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Saudi Arabia reports another MERS case

Saudi Arabia reported just one MERS-CoV case today, in Mecca province, far from the eastern city of Hofuf, which has been the country's MERS hot spot the past several weeks.

FDA: Low percentage of pets harbor Salmonella

About 3% of pet dogs and cats might harbor Salmonella, many without showing symptoms, preliminary results of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study show.

China confirms 9 recent H7N9 cases, 1 death

Chinese health officials yesterday and today reported nine new H7N9 avian flu cases, including one fatality, according to translations of reports posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.

Congressmen seek review of DHS bioterror contract halt

Two high-ranking members of Congress have asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess whether the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acted properly in scrapping a multimillion-dollar contract for developing new technology for detecting bioterror agents, the Washington Post reported today.

HHS funds nine regional treatment centers for Ebola, other diseases

To prepare the nation better for cases of Ebola or other serious diseases, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has earmarked about $20 million to develop nine regional treatment centers across the country, HHS said today in a news release.

Saudi Arabia reports fatal MERS case in Hofuf

Saudi Arabia today reported one new MERS-CoV case, involving a 77-year-old man who died from from his infection, the country's Ministry of Health (MOH) said today in a statement.

WHO profiles latest H7N9 cases in China

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released a snapshot of 15 H7N9 avian influenza cases, 3 of them fatal, that it received from China on Jun 12.

Today's report didn't include individual details about each patient, but rather a broad epidemiologic view of the most recent infections. The WHO said illness-onset dates range from Apr 19 to May 22 and all of the cases involved exposure to poultry environments.

Saudi Arabia reports 4 new MERS cases, 3 in Hofuf
Saudi Arabia's Minister of Health (MOH) reported four more MERS-CoV cases over the weekend and today—three in the hot spot city of Hofuf—in an outbreak that still simmers even as it gets overshadowed by MERS events in South Korea. The agency also reported three deaths in previously reported cases.

Avian flu hits again in Iowa and Nebraska

Iowa ended an 8-day quiet spell today with the report of a new avian influenza outbreak on a chicken farm, while Nebraska reported that the virus was found on a farm that was already being depopulated because of outbreaks at neighboring farms.

Report: CDC to take 3 years to release lab-mishap information

In the wake of several lab missteps involving dangerous pathogens, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said it will take 3 years to release detailed information on lab incidents throughout the country, USA Today reported yesterday.

Avian flu finding on Nebraska farm goes unconfirmed; quarantine lifted

Three weeks of follow-up testing on a big Nebraska egg farm never confirmed preliminary tests that showed avian influenza there, prompting an end to the quarantine of the farm, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) announced yesterday.

Study traces Ebola virus evolution in West African epidemic

A new genetic study of Ebola viruses in West Africa's epidemic, published yesterday in Nature, helps trace the disease's spread and, according to the authors, shows that the virus mutated at about the same rate observed in earlier outbreaks.

Army lab didn't properly test method of killing B anthracis, report says

A US Army facility in Utah that mistakenly shipped live Bacillus anthracis to dozens of other labs over a 10-year period did not properly test its method for killing the bacterium, which causes anthrax, according to a USA Today story based on a government report.

Novel H5N9 virus described as hybrid of H5N1, H7N9

Chinese researchers who analyzed influenza viruses from poultry in live-bird markets say they have discovered a novel H5N9 virus that represents a hybrid of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu virus and a human H7N9 virus, along with other elements.

Plague kills boy in Larimer County, Colorado

The first confirmed case of plague in Colorado's Larimer County since 1999 has turned fatal for a 16-year-old boy, the Associated Press (AP) reported today.

Egyptian officials confirm H5N1 in Egyptian girl

A 3-year-old girl in Faiyum governorate has contracted H5N1 avian flu, health officials confirmed in media reports translated by FluTrackers, an infectious disease message board.

The case interrupts a 2-month lull in the country, which has been hit with a spate of cases this year and has now confirmed 144 H5N1 cases since Jan 1, according to a list maintained by FluTrackers.

Four more cases lift Korean MERS total to 179

South Korea's health ministry reported four more MERS-CoV infections today, boosting the total to 179, and said they have identified transmission that may have occurred outside of the hospital setting, according to media reports.

Respite from H5N2 outbreaks continues for Minnesota, Iowa

The predicted summer break in H5N2 avian influenza activity is growing longer in hard-hit Minnesota and Iowa, allowing more areas to be released from quarantine and more poultry farms to restock their barns.

Saudi Arabia reports another MERS case in Hofuf outbreak

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) today announced one new MERS-CoV infection, yet another case linked to an outbreak in the city of Hofuf, which has reported clusters linked to healthcare facilities and at least one family.

The patient is a 41-year-old Saudi man who is a household contact of an earlier reported case. He is not a healthcare worker and is hospitalized in stable condition.

Saudi Arabia reports 2 new MERS cases in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported one MERS-CoV case both yesterday and today in Riyadh, a break from dozens of cases in recent weeks in the city of Hofuf.

South Korea sees MERS lull, reports one more death

For the third day in a row South Korea reported no new MERS-CoV cases, but its health ministry today reported one more death, involving an 81-year-old woman who had a stoke before she was diagnosed, the Korea Times reported today. The woman was exposed to the virus while at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul.

South Korea goes 4 days with no new MERS cases

For the fourth consecutive day, no new MERS-CoV cases were reported in South Korea, keeping the country's outbreak total at 182. Also, no other previously announced patients have died from their infections, holding the number of fatalities at 33, the Korea Herald reported.

Texas Cyclospora cases reach 103

Texas health officials reported today that the the state's surge of Cyclospora infections has reached 103, including 91 cases in the past 2 weeks.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) said cases have been reported in at least 22 of the state's 254 counties, but the largest portion—38 cases—are in Travis County, which includes Austin.

South Korea reports first MERS case in 5 days

South Korea today reported its first confirmed MERS-CoV case in 5 days, in a nurse who works at Samsung Medical Center, the hardest-hit facility in the country's large healthcare-linked outbreak. The latest illness raises the total to 183.

South Africa, Sri Lanka cited as flu hot spots by WHO

South Africa and Sri Lanka were about the only exceptions to a global pattern of low influenza activity revealed by surveillance as of mid-June, according to a recent flu update from the World Health Organization (WHO).