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Husband of Canadian H7N9 patient probably was infected, officials say

The husband of a British Columbia woman who was found to have the first H7N9 avian flu case in North America probably was infected with the virus too, according to a Canadian Press (CP) report today.

British Columbia officials said test results are still pending for the man, but he may test negative for the illness because he had already recovered when samples were taken, according to the story.

Tuberculosis rates decrease in majority of EU countries

Tuberculosis cases decreased by 6% during 2012 in 29 European countries, while hot spots in northern Europe and the Baltic states remained, according to a report issued today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

Flu activity up in North America and Europe, with H3N2 predominating

The Northern Hemisphere continues to see high levels of influenza A (H3N2), especially in North America and northwestern Europe, according to a Jan 26 World Health Organization (WHO) report.

World Bank president airs new private-public pandemic preparedness plan

The world is "dangerously unpreprepared" for future pandemics, and a private-public sector proposal that includes a pandemic facility and insurance coverage could help countries across the globe mitigate the risk, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said today in a speech at Georgetown University.

Flu vaccine in Canada shows strikingly low effectiveness

This flu season's vaccine has provided "little or no protection" against influenza in Canada because of a mismatch between the H3N2 strain included in the vaccine and the predominant circulating H3N2 strain, say interim findings from the Canadian Sentinel Physician Surveillance Network (SPSN) published in today's issue of Eurosurveillance.

Flu maintains strong grip on US

Influenza seems reluctant to release its grip on the United States, as most measures of flu activity showed little change last week, according to today's update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

MERS-CoV case count in Saudi Arabia increases by 2

Two men have been stricken with MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia, bringing the total case count since June 2012 to 845, according to an update today from the country's ministry of health (MOH).

As US measles cases top 100, Toronto reports 4 infections

California officials today said they have confirmed 92 measles cases since December, 59 of which are linked to visiting Disneyland, bringing the US total to more than 100 cases, while Toronto has confirmed 4 cases not linked to each other or to travel outside the country.

CDC posts avian flu update, guidance on possible human disease

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today published a summary of the recent US outbreaks of avian flu in birds in western states, and late last week it published two guidance documents in response to those detections.

Study: Oseltamivir shortens flu symptom duration but not viral shedding

Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) taken within 24 hours of flu symptom onset shortened the duration of all symptoms by 56%, but had no effect on household flu transmission or viral shedding, according to a study yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

China reports new H7N9 case in Zhejiang province

Chinese officials have reported another H7N9 avian flu illness, in Zhejiang province, and Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today noted 49 cases that have occurred in recent weeks, but it's difficult to determine if any of them are new.

Duration of MRSA colonization might be shorter than thought

The median duration of colonization with community-based methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in ambulatory patients is 21 days, shorter than the previously thought duration of 6 to 9 months, and treatment with clindamycin is associated with more rapid clearance of the infection, say findings of a study published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

High-path avian flu outbreaks hit more farms in Taiwan, Bulgaria

Agriculture officials in Taiwan yesterday said 51 more poultry farms have been struck by H5N8 avian influenza and 108 more facilities have reported more H5N2 outbreaks, with some of the locations hit by both strains, according to two separate reports to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

California, Illinois officials confirm 12 new measles cases

California officials yesterday confirmed 7 new measles cases in an outbreak that began in December, bringing the case total for the state to 99, while 5 babies at a Chicago-area daycare have also been diagnosed as having the disease.

Also yesterday, the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) pointed out the states having the lowest measles vaccination coverage in toddlers.

H7N9 sickens 7 more in China, 1 fatally

Two of China's provinces—Guangdong and Zhejiang— reported seven more H7N9 avian flu infections today, one of them fatal.

Saudi Arabia reports 4 MERS-CoV cases, 1 death

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported four new MERS cases and one death in the past 2 days, bringing the country's total to 855 cases since June 2012. The country has confirmed 10 cases in the past 5 days.

Melioidosis infection halts work at Tulane research center

Federal and state investigators are investigating a possible melioidosis infection in an investigator who got sick after visiting the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC) in Covington, La., to determine how two macaques contracted the disease, officials of St. Tammany Parish said in a Feb 7 statement.

Study suggests high-dose flu vaccine beats standard dose in elderly

A study based on data from more than 2 million Medicare beneficiaries suggests that the high-dose influenza vaccine works better than a standard-dose vaccine for preventing probable flu illness and flu-related hospital admissions in elderly people.

H7N9 sickens 13 more in China

Chinese authorities have reported 13 more H7N9 avian influenza cases, 3 of them fatal, in four different provinces, according to official sources today, including an avian flu report issued today by Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP).

Study: HPV vaccination not associated with STI risk in girls

Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) is not associated with an increased risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) among teen girls, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

CDC: Swollen salivary glands reported in some kids with flu

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that several states have recently reported an unusual finding in some influenza patients this season: parotitis, or swelling of the salivary glands.

The CDC reported the finding yesterday in an update of its current flu guidance for the public, titled "What You Should Know for the 2014-2015 Influenza Season."

Philippines reports imported MERS case

Health officials in the Philippines reported a case of MERS in a Filipino nurse who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, according to a Reuters story today.

The nurse returned to the Philippines last week and presented with a fever, body pain, cough, and difficulty breathing. She was diagnosed with MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) and is currently hospitalized in stable condition, the story said.

China reports three H7N9 infections, one fatal

Three more H7N9 infections from China, one of them fatal, were reported yesterday and today, one in Shanghai and two in Guangdong province, according to official sources.

Proposal: Pay docs for counseling parents on childhood vaccines

Amid a widespread measles outbreak, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) is considering recommending that physicians be compensated for counseling parents about the importance of childhood vaccines, Bloomberg News reported yesterday.

The committee is also looking at a recommendation that would set a minimum vaccination coverage goal for clinicians, the story said.

Four H7N9 cases, one fatal, reported in China

The H7N9 avian influenza virus has sickened four more people, one fatally, ing China's Guangdong province, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said today in a statement.

Though few details were listed for the patients, the report said the latest case-patients include three men and one woman ages 51 to 82 years old. The 82-year-old man died from his infection, and the rest are hospitalized in critical condition.