Outbreak News Today

Texas health officials have issued a health advisory today in light of the surge of infections with the protozoan parasite, Cyclospora. During the past week, Texas has seen 42 cases. During the past three summers, a large number of cyclosporiasis cases have occurred in Texas. Last year, Texas had 200 cases, some of which were […]

The Alabama Department of Public Health is investigating reports of widespread illness after 86 children attending two day care centers were seen at three Montgomery hospitals in association with this potential outbreak. The children had symptoms of lethargy, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and cramps. Thirty children were hospitalized, and all but one has been discharged. Public […]

Louisiana health officials are advising the public about the dangers of fishing, kayaking or participating in other water-based activities with open wounds after reporting four cases of Vibrio vulnificus infection reported in the state this year to date. “In most cases, swimming, fishing and other water activities are safe as long as you take the proper […]

The startling resurgence of whooping cough infection in the US and UK over the past couple years has scientists perplexed as to the cause. A study published this week in BMC Medicine from researchers at the Santa Fe Institute, in Santa Fe, NM, adds a new hypothesis to the mix: that vaccinated populations do not […]

Four additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) were reported by Korea and five additional cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). According to the preliminary information of the health authority of Korea, the cases in Korea are: A patient who was hospitalized in the same ward […]

For the third time in 2015, Bolivian health officials are reporting a human rabies fatality, this time in a 8-year-old girl from the rural municipality of Portachuelo in the eastern Santa Cruz region. The child, according to health officials, was bitten by a puppy three months ago and the child’s mother did not report the bite until she was […]

In a follow-up to a report at the beginning of June, the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health has now confirmed 14 cases of mumps primarily in Guelph’s high school population just as students are about to start summer vacation or attend summer school. Public Health is advising students that there is still an outbreak of mumps in the […]

State and county health officials in North Carolina are investigating a gastrointestinal illness outbreak among patrons of Tarheel Q Restaurant in Lexington. The Davidson County Health Department reports that they have identified over 30 individuals with signs and symptoms consistent with salmonellosis: diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. All ate at the same food establishment, Tarheel […]

Following the state’s first public health emergency declared in late March due to the HIV outbreak in Scott County, which had affected 170 people to date, State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams, M.D., M.P.H., Tuesday declared a public health emergency for Madison County, allowing the county health department to establish a syringe exchange program for the purposes of […]

Pinnacle Foods Group LLC is voluntarily recalling a limited quantity of its Wish-Bone Ranch Salad Dressing variety, due to the product containing Wish-Bone Blue Cheese Dressing, inadvertently packed in Ranch Salad Dressing bottles and was brought to our attention by a consumer. This product contains eggs, a known allergen not declared on the packaging. Those […]

Good Seed Inc. of Springfield, VA is voluntarily recalling all packages of soybean sprouts and mung bean sprouts because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections to individuals with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short term symptoms such […]

Researchers have identified a new class of antifungals to treat the more than 300 million people worldwide who develop serious fungal infections. The research is described in the current issue of mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. “Fungal infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and current […]

On June 17th, an unvaccinated child visiting from another state was evaluated in the Martha’s Vineyard Emergency Department and diagnosed with measles. While the child was immediately identified and subsequently isolated from the community, we know that individuals on the island were exposed to the virus during a phase of the illness in which the […]

German company, BIOTECON Diagnostics GmbH announced the launch of the foodproof® Norovirus Detection Kit (GI, GII, GIV) earlier this month— a fast, sensitive, easy-to-use, molecular diagnostic kit, designed for food testing in quality laboratories of food manufactures, analytical service providers and government laboratories. Simultaneous, qualitative detection and differentiation of noroviruses from genogroups I, II and IV […]

The City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department and the Bernalillo County Health and Protection Section want to advise citizens living in the East Mountains area to be aware of a potential risk to public health from tularemia after two dogs were recently confirmed to have contracted the disease. Tularemia is a highly infectious bacterial disease […]

British health officials have released the 2014 sexually transmitted infection (STI) data and found there were 439,243 sexually transmitted infections reported in England in 2014. The impact of STIs remains greatest in young people under the age of 25 years and gay men (gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men). Chlamydia is the […]

The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department is investigating an outbreak of cyclospora, an intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite. As of today, the department has 15 confirmed and probable cases and 11 new cases that are currently under investigation. Within the past week, 42 cases of Cyclospora infection have been reported to […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Kengreal (cangrelor), an intravenous antiplatelet drug that prevents formation of harmful blood clots in the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. It is approved for adult patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a procedure used to open a blocked or narrowed coronary […]

Gonorrhea is on the rise in Idaho’s five northern counties and Panhandle Health District (PHD) is reminding residents about the importance of getting tested. 32 cases of gonorrhea have been reported so far this year, compared to 17 cases during January-May of 2014. Gonorrhea, which can be successfully treated if caught early, is one of […]

Testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the two African men who died in a Springfield, MO hotel in May died of cerebral malaria, caused by the mosquito-borne parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes and not communicable person-to-person. According to a statement by the Springfield Police Department, Gerrit Strydom, […]

The Peace Garden State has reported its first case of animal anthrax in 2015, according the the North Dakota state veterinarian, Dr. Susan Keller, prompting a call for livestock producers to take action to protect their animals from the disease. “Anthrax has been confirmed in a Grand Forks County beef cow,” Keller notes. “Producers should consult with […]

Leading food safety consultancy STS has conducted extensive research on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which included examining 10 listeriosis outbreaks in hospitals, almost all of which were linked to consumption of pre-packed sandwiches. This article uses these results to consider the threat posed by listeriosis and offers preventative measures. Listeriosis – the killer […]

Health officials in the Marshall Islands are reporting a surge in chikungunya cases with the latest tally at more than 800 cases since February 2015. Of these, 80 percent of cases were from the Capital, Majuro. The other cases were from outer islands (Ebeye, Aur and Maloelap). This is the first known outbreak of Chikungunya in the […]

Capsular contracture is a condition that can develop after a patient receives breast implants. Normally, the human body will react to an implant by producing scar tissue around the device. In capsular contracture, the development of scar tissue is excessive, and can cause breast implants to feel hard, painful and have a distorted appearance. Treating […]

During the last fifteen years, discussion about biological terrorism has moved from a fictional field to non-fiction and official level. It seems that the whole of the civilized world agree on the conclusion that the reality of asymmetric wars, which non-state powers are rising, brings the potential danger from biological agents and their misuse to the […]

The Korean Centers for Disease Control updated the case tally today (computer translated) and reported three additional cases and two fatalities due to infection with the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This brings the total to 172 cases and 27 deaths. Information on the new cases is as follows: A patient who had contact with a confirmed […]

The Scottish Government has announced that from 1 September, the meningitis B vaccine will be introduced to the routine childhood vaccination programme in Scotland. Scotland is now one of the few nations in the world to offer the vaccination, which will offer protection against the life-threatening strain of meningitis to all infants. The vaccination will […]

The Ebola virus responsible for the outbreak in West Africa mutated at a similar rate to previous outbreaks, according to a new international study led by Public Health England (PHE) and published 18 June 2015 in Nature. Early in the outbreak, research suggested the virus’ mutation rate was twice that of previous Ebola outbreaks. However, […]

In a follow-up to an earlier report, since June 1, there have been six confirmed cases of meningitis among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Illinois, with one fatality. The cases are primarily in Chicago residents and African American MSM. A potential seventh case is being investigated, with laboratory results pending. This has prompted the Chicago […]

After a very brief period (~48 hours) without a newly reported Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) case, South Korean health authorities have reported (computer translated) an additional three cases and one death. The details on the new cases are as follows: A patient visited the Accident and Emergency (A & E) department of Kyung Hee University Hospital […]

The World Health Organization published the following release today concerning the Thailand MERS case: On 18 June 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of Thailand notified WHO of the country’s first confirmed case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Details of the case are as follows: The case is a 75-year-old, Omani male that […]

In a follow-up to an earlier report on a human plague death in Larimer County, Colorado, multiple local news sources have identified the victim of the lethal bacterial infection as 16-year-old Poudre High School student, Taylor Gaes. Reports note that the teen contracted a more serious and rare form of the plague known as septicemic. He likely […]

The Florida Department of Health (FLDOH) reported yesterday a fatal case of Vibrio vulnificus infection in Hillsborough County on the state’s west coast. This represents the third V. vulnificus-related death in the state and the ninth case of 2015. Last year, Hillsborough County saw three cases and no fatalities. Statewide, there were 32 cases and […]

The destruction of hospitals and the health care system in Yemen as the result of war and conflict has prompted a plea from the Yemeni Health Ministry and a response from the World Health Organization in recent days. Last week, the Yemen Ministry of Public Health and Population sent out a “humanitarian appeal” saying the […]

The salmonella outbreak linked to raw turkey, tomatoes and onion served at a Boise Co-Op deli had grown to 250 cases and according to one Central District Health spokesperson, “one of the largest food borne illness outbreaks in state history.” Now it appears State health officials on Friday gave the store the OK to reopen. According to the deli’s […]

United Salad Co., the distributor of Portland, Oregon, is initiating a voluntary recall of Champ’s Sliced Crimini Mushrooms, product of Canada, 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. […]

Boulder Dog Food Company, L.L.C. is voluntarily recalling the Chicken Sprinkles (3 oz.) with a “Best By” date of “05/04/16”, a Lot Number of “998”, and a UPC Code of 899883001231 (the “Product”), because the Product has the potential of being contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the Product, and there is risk […]

UPDATE: Plague victim identified as 16-year-old high school student Larimer County, CO health officials are reporting a confirmed plague fatality in a Cherokee Park area male Friday. The individual died on June 8. This is the first Larimer County resident confirmed to have contracted plague since 1999. According to the ongoing investigation, the young man may have contracted […]

After a dramatic decrease in dengue fever cases in 2014 when between some 600,000 cases were reported, Brazil has once again topped the one million mark in cases of the mosquito borne virus. As of June 12, about 1,026,000 probable and confirmed cases have been reported. In 2013, the count exceeded 1.4 million cases. Concerning […]

You probably have not been following this viral infection that has been quietly simmering in the Middle East since 2012. It is not your fault, why should you care about a pathogen that has caused infections in only about 1,300 patients, most of whom were tucked away in hospitals in Saudi Arabia? It probably does […]

The mounting costs of an epidemic of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) among several American Indian tribes in Arizona suggests that prevention and control efforts would be cost effective. A recent study released by experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Indian Health Service (IHS), in partnership with Arizona tribes, […]

In some exciting news from South Sudan Wednesday, the Ministry of Health has reported seven consecutive months without a confirmed case of Guinea worm disease and introduced cash rewards for reported Guinea worm cases in South Sudan. In a press release dated June 17, Ministry of Health Undersecretary Dr. Makur Matur Kariom said the last confirmed case […]

Testing of a vole (commonly called “meadow mouse”) from a die-off of rodents in the Riddle, Idaho area along Highway 51 in southern Owyhee County indicates possible plague. The public is urged to take precautions and report groups of dead rodents as this investigation continues. To date, no human cases of plague have been reported. […]

The cholera risk remains high in villages around entry points for asylum seekers in Kigoma region, Western Tanzania. The daily influx of asylum seekers has caused the population in the Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania to swell to over 55 500. Since the start of the outbreak on 10 May 2015, 4662 suspected/confirmed cholera cases and […]

Weld County Public Health officials reported Thursday that two men have contracted the bacterial zoonotic infection, tularemia, or rabbit fever. The two have been identified as a 79-year old from Milliken and an 80-year old from Greeley. It is noted that the likely source of the infection was via mowing or working in their yards. Health officials […]

State and county health officials are investigating a cluster of shigellosis in Linn County, Iowa. Linn County is in eastern Iowa and is the states second largest county. Heather Meador, a nurse with Linn County Public Health said there are about 150 confirmed or suspected Shigella cases in the county. Shigellosis is a disease caused […]

In a follow-up to an earlier report today, the Thailand Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) (computer translated). The imported case from Oman was admitted to a private Thai hospital on June 15. The businessman, in his 70s, arrived in Thailand seek medical care for a heart ailment. […]

The Korean Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported today (computer translated) an additional 3 new Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases, and 4 additional MERS-related fatalities, bringing the totals to 165 cases and 23 deaths. Officials say the latest cases include: A health-care worker who had contact with a confirmed case in Asan Cheongmoo Hospital from […]

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that melanoma rates doubled between 1982 and 2011 in the U.S. In Kansas, the malignant melanoma rates increased significantly during the past decade from 16.3 cases per 100,000 people in 2000 to 23.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2011. More than 700 […]

The external assessment team that conducted the final Polio outbreak assessment in Ethiopia on 8-12 June 2015 confirmed that Ethiopia has successfully interrupted polio transmission. This encouraging conclusion was received nearly two years after the outbreak was confirmed in the Horn of Africa and outbreak activities initiated to respond to and interrupt Polio transmission. The […]