Three environmental samples from live-poultry markets in Shenzhen, China, have tested positive for H7N9 avian flu virus, the South China Morning Post reported today. Two recent cases in Hong Kong have been linked to Shenzhen.
Officials discovered the virus after collecting 70 samples at 13 live-bird markets throughout the city.
Global malaria-control efforts since 2000 have saved an estimated 3.3 million lives and reduced global mortality rates by 45%, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its "World Malaria Report 2013," released today.
Three major infectious-disease societies said this week that healthcare personnel (HCP) should be required to receive all six vaccines that are recommended for them by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Supplies of tuberculin skin test antigen solutions are expected to return to normal in January, following shortages that health providers have been experiencing since 2012, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in the latest issue of Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Chinese health officials reported two new H7N9 avian flu cases in Guangdong province over the past 2 days, in a 36-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, both of whom are hospitalized in critical condition, according to reports from Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP).
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) today recommended that all infants, children, and pregnant women avoid raw (unpasteurized) milk, and called for a nationwide ban on the sale of all raw-milk products.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed the two most recent cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia, in 51- and 26-year-old women.
The agency offered a few new details in the cases, which were first reported by Saudi officials on Dec 5.
Chinese health authorities today announced another H7N9 avian flu infection in Guangdong province, the area's third reported case in the past week, according to a statement from Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP).
The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed that the H10N8 avian flu death in a woman from Jiangxi province, China, reported 2 days ago by Chinese officials is indeed the first human case involving that strain, and it provided some new details.
In an epidemiologic assessment today, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said that H7N9 avian flu in China continues to pose a significant health risk.
A meeting of world experts last week concluded that convalescent serum—antibody-rich blood from survivors—may be a promising tool for treating Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections.
The investigation of tuberculosis (TB) cases in a Las Vegas, Nev., hospital has revealed two active TB cases and 59 latent infections, including 22 infections in healthcare workers, the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) reported this week.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today recognized four Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases recently reported by Saudi Arabia, including one death, raising the agency's global count to 170 cases and 72 deaths.
An 86-year-old man in Hong Kong has contracted H9N2 avian flu, the first human case involving that strain in the region in 4 years, the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said today.
Taiwan has confirmed a second case of H7N9 avian flu, in an 86-year-old man who lives in Jiangsu province in mainland China, according to a news release today from Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP).
The World Health Organization (WHO) is taking steps to curb infectious disease threats at refugee camps in two African nations struck by violent political unrest, South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR).
A serologic survey from British Columbia suggests that preschool children and working-age adults are the groups most susceptible to the pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, by far the most common strain in North America so far this flu season.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has another Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) case, involving a 33-year-old male healthcare worker in Dubai who had contact with another MERS patient, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today.
In a statement, the WHO said the patient was exposed to the MERS patient whose case was reported on Dec 20. The latter was a 68-year-old man in Dubai who has since died.
The French side of the Caribbean island of St. Martin now has 89 confirmed and 20 probable cases of chikungunya, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a Jan 4 update.
Another H7N9 case has been detected in China, the ninth such infection to be reported in Guangdong province, where several of the country’s recent infections have been found.
Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said in a statement that the patient is a 31-year-old man who lives in Shenzhen. He started having symptoms on Dec 30 and was hospitalized on Jan 3, where he is in stable condition.
The largest US outbreak so far of bacteria producing the enzyme NDM (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase), which confers resistance to most antibiotics, has been linked to a Chicago area hospital, according to the Chicago Sun-Times and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The contamination was traced to endoscopic equipment.
Canada's food inspection agency received the lowest possible passing grade—"adequate"—from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its latest audit of practices surrounding meat, poultry, and eggs, according to a Food Safety News (FSN) story today.
Increased demand and manufacturing delays are expected to cause a temporary shortage of the liquid form of the influenza drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in coming days, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on its Web site.
The oral suspension formulation is intended for small children and others who can't swallow capsules.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed a fatal Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) case in an Omani man that was reported by the media a week ago and revealed that he had extensive contact with camels.
An outbreak of H5N1 avian flu has destroyed 50,000 chickens at a farm in China, and four H5N1 outbreaks in Vietnam have led to the deaths of almost 10,000 poultry, according to separate reports filed with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
