Outbreak News Today

An individual who attended who attended lectures at the University of Queensland Faculty of Business on July 29, July 31, and August 3, tested positive for the most infectious viral disease, measles, according to Queensland Health. The unnamed individual was infectious when they attended lectures, health officials note, in addition to exposing others while using public transportation and […]

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that because Legionnaires’ Disease has been a persistent public health threat for years in NYC and elsewhere, a more systemic solution is required to prevent the cycle of these outbreaks from continuing. De Blasio said, “This week, new legislation will be announced designed to halt future outbreaks of Legionnaires’, and […]

Pertussis incidence remains significant in California in 2015 to date as health officials report 3,404 cases this year so far. This number is high, so high that health data shows that this is the highest number of cases reported in the Golden State since the 1950s, with the exception of the 2010 epidemic when 9,159 […]

August is National Immunization Awareness Month With many school districts across Pennsylvania opening their doors this month, the Departments of Health and Education are announcing the “Don’t Wait. Vaccinate.” campaign to remind parents of the importance of having their children’s immunizations up-to-date before they start class. “August should serve as an easy reminder for parents […]

Today the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reports the third human case of West Nile virus (WNV) for 2015. The reported case is in Simpson County. Cases have been previously reported in Adams and Hinds counties. The MSDH only reports laboratory-confirmed cases to the public. In 2014, Mississippi had 43 WNV cases and seven […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced awards of nearly $110 million to help states and communities strengthen their capacity to track and respond to infectious diseases. The awards represent an increase of about $13 million over fiscal year 2014 funding, with increases going to vaccine-preventable-disease surveillance, foodborne-disease prevention and advanced molecular […]

Health officials with the Tippecanoe County Health Department has confirmed that a person with Purdue University is positive for the serious zoonotic viral disease, hantavirus. Confirmation testing was performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The confirmed case involves an individual who became ill after handling potentially infected mice that were captured in the […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week released the webinar, HHS Working Group on Lyme and Other Tickborne Diseases presents: Vaccines for Lyme Disease – Past, present, and future, which looks at such issues as Why we need a vaccine for Lyme disease?, Potential vaccine strategies and targets for Lyme disease, A critical appraisal of LYMErix […]

New York City health officials, in an update yesterday, is reporting 71 cases of Legionella infection, including four related deaths, have been reported among people who live in, work in, or visited the High Bridge, Morrisania, Hunts Point, and Mott Haven areas of the South Bronx as of July 8. The Health Department is actively investigating and […]

Taiwan health officials are reporting a meningitis vaccine shortage linked to the meningococcal meningitis outbreak in Africa prompting officials to advise the public to postpone travel to the high-risk countries on the continent. They note that scheduled shipments of vaccine expected in June did not arrive. They do expect the vaccine to be delivered later this […]

It’s funny, how we all make excuses to not work out and want a fabulous body at the same time. One of the most common excuses for not working out is not having time as well as enough money to go to the gym. Now, I don’t think that these excuses can stay anymore because […]

Another zoo animal has died as a result of infection with the serious bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, prompting zoo officials to conduct a vaccination drive in the neighboring areas. An elephant succumbed to anthrax at the Similipal Tiger Reserve in the district of Mayurbhanj in Odisha state. According to an Odisha TV report, blood tests performed by Animal Diseases Research […]

In a follow-up to a report on the salmonella outbreak that has sickened scores in Washington State, federal food safety officials have issued a warning when handling whole pigs for roasting. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert on Friday after being notified of the several clusters of […]

An eight-year-old boy from the Ficksburg area in Free State province, South Africa has died from rabies after a dog bite, making him the fifth human rabies case in the country this year. According to a Mes Vaccins report (computer translated), the child was bitten on his thigh by a dog in early May. A few […]

A brand of infant formula made in Argentina was taken off the shelves after analysis of the product revealed the bacterium, Cronobacter sakazakii, a bacterium that can cause meningitis and septicemia, an El Nacional report stated recently (computer translated). Argentina’s National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) ordered the preventive withdrawal after analyzing samples of […]

Officials with the Universidad Central de Venezuela reported to ProMed Mail late last week (computer translated) of a family of three from Yaguapita, Miranda state in northern Venezuela who contracted the parasitic disease, Chagas disease. Experts believe the three individuals contracted the disease through oral transmission. The patients presented with generalized edema and general symptoms such as fatigue, […]

Two confirmed cases of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV), a reportable animal disease, have been found in western South Dakota. USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory reported the disease to South Dakota state veterinarian, Dustin Oedekoven, after testing samples that were submitted on Tuesday, July 28, 2015. VSV infected horses and cattle have been found already in […]

Texas animal health officials are reporting five horses with confirmed Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) infection. The infected horses are located in: Newton, Orange, Liberty, Jasper and Jefferson counties. To date, there are a total of five positive EEE cases in Texas. The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) officials remind equine owners to consult with their private […]

Recent advances in the understanding of cancer have led to more personalized therapies, such as drugs that target particular proteins and tests that analyze gene expression patterns in tumors to predict a patient’s response to therapy. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers have contributed to these advances by developing the first test that analyzes the sensitivity of […]

In a follow-up to the outbreak of ill schoolkids in in Zamboanga del Norte province who took the deworming medication, Albendazole, Philippines health officials say the illnesses are due to “normal” side effects seen with the anti-parasitic drug. Last week, some 1,000 children were taken ill with vomiting, stomach ache, and dizziness after taking the drug during the semiannual program, “Oplan […]

The botulism outbreak that sickened dozens at a Ohio church potluck dinner in April has been linked to potato salad prepared with improperly home-canned potatoes, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report published Friday. The outbreak that affected 29 and killed one was the largest botulism outbreak in the United States in […]

The number of human cases of the zoonotic infection, brucellosis, has increased in parts of Israel by 83 percent, prompting one physician to call it a “Third world epidemic”. The Jerusalem Post reports the surge in cases in centered around Beduin inthe South and other Arabs in eastern Jerusalem, Nazareth, Acre and elsewhere in the North. MK […]

In an update to the expanding Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in the New York City’s Bronx borough, New York City health officials now report four fatalities linked to the bacterial disease as of Saturday. The total case count also rose to 65. Upon inspection of nearly two dozen buildings in South Bronx, five buildings cooling towers, including […]

The Kraft Heinz Company is voluntarily recalling select code dates and manufacturing codes of Kraft Singles individually-wrapped slices due to the possibility that a thin strip of the individual packaging film may remain adhered to the slice after the wrapper has been removed. If the film sticks to the slice and is not removed, it […]

People are fleeing certain African and Middle Eastern countries in large numbers and many are headed to the countries of Europe. In fact, one report notes that about 5,000 people flee Eritrea each month, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN refugee agency. One of the things […]

Pakistani health authorities are reporting the 12th fatality this year in Sindh province due to the brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, according to an Express Tribune report Friday. This is the second case/death reported in the Sindh capital of Karachi in a week. This comes 6 weeks after the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) in cooperation with Sindh […]

The mumps case count linked to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus has grown to 60, according to a CNN report Friday. Health officials with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District tell the news agency that they usually see a dozen cases annually. Epidemiologist Dr. Awais Vaid said his concern is what happens when the fall […]

In a follow-up to an earlier report of a salmonella outbreak, potentially linked to pork, in Washington State, the case load has increased to 90 prompting officials to seek assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). With the increase in cases, state health officials have asked the federal Centers for Disease Control […]

Flint Hills Community Health Center officials report that Lyon County has had its first lab-confirmed case of an emerging mosquito-transmitted virus in 2015. Chikungunya, pronounced chik-en-gun-ye, is typically a travel-associated virus involving severe but rarely fatal symptoms, like fever, joint pain or swelling, headache, muscle pain, or rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control […]

While we’ve been keeping a close eye on the Cyclospora outbreak in the state of Texas this year, not much was known about the parasitic disease in other areas of the US in 2015…until now. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their outbreak investigations page to include information about cyclosporiasis in 2015, […]

Florida health officials have reported two additional deaths in the past week due to bacterial infection caused by the naturally occurring waterborne bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus. The latest fatalities have been reported from Pinellas County and Escambia County. This brings the total deaths in Florida to 10, as of July 31. The total cases stands at 19. In […]

In a follow-up to a report Wednesday of a human case of brucellosis in Rila, Bulgaria, the regional health inspectorate in Kyustendil say the number people infected have increased to at least 11, according to a Focus Information Agency report. All the infected people were adults and are receiving treatment for the bacterial infection. “Most often […]

“This is Guinea’s gift to West Africa and the world,” said Dr Sakoba Keita, Guinea’s national coordinator for the Ebola response. “The thousands of volunteers from Conakry and other areas of Lower Guinea, but also the many Guinean doctors, data managers and community mobilizers have contributed to finding a line of defense against a terrible […]

In a follow up report on the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak centered around South Bronx earlier this work, New York City health officials now report the case count has increased to 46, up from 31. Nine of the hospitalized patients have been discharged. Two patients have died, a man and woman in their 50s. City health officials […]

A Venango County woman is Pennsylvania’s first human West Nile virus (WNV) of 2015, according to state health officials. She required hospitalization for her illness and has since been released and is recovering at home. Pennsylvania recorded 13 human WNV cases in 2014. “Detecting the first human case serves as a great reminder for Pennsylvanians to […]

An otter, who tested positive for the lethal virus, rabies, attacked and bit two tourists in Virginia Beach, according to a Pilot Online report. City officials say the attacks happened near the 2200 block of North Sandpiper Road in Sandbridge. 13 News Now reports that an eyewitness said a young girl was on a paddle board in the […]

Colorado health officials have confirmed a case of plague inn a cat in Grand County. Officials say the cat has been treated with antibiotics and recovering. There has been no reported human transmission. Plague is a bacterial disease of rodents and is generally transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas. It can also […]

After reports this month of anthrax deaths in bison in Saskatchewan and Wood Buffalo National Park, officials are now reporting anthrax deaths in cattle in Saskatchewan and Alberta. It has been confirmed that a cow, from a farm in the rural municipality of Harris, southwest of Saskatoon, died due to the dangerous bacterial disease, anthrax. CBC News reports anthrax is also suspected […]

The number of 13- to 17-year-old boys and girls getting the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine increased slightly for the second year in a row, according to data from CDC’s 2014 National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen), published in this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Despite these increases, 4 out of 10 adolescent girls and 6 […]

I still recall reporting on January 13, 2012 the one year anniversary of India becoming polio-free, I have to admit, something I thought I would never see when I started my career in laboratory medicine back in the early 1980s. Just 30 short years ago, India reported 150,000 cases of the crippling viral infection. Now […]

After reports of two human West Nile virus (WNV) in Walton County during the past week, health officials in Volusia County have reported a human case, the third in the state. This has prompted Volusia County health officials to issue a mosquito advisory to warn the public to remain diligent in their personal mosquito protection efforts […]

Mild hypothermia in deceased organ donors significantly reduces delayed graft function in kidney transplant recipients when compared to normal body temperature, according to UC San Francisco researchers and collaborators, a finding that could lead to an increase in the availability of kidneys for transplant. Their study appears in the July 30 issue of the New […]

Idaho’s first human case of West Nile virus infection this year has been confirmed in a Washington County woman in southwest Idaho. The woman, over the age of 50, is recovering from West Nile fever and did not require hospitalization. Nine Idaho counties in Idaho have reported West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes during routine surveillance which began […]

With the recent report of fresh cilantro possibly being the source of cyclospora in some cases in Texas and Wisconsin, grocery chain, Kroger has recalled the cilantro in select states across the country. Kroger says in their recall notice: This product may be contaminated with Cyclospora cayetanensis and, if eaten, could result in severe illness to those […]

The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) kicked off their program,“Oplan Goodbye Bulate”, yesterday in a effort to deworm 16 million public elementary school students twice a year. The campaign is designed to treat the schoolkids of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), or infections from intestinal worms. However, the campaign hit a snag early on as local media report some […]

Ohio health officials are reporting the first human West Nile virus cases of 2015 in Cuyahoga and Hamilton Counties. The case details show a 34- year-old Cuyahoga County man with fever, and more serious, a 77-year-old Hamilton County man with encephalitis. “Ohio’s wet summer has caused standing water in many areas of Ohio, and mosquitoes breed […]

A number of animal cases and a human case of the bacterial, zoonotic disease, Brucellosis, have been reported from the town of Rila, Kyustendil Province, in southwestern Bulgaria, according to a Bulgarian news source. The Focus Information Agency reports a man from Rila who owned a buffalo farm contracted the bacterial infection. This is the first human […]

The World Health Organization today called for bolstering efforts for malaria control and elimination by targeting malarial parasites believed to be less fatal, but now causing high disease burden. As nearly 3.2 billion people continue to live in areas with risk of malaria infection, malaria needs to be high on the global agenda to achieve […]

Just days after the dangerous free-living amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, was detected in the St.Bernard Parish Water System, a second parish is reporting the presence of the “brain-eating amoeba” in the water system. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) confirmed the presence of the Naegleria fowleri ameba in the Ascension Consolidated Utility District 1 at […]

Hepatitis B infections are among the most common infectious diseases worldwide. The disease can become chronic, and is one of the most important causes of severe diseases such as liver cancer. In the scope of an international study funded by the World Health Organization, scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig […]