Clusters of children who had nonmedical exemptions (NMEs) from vaccines appears to be one of several factors that played a role in California's 2010 pertussis (whooping cough) epidemic, researchers reported today in Pediatrics.
Martin County, Florida, today confirmed 3 more dengue infections to bring the county's total to 18, The Global Dispatch reported, as a blood center suspended collections in Martin County and neighboring St. Lucie County.
Authorities in Qatar have reported another Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) case, the country's second in a week, according to a Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) story today.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that, because of "increasing geographic extent of circulation over a prolonged period of time," the risk of international spread of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) from Israel is moderate to high.
The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday released a nine-page interview questionnaire to help in investigation of suspected and confirmed MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infections.
The questionnaire is intended mainly for gathering information about how patients were exposed to the virus. It includes detailed questions about travel history and exposure to animals, foods, and sick persons.
Influenza activity is up "considerably" in South America and southern Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today, while other scattered regions are also seeing some increase.
A 3-year-old boy from Cambodia's eastern Prey Veng province has tested positive for H5N1 avian flu, marking the country's 14th case this year, according to Xinhua, China's state news agency, today.
Four more people have been sickened with hepatitis A after eating a berry mix that contained contaminated pomegranate seeds from Turkey, raising the total the 131, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday in its latest update.
Four more patients have been hospitalized for their infections, raising that total to 59. The latest illness onset is Jun 24.
A meta-analysis of 34 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) suggests that seasonal influenza vaccines can provide significant protection against flu even if the circulating flu strains don't match those in the vaccine, according to a Canadian team of researchers.
An Egyptian surveillance study found that while H5N1 avian flu viruses were uncommon on commercial poultry farms, more than 10% of backyard and live-market birds harbored the virus, according to a report in the Journal of Virology.