Outbreak News Today

The Washington State Department of Health says a Benton County woman is the first Washington resident known to be infected with West Nile virus in the state this year. The woman in her 50’s was likely exposed near her home. Most in-state acquired human and animal cases are exposed in south-central Washington, but the mosquito species […]

Bavarian Nordic A/S announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, has ordered a bulk supply of IMVAMUNE® non-replicating smallpox vaccine, valued at USD 133 million. Under this new order, which is an extension of an existing contract, Bavarian Nordic will manufacture […]

With 16 reported cases in The Dalles as of last week, health officials with the North Central Public Health District (NCPHD), with assistance from North Wasco County School District 21, is offering a FREE Tdap Vaccine Clinic on Thursday, July 9th, 2015 at The Dalles Middle School (1100 E 12th St.) from 4 p.m. to 7 […]

Colorado health officials have reported the first human West Nile virus (WNV) case this year in a Mesa County man. In addition, mosquitoes collected in Larimer and Denver counties are carrying West Nile virus, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed today. The department expects more counties to find infected mosquitoes as the summer progresses. […]

An outbreak of meningococcal meningitis at a Zambian high school has sickened six and killed three during the past two weeks, according to local media. Health Minister Joseph Kasonde has told a media briefing in Lusaka today that six cases of meningitis were reported from the 20th June to 3rd July of which three cases […]

On 6 July 2015, the IHR National Focal Point of the Philippines notified WHO of 1 laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. Details of the case The case is a 36-year-old male from Finland. Between 10 and 18 June, he travelled to Saudi Arabia and stayed in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. […]

The last laboratory-confirmed case of respiratory diphtheria in South Africa occurred in February 2010. In a follow-up to a report in late April, the number of cases of the acute, toxin-mediated disease has grown in the KwaZulu-Natal Province (eThekwini and Ugu districts). According to a posting on ProMed Mail by experts at the National Institute for Communicable […]

A Montcalm County, Michigan infant died late last week from complications of Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) Meningitis, according to the Mid-Michigan District Health Department. The 14-month-old girl, identified by local news media as Audrey Rose Congdon of Howard City, became ill last Thursday, was hospitalized with flu-like symptoms, was released and died later the same evening. […]

Minnesota health officials are investigating a case of suspected primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in a critically ill child. PAM is a very rare and severe brain infection caused by an ameba called Naegleria fowleri. Health officials determined that the child developed the infection after swimming at Lake Minnewaska in Pope County. Naegleria fowleri is an ameba […]

A recent surge in reports of illnesses due to the parasite Cyclospora has prompted DSHS to investigate the infections in hopes of determining a common source. DSHS has received reports of 121 Cyclosporiasis cases from around Texas this year, including 109 in the last two weeks. Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by consuming food […]

At least a dozen people in India’s most populous city have died due to the bacterial infection called leptospirosis in the past few weeks after heavy rains and flooding occurred in the city. 12 of the 21, or nearly 60 percent of cases reported at BMC hospitals have died. Most had a history of wading […]

Scientists have discovered new ways in which the malaria parasite survives in the blood stream of its victims, a discovery that could pave the way to new treatments for the disease. The researchers at the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) Toxicology Unit based at the University of Leicester and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) tablets for the treatment of heart failure. The drug has been shown to reduce the rate of cardiovascular death and hospitalization related to heart failure. Heart failure is a common condition affecting about 5.1 million people in the United States. It is a condition in which […]

Sevan has recalled all of its all spice mixes sold since October 2014 today (see below) after health officials in Sweden’s Public Health Agency suggested that the product may be linked to the outbreak, according to the Folkhälsomyndigheten – Public Health Agency of Sweden today (computer translated). It must be pointed out that health authorities had yet to definitively […]

Arizona health officials are reporting the first confirmed human case of West Nile Virus in Arizona this season in Maricopa County. The infected individual is a male resident in his late 50’s with no travel history. He experienced flu-like symptoms, but was not hospitalized and has since recovered. This has prompted health officials to advise residents to protect […]

Heroin use has increased across the United States among men and women, most age groups, and all income levels. The greatest increases have occurred in groups with historically lower rates of heroin use, including women and people with private insurance and higher incomes. In addition, nearly all people who use heroin also use multiple other […]

Between 4 and 7 July 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of the Republic of Korea notified WHO of 2 additional confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Additional information on the outbreak in Korea To date, a total of 186 MERS-CoV cases, including 33 deaths, have been reported. One of the 186 […]

In a follow-up to the cholera outbreak in South Sudan, UNICEF reports more than 700 cholera cases have been reported in Juba and Bor so far, resulting in 32 deaths – one in five of which are children under five. Stressing the role of education in stemming the cholera outbreak in South Sudan, the UN […]

Two additional fatalities due to infection with the naturally occurring bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus were reported in Florida, bring the death total to seven for 2015 to date. The deaths were reported from Sarasota and Duval counties, according to state health officials. The additional cases bring the state total to 13 cases. Last year, Florida reported 32 […]

Colorado health officials have reported a human tularemia case that occurred in a Morgan County resident late last week. This is the 16th human case of “rabbit fever” reported in Colorado since May. “Although having a human case is not completely surprising, as some of our neighboring counties have already seen human cases this year […]

Dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus outbreaks are also occurring across the Pacific. These three viruses are transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which are present in many tropical countries, Asia, and the Pacific. Dengue fever emerged as a worldwide problem in the 1950s, and is becoming more and more widespread. With […]

A clinical trial of a new investigational vaccine designed to protect against West Nile Virus infection will be sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The experimental vaccine was discovered and developed by scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health […]

Over the same time period that multiple outbreaks of measles and whooping cough made headlines around the country, parents’ views on vaccines became more favorable, according to a new nationally-representative poll. The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health asked parents in May how their views on vaccinations changed between […]

The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are able to trick an animal’s immune system into not launching a full-blown immune response or developing lasting immunity to the disease, report researchers at the University of California, Davis. The discovery may explain why some human patients remain vulnerable to repeat infections by the same strain of bacteria, […]

As journalist Sierra Upton notes in a recent YouTube report: “Imagine if you had to wear a hat, a sweatshirt, pants and sunscreen just to walk down the block. Now imagine that you could only be outside for 10 minutes at a time”. Upton describes the day-to-day life of Kansas University senior, Thomas “TJ” Henderson. Henderson […]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave it’s clearance late last week for a novel and inexpensive testing system for the diagnosis of herpes simplex 1 virus IgG. The consumer health technology company, Theranos, Inc. said the FDA’s decision provides independent validation of Theranos’ patented finger stick and venous blood testing technology and the ground breaking […]

From Tanzania to South Sudan, and Nepal to Yemen, cholera – and the threat of a cholera outbreak – is a major public health concern for governments and the international health community. Use of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV) is proving to be an efficient tool to effectively control cholera outbreaks. New outbreaks are ongoing in […]

The Philippines is one of only a handful of countries that continue to see an increase in HIV cases and this past May, a whopping 748 cases were reported. This is the most cases reported on the archipelago in the past two and one-half years. This is a more than 50 percent increase in cases […]

The Philippines Department of Health announced the confirmation of an imported Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in a foreign national on July 4 prompting the mobilization of the MERS “Task Force”. On Saturday, a Middle Eastern man tested positive for the novel coronavirus at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). He is currently monitored, stable and […]

During the first six months of 2015, Singapore has seen a relatively mild dengue fever season. According to the National Environmental Agency of Singapore(NEA), there has been 4.292 cases as of July 3, an approximate decrease of 45 percent compared to the same period last year. In fact, the previous two years, 2014 and 2013, […]

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite of both medical and veterinary importance. There are two species associated with human infection; Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis. This parasite is present worldwide and has been identified in fecal samples from people in over 50 countries. In developed countries, cryptosporidiosis prevalence is less than 5% while in the developing […]

Though this horribly disabling disease is virtually unknown to many Americans, trachoma is responsible for an estimated 7-8 million cases of permanent blindness particularly in the Middle East and Africa. The organism that causes trachoma is Chlamydia trachomatis serovars A-C. These types are different from the types of Chlamydia that commonly cause the sexually transmitted […]

From the Spanish meaning “painted”, pinta is an acute and chronic non-venereal treponemal infection of the skin. It is caused by the spirochete Treponema carateum. Pinta is found in rural areas of tropical America where people live in crowded, unhygienic conditions. Once a problem with the Amazonian populations of South America and also of Central […]

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has issued a stop sale order on Stella and Chewy’s freeze dried chicken patties dog food, which has tested positive of Listeria monocytogenes. The lot number is: 111-15. The bags will have a use by date of April 23, 2016. Stella & Chewy’s CEO Jen Guzman issued the following on Saturday: […]

Cerus Corporation and the SunCoast Blood Bank (SCBB) announced last week that the first pathogen reduced platelet units have been produced in the continental US. This follows Cerus’ FDA approvals received for the INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma in December 2014. “We believe that initiating the production of INTERCEPT platelet components is a significant […]

The Lone Star state is no stranger to outbreaks of the protozoal parasite, Cyclospora, in recent years, seeing 133 cases in 2014 and 270 in 2014. It looks like 2015 will continue the recent trend as Texas has reported 113 cases of cyclosporiasis as of July 3, with 101 cases reported in just the past […]

An additional confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been reported by South Korean health officials (computer translated), bring the case tally to 185 since the outbreak began on May 20. Two dozen health care providers are part of the MERS total in the country. The death toll remains at 33. The MERS outbreak […]

DJO Global, Inc., a leading global provider of medical device solutions for musculoskeletal health, vascular health and pain management, announced today that its subsidiary Encore Medical, L.P., dba DJO Surgical, has entered into an agreement with Zimmer Holdings Inc. to purchase the Biomet Cobalt TM Bone Cement, Optivac® Cement Mixing Accessories and Discovery® Elbow System […]

In the next year, an estimated four million babies will be born in the United States. One in nine of these babies will be born pre-term, a leading cause of developmental delays and neurological disabilities in children. To help address the nutrient deficiencies that cause many of these health issues, the U.S. Public Health Service […]

On 9 May 2015, Liberia marked an important milestone in the management of their Ebola outbreak. On that day, the country was declared free of Ebola transmission because no new cases had been identified for 42 days after the safe burial of the last person confirmed to have been infected with Ebola virus disease. Although […]

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has rapidly spread in all regions of the globe. The actual numbers of dengue cases are underreported and many cases are misclassified. One recent estimate indicates 390 million dengue infections per year (95% credible interval 284–528 million), of which 96 million (67–136 million) manifest clinically (with any severity of […]

Hong Kong health officials reported today the death of a 65-year-old man due to Legionnaires’ disease (LD). The patient, with underlying diseases, had presented with fever, cough with sputum and shortness of breath since June 26. He attended the Accident and Emergency Department of North Lantau Hospital on June 29 and was subsequently transferred to Princess Margaret […]

The difficult battle between public health and personal liberty reached it’s nexus on June 30 when California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 277 into law, which effective July 1, 2016 requires children entering pre-school, elementary school, secondary school, child care centers, day nurseries, nursery school, family day care homes or development centers must have received the […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first drug for cystic fibrosis directed at treating the cause of the disease in people who have two copies of a specific mutation. Orkambi (lumacaftor 200 mg/ivacaftor 125 mg) is now approved to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients 12 years and older, who have the […]

Alaska Fish and Game officials are reporting a suspected case of tularemia, or rabbit fever, in a resident of North Pole. It appears the man became ill after skinning a potentially infected hare earlier this year. Tularemia is an infection caused by the Francisella tularensis bacteria. It most often kills hares but can also make […]

Two weeks after initiating a recall of their “Chicken Sprinkles” due to the risk of Salmonella, Boulder Dog Food Company, L.L.C. is voluntarily recalling the Turkey Sprinkles (3 oz.) with a “Best By” date of “05/18/16, 05/28/2016 and 05/30/2016“, a Lot Number of “743”, and a UPC Code of 899883001224 because the product has the potential […]

The rapidly increasing Cyclospora outbreak in Texas has eclipsed the 100 mark with health officials putting the case tally at 103 as of Thursday. The surge of cases of the protozoan parasitic infection includes 91 cases in the past two weeks. Travis County and the Austin area account for 38 of the state’s cases while […]

Nebraska health officials are reporting the first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) in the state this year and are expecting more. “This is the first human case so far this season and we expect to see more,” said Dr. Tom Safranek, State Epidemiologist for DHHS. “West Nile virus can be a mild illness […]

Washington State health officials are reporting today that the death of a Clallam County woman this spring was due to an undetected measles infection that was discovered at autopsy. The woman was most likely exposed to measles at a local medical facility during a recent outbreak in Clallam County. She was there at the same […]

Buruli ulcer, one of the neglected tropical diseases, has in recent years been spreading greatly, particularly in western Africa. What organism causes Buruli ulcer? Buruli ulcer is a bacterial infection by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Like the agent of tuberculosis, it is a slow-growing, acid fast bacilli. But unlike TB, it is an organism that is found […]