A new report from Reuters concerning previously unreleased documents shows that the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) implemented a childhood vaccine campaign with Dengvaxia despite warnings from the country's Formulary Executive Council (FEC) that the vaccine did not have enough long-term safety data.
An analysis of 40 human H7N9 avian flu clusters from five waves of disease activity in China found a stable pattern in number and size, suggesting that the human-to-human transmission risk hasn't changed since the virus emerged in 2013. A team from China and their collaborators at the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention reported its findings yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Genetic analysis of H7N9 viruses obtained from Chinese poultry from 2013 to 2017 identified new mutations that make the virus more lethal in chickens and may pose a greater threat to human health, based on virulence and transmissibility tests in animal models. Researchers from China reported their findings Oct 24 in Cell Research.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced a new case of MERS-CoV today.
The patient is a 72-year-old man from Tabuk, a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia near the Jordanian border. He presented with symptoms of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infection and is in stable condition. The man had direct contact with camels, a known risk factor for contracting MERS.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported two new cases of MERS-CoV in Al Hofuf late last week, one of which was fatal. These are the first cases reported by the MOH in 10 days.
On Sep 21, the MOH confirmed that a 48-year-old Saudi man with direct camel contact was diagnosed as having MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infection after presenting with MERS symptoms. He is in stable condition.
Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today reported a new case of H7N9 avian flu in Liaoning province, further evidence that the virus has not disappeared during the summer.
Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica are among the few Americas countries reporting small increases in Zika virus activity, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said in its Aug 25 epidemiologic update.
An investigation into a 73-year-old Arizona woman's death related to a Francisella tularensis infection (tularemia) in June 2016 revealed that she probably contracted the bacterium, classified by federal health officials as a tier 1 select agent, from her pet dog.
The WHO and its partners need the funding boost to stop measles transmission with a campaign in November to immunize 4.2 million children.
The study shows that even a 5% drop in vaccine coverage could trigger a significant outbreak.
