Hepatitis

A fifth of DRC health workers had Ebola antibodies after 2014 outbreak

A year after the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Boende, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 22.5% of healthcare workers (HCWs) had Ebola virus (EBOV) antibodies in their blood, even though only 15.1% reported contact with suspected, probable, or confirmed Ebola virus patients, according to a study today in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

CDC: 27 more people sickened with E coli in romaine outbreak 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday that 27 more people have been sickened in an Escherichia coli outbreak tied to romaine lettuce grown near Salinas, California.

US Customs has no plan to vaccinate migrant detainees against flu

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it will not vaccinate migrants, despite concerns some have raised about infectious disease spread, particularly the deaths of three children who died after falling ill with flu while in US custody, according to media reports.

Study: Ribavirin plus interferon ineffective for critically ill MERS patients

A new multicenter study today in Clinical Infectious Diseases found little effect of ribavirin and interferon therapy on critically ill MERS patients.

The study took place from 2012 to 2018 at 14 Saudi Arabian hospitals, and involved 349 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) patients seeking treatment in intensive care units (ICUs).

More people, animals sickened in Kenya's Rift Valley fever outbreak

The number of people sickened in Kenya's Rift Valley fever outbreak has climbed to 26, including 6 deaths, and though the country has experience handling earlier outbreaks, the new developments are concerning, given the high number of affected livestock and the nomadic culture that depends on an animal-based diet, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in an update.

WHO launches cholera vaccine drive to reach 2 million in Africa

In response to cholera outbreaks in several African countries over the past several months, the World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the largest cholera vaccination drive in history, with a goal of reaching 2 million people.

FDA launches Resistome Tracker to monitor antibiotic resistance

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today launched an interactive research tool called Resistome Tracker to track antibiotic-resistance genes.

H5N8 strikes poultry, zoo bird in South Africa

South Africa reported four more outbreaks involving highly pathogenic H5N8, two in poultry and two in other captive bird settings, according to two reports today from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Saudi Arabia identifies new MERS cases linked to camels

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported two new cases of MERS-CoV over the last few days, both linked to camel exposure.

On Oct 13, a 60-year-old Saudi man from Jazan was diagnosed as having MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) after presenting with symptoms. He is in stable condition, and the MOH said the man had direct contact with camels.

MRSA found in 7.6% of Iranian hospital food samples

Iranian scientists report a 7.6% prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in almost 500 hospital food samples they tested, and the bacteria had high levels of resistance to other antibiotics, as well, according to a study yesterday in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control.