Polio

WHO emergency committee extends polio emergency declaration

A World Health Organization (WHO) emergency committee has extended a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) over the global polio situation and the temporary recommendations that came with it, the WHO said in a statement yesterday. The group met by teleconference on Jul 31, its first meeting since it first declared the PHEIC on May 5.

CDC: Imported US chikungunya cases surge to 300

The chikungunya epidemic in the Caribbean is continuing to spill over into the United States, with 300 imported cases identified as of yesterday, an increase of 66 from a week earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Final report on E coli lettuce outbreak notes two additional products

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) yesterday released a final report on a 2013 Escherichia coli outbreak traced to pre-packaged salads sold at Trader Joe's stores that sickened 33 people in four states, Food Safety News (FSN) reported today.

ECDC says 'gain-of-function' research needs more evaluation

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said this week that the safety of gain-of-function (GOF) studies like a recent one involving the generation of a 1918-like influenza virus merits more public discussion, given the obligation of researchers to "first do no harm."

Dengue candidate vaccine shows promise in phase 3 trial

Phase 3 clinical trial results for the most advanced dengue vaccine in development, known as CYD-TDV and made by Sanofi Pasteur, showed it is more than 50% protective overall and nearly 90% effective against the most serious, hemorrhagic form of the disease, according to a new study published in The Lancet.

New Ebola cases boost West Africa total to 844, plus 518 deaths

The latest pattern in West Africa's Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak suggests a "mixed picture," with Guinea showing a drop-off in infections, but Sierra Leone and Liberia reporting several new cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its latest update.

Foster Farms recalls chicken linked to 621-case Salmonella outbreak

As the United States celebrated Independence Day late last week, federal officials announced that Foster Farms has recalled chicken products implicated in a Salmonella outbreak that has now reached 621 cases in 29 states.

WHO reiterates high risk of polio from central Africa

The detection this week of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) from Equatorial Guinea in Brazilian sewage and the virus's movement from Cameroon into Equatorial Guinea point up the high risk of international spread of the virus from the western portion of central Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

Polio virus detected in Brazilian sewage

Wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been isolated from sewage samples in Sao Paulo state in Brazil, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday.

The samples were collected in March at the Viracopos International Airport in Campinas in the southeastern part of the country. Tests at a national lab confirmed the virus on Jun 18, the WHO said in a statement.

Another WHO/UNICEF polio vaccine campaign begins in Syria

Syria's eighth vaccination campaign in as many months begins this week and hopes to reach 2.8 million children over 5 days, according to a news release yesterday from the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.