Outbreak News Today

The number of dengue fever cases in Cambodia have jumped by 62 percent during the first five months of 2015 compared to the same period last year, according to the Cambodian Ministry of Health (computer translated). To date in 2015, 957 dengue fever cases have been recorded during the first 20 weeks, compared to 586 cases […]

The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning said a elderly resident is the latest patient to contract avian influenza A(H7N9) on the Mainland. Health officials report the patient is a 61-year-old man who is under treatment. This is the first case reported in China in about a month. From 2013 to date, 641 human cases […]

Governor Rick Scott has signed AB269—The Florida Right to Try Act—into law. The Right To Try Act allows doctors to prescribe treatments to the terminally ill that are being used in clinical trials but are not yet on pharmacy shelves. Right To Try expands access to potentially life-saving treatments years before patients would normally be […]

Less than a week after neighboring Oklahoma recorded their first two West Nile virus (WNV) cases of 2015, Kansas health officials are reporting a confirmed case. The individual that tested positive is an adult from Lincoln County. West Nile virus can be spread to people through bites from infected mosquitoes, but it is not contagious […]

By Patrick Panuncillon Back pain, back injury are among the top leading physical complaint in adults. The deliberating effects can lessen works, recreation, sleep and mood. With proper diagnosis and the right kind of treatment are sometimes elusive. The upper back pain through lower back pain can be addressed in a successful and long-lasting way if […]

The number of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases in South Korea has risen by another 14, bringing the country total to 122, according to the Korean Centers for Disease Control (computer translated). In addition, it has been confirmed that one of the MERS patients is a pregnant woman. Health officials say although there is […]

Earlier this week, local media reported some 55 patrons and employees developed symptoms similar to norovirus that caused the Cowfish Sushi Bar and Grill to close Saturday. Now, the owners of the popular restaurant decided to voluntarily close for the rest of the week in response to reports of illness from three guests who visited our restaurant […]

Coconino County Public Health Services District, in collaboration with the National Park Service, will be initiating monthly monitoring for plague at various locations on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The purpose is to monitor public areas for the presence of plague and, if detected, to then initiate actions to prevent the potential […]

Walgreen Co. of Deerfield, IL is recalling Nice! Powdered Sugar Mini Donuts, because it has received consumer complaints alleging that mold was observed on some products. Consumers in possession of this product should return the product to any Walgreens store for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-925-4733. The Nice! […]

The Peru Ministry of Health has reported the first indigenous case of chikungunya fever in the country in a child from Zarumilla, Tumbes (computer translated). Health Minister Anibal Velásquez Valdivia said the child was confirmed positive by testing by the NIH. The child was treated at the health center Zarumilla by fever, joint pains, who after the […]

Addressing the re-emergence of vaccine preventable diseases in the United States requires states to move toward barring non-medical exemptions to immunization mandates, according to new policy adopted by the nation’s physicians at the American Medical Association‘s annual meeting. Under new policy, the AMA will seek more stringent state immunization requirements to allow exemptions only for […]

Two prominent meningitis awareness and support organizations are promoting the use of the meningitis B vaccines on all children (middle school through college freshman) as the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meets June 24. The National Meningitis Association (NMA) hopes that serogroup B meningococcal disease vaccines will be recommended for all […]

An increase in cases of the gastrointestinal infection, Shigellosis, has prompted Laredo health officials to encourage people to be mindful of where they eat. As reported on LMT Online Tuesday, the Laredo Health Department says they have confirmed 68 cases to date. Health officials are advising the public to only eat at approved restaurants and vendors. “We […]

In a follow-up to a report last year of a measles outbreak in Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), officials with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) say this years outbreak is the worst since 2011. “Measles is practically endemic in Katanga. A significant increase in cases was observed at the beginning of March 2015, mainly in the […]

The Makona strain of Ebola virus (EBOV) circulating in West Africa for the past year takes roughly two days longer to cause terminal disease in an animal model compared to the original 1976 Mayinga strain isolated in Central Africa, according to a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) report. The results provide important information to […]

In a follow-up to a report last week, the Defense Department announced Monday additional laboratories and one new state have been added to the list of sites that received low concentrations of live anthrax samples. In line with Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work’s pledge of a transparent DoD laboratory review process, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve […]

Health officials in South Korea have reported (computer translated) an increase of eight confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), including 1 death. This brings the totals to 95 cases, including the exported case from Korea to Mainland China, and seven deaths. According to the health authority of Korea, the new cases are: * Three […]

Orange County has confirmed three cases of campylobacteriosis infection associated with consumption of raw goat milk distributed by Claravale Farm of San Benito County, California. All three patients are young children less than 5 years of age. One patient was hospitalized, and all of them are expected to recover. The raw goat milk was distributed […]

Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Kelly Ayotte (R.-N.H.) introduced legislation Thursday to increase public awareness and strengthen efforts to combat tick-borne diseases – a significant threat to public health. The Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2015 would help ensure the necessary resources are dedicated to fighting tick-borne diseases. Blumenthal said, […]

Korean health officials reported (computer translated) the biggest one day increase in cases today with 23, which brings the country total to 87 since May 20. In addition, the sixth fatality was reported. According to the health authority of Korea, they are: * Fifteen patients and two health-care workers of the emergency department of Samsung […]

The last naturally occurring case of indigenous smallpox was diagnosed in Somalia on 26 October 1977. The once devastating viral disease is estimated to have killed some 300 million people in the 20th century alone. Thanks to the yeoman’s work of many in getting people around the globe vaccinated, this scourge is now part of the history […]

As of today, The South Korean Department of Health and Human Services has reported 64 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and five fatalities since May 20, when the government confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus in a traveler to the Middle East. To date, all the cases are linked to healthcare facilities with a […]

The South Korean HHS reported today (computer translated) an additional 14 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), bring the ever changing country total to 64, by far the largest outbreak outside the Middle East. In addition, health officials announced one more MERS-related fatality, which puts the tally at five. South Korea’s acting PM Choi […]

From a single drop of blood, researchers can now simultaneously test for more than 1,000 different strains of viruses that currently or have previously infected a person. Using a new method known as VirScan, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School tested for evidence of past viral infections, detecting on average […]

The Luxembourg Department of Health issued a statement Friday (computer translated) warning the public about a rise in the number of hantavirus cases seen so far in 2015. Although health authorities did not specify the numbers reported, they note that in past weeks, the Department of Health has recorded a growing number of cases of hantavirus infections […]

The South Korean Department of Health and Human Services has reported (computer translated) an additional nine cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), bringing the total cases in this cluster to 50. The death toll remains at 4. At least one hospital in Seoul has been temporarily shut down in an effort to stop the spread of […]

Hantaviruses are single-stranded, enveloped, negative sense RNA viruses related in the Bunyaviridae family. They typically infect rodents but do not cause disease within their hosts. Humans are susceptible to infection of hantaviruses if they come into contact with rodent urine, saliva or feces. Human infections of hantaviruses have almost exclusively been associated with the combination […]

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph health authorities have reported five laboratory-confirmed cases of mumps in students that attend Bishop MacDonnell and Our Lady of Lourdes High Schools in Guelph. In all cases the students had received the recommended two doses of the MMR vaccine. Mumps was last confirmed in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph in January 2010. The Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) […]

Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics has developed a groundbreaking, combination vaccine that may finally beat Streptococcus A infections. Human trials are set to begin, early as next year, for the vaccine which combines the protein, SpyCEP, with a previously developed vaccine J8-DT. Infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes are responsible for the deaths of almost 500,000 […]

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cluster in South Korea has expanded even more over the weekend and the situation is being talked about at the highest levels of government in the Asian nation. First, the Korean Health & Human Welfare Department has reported (computer translated) an additional three cases of patients confirmed positive for the Middle […]

The Michigan departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) last week confirmed that a free-ranging deer in Meridian Township (Ingham County) has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose. This is the first time the disease has been found […]

The South Korea Ministry of Health has reported (computer translated) two additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), bringing the total cases in the cluster to 15. On 20 May 2015, the National IHR Focal Point of the Republic of Korea notified WHO of the first laboratory confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus […]

The brain-eating amoeba has returned to Sindh province, Pakistan with a vengeance since the first case, an 18 year old woman, died from the parasitic disease in late April. According to Dunya News today, with the additional reports of two more fatalities, the case/death tally in the hard hit province now stands at seven. Earlier […]

Four people have been referred to their health care providers for consultation after being exposed to rabies in Abbeville by a sheep that tested positive for the disease, the Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today. The sheep was potentially exposed to an aggressive skunk, which was not available for testing, roughly one month […]

A gastrointestinal outbreak of yet unknown etiology has sickened 80 passengers and crew on board Oceania Cruises’ Oceania Marina, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). The affected voyage from April 21 – May 7, 2015 saw nearly 6 percent of passengers and 1.5% of crew stricken with symptoms of vomiting […]

With the addition of four more cases of human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in China, this brings the total cases to 640 since first reported in people in the Spring of 2013. The Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission reported 4 additional cases with onset of symptoms between March 27 and April 12. The patients comprise […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared Liberia free of Ebola virus transmission. Forty-two days have passed since the last laboratory-confirmed case was buried on 28 March 2015. The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over. Interruption of transmission is a monumental achievement for a country that reported the highest number of deaths […]

In 1909, Brazilian physician Carlos Chagas discovered the parasitic infection, Chagas disease, which is appropriately named after him. However, if Dr Chagas discovered the disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, it would be named something else says the World Health Organization (WHO). According to a WHO release Friday, they are calling on scientists, national authorities and the […]

A study published in Science journal on May 7th, expands our understanding that measles vaccines can protect against infection and mortality from other infectious diseases in addition to the measles virus itself. Researchers led by Michael J. Mina at Princeton University conducted a retrospective study of deaths among children in the United States, the UK […]

The US Food and Drug and Administration (FDA) are reporting a shortage of the anti-malarial drug, chloroquine, saying the drug is presently not available from U.S. suppliers. Choloroquine is used in both the prevention and treatment of malaria. Alternatively, hydroxychloroquine sulfate can be prescribed in place of chloroquine when indicated. Prophylaxis for malaria is only in areas […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Avelox (moxifloxacin) to treat patients with plague, a rare and potentially fatal bacterial infection. The agency approval for plague includes use of the drug for the treatment of pneumonic plague (infection of the lungs), and septicemic plague (infection of the blood). Avelox is also approved for prevention […]

Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can, in rare cases, experience bleeding on the brain that causes a type of stroke called intracerebral hemorrhage. A Loyola University Medical Center case study demonstrates that a virus called varicella-zoster can cause inflammation of blood vessels in the brain. This inflammation, known as cerebral vasculitis, can cause […]

State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Colin T. Campbell reminds everyone to vaccinate their pets and avoid contact with stray and wild animals, especially those that appear sick or are acting aggressive because they may have rabies. “Animals infected with rabies may act very aggressive and attempt to attack people and their pets. Anyone who sees […]

Seven people were killed last week in the attack on a UN vehicle in Garowe, Somalia, four of which were UNICEF workers. Five others were injured. Two of those killed were polio workers with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) who brought polio and routine immunizations to the area. According to the GPEI, the two polio workers have […]

TFH Publications, Inc./Nylabone Products, of Neptune, NJ is recalling one lot of its 1.69 oz. package of the Puppy Starter Kit dog chews, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals ingesting the product and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated products, especially if they have not thoroughly […]

Most of the indigenous dengue fever cases in Taiwan this year has been reported in residents of Kaohsiung City, according to the Centers for Disease Control. However, most patients had not sought immediate medical attention and most hospitals and clinics had not been able to report the cases promptly. Taiwan CDC urges the public and physicians to stay […]

Frankie Milley founded Meningitis Angels when her teenage son Ryan died. Portland, Ore. dad Scott Parkhurst joined the fight last year after losing his 17-year-old son, Jake. Meningitis Angels, a national patient advocacy organization, dedicated to raising awareness and preventing deaths from meningitis in sero groups A, B, C and Y, has made Oregon their […]

The mosquito borne viral diseases of dengue fever and chikungunya are skyrocketing in some countries of South America this year. Of the 554,890 dengue fever cases in the Americas reported to date in 2015, 460,502 probable and confirmed cases have been reported in hard hit Brazil this year, or 83 percent of all cases. The number of […]

A child dies every minute from malaria in Africa where it is estimated that 9 out of 10 malaria deaths occur. In 2013, there were 528 000 deaths from malaria and about 78% of these were in children under 5 years of age. Malaria is transmitted via the bites of infective mosquitoes, but unknown to many, […]

A new study provides evidence from lab experiments that a drug already used in people to fight tapeworms might also prove effective against strains of the superbug MRSA, which kills thousands of people a year in the United States. The paper, published in the journal PLoS ONE, showed that niclosamide, which is on World Health […]