Outbreak News Today

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a follow-up on the Salmonella outbreak linked to a Sarnia restaurant, Lambton Public Health (LPH) reports 33 laboratory confirmed cases related to this outbreak. The investigation surrounds people who ate at the Barakat restaurant in Sarnia and the Barakat Food Truck in Corunna in late October. Health officials report the age range […]The post Salmonella outbreak numbers grow linked to Sarnia restaurant appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 An outbreak of an unidentified disease has claimed the lives of at least 57 people in the southeastern Nigerian state of Enugu, according to local media. The communities of Ette and Umuopu have been affected since September. Vincent Oshomi, a Disease Surveillance and Notification officer in the region, said before vomiting blood, the […]The post Nigeria: Dozens of unexplained deaths in Enugu State appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening parasitic disease that affects up to 300,000 people in the United States and millions in South America. The current treatment regimen is–oral benznidazole in smaller twice-daily doses over 2 months My guest today and his colleagues say high weekly doses of oral benznidazole over 30 weeks resulted in better […]The post Chagas disease treatment research with Rick Tarleton, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Officials with the Riverside County Animal Services are reporting a equine influenza outbreak that to date has killed at least three dozen burros. Most of the deaths are occurring in the Reche Canyon area, but about six have occurred in Moreno Valley Animal Services’ coverage area in the interface of the foothills along […]The post Equine influenza: Dozens of burros die in Riverside County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health announced Wednesday another human infection of rat Hepatitis E virus (HEV). The case involves a 59-year-old man with underlying illnesses. He was found to have deranged liver function during hospitalisation in Prince of Wales Hospital. The patient is now in stable […]The post Rat Hepatitis E case reported in Hong Kong appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a follow-up on the first diphtheria case reported in Peru in 20 years, health officials report three confirmed cases linked to the deceased 5-year-old’s direct relatives, who are currently stable and do not require the administration of antitoxin diphtheria. In addition, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) confirmed Wednesday that a 69-year-old patient, […]The post Diphtheria in Peru: More cases identified, Blockade vaccination started appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The virus that causes COVID-19 was present in New York City long before the city’s first case of the disease was confirmed on March 1, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report. Their study found that more than 1.7 million New Yorkers—about 20 percent of the city’s population—have already […]The post New York City: 20 percent of population already infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 New findings from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest the eye’s cornea can resist infection from the novel coronavirus. Although the herpes simplex virus can infect the cornea and spread to other parts of the body in patients with compromised immune systems, and Zika virus has been found […]The post The human cornea resists infection from SARS-CoV-2: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Swine flu viruses do not normally infect people; however, sporadic human infections with these viruses have occurred. Agricultural and health officials in Alberta are reporting a human case of variant Influenza A (H1N2)v in a individual in the central part of the province. This is the first such case of H1N2v reported in […]The post H1N2 swine flu case reported in Alberta appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A study conducted by an international team of researchers with FAPESP’s support shows that infection by chikungunya virus can produce even more severe manifestations than the typical symptoms of the disease, such as acute fever, headache, rash, and intense joint and muscle pain. The analysis was performed by 38 researchers affiliated with the Federal University […]The post Chikungunya virus can cause neurological infections: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Philippines Department of Health’s (DOH) polio program along with the steady fight to contain and reduce the spread of COVID-19 has received commendation in a letter signed by World Health Organization Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. WHO particularly cited the Department of Health’s (DOH) efforts in prioritizing the preventive treatment of […]The post Philippines polio program gets props from WHO appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In annual outbreaks throughout Bangladesh, Nipah virus kills around 70 percent of the people it infects. The virus, a distant relative of measles, has no vaccine and no proven medical countermeasures. EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit working at the intersection of animal, environmental, and human health on a global scale, released Monday the results of a […]The post Nipah Virus: Study suggests more widespread than previously thought appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists found antibodies to Ebola virus in people up to a year before the 2018 Ebola virus disease outbreak began in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC. This suggests that either early cases may have been missed or that exposure occurs more commonly than previously thought, according to a study led by the […]The post Exposure to Ebolaviruses May Be More Frequent and Widespread Than Previously Thought appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Blood clots continue to wreak havoc for patients with severe COVID-19 infection, and a new study explains what may spark them in up to half of patients. The culprit: an autoimmune antibody that’s circulating in the blood, attacking the cells and triggering clots in arteries, veins, and microscopic vessels. Blood clots can cause life-threatening events […]The post COVID-19: Autoimmune antibody linked to formation of blood clots, according to study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) islands report they are currently experiencing the most severe dengue fever outbreak in its recent history. In its latest official bulletin dated 20 October 2020, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment has confirmed an increase in […]The post St. Vincent and the Grenadines is currently experiencing the most severe dengue fever outbreak in its recent history appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The government of the United Kingdom reported Monday avian influenza of the H5N2 strain has been confirmed in at a small commercial premises near Deal in Kent. All 480 birds on site will be humanely culled to limit the spread of the disease. A 1km Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) Restricted Zone has […]The post England: H5N2 avian Influenza detected on Kent farm, Risk to public health low 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 reports 801 confirmed cases on the island with a further 333 suspected cases as of Oct 22. Dengue serotypes 2 and 3 circulate in St. Lucia, with a third unknown serotype to be confirmed. 26 per […]The post Dengue cases top 800 in Saint Lucia, 3,000% increase from 2019 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Townsville Public Health Unit is responding to a shigella outbreak at Richmond State School where there have been 12 confirmed cases. Shigella infection is a serious form of gastroenteritis caused by a bacterium that attacks the intestines leading to diarrhea, abdominal pain or cramps and fever. The illness is spread if you accidentally […]The post Australia: Shigella outbreak reported at Richmond State School in Townsville appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is reporting additional cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) have been detected in Germany. As of 1 November, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute had confirmed 123 cases – all of them in wild boar. Domestic pig herds in Germany are still free of ASF. Federal […]The post African Swine Fever in Germany: 123 cases confirmed, All in wild boar appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Officials with Zoo Knoxville report that one Malayan tigers has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. According to the zoo, Arya, a 6-year-old female and Bashir and Tanvir, 11-year-old males, exhibited mild coughing, lethargy and decrease in appetite, and were tested for a range of potential causes, including SARS-CoV-2. The initial test results for Bashir […]The post Tennessee: Zoo Knoxville reports SARS-CoV-2 positive Malayan tiger appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 COVID-19 Some 2323 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in Peru on Saturday, bringing the country total to 902,503. Of the total number of confirmed cases, to date, 825,197 people completed their period of home isolation or were discharged from a health facility. To date, 34,476 COVID-19 related fatalities have been reported in Peru. […]The post Peru: COVID-19 cases top 900,000, 1st diphtheria case in Lima in 20 years appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued an updated Gatherings and Face Mask Order Thursday as the COVID-19 situation in the state continues to constitute an epidemic. MDHHS says the State of Michigan presently has 172 cases per million people and positivity of tests has increased from about 2% to 5.5%. […]The post Michigan COVID-19 situation continues to constitute an epidemic, Restrictions defined appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 With cases rising rapidly in the United Kingdom, with more than 157,000 cases reported in the past week and topping one million total cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a month long lockdown. Johnson said Saturday, “And so now is the time to take action because there is no alternative. “From Thursday until […]The post UK COVID-19: Cases top 1 million, Boris Johnson says ‘You must stay at home’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 New research shows that COVID-19 exposure risk from contaminated candy could be successfully mitigated both by washing hands and washing candy using a simple at-home method. A team of researchers published this work today in mSystems, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The researchers enrolled 10 recently diagnosed asymptomatic or mildly/moderately […]The post Halloween and COVID-19: Mitigating exposure risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In a report posted on the infectious disease website, ProMED-Mail Friday, officials in Munich reported a case of urogenital schistosomiasis in a 49-year-old German man with no history of travel outside the European continent. The case presented with symptoms of macrohematuria (gross blood in the urine) this past summer and was diagnosed with Schistosoma […]The post Schistosomiasis case reported in Germany, Travel history to Corsica appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Researchers in the University of Georgia’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases have found that a more intensive, less frequent drug regimen with currently available therapeutics could cure the infection that causes Chagas disease, a potentially life-threatening illness affecting up to 300,000 people in the United States. Trypanosoma cruzi is a single-celled […]The post Chagas disease: Research shows stronger but less frequent drug doses could be key to cure appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 In the city of Sarnia in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) report investigating an outbreak of Salmonella infection in people who recently ate at the Barakat restaurant. As of Friday, LPH has received laboratory confirmation of four cases related to this outbreak. The department is currently following up with several […]The post Ontario: Salmonella outbreak linked to the Barakat restaurant in Sarnia appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 COVID-19 cases The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday reported an additional 1796 COVID-19 cases across the country, bringing the pandemic total to 380,729. Rizal and Davao City saw the most confirmed cases with 97 and 93, respectively. The number COVID-19 related deaths has risen to 7221. DOH reporting The DOH recently enhanced […]The post Philippines COVID-19: DOH enhances reporting, 4 Manila facilities completed, PBA season appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

More than a dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers experienced large, repeated outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses in the last three years, according to a new study by researchers at UC San Francisco. Between Jan. 1, 2017, and March 22, 2020, the researchers identified 1,280 cases of influenza, 1,052 cases of chickenpox, and […]The post Vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks were sustained at ICE detention centers appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Scientists at The Wistar Institute have designed and tested the first-of-its-kind synthetic DNA vaccine against Powassan virus (POWV), targeting portions of the virus envelope protein. A rapidly reemerging tick-borne disease, POWV has been reported to be fatal in 10% of infected people with detrimental neurological consequences including encephalitis and meningitis. This new POWV vaccine candidate, […]The post Powassan virus: New synthetic DNA vaccine designed and tested appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By: Candess Zona-Mendola of MakeFoodSafe This week, the CDC announced two E. coli O157 outbreaks in the US. The first outbreak has 21 sick in 8 states, and the second outbreak has 23 sick in 12 states. The CDC has not announced a source on either outbreak but has mentioned that the second outbreak “is […]The post CDC Announces 2 Mystery Ecoli Outbreaks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The Chief Veterinary Officer for the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, Dr Sigurborg Daðadóttir reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) this week a laboratory confirmed case of scrapie in a single sheep on a farm in Stóra-Ökrar 1 (Brekkukot) in Akrahreppur in Skagafjörður. The case was confirmed by ELISA and […]The post Scrapie case reported on Iceland farm appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

University Hospitals (UH) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) announced today that UH Cleveland Medical Center has been selected as a clinical trial site for the Phase 3 global study of an investigational vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, sponsored by AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN). The trial is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), […]The post AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate: UH Cleveland Medical Center has been selected as a clinical trial site for the Phase 3 global study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Sunstar Americas, Inc. (SAI) is voluntarily recalling Paroex® Chlorhexidine Gluconate Oral Rinse USP, 0.12% products bearing an expiration date from 6/30/22 – 9/30/22 (see specific lots below) to the consumer level. This product may be contaminated with the bacteria Burkholderia lata. Use of the defective product in the immunocompetent host may result in oral and, potentially, […]The post Burkholderia contamination prompts recall of Paroex® Chlorhexidine Gluconate Oral Rinse appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A global leader in influenza prevention, Seqirus presented today absolute efficacy data on the company’s cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc) from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) which met its primary endpoint in children and adolescents between ≥2 to <18 years of age over three influenza seasons. This study represents the first absolute efficacy study of […]The post Flu shot: Seqirus presents absolute efficacy data on cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Testing a representative sample of Orange County residents for a wide range of coronavirus antibodies, University of California, Irvine researchers found that 11.5 percent of them have antibodies for COVID-19, in contrast to previous estimates of less than 2 percent. Latino and low-income residents had the highest prevalence of SARS-CoV-02 antibodies with rates of 17 […]The post California: COVID-19 antibodies prevalence higher than previous estimates in Orange County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A new study of older adults (aged 70 or over) in Stockholm, Sweden, suggests older people living in care homes had higher COVID-19 mortality risk than those living in single houses or apartment buildings. In an observational study published today in The Lancet Healthy Longevity journal, researchers highlight that the study focuses on Sweden, where only […]The post Older people living with or in close contact with people of working age may be at higher risk of COVID-19 mortality in Stockholm, Sweden: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lucio Gordan, MD, President and Managing Physician of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) and FCS Assistant Managing Physician Michael Diaz, MD are co-authors of a new national study that details the devastating effect the COVID-19 crisis has had on cancer screenings, diagnosis and treatment. Conducted for the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) by Avalere Health and in collaboration with Debra […]The post Negative impact COVID-19 is having on cancer screenings, diagnosis and treatment: New study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Fewer New Yorkers are dying from the coronavirus than health experts had anticipated, a new study shows. Regional death rates have dropped from the highs seen at the start of the outbreak, partially due to a shift in the population contracting the disease toward those who are more resilient. After New York became the epicenter […]The post New York: Study helps explain declines in death rates from COVID-19 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 COVID-19 Philippines health officials reported an additional 1,524 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the country total to 373,144. Negros Occidental topped the list of places with the most number of newly announced cases at 115, Cavite with 76, Benguet with 72, Quezon City with 67, and Laguna with 65 infections. The number […]The post Philippines: Negros Occidental reports most COVID-19 cases Tuesday, Immunization campaign rolled out appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Females are able to clear asymptomatic malaria infections at a faster rate than their male counterparts, says a study published today in eLife. The findings, originally posted on the preprint server medRxiv, suggest that biological sex-based differences are an important factor for epidemiologists to consider in the human response to malaria parasites. Malaria remains a […]The post Malaria: Sex-based differences in the human response to the parasites appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 The City of Wichita Falls, Texas reports a lab test has confirmed that a Triatomine insect, commonly known as the “kissing bug”, collected in Wichita County has tested positive for the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease. Kissing bugs are a blood feeding type of insect commonly found throughout the Southern United States. Though not new […]The post Texas: Wichita Falls reports ‘rare’ Trypanosoma cruzi positive kissing bug appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a lotion to treat head lice for nonprescription, or over-the-counter (OTC), use through a process called a prescription (Rx)-to-OTC switch. The FDA initially approved Sklice (ivermectin) lotion, 0.5% for the treatment of head lice infestation in patients 6 months of age and older as a prescription drug […]The post Head Lice: FDA approves Sklice lotion to OTC use appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Access to more localized data on childhood vaccination coverage, such as at the school or neighborhood levels, could help better predict and prevent measles outbreaks in the United States, according to a new University of Michigan study. The research also shows that when people who are not vaccinated are geographically clustered, the probability and size […]The post Measles: Localized vaccination surveillance could help prevent outbreaks appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Health officials in the Russian republic of Dagestan are reporting five hospitalizations due to suspected anthrax, Tass news reports. “Five suspected anthrax cases were registered in the village of Kakamakhi in a period from October 24 to 26. All the patients have been taken to hospital and placed in an isolated ward,” the […]The post Anthrax: Five people hospitalized in Dagestan, Linked to tainted livestock appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 Officials with the Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department are reporting four new cases of West Nile virus and three new cases of Dengue Fever – two mosquito-borne illnesses that serve as reminders that Hidalgo County is in the middle of mosquito season. “In many areas of the country, mosquito season is […]The post Texas: Dengue fever, West Nile virus cases reported in Hidalgo County appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 A dual therapy treatment regimen of expanded-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) plus azithromycin (AZM) is the recommended standard of care for gonorrhea. A strain of the Neisseria (N.) gonorrhoeae that is resistant to the ESC and AZM combination has emerged around the world with the potential to make gonorrhea untreatable. The currently used screening methods […]The post Drug-resistant gonorrhea: Rapid and cheap assay can provide real-time surveillance appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 French health authorities reported 13 laboratory-confirmed cases of Mayaro fever in French Guiana earlier this month. According to the World Health Organization, in September 2020, the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane (IPG) identified two cases of Mayaro virus infection (MAYV) confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and one probable case found […]The post Mayaro virus: 13 confirmed cases reported in French Guiana appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

A first-of-its-kind global survey shows the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown dramatically altered our personal habits, largely for the worse. “The stay-at-home orders did result in one major health positive. Overall, healthy eating increased because we ate out less frequently. However, we snacked more. We got less exercise. We went to bed later and […]The post COVID-19 lockdown dramatically altered our personal habits, largely for the worse: Study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk @bactiman63 On Sunday, Philippines Vice President Leni Robredo announced that she and some of her staff are undergoing isolation after exposure to a COVID-19 positive patient last week. “On Friday morning, we learned that someone, my chief of staff and I had very close contact with, tested positive for COVID. Following protocols, we decided […]The post Philippines COVID-19: Vice President Leni Robredo self quarantines after COVID-19 exposure appeared first on Outbreak News Today.