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As Sierra Leone stamps out a new flareup, a Dallas hospital shares lessons learned from treating the first US patient.
Federal health officials on Sep 4 announced a multistate Salmonella Poona outbreak linked to cucumbers imported from Mexico, which triggered a recall by the US-based importer that distributed the products.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 285 illnesses in 27 states have been reported. So far 1 death has been linked to the outbreak, and 53 people have been hospitalized.
Arbovirus cases, including WNV, were down a bit in 2014, but the diseases had a broad impact.
At least 3 of the 6 new cases involve recent contact with another MERS patient.
Temporary poultry market closures can drop environmental levels of H7N9 and other avian flu viruses, but after stalls reopen, contamination quickly returns to preclosure levels, Chinese researchers reported yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The study took place in Guangzhou, the largest city in southern China's Guangdong province, during the second wave of human illnesses.
An MMWR report details steps taken to contain a small cluster in July, which led to today's Ebola-free declaration.
The group based much of its findings on an Aug 23 WHO mission to Saudi Arabia.
Treatment with antiviral drugs early in the course of hospitalization for influenza in elderly patients is associated with a shorter hospital stay and a lower risk for extended care after discharge, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The Pentagon today announced a moratorium on work with dangerous pathogens such as the bacterium that causes anthrax at its nine biodefense labs, USA Today reported. The action comes in the wake of the discovery of live anthrax spores outside of containment at a military lab in Utah and an ongoing investigation by USA Today into problems at the nation's high-containment labs.
Two cases are in Guinea and 1 in Sierra Leone; also, an IOM task force tackles IHR outbreak response issues.
Also, the WHO's MERS emergency committee met today to discuss the latest outbreak developments.
After reporting an H5N1 avian flu outbreak in poultry 2 days ago, Vietnam reported another one yesterday, this one affecting a village flock in Ninh Thuan province in the southern part of the country, according to a report filed by animal health authorities with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Also, Saudi officials reported four more cases from Riyadh, and South Korea announced new prevention steps in the wake of its outbreak.
The Guinea Ebola ring vaccination trial will be expanded to Sierra Leone and include contacts with the recently reported fatal case there, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in a news release.
New reports indicate hospital MERS outbreaks in both Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Sierra Leone health officials said yesterday that tests on a 67-year-old woman who died in Kambia district were positive for Ebola, but further testing is under way to confirm the findings, Reuters reported yesterday. The positive test is the country's first since its countdown to Ebola-free status began on Aug 24.
Federal regulators have privately threatened to revoke permits to study select agents (potential bioterror pathogens) from at least six labs for safety and security violations, including at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, the University of Hawaii-Manoa (UHM), and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), USA Today reported late last week in its continuing probe of US lab biosecurity
Three of the four new cases appear to involve contact with other patients, and the ECDC issues a risk assessment.
A salmonellosis outbreak tied to pork products grew by 18 cases, to 152, as a slaughterhouse in Washington state expanded a prior recall to more than 500,000 pounds of pork products and whole hogs after environmental sampling revealed insufficient sanitary conditions.
The CDC also lauded the increase in states making vaccine exemption levels available on the Web.
