Search

Flu season analysis may help vaccination policies in tropical countries

An analysis of flu activity in tropical regions found eight zones that had similar patterns, which might be helpful for guiding flu vaccination timing and formulation, a team led by World Health Organization (WHO) experts reported yesterday in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) One.

Six measles cases reported in Memphis area

Six measles cases have been confirmed in the Memphis, Tenn., area, according to news services and health officials, signaling what is apparently the largest US measles outbreak since more than 100 cases were linked to Disney theme parks in California early in 2015.

FDA: Dole kept salad facility running for 18 months after Listeria surfaced

Federal inspection records obtained by Food Safety News (FSN) show that Dole kept a salad processing plant in Ohio operating for about 18 months after finding Listeria contamination there, until an outbreak was traced to the facility in January of this year.

China reports another human H7N9 case

Chinese officials have reported another human case of H7N9 avian flu, according to a post yesterday on FluTrackers, an infectious disease message board.

The infection involves a 58-year-old man from Laizhou, a city in China's eastern coastal province of Shandong. He is currently hospitalized in critical condition, government information translated by FluTrackers noted.

CBS report says US firm knowingly sold defective surgical gowns

A report by CBS's 60 Minutes yesterday alleged that the US company Halyard Health for years sold surgical gowns that it knew were defective, putting healthcare workers at risk for bloodborne infections. In a press release today, the company strongly denied the allegations

Study: Maternal flu shot lowers risk of infant flu infection, hospitalization

Infants born to women who received a flu vaccination during pregnancy were 81% less likely to be hospitalized with influenza during the first 6 months of life, according to a study today in Pediatrics.

MERS case reported in Qatar

Qatar yesterday reported its second MERS-CoV case this year in a man with no travel history, according to translated information from Qatar's Ministry of Public Health posted on FluTrackers, an infectious disease message board.

Low-pathogenic H5N1 virus prompts turkey culling in Missouri

Authorities have destroyed a flock of 39,000 turkeys on a farm in southwestern Missouri following the detection of a low-pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in the birds, according to a report that US officials filed with the World Organization for animal Health (OIE) on May 2.

Sierra Leone study: Nearly half of Ebola survivors' household contacts infected

In a study conducted in Sierra Leone, nearly half of household contacts of Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors contracted the illness, with the risk strongly associated with the level of exposure, according to a report published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Guinea study finds Ebola RNA in semen up to 9 months after infection

A study of Ebola virus disease survivors in Guinea has added to previous evidence that the virus can persist for as long as 9 months in the semen of survivors, reinforcing the concern about a risk of sexual transmission for months after recovery.

Saudi Arabia reports asymptomatic MERS infection in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported an asymptomatic MERS-CoV infection in a man in Riyadh who is a household contact of a previous MERS patient.

Four more flu-related children's deaths reported as cases ebb

Influenza activity around the United States continued its retreat toward summertime levels last week, but four more flu-related children's deaths were reported, according to today's weekly update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Yellow fever transmission continues in southern Africa

Yellow fever case totals in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continue to climb, with Namibia now reporting its first suspected case, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) situation report yesterday.

Genetic findings tie poor flu vaccine results in 2014-15 to drifted H3N2 strain

The performance of the seasonal influenza vaccine was exceptionally weak in the 2014-15 season, a failure that was attributed largely to its low effectiveness against a drifted strain of A/H3N2 virus that became dominant. Now, US researchers have reported clear genetic evidence that the drifted strain undermined vaccine effectiveness (VE).

Takeda gets $38 million Gates grant to boost polio vaccine supply

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company today announced a $38 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, part of a partnership to develop a safe, effective, and affordable Sabin-strain inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) for developing countries.

Novel avian flu subtype H3N6 found co-circulating with H3 and H5 viruses

A novel avian flu subtype, H3N6, was found co-circulating with other viruses on duck farms in China's Hunan province, according to a May 6 study in Scientific Reports.

Policy draft, risk-benefit analysis posted ahead of NSABB meeting

Ahead of its upcoming meeting, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) has posted a draft of a working group's recommendations to guide federal officials in evaluating proposed gain-of-function (GOF) studies on H5N1 flu and other dangerous pathogens, and an outside company tasked with crafting a risk-benefit analysis of GOF research has posted its final report.

CDC discloses for first time its own labs faced biosecurity sanctions

An undisclosed number of labs operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been cited for serious biosecurity violations six times since 2003, and a CDC lab in Fort Collins, Colo., was suspended for lab safety breaches, the agency admitted for the first time to USA Today yesterday.

FDA requires reports on species-specific animal-antimicrobial sales

As part of the effort to preserve medically important antimicrobials, pharmaceutical companies will henceforward be required to report sales of antimicrobial drugs for food animals by species, not just overall totals, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday.

WHO recommends shorter treatment regimen for some MDR-TB patients

Following the development of a rapid diagnostic test for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) strains, the World Health Organization (WHO) today recommended a shorter treatment regimen for patients with uncomplicated MDR-TB infections.

Figures on prevalence of asymptomatic flu cases are all over the map

A meta-analysis of the influenza literature indicates that there is no consistent or typical figure for the percentage of flu infections that are asymptomatic, which adds to the difficulty of responding to outbreaks, according to a new report from Australian and British researchers published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Sprout-related outbreak over after 26 sickened in 12 states

A Salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts that sickened 26 people in 12 states appears to be over, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in a final notice about the event.

Camel exposure cited in latest Saudi MERS illness

Ending a 9-day stretch with no new cases, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday reported a MERS-CoV infection in a 72-year-old man from Hail in the north central part of the country, according to an MOH notification.

The man is in stable condition, and an investigation into the source of his illness found that he had contact with camels before he got sick.

WHO reports details of Qatar, Saudi MERS-CoV cases

No new MERS-CoV cases have been reported today, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has posted information on the case reported recently from Qatar as well as details of several previously reported cases from Saudi Arabia.

H5N1 risk factors remain stable during recent case increases

Death rates and demographic characteristics associated with H5N1avian flu infections have remained relatively stable, even in Egypt, where human cases surged dramatically more than a year ago, according to a study yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.