A massive measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) accelerated again over the past few weeks, with spread to new areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said yesterday in its weekly outbreaks and emergencies report.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) said in its latest update today that four countries reported a total of eight new polio cases in the previous week, including vaccine-derived polio cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic.
In the latest global polio developments, Pakistan reported five more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases, while two African nations—Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—reported more positive circulating vaccine-derived polio type 2 (cVDPV2) detections. The details appear today in the weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
Six more Ebola cases were confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ebola outbreak, raising the overall total to 2,983, according to numbers reflected today on the World Health Organization (WHO) online Ebola dashboard.
Health officials are still investigating 397 suspected infections. Four more people died from their infections, bringing the fatality count to 1,990.
After establishing its Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Program in March, today the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) launched a new online CWD Resource Center for educating the public, hunters, medical and public health professionals, wildlife scientists, veterinarians, and policymakers about the disease.
"The antibiotic resistance pattern of this strain is alarming," a CDC expert says.
A multistate Cyclospora outbreak linked to fresh basil imported from Mexico has sickened 73 more people, increasing the total to 205 infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an Aug 15 update.
Burundi yesterday began vaccinating front-line workers against Ebola, part of efforts to prepare for possible Ebola cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in a statement. The country's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is southeast of the main outbreak area, and vaccination with VSV-EBOV began at the Gatumba entry point.
Two case studies today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlight the importance of screening for drug-resistant organisms in patients who've had recent medical care outside the United States
Leafy greens from several grocery store chains tested positive for Listeria bacteria, in an experiment conducted by Consumer Reports that's kicked off an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
