Outbreak News Today

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Today, El Salvador became the first country in Central America to be awarded a certification of malaria elimination by the World Health Organization (WHO). “Malaria has afflicted humankind for millennia, but countries like El Salvador are living proof and inspiration for all countries that we can dare to dream of a malaria-free future,” […]The post El Salvador: 1st Central American country certified malaria-free appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this week, Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1) was joined by Representatives Andrew Garbarino (R, NY-2) and Tom Suozzi (D, NY-3) in reintroducing the Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act, which requires the Department of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control, to conduct a study to determine the prevalence of “liver fluke” […]The post Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act reintroduced appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Travel bans have been key to efforts by many countries to control the spread of COVID-19. But new research aimed at providing a decision support system to Italian policy makers, recently published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, suggests that reducing individual activity (i.e., social distancing, closure of non-essential business, etc.) is far superior […]The post Travel bans effective only in the first phases of the epidemic: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported an additional confirmed Lassa fever cases the week ending February 21, bringing the country total to 102. In addition, three additional deaths were reported–bringing the death toll to 22 for the first seven weeks of 2021. These numbers are significantly lower to the number of […]The post Nigeria: Lassa fever tops 100 cases in 2021 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Officials in the southeastern Ukraine city of Melitopol are reporting the first human case of dirofilariasis this past January. The individual was confirmed as having dirofilariasis of the eyelid. There has been 200 cases reported in Ukraine in the past two decades. In recent years, experts say, there has been an increase in […]The post 1st human dirofilariasis case reported in Ukraine this year appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More U.S. adults reported receiving or planning to receive an influenza vaccination during the 2020-2021 flu season than ever before, according to findings from a national survey. The survey of 1,027 adults, conducted by the University of Georgia, found that 43.5% of respondents reported having already received a flu vaccination with an additional 13.5% stating […]The post 2020-2021 flu season: Flu vaccination likely to be highest ever appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 A 34-year-old Khairpur man is the first reported case of rabies in Sindh, according to a SAMAA report. The man was reportedly bitten on the foot by a stray dog three months ago. He did not receive complete treatment at the time which could have prevented rabies. He is now admitted in the Jinnah […]The post Pakistan: First human rabies case reported in Sindh appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Swedish Public Health Agency is reporting a nationwide Salmonella outbreak. Twelve cases of Salmonella Enteritidis disease have been linked using whole genome sequencing (analysis of the bacterium’s genome). Eight of the twelve patients are children under the age of ten and the cases are resident in ten different regions. All cases except one have […]The post Salmonella outbreak in Sweden sickens 12 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Finland Ministry of Social Affairs and Health announced this week the amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act have been approved, which allows local and regional authorities to take proactive and swift measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Most of the amendments will remain in force until 30 June 2021. Under the amended Act, the […]The post Finland: Law amended to give authorities more means to prevent spread of COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Biotechnology company, INOVIO, announced the first participant was dosed in a Phase 1B clinical trial for INO-4500, its DNA vaccine candidate for Lassa fever, in Ghana. The Phase 1B clinical trial (LSV-002), ongoing at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra, Ghana, is the first vaccine clinical trial for Lassa fever to be conducted in West Africa, where the infection […]The post DNA vaccine candidate for Lassa fever: First subject dosed in Phase 1B Clinical Trial appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

One in six people in Australia suffer from chronic tinnitus – the debilitating and irreversible hearing ailment characterised by unceasing ringing in the ears – yet scant research has been done to find solutions and improve treatments. This gap in research knowledge has proved enticing for enterprising young scientist Dr Dee Domingo, who recently joined […]The post Has lockdown driven tinnitus sufferers to despair? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new study by an international team of researchers found that adults with Down syndrome are more likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population, supporting the need to prioritize vaccinating people with the genetic disorder. Investigators found that adults with Down syndrome were roughly three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than […]The post Down syndrome: Adults with genetic disorder are more likely to die from COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel anti-infective therapies to treat life-threatening infections, announced today that it has augmented its inhaled AR-711 monoclonal antibody (mAb) to COVID-19 with a second mAb (AR-713) that is designed to neutralize newly emerging COVID-19 mutated variants including those from South Africa, Brazil and Japan. Together, […]The post Inhaled antibody therapy to protect against new COVID variants appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the provincial minister of health in North Kivu, Doctor Nzanzu Salita Eugène announced a 7th positive case of the Ebola virus. This is the daughter of the second case notified in the Biena health zone, in Lubero territory. “Since the epidemic was declared in North […]The post DRC reports 7th confirmed Ebola case in North Kivu appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The New Caledonia Department of Health and Social Affairs reports an increase in leptospirosis cases in the first two months of 2021. From January 1 to February 21, a total of 80 cases were reported. New Caledonia saw a total of 69 cases and four deaths in all of 2020. Communes reporting the […]The post New Caledonia reports spike in leptospirosis in early 2021 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Cuban Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud Pública de la República de Cuba) announced today that a polio vaccination campaign will begin Monday. From February 22 to 27, Campaign 60 for Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccination will begin with the purpose of keeping polio eliminated in Cuba. Some 330,000 children under three years […]The post Polio vaccination campaign starts Monday in Cuba appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today the first case of the South African variant has been identified in a resident of New York State. The sequencing, involving a Nassau County resident, was conducted at Opentrons Labworks Inc’s Pandemic Response Lab, a New York City based commercial lab, and verified at the Wadsworth Center in Albany. […]The post New York reports first case of South African COVID-19 variant in Nassau County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Health authorities in Guinea have reported a confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Kankan region–outside the Gouecké, Nzérékoré and Conakary areas. This is the first case of Ebola recorded in Léro in the prefecture of Siguiri. On Saturday, the regional health director of Kankan, Dr Mohamed Sacko Sylla discussed the case: […]The post Ebola case reported in the Kankan region of Guinea appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The twenty-seventh meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) on the international spread of poliovirus was convened by the WHO Director-General recently and one of the main topics was the spread of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus. The committee was very concerned that cVDPV2 continues to spread rapidly. The number of […]The post WHO Polio Emergency Committee ‘Very concerned that cVDPV2 continues to spread rapidly’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Brazil Ministry of Health is now reporting 10,139,148 confirmed cases of COVID-19, topping the 10 million case mark on Thursday, making it the third country to hit that number. On Saturday, 57,472 additional cases were registered in national systems. In the last 24 hours, 1,212 deaths were registered in the official systems, […]The post Brazil tops 10 million COVID-19 cases, Amazonas registers 43% drop in deaths appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The west African country of Guinea declared an Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak last week on Feb. 14 and to date seven cases and 5 deaths have been reported. 2,019 kilometers away in Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) issued a Public Health Advisory. The NCDC has an existing multisectoral National […]The post Nigeria issues Public Health Advisory following Guinea outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Paraguay Ministry of Health reported today that approximately 700 dengue fever notifications a week to date, prompting calls for the public to eliminate breeding sites and use protection barriers to avoid mosquito bites. In addition, health officials reported the second dengue-related death in a 81-year-old individual with cancer from Presidente Franco, Alto […]The post Paraguay reports 700 dengue cases a week early in 2021 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A combination of robust vaccination programmes and strict physical distancing rules could avoid recurring peaks of COVID-19 without the need to rely on stay-at-home restrictions, according to a new study by epidemiologists and demographers from WorldPop at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with The Chinese University of Hong Kong. This research used anonymised mobile […]The post Combined vaccination and physical distancing enough to prevent future COVID-19 surges: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Prion diseases are a group of rapidly progressive, fatal and infectious neurodegenerative disorders affecting both humans and animals: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or ‘mad cow’ disease is one of the most famous since in 1996 scientists found that the agent responsible for the disease in cows, is the same agent responsible for the so-called variant […]The post Prion diseases: new clues in the structure of prion proteins appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) was informed a Standardbred race horse that had travelled from Red Shores Racetrack in PEI on Sunday February 14, 2021 with four other horses has tested positive for strangles. The race horse is in isolation at another property as of Tuesday February 16, 2021. Four non-racing saddle horses […]The post Ontario: Strangles case reported in race horse appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Russian officials are reporting human infections with the A(H5N8) bird flu virus, according to a Russian News Agency TASS news report. The virus infected workers of a poultry farm in southern Russia, where an outbreak was recorded among the birds in December, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection […]The post Russia reports 7 human H5N8 avian influenza cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a follow-up report at the beginning of the year, health officials in the Ituri province region in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are reporting some 520 plague cases during the past three months, including 31 deaths, according to an AFP report. According to the health minister for the region, […]The post Plague update: 31 deaths reported in the DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The unintended dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting mitigations has affected suicides, economic loss and malnutrition and other health issues. Earlier this month, UNICEF added Female genital mutilation (FGM) to the list. First a little primer on FGM from the World Health Organization: FGM comprises all procedures that involve partial or […]The post Female genital mutilation expected to rise due to COVID-19: UNICEF appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In Chile, a total of 2,818,147 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 through Friday. 1,706,483 adults over 65 have been inoculated, according to data provided by the Department of Health Statistics and Information. The Minister of Health, Enrique Paris, highlighted the participation of the elderly in the mass immunization campaign against SARS-CoV-2. “Older adults […]The post Chile: More than 1.7 million adults over 65 have been vaccinated against COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The United Kingdom government updated the latest guidance this week concerning the ongoing national lockdown in England due to the COVID-19 (more than 4.1 million cases/120K deaths): Officials say the single most important action we can all take is to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives. You should follow […]The post England: National lockdown continues, ‘You must stay at home’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Ministry of Health (Minsa) projects that by July of this year there will be enough vaccines against COVID-19 to apply to 61% of the elderly residents in the country, informed Minister Óscar Ugarte during his presentation in the Special Commission Emergency Monitoring and Disaster Risk Management. Accompanied by the president of the […]The post Peru: Minister Óscar Ugarte expects to have enough COVID-19 vaccines for 61% of the country’s residents in July appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Vietnam has fared very well during this COVID-19 pandemic as the Department of Preventive Medicine with the Ministry of Health says the country ranks 172th in the world, 41st in Asia and 7th in Southeast Asia in the number of cases. To date, 2362 cases have been confirmed since the start of the pandemic, including […]The post Vietnam: ‘The number of new COVID-19 cases in Hai Duong is still very high’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, aka Folkehelseinstituttet (FHI), announced a new variant that has similarities with both the English, South African and Brazilian virus variants was discovered in Norway on Wednesday. Over 20 cases of the new variant with the name B.1.525 have been found in Norway in the last 24 hours. In […]The post Norway reports more than 20 B.1.525 COVID-19 variant cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a follow-up on a recent report on a outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections affecting several states, El Abuelito Cheese of Paterson, NJ is recalling all Queso Fresco (Fresh, soft cheese) products, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The CDC reports seven people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes from four states. […]The post Queso Fresco soft cheese recalled, linked to multistate Listeria outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Finland Institute for Health and Welfare reports over the past four weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases have remained at the same relatively high level across Finland. About 2,300–2,700 new cases are reported every week. The number of people requiring hospital care has remained relatively stable, but the need for intensive care […]The post Finland: ‘People are particularly concerned about the new variant identified in the UK spreading’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Washoe County Health District (WCHD) is urging the public to be vigilant against COVID-19 as a new variant originated in South Africa has been confirmed by the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory (NSPHL). The confirmed case of the B.1.351 South African variant is a male in his 40s with recent travel from […]The post Nevada reports 1st South African variant of COVID-19 in Washoe County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Two new cases of Ebola virus disease were confirmed in the province of North Kivu, in the east of the country on Thursday, February 18, 2021 after investigations carried out by response teams, according to a 7SUR7.CD news report (computer translated). According to Eugène Nzanzu Syalita, provincial minister of health, these are two […]The post Ebola in DRC: 2 additional cases confirmed appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In the past week, more than 80 cases of cholera including 3 deaths have been recorded in the city of Sange in the territory of Uvira in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo according to a 7SUR7.CD news report (computer translated). According to Marcel Matabishi Nyange, head of the city of Sange, […]The post Cholera: Scores of cases reported in South Kivu, DRC appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) reports investigating an outbreak of Salmonella infections infections involving Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia. As of February 18, 2021, there have been 57 laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella Enteritidis illness investigated in the following provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador (25), and Nova Scotia (32). Individuals became sick between late October 2020 […]The post Salmonella outbreak sickens dozens in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Dominican Republic Ministry of Public Health (El Ministerio de Salud Pública de República Dominicana) confirmed this Wednesday that three cases of diphtheria have been reported in the country so far this year, while ruling out an outbreak due to this contagious disease. The director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health, […]The post Diphtheria: Dominican Republic reports 3 unrelated cases, No outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Health authorities in Guinea declared an Ebola outbreak on 14 February after three cases detected in Gouécké, a rural community in N’Zerekore prefecture tested positive for the virus. It is the first Ebola outbreak in Guinea since 2016. As of Feb. 18, Guinea has reported seven cases (3 confirmed and 4 probable) and […]The post Ebola outbreak in Guinea: Efforts being ramped up to get ahead of virus appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Pennsylvania state health officials are reporting increased amounts of sexually transmitted infections, in particular syphilis, prompting officials to encourage the public to take steps to decrease their risk. Early syphilis in Pennsylvania is currently at the highest rate in more than 20 years. Over the last five years, early syphilis reported in women […]The post Pennsylvania reports highest rate of syphilis in 20 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Tourists could be spreading the virus causing COVID-19 to wild mountain gorillas by taking selfies with the animals without following precautions. Researchers from Oxford Brookes University examined nearly 1,000 Instagram posts and found most gorilla trekking tourists were close enough to the animals, without face masks on, to make transmission of viruses and diseases possible. […]The post Tourists could be spreading COVID-19 virus to gorillas by taking selfies with the animals appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced the first case of the B.1.351 COVID-19 variant identified in the Commonwealth. Genetic sequencing completed at the Broad Institute on behalf of DPH has confirmed the variant, which was originally identified in South Africa. The case is a female in her 20s who resides […]The post Massachusetts reports 1st South Africa COVID variant B.1.351 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 NSW Health is reporting an increase in Legionnaires’ disease cases in the Greater Sydney area in December and January. Seventeen cases of Legionnaires’ disease were notified across Sydney and in the Illawarra in January. Health officials has not identified a specific source to date and reminds building owners to ensure cooling towers are properly […]The post Legionnaires’ disease cases up in Sydney appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Of the nine treatments and preventives for COVID-19 authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, three are drugs made from so-called monoclonal antibodies. Such drugs provide patients with ready-made antibodies that neutralize the virus, bypassing the body’s slower and sometimes less effective process of making its own antibodies. But such therapies were […]The post Antibody-based COVID-19 treatments work best in concert with immune cells appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a follow-up on the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, the African CDC reports a total of 17 cases–N’Zerekore prefecture (16) and Conakry (1). Five deaths have been reported in N’Zerekore. In addition, over 2,000 miles away in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), four cases and two deaths have been reported in […]The post Guinea reports 5th Ebola death, Biden Administration statement appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a follow-up on the dengue fever outbreak in Saint Lucia, the Ministry of Health and Wellness reported a total of 1,816 dengue cases (1,316 confirmed, 500 suspect), including 3 deaths attributed to Dengue infection. Currently the hospitalization rate is at 20 percent. The Districts with the highest number of cases include Gros […]The post Saint Lucia dengue fever outbreak 2020 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Scottish government are reminding bird keepers to maximize biosecurity and keep their flocks housed after avian influenza (H5N1) was confirmed in a flock of approximately 14,000 mixed gamebirds on a gamebird rearing premises in Leven, Glenrothes. Laboratory results of samples taken from the flock have identified the strain as highly pathogenic in […]The post Scotland reports H5N1 avian influenza in flock of gamebirds appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 A third of parents say the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to get dental care for their children, a new national poll suggests. But some families may face greater challenges than others. Inability to get a dentist appointment during the pandemic was three times as common for children with Medicaid versus those […]The post 1 in 3 parents feel COVID-19 has made it harder to get preventive dental care for their child appeared first on Outbreak News Today.