A new Ebola species first identified in bats last year in Sierra Leone—named Bombali virus— has now been found in bats in Kenya, pointing to wide distribution, given that the two countries are on opposite coasts of Africa. Researchers from Finland, Kenya, and Sweden reported their findings in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The H3N2 recommendation reflects a change from the current Northern Hemisphere vaccine.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today said measles counts have now grown to 268 cases in 15 states—62 more cases than the agency reported in a Mar 4 update. For comparison, the CDC reported 372 cases for all of 2018.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) recorded two cases of MERS-CoV in young women from Khamis Mushait in an update to its epidemiologic week 10 report.
The first patient is a 33-year-old woman who is listed as a secondary case, meaning she likely contracted MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) from another sick person. She did not report recent camel contact, the MOH said.
A larger follow-up on a 2017 study that found an association between repeated doses of flu vaccine containing the 2009 H1N1 strain and miscarriage in pregnant women ruled out the association, researchers reported to federal vaccine advisors yesterday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today it has wrapped up its investigation into a Salmonella Concord outbreak tied to tahini imported from Israel after eight cases were confirmed in four states.
An early look at this season's flu vaccine in Europe shows that protection against influenza A has ranged between 32% and 43% across all patients seen at clinics and hospitals and was 59% in groups targeted for vaccination, according to findings from six European studies published today in Eurosurveillance.
The experts plan to announce a decision on the H3N2 strain on Mar 21.
According to updates posted this weekend and through today, Saudi Arabia has three more MERS-CoV cases, including two in Wadi ad-Dawasir.
Protection against flu was 47% overall and 46% against the predominant H1N1 strain.
