Outbreak News Today

Last December, researchers identified more than 1,000 gene mutations in individuals with autism, but how these mutations increased risk for autism was unclear. Now, UNC School of Medicine researchers are the first to show how one of these mutations disables a molecular switch in one of these genes and causes autism. Published Thursday in the […]

Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) reports the first death associated with West Nile Virus (WNV) in Tarrant County this year. The death involved a senior adult with underlying medical conditions who resided in Northeast Tarrant County. “This individual was also the County’s second human case of West Nile Virus,” said Vinny Taneja, Director for Tarrant […]

Over the past seven months, Saskatoon Health Region’s hematology program has seen an increased rate of fungal infections within a small group of immunocompromised patients on the Oncology Unit at Royal University Hospital. To date, six patients at various stages of cancer treatment have been infected. The specific fungal etiology(s) have not been noted. The hematology program […]

What are Vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs)? The Global Polio Eradication Initiative defines it as follows: The oral polio vaccine contains a live, attenuated (weakened) vaccine-virus. When a child is vaccinated, the weakened vaccine-virus replicates in the intestine and enters into the bloodstream, triggering a protective immune response in the child. Like wild poliovirus, the child excretes the […]

The New York City Health Department has reported seven additional Legionnaires’ disease cases, which brings the total in the largest outbreak in NYC history to 108. The death toll remains at 10. Dr. Mary Bassett, Commissioner of the NYC Health Department tweeted the following concerning the new cases: Encouraging news on #Legionnaires disease outbreak: the seven new […]

Philippines media is reporting that 78-year-old House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte is recovering from a bout with the viral infection, dengue fever. Belmonte, who got admitted to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City on Wednesday after feeling ill, was diagnosed with a confirmed case of the mosquito borne virus. Belmonte said that he expects to return […]

The horse section of the Halifax Agricultural show in the UK was cancelled Saturday due the contagious equine disease, strangles, show officials report. “We are sorry to announce the cancellation of the horse sections at the 2015 Show on the 8 August. “Cases of Equine Strangles have been notified in the area. The disease is readily […]

About a month after Bulgaria health officials reported a human anthrax fatality in Varna, the Focus Information Agency reports an animal outbreak in the village of Bozveliysko, district of Varna. An unspecified number of dead sheep tested positive for the bacterial disease. The recent situations in northeast Bulgaria has prompted Bulgaria’s National Sheep-breeding Association to call on people not to […]

Canadian health officials reported Saturday the investigation of an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal infection caused by the protozoan parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis. They say that 83 people became sick between May 9 and July 18, 2015. The breakdown by province is as follows: British Columbia (3), Alberta (1), Ontario (74), and Quebec (5). The source of this outbreak is not yet known […]

In this post, I want to look at some of the most significant reportable infectious diseases in the Philippines to date in 2015 and compare to the same period in 2014. Cholera From Jan. 1 to Jun. 27 this year, the Philippines has reported 1,514 suspected and laboratory-confirmed cases of the gastrointestinal bacterial disease, cholera. […]

The Georgia Department of Public Health Friday confirmed the state’s first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) of the season. The patient is an adult from Metro Atlanta and has recovered. Most people get WNV after being bitten by an infected mosquito and mosquitoes are still biting into the fall months in Georgia. The Georgia […]

Upstate Medical University in Syracuse has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to develop a prototype for a new device to specifically attract and exterminate Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This type of mosquito spreads dengue fever, chikungunya, zika fever, yellow fever and other mosquito-borne diseases commonly found in tropical climates. The grant […]

The South Bronx Legionnaires’ disease outbreak saw an increase of one case, bringing the case tally to 101. The death toll from the outbreak remains at 10, according to New York City health officials. The New York Daily News reports of the first legal action over the outbreak. The news agency reports that one of […]

A Mesa County woman has contracted the bacterial infection, tularemia, according to the Mesa County Health Department Friday, becoming the second human tularemia case reported in the county in the past decade. Health officials say she was likely exposed through a bite from a deer fly or tick while on public lands near the Colorado River in […]

The number of Vibrio vulnificus cases in Florida have reached 20 this week after an additional case was reported from Bay County. The death toll due to the bacterial infection remains at 10. In 2014, Florida reported 32 cases of V. vulnificus with 7 deaths. Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that is found in all […]

Baltimore health officials announced of today the investigation a possible, isolated case of measles in a Baltimore County resident who was seen for care at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore City. Upon recognition of a possible measles case, Sinai Hospital staff acted quickly and appropriately to reduce exposures. The patient is an unvaccinated child currently at home […]

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and UI McKinley Health Center vaccinated more than 3,000 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students, faculty and staff Thursday and Friday in an effort to control a mumps outbreak that has struck dozens of students at the school. To date, 82 people have been afflicted with the mumps. On Tuesday, school […]

On Thursday, Philippines House of Representatives Speaker, Feliciano Belmonte, who admitted into the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, said he tested positive for the mosquito borne viral disease, dengue fever. The 78-year-old Congressman and former QC mayor said in a text message to reporters yesterday, “It takes time to study the blood samples taken from […]

In a follow-up to an earlier report, Wisconsin health authorities have confirmed four blastomycosis cases among individuals who went tubing on the Little Wolf River in early June. The Wisconsin Department of Public Health investigation is ongoing; however, it’s next to impossible to pinpoint the source of the fungal cluster. There is currently no way to identify […]

Iowa health officials are reminding the public to take steps to reduce mosquito exposure after reporting the first human West Nile virus (WNV) case of 2015. The State Hygienic Lab (SHL) has confirmed WNV in a Ringgold County woman. Iowa reported 15 human WNV cases in 2014. “This West Nile case should serve as notice that […]

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that the New York State Department of Health is providing free Legionella testing for building owners, operators, managers and landlords of buildings with cooling towers or evaporative condenser units that can be sources of the bacteria. Testing will be done free of charge through the Department’s Wadsworth Center Laboratory. […]

Raw sprouts have been involved in a number of cases of foodborne illness. To reduce the risk of illness, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers to be aware of the risks associated with eating raw sprouts. But what makes sprouts so potentially hazardous? Sprouts are germinated seeds or beans that are typically […]

Two people, both from Tampa, have been reported to Hillsborough County health officials as having the prion disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). The Hillsborough County Health Department reports two cases from Jan. to Jun. 2015. This compares to just one case reported during all of 2014. LISTEN: Prion diseases and the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation It is not reported […]

An anthrax outbreak has been reported in northwest China’s Shaanxi province that has affected both animals and people, according to a government press release (computer translated). Government officials say there have reports of anthrax in horses in three villages and 11 suspected human cases of the bacterial disease. According to the report, the patients are stable and […]

In a press conference Thursday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio gave an update on the South Bronx Legionnaires’ disease outbreak saying that the case count and death toll have both increased. “So, three additional cases identified, two additional deaths reported. A total now of 100 cases and 10 deaths – again, all from […]

Health officials in California are investigating a human plague case in an Los Angeles County child. They say a the child became ill and was hospitalized after visiting the Stanislaus National Forest and camping at Crane Flat Campground in Yosemite National Park in mid-July. No other members of the camping party reported symptoms and health […]

The number of human West Nile virus (WNV) cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shot up over the past week seeing an increase in over 50 cases. As of August 4, 2015, 90 cases of West Nile virus disease in people have been reported to CDC.This is up from 36 […]

The good news coming out of West Africa is that after a year and a half, we are seeing dramatically lower new cases, in fact, last week marked a third consecutive decline in weekly case incidence. Officials with the World Health Organization (WHO) report only two cases during the past week (one each in Sierra Leone […]

Mahina Mele Farms is recalling the following products after FDA testing found Salmonella in macadamia nuts. Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and […]

To grow a life in your womb is a miracle, and no amount of happiness can equate this wonderful event. However, there are quite a few of sheer challenges in getting pregnant, such as morning sickness, body size and shape adjustments, changes in appetite and moods, and other pregnancy woes. One of the many changes […]

Between the middle of 2014 to the middle of this year, Ireland health officials have reported 1,993 mumps cases with about half saying they received 1, 2 or 3 doses of the preventive MMR vaccine, according to data from the country’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). 41% of cases did not have their vaccination status available. […]

Rabies has the highest case fatality rate of any infectious disease; without treatment or with treatment delayed, an individual, once infected, has a 99.9% chance of dying. Dogs, throughout human history, have been the primary vectors for infecting humans. Even today domestic dogs cause over 99% of around 60,000 deaths in humans each year from […]

Colorado has been hit especially hard with zoonotic infections this year. First we saw a slew of tularemia cases and now for the second time today, health officials from the state of Colorado are reporting a human case of plague, caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. The latest case, the fourth in the state this […]

New York City health officials are reporting an eighth fatality due to the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened 97 and hospitalized 92 in the South Bronx. All deceased individuals were older adults and had additional underlying medical problems and they are all connected to the current cluster. Commissioner of the NYC Health Department, Dr. Mary […]

Jordanian health officials say that out-of-temperature chickpea hummus is the source of a Shigella outbreak that sickened 80, according to a Al Wakeel News report (computer translated). The tainted hummus was served at a restaurant in Grandl area, Altafilah province. Communicable Disease Director with the Health Ministry, Dr Mohammad Abdullat said that out of the 26 samples sent […]

The number of cases of the mosquito borne viral disease, chikungunya, has doubled in recent months as the virus reaches the entire south-southeast of the country. The Yucatan Times puts the case count at 3,306 cases of the virus in 16 states, up from 1,436 in 10 states less than two months ago. As of week 30, […]

A Thousand Virgins Corp. in Miami (City of Industry), FL is recalling all lots of tattoo Inks described below due to microbiological contamination. A Thousand Virgins grey wash inks; G1, G2 and G3, that are labeled with Lot #129, and bearing the expiration date: 1/16, revealed contamination withMycobacterium chelonae, Microbacterium organisms, and the molds Cryptococcus […]

UPDATE: 4th human plague case reported, this one in Boulder For the third time in two months, Colorado has reported a human plague case in a resident. Health officials with The Pueblo City-County Health Department confirmed an adult died from plague. This is the first Pueblo County resident to contract plague since 2004. This is […]

An individual who recently returned from West Africa gave people in Birmingham, AL a scare as emergency rescue crews were dispatched to the home because the individual had a fever. The patient was admitted to University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital Tuesday night, and eight others quarantined or monitored after coming into contact with that patient. Good news is […]

Two people from Artamed village in Armenia’s Armavir province have been hospitalized after contracting the bacterial disease, anthrax, according to Armenian media accounts. It is reported that the two patients contracted the bacterium while handling infected meat brought from Georgia. They were admitted to Yerevan’s Nork hospital suffering with hand ulcers. Here is where Bacillus anthracis was confirmed. […]

Wisconsin state health officials are looking into several cases of the fungal infection, Blastomycosis, and any possible link to Wolf River in New London. Madison news source, WKOW reports that two people with confirmed cases of blastomycosis say they got sick after visiting the Wolf River. However, health officials warn that it’s nearly impossible to confirm whether that’s the source […]

In the last 10 years, infection rates in California and Arizona have risen 400 percent, prompting California to designate August as Valley Fever Awareness Month. Valley Fever is caused by the inhalation of tiny airborne fungi (Coccidioides immitis) that live in the soil but are released into the air by soil disturbance or wind. The fungus attacks […]

In light of the dozens of mumps cases reportedly linked to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, school officials are calling on students to receive a booster shot of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine as soon as possible, even if they have completed the MMR vaccine in the past. The goal is to maximize the […]

Since 1993, more than 639 hantavirus cases have been reported in the United States carrying with it a 36 percent fatality rate. Elsewhere across the globe hantaviruses have been reported in countries in the Western hemisphere to include those in South America and Canada. In addition, hantaviruses from the Old World including China, South Korea […]

Camden County health officials are reporting the first human West Nile virus case in the state of New Jersey this year in a 60-year-old Bellmawr man. According to health officials, the patient was admitted to Kennedy Health Systems in Stratford on July 12 with symptoms that had begun at the end of June. On July 17, he […]

At least 15 clusters of suspected food poisoning in Hong Kong has been linked to Horng Ryen Jen, aka Hung Rui Chen sandwiches from Taiwan, health officials note, prompting a ban of the Taiwanese brand sandwiches. Group D Salmonella has been confirmed in at least six patients. According to the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) on […]

Taiwan health officials have seen more than 100 new locally acquired dengue fever cases during the past week, bringing the country’s total to 432 cases since the beginning of the year and 330 indigenous dengue cases since May. Of the 124 total dengue cases reported during the week of July 28 and August 3, 2015, 114 of […]

A new weapon in the arsenal in the fight against Ebola has a Mount St. Mary’s University researcher hopeful that progress is being made toward finding a cure for the devastating viral disease. A recently-tested vaccine called rVSV-ZEBOV, developed in Canada and licensed by Merck, was the focus of a new study performed in Guinea […]

Mike Coston is the Owner/Editor of Avian Flu Diary Although one doesn’t traditionally think of vector-borne diseases like Malaria, Leishmaniasis, Crimea-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, and Malaria as being serious public health concerns for Europe, increasingly the arthropod vectors (mosquitoes, ticks, sand flies) for these diseases are showing up and establishing themselves across the region. In 2007, Europe […]

More than 100 human rabies deaths were reported in the Indonesian tourist destination of Bali from December 2008 and February 2011 and part of the government efforts to get the outbreak under control included mass culling of dogs and emergency vaccination. Prior to 2008, the island was listed as rabies-free. It got so bad in Bali that the […]