In a study designed to help clinicians and health policy makers decide whether to recommend and offer annual flu vaccination, a new meta-analysis published today found no evidence that prior season immunization blunts the protection of the current seasonal vaccine.
Researchers from Ontario and Hong Kong published their meta-analysis of observational studies today in BMC Medicine.
Saudi Arabia today announced a MERS-CoV infection in a patient in Jeddah whose exposure to the virus is still under review. The case is the fourth recent one reported from Jeddah.
The latest case involves a 51-year-old male expatriate whose is hospitalized in critical condition. He is not a healthcare worker, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH).
A detailed look at variant influenza cases from seven agricultural fairs in Michigan and Ohio in 2016 found that of 18 variant H3N2 (H3N2v) cases in humans, 16 were infected with a reassortant that contains the hemagglutinin gene from the 2010-2011 seasonal H3N2 strain in humans, a strain increasingly seen in US swine herds.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new case of MERS-CoV today in a man from Medina.
The 67-year-old expatriate is in stable condition after presenting with symptoms of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). The man had indirect contact with camels. Indirect contact with camels, including drinking camel milk, is a known risk factor for the disease.
In South Africa, H5N8 has been detected at 2 ostrich farms in the southwest.
Data on infants born to women suspected of having a Zika virus infection in Texas show higher-than-average rates of birth defects and suboptimal levels of testing, according to a report today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
New early-stage research out of the United Kingdom has identified a potential antibiotic candidate for treatment of drug-resistant gonorrhea.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released their weekly global flu update, noting that activity remained high in the temperate zone of the Southern Hemisphere and in some countries in Southeast Asia. Influenza A (H3N2) is still the predominate strain worldwide.
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reported three new highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza outbreaks on turkey farms in Italy's Lombardy region.
H5N8 was detected on Aug 4 at three commercial farms in the Medole area, which is in the northwestern part of Italy. The report said 94,700 birds are slated for culling.
Ohio officials have confirmed a case of novel H1N2 influenza (H1N2v), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly FluView update.
