Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

WHO confirms details on Nepal's first H5N1 avian flu case

The World Health Organization (WHO) office in Nepal yesterday shared more details about the country's first human H5N1 avian flu infection, a fatal case first reported by local media outlets.

New Ebola cases push DRC total past 1,500 as deaths approach 1,000

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) health ministry said today that Ebola infections have been confirmed in 15 more people, 2 of them health workers.

CDC records 21 more E coli cases in ground beef outbreak, 177 total

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last week recorded 21 more cases in an Escherichia coli O103 outbreak linked to ground beef, bringing the outbreak total to 177 illnesses.

UCLA and Cal State quarantine students, faculty exposed to measles

Yesterday the University of California, Los Angeles and California State University, Los Angeles campus announced a quarantine of 280 students and faculty exposed to students who have measles, according to news reports.

New case of MERS recorded in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) today recorded a new case of MERS-CoV in Medina in an epidemiologic week 17 update.

A 76-year-old man from Medina was diagnosed as having MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). The man's case is listed as "primary," meaning he likely did not contract the disease from someone else, and he had recent contact with camels.

Experts warn US is 'going backward' with measles

With the current resurgence of measles two decades after it was eliminated, the United States is going backward with measles, leading US experts are warning.

Two new MERS cases reported in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new MERS-CoV case over the weekend in an update to its epidemiologic week 15 report.

On Apr 13, the MOH noted that a 75-year-old woman from Khafji had contracted MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) as a secondary case, meaning likely not from another MERS patient. It's unknown if she had camel contact.

Deadly flu outbreak strikes remote Laotian tribe

An outbreak of 2009 H1N1 seasonal flu in a remote indigenous hill tribe in Laos killed 16 people and triggered a quick response from local health officials in Thailand, according to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which also assisted.

Saudi Arabia records 2 more MERS cases in Khafji, 7 total in that city

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported two more MERS-CoV cases in Khafji, more evidence suggesting the city may be the site of a household or healthcare cluster. These are the sixth and seventh cases reported in Khafji since Mar 29.

Flu shows more signs of decline in Northern Hemisphere

Flu activity in most of the Northern Hemisphere is declining, with influenza A viruses still predominanting, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in an update that covers data to Mar 17.