Outbreak News Today

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (NVBDCP) of the Union Health Ministry reports 33 deaths due to visceral leishmaniasis (VL), or kala-azar in November, the most reported in seven years. Of the 33 fatalities, 24 were reported in Bihar state and seven in neighboring Jharkland. No deaths were reported earlier in […]The post India: Kala-azar death toll in Bihar and Jharkhand appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In a follow-up on a report from last week, officials with the ABQ BioPark zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico say Jazmine, the eight-year-old Asian elephant, has died from a elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) infection Sunday. The elephant tested positive for the virus on December 28. The same virus claimed the life of her brother […]The post Follow-up: 2nd elephant dies at ABQ BioPark appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In the last week of 2021, Norway health officials (FHI) reported 65.4% of all COVID-19 infections that were screened or sequenced were the Omicron variant, making it the dominant variant in the country. The Omikron variant dominated in week 52 in all counties except Agder, where Omicron accounted for 47.9 percent. Troms and Finnmark […]The post Omicron variant is dominant in Norway appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Philippines health officials are gearing up for a Omicron wave, like many other countries have or are going through. Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega reports an increase in cases with more than 4,000 new COVID-19 daily cases, including 4,600 logged on Sunday. Less than two weeks ago, the Philippines recorded 168 new […]The post Philippines: ‘It looks like the Omicron wave is upon us’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A 13-year-old teenager contracted rabies after being bitten by her own dog, the Head of the Zoonosis Program of the Departmental Health Service (SEDES) of Potosí, Ricardo Flores Valverde said. She is from the upper area of ​​the Imperial Villa. She was bitten by her own puppy and a few days later she presented […]The post Bolivia: Human rabies case reported in Potosí appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Officials with the Colombian Army reported an outbreak of the parasitic disease, Chagas disease, which infected a number of soldiers at a military base in Cesar, in northern Colombia. It is reported that two soldiers died while another seven were hospitalized in the ICU. The infections have been linked to the consumption of food. […]The post Chagas outbreak among soldiers in Colombia, Linked to food appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Officials in Japan reported 673 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, the first time the daily total topped 600 in the country since October 14, 2021. In Tokyo, 103 daily coronavirus cases were reported Monday, marking the first time in about three months that the count has surpassed 100. In Tokyo, twenty-five […]The post Japan reports more than 600 COVID-19 cases, First time since mid-October appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In today’s video, I go over a recent paper that discusses a number of viral, bacterial and prion diseases that have been linked to certain religious and non-religious rituals. Watch the video: Got Smallpox? merchandise Or listen to the podcast: Related podcasts: Omicron variant: What do we know and don’t know with Michael Osterholm, […]The post Infectious Diseases associated with Rituals (religious and non-religious) appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Bolivian government declared a health emergency on Thursday after the daily cases of COVID-19 increased almost fivefold in less than a week; despite the fact that the omicron variant has not yet been registered in the country. In the last five days, new daily infections increased from 1,355 to 6,149, double the highest peak reported on June 10, according to the […]The post Bolivia declares health emergency over COVID-19 increase appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials with Public Health – Seattle & King County report a hantavirus case in an adult resident of southeast King County, who was hospitalized in December 2021 and is now recovering. The patient reported likely exposure to a mouse infestation. Hantavirus can cause a rare but deadly disease called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). […]The post Hantavirus case investigated in southeast King County, Washington appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health reported four additional Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases going back at least two months. The four cases include a 50-year-old male in Hafer Albatin city, Hafer Albatin reported on October 31, 2021. The man had contact with camels and died from his illness. In November, officials […]The post Saudi Arabia: Four additional MERS cases reported between October and December appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Vietnam Ministry of Health reported 14,835 cases of COVID-19 in 62 provinces and cities on January 1, 2022, including 216 deaths. Hanoi still reported the most with 1,748 cases followed by Vinh Long (1,223), Tay Ninh (947), Khanh Hoa (785) and Binh Phuoc (728). To date, 20 cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant have […]The post Vietnam reports 14,835 COVID-19 cases on New Year’s Day, Omicron total now 20 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Indonesia Ministry of Health (computer translated) reported this week a case of local transmission of the new variant of Omicron in Jakarta Tuesday. The presence of one local transmission case increased the number of positive confirmed cases of Omicron in Indonesia to 47 cases. Thus, 46 cases were imported cases and 1 case was […]The post Indonesia: Local Omicron case reported in Jakarta appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Thailand health officials are reporting a norovirus outbreak in Chanthaburi province, according to a Thai PBS report (computer translated). According to the Head of the Clinical Emerging Disease Center Chulalongkorn Hospital, Asst. Prof. Dr. Opas Putcharoen said test results of 6 out of 8 people patients were Norovirus Genogroup II. Earlier this week, reporters […]The post Thailand: Norovirus outbreak reported in Chanthaburi appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In this post, an annual tradition, I want to recognize the Top 10 most popular posts of the year on the website based on the amount of traffic received starting at number 10. 10. NIH changes on use of ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19 Posts about the anti-parasitic drug, ivermectin, pro and con, being used […]The post Top 10 most popular posts of 2021 on Outbreak News Today, Most popular podcast appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A South African government spokesman said Thursday the information gathered through the system used by the Department of Health has reported a 29.7% decrease in the number of new cases detected in the week ending 25 December 2021 (89,781), compared to the number of new cases detected in the previous week (127,753). All indicators […]The post South Africa: All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave at a national level appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other federal and state agencies announced the investigation into a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. Thirteen people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli have been reported from six states. Seven cases have been reported from Washington state. Four people have been hospitalized, […]The post E. coli 0157:H7 multistate outbreak linked to packaged salads appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Just days after 3-year-old Asian elephant, Thorn, died from elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) at the ABQ BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico, zoo officials report a second case of EEHV in a eight-year-old female elephant named Jazmine. Jazmine’s blood was tested frequently after Thorn’s positive test on December 15, and the virus was detected […]The post ABQ BioPark Zoo reports second elephant with elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Oregon state health officials reported the state’s first cases of Candida auris, a serious fungal infection that is often resistant to multiple antifungal medicines. The Healthcare-Associated Infections Program at the OHA Public Health Division, working with a regional public health laboratory in Seattle and Salem Hospital, have identified Candida auris in three Salem Health patients. The first […]The post Oregon reports 1st Candida auris cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) estimates the proportion of Omicron cases in the state is 88.5% for the week ending December 25. They do note that the estimate for the Omicron proportion is preliminary and subject to change as more sequencing data are reported. COVID-19 cases, emergency department visits and hospitalizations are sharply […]The post Louisiana reports sharp increase in Omicron cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews During the week ending on Christmas Day, Swedish health officials reported the number of COVID-19 cases increased by 14 percent compared to the week prior. Officials say the increase looks set to continue. 36 percent were unvaccinated. In terms of the number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the number of cases was significantly higher […]The post Sweden reports 14 percent increase in COVID-19 cases, Proportion of omicron infections rising appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews An international team of scientists have identified antibodies that neutralize omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. These antibodies target areas of the virus spike protein that remain essentially unchanged as the viruses mutate. By identifying the targets of these “broadly neutralizing” antibodies on the spike protein, it might be possible to design vaccines and antibody […]The post Antibodies identified that can neutralize omicron appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A Cleveland Clinic study shows that among patients with obesity, prior weight loss achieved with bariatric surgery was associated with a 60% lower risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19 infection. The research was published in the journal JAMA Surgery. Numerous studies have established obesity as a major risk factor for developing serious illness from […]The post Successful weight-loss intervention before COVID-19 infection associated with 60% lower risk of severe disease in patients with obesity appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews According to the Ministry of Health, infections and deaths caused by rickettsiosis have soared over a 100% in Baja California, in a comparison of the incidence between the years 2020 and 2021. Dr. Néstor Saúl Hernández Milan, head of the Evaluation and Monitoring Unit of the Institute of Public Health Services of Baja California […]The post Mexico: Rickettsiosis cases and deaths up in Baja California this year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews An alert was issued in the department of Antioquia, Colombia due to the increase in cases of leptospirosis, a disease transmitted by rodents to humans and that, if not caught early, it can be fatal. In the capital city of Medellín, some areas have seen large accumulations of waste have become recurrent and in […]The post Medellín: Alert issued for increased cases of leptospirosis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Colombian National Army confirmed that the disease that affected several soldiers who provided security at the Jagua de Ibirico military base in Cesar had Chagas disease. As a result of this pathology, two soldiers died in recent days and seven more remain hospitalized, some of them in intensive care units. According to the institution, […]The post Colombia: Chagas disease kills two, sickens 7 soldiers in Cesar appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which has slowed the spread of some types of disease; however, gonorrhea cases saw an increase from 2019 to 2020, according to the Statens Serum Institut (SSI). “Despite closure and restrictions, the number of reported gonorrhea cases follows the same course as in previous years. The number is still increasing “, […]The post Denmark reports increase in gonorrhea cases despite the pandemic appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A Gooding County man older than 65 years of age has been reported as the first influenza-related death of the 2021-22 season. “The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is reminding residents that flu is here, and it can be very serious” said Dr. Leslie Tengelsen, Idaho influenza surveillance coordinator. “Influenza activity had been […]The post Idaho reports 1st flu related death in Gooding County man appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The general director of Health Surveillance, announced today the confirmation of three positive cases of the variant of concern of Omicron, in travelers from Cancun, after performing the sequencing samples at the Central Laboratory of Public Health. Epidemiological monitoring of all cases is being carried out, as well as their respective contacts, who are […]The post Paraguay reports 3 Omicron cases in travelers from Cancun appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) issued a health advisory last week concerning invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infections among unvaccinated children. As of December 17th, the DOH has received three reports of invasive Hib infections in 3 unvaccinated children. These children reside in Amish communities in southcentral and southeastern Pennsylvania. Haemophilus influenzae […]The post Pennsylvania issues health advisory: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infections in children appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) reports that since Christmas Eve, the proportion of omicron variants in the screened, positive COVID-19 samples from Oslo and Viken has exceeded 50 percent. This is in line with what we have expected, says Preben Aavitsland, chief physician at the National Institute of Public Health. – We know […]The post Norway: Half of COVID-19 cases in Oslo are Omicron appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Balamuthia mandrillaris is a free-living soil ameba that was first reported in 1990 to cause amebic meningoencephalitis in both baboons and humans. B.mandrillaris amoebic encephalitis (BAE) is more frequently found in warmer regions such as Southern California and South America. Up till now, only over 200 cases of B.mandrillaris infections were reported around the world […]The post Balamuthia mandrillaris death reported in China appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Officials with the Delhi municipality reported an additional six dengue fever deaths, bringing the total this year to 23. 15, or two-thirds of the deaths were reported in children. This is the highest number of dengue fatalities reported in a year in Delhi since 2015 when 60 deaths were reported. Dengue cases are slowing […]The post Delhi reports 6 additional dengue deaths appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews NSW Health reported today the first known death in NSW linked to the Omicron variant of concern. Health officials report the patient, a man in his 80s from western Sydney died at Westmead Hospital. He was a resident of the Uniting Lilian Wells aged care facility in North Parramatta, where he acquired his infection. He […]The post Australia: NSW reports 1st Omicron death in elderly western Sydney man appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Tragedy has hit the ABQ BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico again. Zoo officials say Thorn, a three-year-old male elephant at the zoo, died in the early morning hours on Christmas Day from elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). This follows the deaths of four apes from Shigella infection back in September. The BioPark’s animal care team […]The post ABQ BioPark Zoo loses elephant calf to EEHV appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the number of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) cases in South Sudan have risen significantly, increasing from 564 reported during the triennium 2018-2020, to 1143 suspected cases with five deaths in 2021 through November 29. In last two years (2020-2021), a total of 1420 suspected cases […]The post Hepatitis E Virus in South Sudan: Cases have risen significantly in 2021 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Minister of Health, Hygiene and Prevention, Doctor Jean-Jacques Mbungani, Thursday declared the end of the meningitis epidemic in Banalia, Tshopo province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The epidemic was declared on September 7. The outbreak accounted for 2,662 cases of meningitis including 47 confirmed and 205 deaths, with a case fatality rate of […]The post Meningitis epidemic declared over in Tshopo province, DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews A new antibody discovered in the blood of some people vaccinated against or infected with influenza can recognize a broad variety of flu viruses Scientists at Scripps Research, University of Chicago and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a new Achilles’ heel of influenza virus, making progress in the quest for […]The post Scripps Research and collaborators find new target for universal influenza vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Scientists have detected infection by at least three variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 in free-ranging white-tailed deer in six northeast Ohio locations, the research team has reported. Previous research led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture had shown evidence of antibodies in wild deer. This study, published today (Dec. 23, 2021) in Nature, details the […]The post Ohio: COVID-19 infection detected in deer in six locations appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Research conducted by Douglas Watts, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso, has found COVID-19 present in white-tailed deer in Texas. A report on the discovery was published recently in Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on diseases transmitted to humans by animals. The UTEP team […]The post COVID-19 present in white-tailed deer in Texas appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Ten additional confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported during the week ending December 19, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). This brings the total confirmed cases in 2021 to 454 with two weeks remaining. The newest confirmed cases were reported from Edo (2), Ondo (4), Bauchi (3) and Ebonyi (1) states. […]The post Nigeria reports 10 additional Lassa fever cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Costa Rica Ministry of Health report a slight increase in COVID-19 cases (1.8%) the week ending December 18 compared to the week ending Dec. 11. At the same time, health authorities have reported a 15.2% decrease in hospitalizations and a 61% drop in fatalities week over week. On Friday, The Costa Rican Institute […]The post Costa Rica COVID-19: Slight increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline; More Omicron reported appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that nine countries in the WHO African Region (Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic (CAR), Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, and Republic of Congo) this year reported human laboratory confirmed cases of yellow fever (YF) in areas that are at high […]The post Yellow fever in West and Central Africa: Vaccination coverage is not sufficient appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Through December 10, 2021, 1,173,674 total dengue fever cases were reported in the Americas. The Southern Cone reported the highest number of dengue cases with a total of 936,004 cases. Brazil and Paraguay has reported the highest incidence in this area. A total of 127,613 cases of dengue were reported in the Andean subregion […]The post Dengue in the Americas: 1.17 million cases reported to date appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Ohio officials reported Thursday on the first case of Powassan Virus Disease (POW) in the state in Columbiana County. The patient, a resident of the Lisbon area was suspected to have POW and has been hospitalized since being admitted to Akron Children’s Hospital in October. The diagnosis was confirmed by the laboratory at the […]The post Ohio: 1st Powassan virus case reported in Columbiana County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The presence of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to cause an alert in the country. The head of the Ministry of Health (Minsa), Hernando Cevallos, reported that confirmed cases of this variant increased to 47 in the last 36 hours. The ages of the infected people range between 9 and 77 years and come […]The post Peru: Omicron cases rise in Lima, All mild cases and no hospitalizations appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The Vietnam Ministry of Health reported an additional 16,377 cases of COVID-19 in 62 provinces and cities today. Included is 1774 cases reported in Hanoi, which saw the fifth consecutive day reporting the most cases in the country. Besides Hanoi, cities reporting the most cases today include Ca Mau (1,167), Tay Ninh (949), Vinh […]The post Vietnam: Hanoi reports most COVID-19 cases for 5th consecutive day appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Merck’s molnupiravir for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death, and for whom alternative COVID-19 treatment options […]The post 2nd oral antiviral for treatment of COVID-19, molnupiravir, receives FDA EUA appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) two new confirmed human rabies cases from KwaZulu-Natal province since our last report, bringing the total to 19 human cases in South Africa through December 14 (Eastern Cape (n=9), KwaZuluNatal (n=6) and Limpopo (n=4) provinces). In addition, four probable rabies cases were reported from KwaZulu-Natal (n=3) and […]The post South Africa: 2 additional confirmed human rabies cases reported in KwaZulu-Natal appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews Health officials in São Paulo, Brazil reported 139,400 dengue fever cases, including 58 deaths through the beginning of December this year. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness and, sometimes causing a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. Brazil has reported more than 916,000 total dengue cases and 230 deaths […]The post São Paulo reports more than 139K dengue cases in 2021 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.