Chikungunya

FDA confirms multistate E coli outbreak's link to General Mills flour

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that Escherichia coli O121 found in a sample of General Mills flour from the home of one of the patients in a 38-case outbreak matches the strain infecting people.

PAHO reports 2,400 new chikungunya cases in the Americas

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) late last week reported 2,446 new chikungunya cases to bring the 2016 total in the Americas to 117,829 cases.

The previous 2 weeks saw increases of 27,505 and 1,184 suspected and confirmed cases, respectively. PAHO updated its numbers on Jun 3.

Study: Clinical signs vary in fatal chikungunya-dengue co-infections

Seven patients who died following hospitalization for chikungunya and dengue virus co-infection all had fever and joint pain yet varied in terms of the viruses' effect on organ function and overall pathology, according to a study today in Eurosurveillance.

WHO declares Guinea to be Ebola-free

The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared that Guinea has passed 42 days since the last patient was declared free of Ebola, officially ending Ebola virus transmission.

Newer antibiotics more costly but not necessarily better than old

At a time when growing bacterial resistance underlines the need for new antibiotics, records on eight antibiotics approved in the United States from 2010 to 2015 suggest that they cost more than older drugs but don't necessarily offer clear clinical advantages, according to a study published today in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Mass yellow fever vaccination campaign launches in Uganda

Authorities in Uganda launched a large yellow fever vaccination campaign in several districts last weekend, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) African region said yesterday.

MERS studies explore risk of secondary cases, countermeasure progress

A preponderance of secondary MERS-CoV infections tend to occur in older and/or male relatives of a primary MERS patient and those with preexisting medical conditions, say findings of a study yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID). Risk factors for household transmission included sleeping in the same room with a MERS patient and direct patient care.

Camel exposure cited in latest Saudi MERS illness

Ending a 9-day stretch with no new cases, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday reported a MERS-CoV infection in a 72-year-old man from Hail in the north central part of the country, according to an MOH notification.

The man is in stable condition, and an investigation into the source of his illness found that he had contact with camels before he got sick.

Policy draft, risk-benefit analysis posted ahead of NSABB meeting

Ahead of its upcoming meeting, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) has posted a draft of a working group's recommendations to guide federal officials in evaluating proposed gain-of-function (GOF) studies on H5N1 flu and other dangerous pathogens, and an outside company tasked with crafting a risk-benefit analysis of GOF research has posted its final report.

CBS report says US firm knowingly sold defective surgical gowns

A report by CBS's 60 Minutes yesterday alleged that the US company Halyard Health for years sold surgical gowns that it knew were defective, putting healthcare workers at risk for bloodborne infections. In a press release today, the company strongly denied the allegations