The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) saw no let-up in Ebola cases over the weekend, reporting 39 new cases, which would boost the outbreak total to 2,763, according to updates from the World Health Organization (WHO) online Ebola dashboard.
Based on data reported for Aug 2, the DRC reported 17 more cases, and for Aug 3 the country reported 12 more infections.
The World Health Organization (WHO) European regional office said yesterday that the region achieved 91% coverage for the second dose of measles vaccine, signifying the second consecutive year that the area has reached a record high.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new MERS-CoV case today in the city of Jeddah. The notice came in an epidemiologic week 20 notification.
The patient is a 73-year-old man. The source of his MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infection is listed as "primary," meaning it is unlikely he contracted the virus from another person. He did, however, have recent contact with camels.
The DoD has made only 18 of 35 proposed changes designed to enhance lab security, the report says.
With HHS taking the lead, the new strategy establishes a cabinet-level biodefense steering committee.
In an update yesterday on a Cyclospora outbreak linked to McDonald's salads, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 109 more cases, raising the total to 395.
The number of affected states remained at 15, and the latest illness onset was Jul 20. So far 16 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.
Two countries reported circulating vaccine-derived polio cases this week, according to the latest update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). In addition to new cases from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Somalia, the GPEI confirmed an outbreak of circulating vaccine derived polio in Papua New Guinea.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that Secretary Sonny Perdue has authorized the movement of a modified, noninfectious version of the foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus from the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, off the coast of New York, to the US mainland for vaccine development and research purposes.
After several days without updates, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed three new cases of MERS-CoV today and one death. The MOH has issued only sporadic updates this month; this is the first update since Apr 9.
After only a handful of reports released earlier this month, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed six new cases of MERS-CoV over the weekend.
