The seasonal flu vaccine might cut the risk of contracting flu-associated pneumonia acquired in the community by more than half, a study today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found.
Uptake increased a bit in adults and in health workers but dropped among pregnant women.
Nigeria reported six new outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu affecting more than 28,000 chickens, bringing to 12 the number of outbreaks reported this month, according to separate reports filed yesterday with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today finalized the first two of seven major rules for implementing the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)—those covering prevention steps for both human and animal food.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that all of India's 675 districts have eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus.
Maternal and neonatal tetanus cases in India have been reduced to less than one case per 1,000 live births ahead of the elimination target date set for December 2015.
The number of US counties with a high incidence of Lyme disease grew more than threefold over the 20 years from 1993 through 2012 as the illness spread across the Northeast and Upper Midwest, according to a new report in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) reported 10 new Cyclospora infections yesterday, lifting the outbreak total to 161 cases.
So far 31 of the state's 254 counties have reported cases, with Travis County, which includes Austin, reporting by far the most illnesses, with 73. Dallas County is second with 14.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) today announced one new MERS-CoV infection, yet another case linked to an outbreak in the city of Hofuf, which has reported clusters linked to healthcare facilities and at least one family.
The patient is a 41-year-old Saudi man who is a household contact of an earlier reported case. He is not a healthcare worker and is hospitalized in stable condition.
Mechanically tenderized beef will need to be so labeled by May 2016, the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.
The new labeling requirements cover raw or partially cooked beef products, the FSIS said in a statement.
"This commonsense change will lead to safer meals and fewer foodborne illnesses," said USDA Deputy Undersecretary Al Almanza.
As part of its ongoing influenza pandemic preparedness efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for the development of candidate vaccine viruses based on H5N1 viruses from recent human cases in Egypt and an H5N8 virus that was found in a wild bird in Washington state in December.
