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Salmonella outbreak tied to pork grows to 152 cases as recall expands

A salmonellosis outbreak tied to pork products grew by 18 cases, to 152, as a slaughterhouse in Washington state expanded a prior recall to more than 500,000 pounds of pork products and whole hogs after environmental sampling revealed insufficient sanitary conditions.

USA Today: 6 labs secretly sanctioned over biosecurity lapses

Federal regulators have privately threatened to revoke permits to study select agents (potential bioterror pathogens) from at least six labs for safety and security violations, including at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, the University of Hawaii-Manoa (UHM), and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), USA Today reported late last week in its continuing probe of US lab biosecurity

Sierra Leone woman dies from Ebola; lab study shows clinical patterns

Sierra Leone health officials said yesterday that tests on a 67-year-old woman who died in Kambia district were positive for Ebola, but further testing is under way to confirm the findings, Reuters reported yesterday. The positive test is the country's first since its countdown to Ebola-free status began on Aug 24.

Berkeley student may have exposed thousands to measles

Individuals in the San Francisco Bay area are being told to stay alert for symptoms of measles after an infected and contagious student at the University of California, Berkeley, attended classes and used public transportation before his diagnosis last week, according to news sources.

Study: Last year's flu vaccine yielded 42% to 50% protection in Europe

Data from seven European countries suggests that last season's influenza vaccine yielded about 42% to 50% protection, depending on the flu type, according to a recent report in Eurosurveillance.

Saudi Arabia reports its 60th MERS death

Saudi Arabian health officials on Feb 15 announced the death of a young adult cancer patient from the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), bringing the number of fatal MERS cases in that country to 60.

The 22-year-old man is from Eastern province, the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) said. The nation has reported 145 MERS-CoV cases.

H5N1 strikes Chinese farm

More than 300,000 poultry have been culled at a farm in Guizhou province in southern China after about 1,000 birds died and more than 3,600 became sick from H5N1 avian flu, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reported today.

Cambodia confirms 3rd H5N1 case this year

A case of H5N1 avian flu has been confirmed in a 4-year-old Cambodian boy, bringing to three that country's cases so far this year, according to a joint press release today from Cambodia's Ministry of Health (MOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Saudi Arabia reports 2 MERS cases, 1 fatal

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported two new cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, one of which was fatal.

The first patient is a 58-year-old male citizen of Al-Ahsa, who has "various chronic diseases." He is receiving medical treatment, but the MOH didn't provide any details on his condition or whether he had contact with any animals or infected people.

1,500 chickens culled for H5N1 in Nepal

After about 300 chickens on a farm in Nepal died mysteriously, H5N1 avian flu was confirmed and 1,552 chickens on that and a neighboring farm as well as 30 crates of eggs were destroyed yesterday by a rapid response team, according to a story in Republica, a Nepalese newspaper.

ECDC reports spike of Caribbean chikungunya, spread in South America

Martinique and neighboring Caribbean islands have seen a major surge of suspected chikungunya cases this week, and two locally acquired cases in French Guiana mark the first indigenous cases in South America, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported today.

Two-state Listeria outbreaks sickens 8, kills 1

Eight people of Hispanic ethnicity in Maryland and California have contracted listeriosis, possibly from soft cheese, and one has died, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Feb 21.

H5N1 leads to 20,000 poultry deaths in Vietnam

Seven outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu among village flocks in seven separate provinces in northern and southern Vietnam have led to almost 20,000 new poultry deaths, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reported on Feb 22.

China reports one H7N9 case; Hong Kong survey finds low anxiety

China today reported one H7N9 case, in a 71-year-old man from Guangdong province who is hospitalized in critical condition, according to a provincial health ministry statement translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.

The man's illness bumps the overall number of H7N9 infections to 371. The unofficial number of deaths remains at 114.

Outbreak Listeria strain found in cheese products

Officials have identified in cheese products produced by Roos Foods of Kenton, Del., the strain of Listeria monocytogenes responsible for a two-state outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday. The outbreak has sickened seven people in Maryland and killed a person in California, the CDC said.

Saudi Arabia reports MERS case in Riyadh woman

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today announced that a 56-year-old Saudi woman in Riyadh is sick with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

The woman has chronic diseases and is being treated in an intensive care unit, the MOH said. It gave no other information on her condition or her possible exposures to the virus.

Study: 10% avian flu rate in Egyptian birds, H5N1-H9N2 co-infections

Active surveillance in Egypt found that 10% of all poultry samples from August 2010 through January 2013 tested positive for avian flu, and the H9N2 strain emerged in the country during that time and co-infected birds with H5N1, according to a report yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Bamboo bonfire sparked histoplasmosis outbreak in Arkansas

An outbreak of histoplasmosis was linked to a bonfire of bamboo at a family gathering in Arkansas in 2011, suggesting that heating of fungal spores that cause the disease may fuel their transmission, says a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

FDA picks flu vaccine strains for 2014-15 flu season

A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel today made its recommendation on strains to include for the next flu season vaccine. The move is part of a process that the Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) conducts to review the most current flu strains, surveillance, and updates on vaccine performance, uptake, and manufacturing.

Caribbean chikungunya cases may now top 10,000

The Caribbean now has 10,476 confirmed, probable, or suspected cases of chikungunya, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said late last week, up from 6,540 the week before.

Hong Kong detects sixth imported H7N9 case

Hong Kong health officials today announced another imported H7N9 influenza infection, in an 18-month-old girl who had recently traveled to mainland China's Guangdong province, one of the hot spots in the most recent wave of cases.

The girl's illness is the sixth imported H7N9 case detected in Hong Kong since December, according to a statement today from Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP).

Study: Common pro-vaccine messages may backfire

In a trial of several types of fact-based messages that encouraged parents to have their children immunized with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, none worked, especially among those least disposed to have their kids vaccinated, US researchers reported yesterday in Pediatrics.

The scientists tested four types of promotion based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site:

Saudi Arabia reports two MERS cases, one fatal

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) announced two new Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections today, one of them fatal.

NYC officials link skin infections to Chinatown fish markets

New York City's health department said yesterday that a rare skin disease has been identified in 30 people who handled live or raw fish or seafood bought in Chinatown markets in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens.

US flu activity declines, but virus still taking lives

Overall US influenza activity continues to decline, but the share of deaths attributed to flu and pneumonia is still on the high side, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update.