Ebola

WHO details MERS case in Austria

The World Health Organization (WHO) today described a case of MERS-CoV in a Saudi man diagnosed with the virus while he was visiting Vienna, Austria. This is the second case of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) reported in that country and was noted in recent media reports.

New Camel-linked MERS case in Saudi Arabia

On Sep 17 the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health (MOH) reported one new MERS-CoV case, involving a Saudi man from Riyadh who had contact with camels.

The 50-year-old man is in stable condition after presenting with symptoms of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). The MOH said the patient had direct contact with camels, a known risk factor for contracting the respiratory virus.

Spain reports its first 2 cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Spain has reported its first two cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF)—one of them fatal—a tick-borne viral disease that is found in eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and much of Asia.

Study: Risk of H1N1 during 2009 pandemic was double for health workers

A meta-analysis by German researchers yielded the conclusion that healthcare personnel (HCP) faced about twice as high a risk of H1N1 infection as other groups during the 2009 influenza pandemic, says a report published yesterday in PLoS One.

In Liberian study, Ebola virus persisted in semen of 9% of male survivors

A study in Liberia has produced more evidence of persistence of the Ebola virus in semen after patients' recovery from the disease, with some of them still testing positive more than a year after recovery and greater age indicated as a possible risk factor.

Convalescent serum fails to protect monkeys from Ebola virus

Blood serum from rhesus monkeys that had survived Ebola virus (EBOV) infection offered little protection to other rhesus monkeys that were treated with the serum several days after exposure to the virus, according to an Aug 28 report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Study suggests favipiravir benefits for Ebola patients

A trial of the antiviral drug favipiravir in Ebola patients during Sierra Leone's outbreak suggests that it can reduce viral load, improve clinical symptoms, increase the survival rate, and prolong survival time, Chinese and African researchers reported yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID).

Scallops test positive for hepatitis A as Hawaii outbreak grows

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tests on scallops implicated in Hawaii's hepatitis A outbreak yielded positive results on two samples, according to an update yesterday from the agency on the investigation.

Study reveals better Ebola survival in patients with malaria co-infections

Patients infected with the Ebola virus were 20% more likely to survive if they were co-infected with malaria, according to a study of Liberians who received care at a treatment center in Monrovia in 2014 and 2015 during West Africa's outbreak. A research team led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) published the findings yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

2014 Ebola strain no more viable than 1976 strain

A study yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that although the Ebola outbreak originating in West Africa in 2013 was the deadliest to date, that strain of Ebola virus (EBOV) did not possess more aerosol stability than a strain of 1976 EBOV.