Another child has died from measles in Canada, this time a premature infant from Alberta, which has been experiencing a steep rise in cases since the spring, Canada-based Global News reported yesterday. 

The child was born prematurely after the mother contracted measles, the news outlet said, citing provincial health officials. Alberta has recorded 1,914 measles cases since March, of which 1,706 involved unvaccinated children.

The death appears to be Canada’s second in a child. Earlier this year, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported a congenital measles death of an Ontario baby who was born prematurely and had other underlying health conditions.

Canada is the worst affected of North American countries, reporting brisk measles activity and 5,006 cases this year (4,646 confirmed), according to the government’s latest data. Ontario was the focus of earlier activity, but most of the recent cases have been reported from Canada’s western provinces.

Mexico this year has reported 19 deaths from measles, and the United States has reported 3, according to the latest update from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Community transmission suspected in South Carolina

In other measles developments, the South Carolina Department of Public Health yesterday confirmed an outbreak in the Upstate region. Of the state’s eight cases this year, five patients became ill over the past month and are part of the newly identified outbreak.

Officials said all are unvaccinated and do not have immunity from earlier measles infection. The group added that the outbreak patients are following isolation guidance.

Linda Bell, MD, state epidemiologist, said two of the patients have an unknown infection source, which suggests unrecognized community spread. “We anticipate more cases will be identified and implore community members to act responsibly. If you are ill, stay home,” she said.

A trio of Midwestern states—Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin—reported new H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in poultry on commercial farms, according to notifications from state agencies.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) said it and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have detected H5N1 on a commercial turkey farm in Calhoun County in the west central part of the state.

Officials said the outbreak is Iowa’s eighth in domestic birds this year. The state reported its last poultry outbreak in April. 

Two affected farms in Minnesota, 1 in Wisconsin

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) added two new H5N1 poultry outbreaks to its notification list, one in Becker County and the other in Otter Tail County. The two counties neighbor each other in the state’s west central region. Both are breeder poultry farms, and together the facilities house more than 36,000 birds.

Minnesota has now recorded eight outbreaks in poultry since the middle of September, part of a national rise in activity.

In a related development, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) yesterday said it identified H5N1 in a second commercial flock in Jefferson County, which is located between Madison and Milwaukee. The DATCP’s list of outbreaks reflects that the farm has more than 520,000 birds.

Pakistan and Nigeria each reported three new polio cases this week, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GEPI).

In Pakistan, the three wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) patients, located in Sindh, first experienced paralysis in August. So far this year, Pakistan has reported 29 polio cases. Last year officials confirmed 74 WPV1 illnesses.

Nigeria reported three circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases this week, from Borno, Kebbi, and Zamfara states, with paralysis onsets in May and July, pushing the year's total to 35.  Last year, the country reported 98 cVDPV2 cases.