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MERS infects 1 more in Saudi Arabia as WHO details 2 clusters

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported another MERS-CoV case, which involves a 70-year-old woman from Riyadh, the country's capital. In a related development, the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean regional office (WHO EMRO) shared new details about a string of recent cases in the Saudi city of Khafji in April, which it said included two clusters.

New MERS case recorded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new MERS-CoV case today in the city of Jeddah. The notice came in an epidemiologic week 20 notification.

The patient is a 73-year-old man. The source of his MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infection is listed as "primary," meaning it is unlikely he contracted the virus from another person. He did, however, have recent contact with camels.

British veterinarian group updates policy on antimicrobials in food-animals

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has issued an updated policy position on responsible antimicrobial use in food-producing animals.

Imported tahini tied to Salmonella cases in 3 states

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday that it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state health partners are investigating a multistate Salmonella Concord outbreak linked to imported tahini.

The outbreak comes less than 3 months since the CDC wrapped up an investigation into a different Salmonella Concord outbreak linked to tahini.

School procurement policy calls for beef raised on fewer antibiotics

Using a first-of-its-kind procurement policy aimed at combating antibiotic resistance, four school districts in upstate New York today awarded contracts to Slate Foods, a beef supplier that buys cattle from farms that have agreed to use practices that reduce the use of on-farm antibiotics.

Northern Ireland announces One Health AMR plan

The government of Northern Ireland yesterday announced a 5-year, One Health action plan to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

DRC confirms 17 new Ebola cases, total rises 1,777

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) ministry of health confirmed 17 new cases of Ebola today and 16 more deaths in the ongoing outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Northern Ireland announces One Health AMR plan

The government of Northern Ireland yesterday announced a 5-year, One Health action plan to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

MERS sickens 1 more in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday reported one more MERS-CoV case, which involves a patient from Al Kharj. Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) provided new details about nine cases reported in Saudi Arabia from Apr 9 to Apr 30, including five that were part of ongoing clusters in three different cities.

Letter to 'nudge' high antibiotic prescribers linked to drop in prescribing 

A letter sent to the highest antibiotic-prescribing General Practitioners (GPs) in Northern Ireland was tied to a nearly 5% reduction in prescribing in those practices over the course of a year, researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Method developed to store antiviral vaccines at high temperatures

It a development that has the potential to replace cold chain antiviral vaccine storage systems that make it difficult to immunize people in remote and low-resource regions of the world, researchers today described a stable, affordable system for storing fragile vaccines for weeks. Researchers based at McMaster University described their findings today in Scientific Reports.

Clinical guideline developed for flu testing in emergency departments

US scientists have developed and validated a clinical decision guideline (CDG) for flu testing in emergency departments, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Saudi Arabia records new MERS case

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported one more MERS-CoV case, which involves a patient from Al Kharj. This is the second case to originate in that city in the past week.

Study links lower triage scores to delayed sepsis antibiotics

Sepsis patients who received a slightly higher emergency department (ED) triage score received antibiotics faster, a crucial step for survival, researchers from Intermountain Medical Center reported yesterday at the American Thoracic Society annual meeting under way in Dallas.

CDC ends Salmonella investigation into tainted tuna after 15 cases noted

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday closed its investigation into a multistate Salmonella outbreak tied to frozen tuna after confirming two new cases.

CDC reveals latest details on tahini Salmonella probe

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday provided new details in the investigation into a Salmonella Concord outbreak linked to imported tahini. No new illnesses have been reported, and the total stands at four infected people in three states. One patient has been hospitalized. The latest illness onset was Mar 23.

WHA adopts resolution to combat antimicrobial resistance

Yesterday member states at the World Health Assembly (WHA)—the annual meeting of the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO)—adopted a resolution calling for continued high-level commitments to implement and adequately fund multisectoral national action plans addressing antimicrobial resistance, the WHO said in a news release.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

CARB-X awards $3 million for development of monoclonal antibody

CARB-X today announced funding for the development of an alternative treatment for infections caused by a multidrug-resistant strain of Escherichia coli.

BARDA exercises contract option for next-generation anthrax vaccine

Emergent BioSolutions announced yesterday that the US Health and Human Services (HHS) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has exercised a contract option worth $261 million to buy doses of anthrax vaccine adsorbed with adjuvant (AV7909) for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS).

CDC reports illustrate link between medical care abroad, resistant organisms

Two case studies today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlight the importance of screening for drug-resistant organisms in patients who've had recent medical care outside the United States

Six countries report more polio cases

In the latest polio developments, Afghanistan and Pakistan reported more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases, and three African nations and Malaysia reported circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus in cases, contacts, or the community, according to a weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

CDC reports illustrate link between medical care abroad, resistant organisms

Originally published by CIDRAP News Aug 1

DRC reports more daily double-digit Ebola rises

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) saw no let-up in Ebola cases over the weekend, reporting 39 new cases, which would boost the outbreak total to 2,763, according to updates from the World Health Organization (WHO) online Ebola dashboard.

Based on data reported for Aug 2, the DRC reported 17 more cases, and for Aug 3 the country reported 12 more infections.

High-path H5 avian flu outbreaks strike chickens in Vietnam and Taiwan

Animal health officials in Vietnam reported two outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N6 avian flu at poultry farms in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province in the country's southeast, VN Express International, a newspaper based in Hanoi, reported today.