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WHO and PAHO leaders continue assessing Brazil's response to its Zika outbreak.
The US Senate today overwhelmingly confirmed Robert Califf, MD, as the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner after nominal opposition faltered, media outlets reported.
The highly pathogenic avian flu detections all involve different H5 strains.
The findings underscore advice regarding strict precautions in returning travelers, the CDC says.
Also, a microcephaly study launches in Brazil and new mosquito control efforts are being explored.
A new analysis of data from a large randomized trial suggests that the high-dose (HD) flu vaccine is more protective in seniors than the standard-dose (SD) vaccine, and this benefit is not affected by which formulation seniors received in the previous flu season.
Use of the quadrivalent (four-strain) human papillomavirus vaccine (4vHPV)—which was introduced in 2006—was associated with a 64% decrease in prevalence of the vaccine strains in girls and women 14 to 19 years old and a 34% drop in women 20 to 24 years old, according to a study yesterday in Pediatrics.
The WHO said though Zika virus has circulated in Africa before, the effect of an importation from the Americas is unclear.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requesting an additional $25.3 million for the 2017 fiscal year in order to implement the final two rules of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). According to an FDA statement, the money would be used toward creating infrastructure, training, and accountability among food importers and state, local, and tribal governments.
Saudi Arabia today confirmed another new MERS-CoV case, while Qatar reported its first case since May 2015.
The MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) case in Saudi Arabia involves a 74-year-old man in Afif, a city in the central part of the country about halfway between Mecca and Riyadh, according to the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH). It is the nation's sixth case in a week.
Also, the CDC shares new guidance on babies and children with acute infections.
Saudi investigators describe a 130-case hospital outbreak in Riyadh last summer.
An outbreak involving Salmonella Virchow linked to Garden of Life RAW Meal Organic Shake and Meal Replacement products has grown by 7 cases, to 18, and the number of affected states has increased from 9 to 15 since the outbreak was first reported more than 2 weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.
Flu activity indicators in the United States showed a solid rise last week, with notable increases in the percentage of respiratory specimens positive for flu and the proportion of doctor visits for influenzalike illness (ILI), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.
The finding of the virus in amniotic fluid adds evidence to a possible link between Zika and microcephaly.
The move signals the end of enhanced screening in the United States related to West Africa's Ebola outbreak.
Pope Francis's comments coincide with WHO guidance on preventing sexual transmission of the virus.
Three studies show moderate protection against pneumococcal pneumonia but limited protection against all-cause pneumonia.
Hong Kong health officials today reported three more H7N9 avian flu infections, all of them in adults from Guangdong province in the southern part of China's mainland. Also, a new analysis of the disease found that longer incubation periods are associated with fatal outcomes.
The agency says even though the virus has not been confirmed in the US blood supply, the risk is real.
