WHO) says Ukraine had been at particular risk of emergence of a cVDPV, due to […]

I was watching one of the political opinion cable TV programs last night (which I could venture to guess as I was channel surfing) and the topic the host was discussing was the new State Department dump of 7,000 additional Hillary Clinton emails. One that interests some has in the subject line: Gefilte fish. “Where are […]

Metro North Public Health Unit (MNPHU) confirmed today that an eighth case of measles has been linked to the University of Queensland, St Lucia campus. Public Health Physician, Dr James Smith said that the student was infectious while attending classes at UQ Business School between Tuesday 25/08/2015 and Thursday 27/08/2015. As well as the university, […]

Health officials in Illinois have reported the first human West Nile virus deaths of 2015 in elderly residents in Cook and Kendall counties. The Cook County Department of Public Health reported a resident in their 90’s became ill at the end of August and has died. Separately, the Kendall County Health Department reported a resident […]

The measles outbreak in Katanga province in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo worsens and help and resources are lacking in the battle against the vial outbreak, according to the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Official numbers put the outbreak over the 20,000 people affected, including some 300 deaths and it […]

The Mozambican Health Ministry announced recently plans to battle two devastating infectious diseases in the southeast Africa country- rotavirus and trachoma. Health officials announced they will be vaccinating some 335,000 children against rotavirus in a national vaccination campaign that will last through December. The national director for Immunization Programme Graca Matsinhe said, “The vaccine against rotavirus will […]

The childhood viral disease caused at least two baseball players from the Kansas City Royals to be sent home to recover, according to the ballclub. Right fielder Alex Rios and reliever Kelvin Herrera both contracted the chickenpox virus on the team’s weekend trip to play the Tampa Bay Rays. Rios began showing small blister-like symptoms on […]

In the ever-growing Legionnaires’ disease outbreak affecting residents at the Illinois Veterans’ Home-Quincy, Illinois health officials today put the case count at 39, up ten from yesterday. In addition, the fatality count is now at seven, all of whom had underlying medical conditions. Testing on other residents are still pending. “While saddened by the loss of our […]

In a follow-up to the malaria outbreak in northern Uganda, which has been ongoing for some two months and health officials say things only seem to be getting worse. Local media report that the 10 districts in the north facing the surge of malaria are now seeing between 8,000 to 10,000 cases per week, up […]

Detection of a new case of Ebola virus disease in Kambia, Sierra Leone after the country had marked almost three weeks of zero cases has set in motion the first ‘ring vaccination’ use of the experimental Ebola vaccine in Sierra Leone. A team of experts in ring vaccination has travelled from Conakry, Guinea to join […]

Garcinia cambogia is an extremely popular “weight-loss” supplement in the US thanks in part to Dr. Oz, so much that one million Americans a month “google” the product. According to the website WebMD, G. cambogia is a tropical fruit also known as the Malabar tamarind, is a popular weight-loss supplement. People say it blocks your body’s […]

Bonduelle USA Inc. of Brockport, NY is recalling 9,335 cases of frozen corn because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms […]

Berkeley health officials announced Monday that a UC Berkeley student has been diagnosed with measles, prompting them to encourage Berkeley community members to make sure they and their children are vaccinated against the highly communicable viral disease. The dates of exposure to the community were from August 24 through August 29, when the student was put in […]

As summer draws to a close and children head back to school, many parents are doing everything they can to ensure a healthy school year by scheduling physical exams and making sure vaccinations are up to date. But are parents taking care of themselves? Board-certified dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology say that skin […]

Nearly one year ago, health officials in the Laxmangarh area of Alwar district reported on a diphtheria outbreak that took the lives of six children. Today, it’s deja vu in the area as at least 10 suspected cases of diphtheria have been found in the area. The Times of India reports that although the cases have […]

The number of dengue fever cases in the southern Taiwan city of Tainan has surpassed 3,000, accounting for the bulk of cases in the country this year. Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said today that Tainan now accounts for 3,003 of the 3,446 dengue infections reported nationwide since May 1. Of this total, four dengue-related deaths […]

The outbreak of the respiratory, bacterial infection, Legionnaires’ disease, among residents at the Illinois Veteran’s Home – Quincy continues to grow, according to Illinois health officials today. As of Aug. 31, health officials are reporting 29 Legionnaires’ cases at the home, including four fatalities. Legionnaires’ disease is caused by the bacteria Legionella. Additional symptoms include: headache, […]

In a follow-up to the cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases at San Quentin State Prison, California corrections officials now say that six inmates have been confirmed with the bacterial infection. Five of the inmates are being treated at outside facilities for their illness. In addition, approximately 51 inmates are currently under observation for respiratory illness but […]

The Haiti Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) (computer translated) reported the results of a survey today that reveals that about a quarter of children aged 6 to 15 years suffer from some form of intestinal parasites. In addition, about 80 percent of children in this age group do not know how one can be infected with […]

Novel drug candidate, MRX-I, an oral oxazolidinone showed positive top-line results from the first Phase 2 clinical study in China, according to biopharmaceutical company, MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today. “These clinical data demonstrate that MRX-I has the potential to be a safe and effective antibiotic for a broad range of infections, including those that are multidrug-resistant,” said Dr. Zhengyu Yuan, president […]

The Taiwan CDC announced today the confirmation of an imported case of brucellosis in a 35-year-old Indonesian female caretaker. This is the first case reported on the island since 2011. The patient developed symptoms in early August and was hospitalized for treatment. She is still hospitalized for medical treatment. None of her close contacts residing in […]

Several days ago, we told you of the story of the 14-year-old Houston child, who was diagnosed and being treated for Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) at the Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) – West Campus. Despite great medical care and treatment regimen sent from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Michael John Riley Jr. lost his life […]

The pertussis, or whooping cough situation in 2015 can be summed up with one stat–there has been more pertussis cases in Clark County this year to date (268) than the number seen statewide during the same period in 2014 (267). Through August 22, Washington has reported 1,108 pertussis cases to date, or more than 4-times […]

To date, there are well over 300 human West Nile virus (WNV) cases in the US and California and Arizona lead the pack in the number of cases. California, which has reported the most WNV cases in the country six times since the mosquito borne virus was reported in the state for the first time […]

In the United States, vaccine exemption levels for kindergarteners are low for most states and infant vaccination rates are high nationally, according to a report in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Friday. Nationally, exemption levels remain low with a median level of 1.7 percent. However, […]

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating a sporadic case of Legionnaires’ disease (LD) affecting a man aged 87. The patient, with underlying illnesses, lives in Zhuhai, Guangdong. He has presented with shortness of breath, fever and cough with sputum since August 25. He came to Hong […]

While the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in the South Bronx has been declared over by New York City officials a week ago, outbreaks of the bacterial respiratory disease has popped up in other areas across the country. In a follow-up to the outbreak at the Illinois Veterans’ Home – Quincy, state health officials are now reporting two […]

Health officials in Morocco are investigating an outbreak of anthrax in the town of Imilchil in Midelt province, according to a Morocco World News report today. Nine people have been diagnosed with cutaneous anthrax linked to exposure to handling diseased cows. “This epidemiological situation is not alarming in the sense that the Cutaneous anthrax disease is […]

A very important petition was started today on the website, Change.org, by families of victims of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), calling on federal and state public health leaders to add PAM to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System making reporting of this parasitic disease mandatory at the national level. The petition was initiated by Dr. […]

Family Practice and Samaritan’s Purse physician, Dr. Kent Brantly, addressed his alma mater this week during the annual Opening Assembly in Moody Coliseum at Abilene Christian University (ACU). Brantly as you may recall contracted Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) while volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse in Liberia. He was airlifted back to the US and treated at Atlanta’s Emory University […]

A cluster of infections on the neonatal intensive care unit at University Hospital of Wales has prompted to closure of new admission to the unit Thursday, according to the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. At least 12 babies in the NICU were infected with bacterial infections with Acinetobacter baumanii and an Enterobacter species. There are 15 babies […]

Oysters not only transmit human norovirus; they also serve as a major reservoir for these pathogens, according to research published August 28 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. “More than 80 percent of human norovirus genotypes were detected in oyster samples or oyster-related outbreaks,” said corresponding author Yongjie […]

In an update on the anthrax update at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya from July, Dr Kisa J. Z. Juma Ngeiywa, CVO Director of Veterinary Services with the Ministry of Agriculture in Nairobi reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health that the outbreak is ongoing and the number of animals affected has increased. Ngeiywa notes the […]

Cincinnati health officials are reporting a surge in Shigellosis cases this summer prompting the Cincinnati Health Department (CHD) to encourage childcare workers and caregivers to practice frequent handwashing to curb the spread of the bacterium, Shigella. During the July/August period in 2015, Cincinnati health officials have seen 20 cases of the gastrointestinal disease. This is compared […]

The Indiana State Department of Health is investigating additional cases of HIV in southeastern Indiana. The cases were identified through testing performed through community outreach in response to an HIV outbreak fueled by injection drug abuse. State health officials announced today that the number of HIV cases in the outbreak is now 181 (177 confirmed […]

While there is no national surveillance of blastomycosis in the US, Wisconsin is one of several states in which the fungal infection is reportable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says in endemic (regularly found among particular people or in a certain area) areas, the yearly incidence of blastomycosis is approximately 1 to […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today one human infection with a novel influenza A virus from the state of Iowa. The person was infected with an influenza A (H1N1) variant (H1N1v) virus and was hospitalized as a result of their illness. No human-to-human transmission has been identified and the case reported close […]

The Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- outbreak in Washington State, which has been linked to pork produced by Kapowsin Meats, has grown by 18 cases, bringing the total case count to 152, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today. 24 people required hospitalization for their illness. No deaths have been reported. USDA sampling at Kapowsin Meats revealed […]

Just days after issuing a mosquito advisory, the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County (DOH -Pinellas) has received positive confirmation of West Nile Virus (WNV) in a 32-year-old male from Clearwater. This is the sixth WNV case reported in Florida so far this year–Escambia (2), Walton (2) and Volusia (1) are where the other […]

The One Minute Miracle Inc. is voluntarily recalling one lot each of Miracle Diet 30, capsules and Miracle Rock 48. Miracle Diet 30 has been found to contain undeclared phenolphthalein, phenolphthalein was an ingredient used in over-the counter laxatives but was removed from the market because of concerns of carcinogenicity. There is a reasonable probability […]