Outbreak News Today

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with the Johns Hopkins schools of Nursing and Medicine and in partnership with the Baltimore City Health Department, is launching two free online educational courses for administrators, owners, and managers of assisted living and senior housing communities to help prepare for and respond to COVID-19. During the […]The post Johns Hopkins launches two free courses on COVID-19 best practices for assisted living and senior housing communities appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Through the week ending Dec. 12, Nigerian health officials have reported a total of 1163 confirmed Lassa fever cases, of which, 241 were fatal cases, or 20.7 percent. This includes the five confirmed cases and one death reported last week. One new healthcare worker (HCW) was affected last week, bringing the HCW total […]The post Nigeria reports 241 Lassa fever deaths in 2020 to date, One-third in Ondo state appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Wednesday a new emergency use authorization (EUA) for the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test which is authorized for use by patients at home with a prescription. The BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test is authorized for prescription use at home with self-collected nasal swab samples from individuals […]The post COVID-19 testing: BinaxNOW Ag card home test gets FDA authorization appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report this week, the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation said that preliminary results from the investigations of children manifesting weakness of the limbs, referred to as ‘Acute Flaccid Paralysis’ (AFP) have led to the isolation of poliovirus type 2 from three cases of AFP […]The post Polio in Sierra Leone, Afghanistan tops 200 vaccine derived cases appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In late 2018 into early 2019, an outbreak of a form of hantavirus called Andes virus, swept through a small town in Argentina infecting 34 and killing 11. Researchers led by a team from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) attribute the size of the outbreak to a super spreader event. […]The post Andes virus: Outbreak linked to a super-spreader event in Argentina appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 A live skunk was found and captured this morning at a maritime container yard at Pier 1 in Kahului, Maui. The skunk was spotted roaming around in the container yard early in the morning and was reported to harbor security by a biologist surveying for stranded sea bird fledglings. Harbor security personnel contacted […]The post Hawaii: Officials investigate how skunk made it’s way to Maui appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A study tracking seroprevalence across Iran suggests that the number of people who have had the SARS-CoV-2 virus is 17.1% overall and 20.0% in high-risk occupations. The findings suggest that an estimated almost 4.3 million people across the 18 cities sampled were infected with the virus by the end of April 2020, compared with 800,000 […]The post Iran COVID-19: Number of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be higher than expected, according to seroprevalence study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 For the first time since routine surveillance for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was instituted in 2002 in Ohio, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife has identified a positive test for CWD in a wild Ohio white-tailed deer in Wyandot County. Officials are gathering additional details about the adult male […]The post Chronic Wasting Disease case reported in wild white-tailed deer in Wyandot County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Mexico health authorities are reporting the first cases of the multi-drug resistant fungus, Candida auris, according a Saludiario report. The Ministry of Health (SSa) issued an alert due to the detection of at least 10 cases inside a hospital in Nuevo León. Although the name of the hospital has not been revealed, it is stated that the […]The post Mexico reports first Candida auris cases in Nuevo León hospital appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Officials at the Sir Ganga Ram hospital in Delhi, India are reporting at least 13 cases of COVID-19-triggered mucormycosis, a serious but rare fungal infection, according to multiple local media reports. Times of India reports, “In the last 15 days, we have seen 13 cases of COVID-19-triggered mucormycosis. Five have died. At least […]The post Delhi hospital reports 13 cases of COVID-19-triggered mucormycosis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

With the health care community heavily focused on COVID-19 since the first quarter of 2020, there have been concerns that reporting of other diseases — and the resulting data that enables them to be more effectively treated and controlled — may have been impacted. For example, little is known about how the pandemic may have […]The post Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers study suggests reporting of sexually transmitted infections may be impacted by COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Sanofi has signed on December 10th a renewed partnership agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO), consolidating a 20-year collaboration to fight some of the most Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and supporting the WHO in its commitment to sustainably eliminate sleeping sickness before 2030. With this new 5-year commitment, Sanofi will provide a consistent financial support […]The post Eliminate sleeping sickness before 2030: Sanofi supports WHO in commitment appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Molluscum contagiosum is a common and highly contagious skin condition caused by a virus. According to dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology, the condition mostly affects children — adults are often immune to the infection — and causes pearly, flesh-colored bumps to appear on the skin. The bumps can appear anywhere, and […]The post Molluscum Contagiosum: Dermatologists offer tips on preventing spread appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first over-the-counter (OTC) fully at-home diagnostic test for COVID-19. The Ellume COVID-19 Home Test is a rapid, lateral flow antigen test, a type of test that runs a liquid sample along a surface with reactive molecules. The test […]The post COVID-19 OTC at-home test receives FDA nod appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Health officials in England are reporting a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified across the South East of England. The variant has been named ‘VUI – 202012/01’ (the first Variant Under Investigation in December 2020) following an increase in cases seen in Kent and London. As of 13 […]The post England reports new variant of SARS-CoV-2 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The first COVID-19 vaccine has received emergency use authorization. Yet a key question remains: Will U.S. adults be willing to get it? A new study led by a Virginia Commonwealth University professor is among the first to examine the psychological and social predictors of U.S. adults’ willingness to get a future COVID-19 vaccine and whether […]The post Older people and Black people less likely to be willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Officials with the Chinese National Health Commission announced they are applying for World Health Organization (WHO) malaria eradication certification today. This comes after not seeing a locally-acquired malaria case since 2017–four consecutive years and counting. According to WHO standards, certification of malaria eradication can be granted to a country that has seen no […]The post China reports no locally transmitted cases of malaria for four consecutive years, Applies for eradication certification appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) reminded the public to abstain from the state holiday tradition– eating raw meat sandwiches, sometimes called Tiger Meat or Cannibal Sandwiches. What is a cannibal sandwich? A cannibal sandwich or Tiger meat sandwich is by definition, raw ground beef typically served on rye bread or crackers […]The post Cannibal Sandwiches: Wisconsin officials advise against this holiday tradition appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Louisville Zoo announced Friday that a snow leopard has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans. The affected animal is a 5-year-old female named NeeCee. The Zoo is awaiting confirmatory results of the other two male snow leopards – Kimti and Meru. All three cats are doing well […]The post Louisville Zoo: Snow leopard tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Swedish health officials, or Folkhalsomyndigheten report occasional genetic changes have been found in the virus SARS-CoV-2 in minks in Sweden, but it is not the same virus variant that has been noticed in minks with viruses in Denmark. In mid-October, it was discovered that the virus SARS-CoV-2, which causes covid-19 in humans, was […]The post SARS-CoV-2 in minks in Sweden not the same variant found in Denmark appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Chinese health authorities report a human case of avian influenza A(H5N6) in a 81-year-old female farmer from Changzhou of Jiangsu Province. The individual had exposure to live chicken at home prior to developing symptoms on November 16. She was hospitalized and subsequently passed away on November 27. From 2014 to date, 25 human […]The post China reports H5N6 avian influenza death in Jiangsu Province appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Ministry of Health announced Friday an additional 1,132 COVID-19 cases, bringing the country total to 150,947 confirmed cases. Of this total, 112,622 people have recovered and 1,895 deaths have been recorded. On Friday, Representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund and the National Emergency Commission recapitulated the […]The post Costa Rica COVID-19 cases top 150K, Vaccines to arrive in the first quarter of 2021 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY announced Friday the death of a second elephant calf in days. 5-year-old Batu died due to Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus (EEHV) early Friday morning, said Rosamond Gifford Zoo Director Ted Fox. EEHV is caused by a strain of herpes virus that targets Asian elephants. Batu’s little […]The post Syracuse: Rosamond Gifford Zoo loses second elephant calf to herpes virus appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The majority of pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival to the delivery room were asymptomatic, according to a paper by Mount Sinai researchers published in PLOS One on Thursday, December 10. The pregnant patients who tested positive for the coronavirus were also more likely than those who tested negative to identify as […]The post Majority of pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 were asymptomatic, according to study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a statement Friday from Susan R. Bailey, M.D., President, American Medical Association (AMA), she says the following: “For much of this year, physicians, nurses and frontline health care personnel have done herculean, unprecedented work to care for patients and prevent the spread of COVID-19 – all while scientists and researchers sprinted to […]The post AMA Statement on FDA Authorization of First COVID-19 Vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older. The emergency use authorization allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to […]The post FDA issues EUA for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 It’s been shown that when two people wearing masks interact, the chance of COVID-19 transmission is drastically reduced. This is why public health officials have pleaded for all people to wear masks: they not only protect the wearer from expelling particles that might carry SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), but […]The post Researchers evaluate face masks and coverings as protection against COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In an update on the the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) reported an additional 1,504 new infections Friday, bringing the country total to 447,039. Of the cities with new cases, Davao City reported the most with 122, followed by Rizal province with 85 and Quezon City with […]The post Philippines COVID-19 update: Christmas with no karaoke singing, DOH recommends face masks for gifts appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Last year, the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) in Las Vegas reported on a gonorrhea case with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime. Today, the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory reported in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) more details on the case. According to […]The post Nevada: Gonorrhea case with mosaic penA60 allele identified, First in the US appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a follow-up on epizootic yellow fever in monkeys in Paraná state, Brazil, The State Department of Health confirmed eight deaths of monkeys from infection with the yellow fever virus Wednesday. The cases occurred in Clevelândia (2), Coronel Domingos Soares (3) and Mangueirinha (1) and Cruz Machado (2). Since July 1, Paraná officials […]The post Yellow fever: More monkey deaths in Paraná state appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In British Columbia, Fraser Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at a mink farm in the Fraser Valley. After at least eight workers on the farm tested positive for COVID-19, five mink samples were collected and submitted to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg and were […]The post Canada: COVID-19 outbreak at a mink farm in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 European officials report 561 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus detections in wild birds, poultry and captive birds since mid-August from 16 countries, according to a Scientific Report published yesterday. Two-thirds of the detections, or 370, were in Germany, followed by Denmark and the Netherlands. Three HPAI virus subtypes, A(H5N8) (n=518), A(H5N5) (n=17) […]The post Europe: More than 500 avian influenza detections, Most in Germany appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Today, the Health Minister of Kerala State in southwestern India, Shailaja Teacher, tweeted that the state has reported it’s first case of Plasmodium ovale malaria. She notes, Plasmodium ovale, a new genus of malaria, has been detected in the State. It was found in a soldier who was being treated at the District […]The post India: Plasmodium ovale malaria reported in Kerala, Found in soldier returning from Africa appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Canadian health officials announced Wednesday the authorization of the first COVID-19 vaccine. Health Canada has determined that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine meets the Department’s stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada after two months of thorough, independent review. Canadians can feel confident that the review process was rigorous and that we […]The post Canada approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A vaccine that induces immune responses to a wide spectrum of influenza virus strains and subtypes has produced strong and durable results in early-stage clinical trials in humans, Mount Sinai researchers have found. The universal influenza virus vaccine, which produces antibodies that target the part of the surface protein of the influenza virus known to […]The post Universal influenza virus vaccine: Strong and durable results in early-stage clinical trials in humans appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Flaviviruses — a group of viruses transmitted by ticks or mosquitoes — infect an estimated 400 million people annually with diseases like yellow fever, Dengue fever, West Nile virus, and, most recently, Zika virus. Outbreaks of Zika virus, a flavivirus originating in Africa, were once rare and isolated events. But in 2015, it […]The post Zika virus: Virginia Tech researchers receives $2M grant to develop vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Last month, a multidisciplinary panel led by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American College of Rheumatology published the 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The authors say it provides recommendations aimed to serve as a meaningful resource for […]The post Lyme disease guidelines 2020: A discussion with Lorraine Johnson, JD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Barcelona Zoo is reporting four of their lions have contracted SARS-CoV-2, the second known case in which big cats have contracted the virus. Three females named Zala, Nima and Run Run and one male, Kiumbe, were examined in November after caregivers noted they were showing mild symptoms of the disease. Two zoo […]The post Barcelona Zoo reports SARS-CoV-2 in four lions appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Brazilian media report on the first possible Candida auris case in a man hospitalized with COVID-19 in Bahia state. Earlier this week, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) issued an alert about an ongoing investigation. According to Anvisa’s warning, the fungus was identified in “a tip sample from a patient in an adult […]The post Brazil reports 1st possible Candida auris case in Bahia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Bartonella bacteria are increasingly recognized as an emerging infectious disease threat. A new study by North Carolina State University researchers has found additional instances of Bartonella infection in humans who exhibited neuropsychiatric symptoms, a subset of whom also had skin lesions. This research adds to the body of evidence that not only can Bartonella infection mimic a spectrum of chronic […]The post Bartonella infection associated with psychiatric symptoms and skin lesions: NC State study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In Norway, the Institute of Public Health, or Folkehelseinstituttet reported today monitoring data and modeling show a decrease in the spread of infection over the last three weeks. 2,500 cases have been reported in the week ending December 5, a decrease of 14 per cent compared with the previous week when 2,921 cases […]The post Norway reports a decrease in the COVID-19 spread in recent weeks, ‘The situation is still unstable’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Following the alerts notified by the Dutch health authorities last April, specific surveillance systems were put in place and biosecurity measures were reinforced in all mink farms in France from May. Analyzes have been carried out since mid-November as part of a scientific program led by ANSES to define the health status of […]The post French mink farms: The SARS-CoV-2 investigation appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 On Tuesday, the French Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu had been found on a duck farm in the town of Benesse-Maremne in Landes Department. The death of ducks was first observed on December 5. As a preventive measure, in the light of the first analysis results obtained by […]The post France reports H5N8 avian influenza on Landes duck farm appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have come one step closer toward understanding why some people become seriously ill or die from a common bacterium that leaves most people unharmed. In a study published in The Lancet Microbe, the researchers linked RNA mutations within the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis to invasive meningococcal disease, marking the first time a non-coding […]The post Researchers study why some people become seriously ill or die from Neisseria meningitidis appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists from Johns Hopkins University and Medicine have developed a possible new antibiotic for a pathogen that is notoriously resistant to medications and frequently lethal for people with cystic fibrosis and other lung ailments. The pathogen, called Mycobacterium abscessus, is related to a better-known bacterium that causes tuberculosis and leprosy but has recently emerged as […]The post Mycobacterium abscessus: Johns Hopkins scientists develop a possible new antibiotic appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In New Zealand, Auckland health officials are reporting a dramatic increase in norovirus outbreaks, in fact a tenfold increase, in the region’s early learning services (ELSs) in November. Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) reports responding to 29 norovirus outbreaks, with 21 of these being in ELS facilities. Around 64 staff and 280 attendees […]The post Auckland reports large increase in norovirus outbreaks, Linked to use of improper cleaning products appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

SCYNEXIS, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering innovative medicines to overcome and prevent difficult-to-treat and drug-resistant infections, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing the SCYNEXIS’s New Drug Application (NDA) for ibrexafungerp for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), also known as vaginal yeast infections. The FDA has granted […]The post Vaginal Yeast Infections treatment, Oral Ibrexafungerp, receives FDA Acceptance and Priority Review of New Drug Application appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Officials in Hiroshima Prefecture are reporting a H5 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on a farm in Mihara City. This is the 17th case in domestic poultry in six prefectures in Japan. This prompted the start of culling of around 130,000 chickens at the site and other affiliated farms. Highly pathogenic […]The post Japan reports bird flu outbreak in Hiroshima Prefecture appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a follow-up on the SARS-CoV-2 mink-associated variant strain in Denmark, the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) reports there has been a marked decrease in the number of persons residing on mink farms infected with SARS-CoV-2, while at the same time, the strain is infecting more of society in the general community. According to SSI, the […]The post Denmark: Mink variant of SARS-CoV-2 affects more of community, Less in mink farmers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned last month that millions of children are at a heightened risk of polio and measles across the globe due to disruptions of the immunization services worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN agencies say immunization rates in some countries have fallen […]The post Immunization rates dropping dramatically, Much due to the COVID-19 pandemic appeared first on Outbreak News Today.