Chikungunya

Study estimates 89,000 global melioidosis deaths a year

According to the first-ever global burden estimates for melioidosis, the disease is sharply underreported in 45 endemic countries, it's probably endemic in 34 more, and conditions are suitable for the disease in parts of the United States and Japan.

CDC now investigating 2 Chipotle E coli outbreaks totaling 58 cases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now investigating two separate Escherichia coli outbreaks tied to Chipotle restaurants, one involving 53 cases and the other 5, the agency said today in an update.

Report notes deficiencies of MSF Ebola triage system

The criteria that Doctors without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) use in triaging West Africa Ebola patients resulted in more than a third of patients falsely testing positive, and the guidance needs to be revised, a study yesterday in Eurosurveillance concluded.

CDC notes norovirus common culprit in gastroenteritis cases

The first report from a surveillance system launched by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2009 to examine the acute gastroenteritis outbreak patterns that aren't part of foodborne or waterborne outbreaks found that noroviruses was by far the most frequently reported cause, with Shigella and Salmonella also making up a portion of the illnesses.

Hawaii dengue cases grow to 139

The Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) said today that the number of locally acquired dengue fever cases has risen by 27 in less than a week, for a total of 139 cases on the big island of Hawaii.

Of the confirmed cases of dengue fever, 122 are in Hawaii residents and 17 involve visitors. Most of the total cases (78%, or 108) have occurred in adults, while 31 cases (22%) involve children. Illness onset occurred from Sep 11 to Nov 28.

US tularemia cases now top 100

Cases of tularemia in four US states have reached at least 104 for 2015, according to federal and state officials.

New Saudi MERS case, blood study in Kazakh camels

Saudi Arabia reported a new MERS-CoV infection yesterday in the city of Buraidah, while an international team of researchers found no serologic evidence that the virus is endemic in Kazakh camel herds.

South Korean man dies from MERS after 6-month battle

A South Korean man who recently suffered a MERS-CoV relapse died from his illness today, according to a report from the Korea Herald, which cited the country's health ministry. The 35-year-old man had also been battling lymphoma.

GAO says DHS needs to prove BioWatch pathogen-detection capabilities

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) today recommended in a report that the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) BioWatch program not pursue any upgrades to its second-generation (Gen-2) technology for monitoring the country for potential bioterror attacks until it can provide better efficacy data.

PAHO notes 4,000 new chikungunya cases in Americas

Countries in the Americas and Caribbean reported 4,370 recent cases of chikungunya, bringing the outbreak total to 1,768,106, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) update from late last week.