A group of patients in Inner Mongolia likely represent the first identified human cases of a new tick-borne illness, Alongshan virus (ALSV), which belongs to the jingmenvirus group in the flavivirus family. A description of ALSV and these cases was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Adults who had respiratory symptoms spread the virus to more people than other patients did.
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.
The US Department of Human Services (HHS) said yesterday that Ned Sharpless, MD, will serve as acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), replacing Scott Gottlieb, MD, who announced his resignation on Mar 5 after less than 2 years in the position.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported 47 more measles cases, raising the total since the first to the year to 206 cases in 11 states. For comparison, the CDC reported 372 cases for all of 2018, the most since 2014.
Affected states are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced seven new cases of MERS-CoV over the weekend, recorded in reports for epidemiologic weeks 8 and 9. Three of the cases are in Wadi ad-Dawasir, two of which appear to be part of an ongoing hospital outbreak.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) yesterday announced that it has awarded a contract worth as much as $19 million to Oxford University and Janssen Vaccines to advance the development and manufacture of a vaccine against MERS-CoV and do preclinical studies of new vaccines against Lassa and Nipah viruses.
One week after the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) health ministry declared a new outbreak in the east of the country, an immunization campaign began today, which targeted frontline health workers from the Mangina Reference Health Center, the epicenter of the outbreak, who had been in contact with confirmed cases and their contacts.
A report summing up all the investigation findings in India's Nipah virus outbreak says 17 of 19 patients appear to have contracted the virus from the index patient, a 26-year-old man, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported yesterday, citing findings released by health officials from Kerala state.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) today said it is investigating several Salmonella outbreaks totaling 124 cases in 36 states linked to contact with backyard poultry flocks.
