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New H7N9 cases confirmed in Sichuan province

Today China reported two more cases of H7N9 avian flu in Sichuan province, according to FluTrackers, an infectious disease tracking message board. The patients are in critical condition. According to translated news reports, no close family contacts have tested positive for the highly pathogenic strain.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

MCR-1 identified in California; Vietnam notes link to ag colistin use

Originally published by CIDRAP News Feb 1

China reports 4 more H7N9 cases as Taiwan announces imported case

In a sign of an ongoing steady stream of H7N9 avian flu cases, five new infections have been reported, four from China's mainland plus an imported infection in Taiwan, according to statements yesterday and today from Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP).

H7N9 hospitalizes man in China's Henan province

One more H7N9 avian flu infection was reported from China today, a sign of ongoing activity that is within striking distance of the record 319 cases reported during the second wave of activity during the winter of 2013-14.

Chinese study finds increasing rate of MCR-1 carriage in humans

A new study out of China indicates that human fecal carriage of MCR-1-positive, multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae is on the rise.

Study: Standard pasteurization kills Ebola virus in breast milk

A recent study in the Journal of Human Lactation showed that pasteurizing breast milk kills both Ebola and Marburg viruses. The research was done at the Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas (MMBNT), and was conducted in the wake of the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak.

H7N9 avian flu infects 6 more in China, nears record

Officials reported six more H7N9 avian influenza infections in five different provinces in China, signaling an ongoing surge of activity what will likely make the current fifth wave of illnesses the largest since the virus was first detected in humans in 2013.

Brazil's yellow fever outbreak tops 1,000 cases

A worrisome spike of more than 300 yellow fever cases in the past week has boosted Brazil's outbreak to 1,060 cases and 166 deaths, the country's health ministry said in an update yesterday.

Study shows how tolerant bacteria enable the development of resistance

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have uncovered an alternative method by which bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics.

Saudi Arabia reports severe MERS infection in Mecca

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed another MERS-CoV infection yesterday, noting a severe case in Mecca.

The patient is a 60-year-old male expatriate who is hospitalized in critical condition with MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) illness. He is not a healthcare worker and had direct infection with camels, a known risk factor.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Study shows how tolerant bacteria enable the development of resistance

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have uncovered an alternative method by which bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics.

H7N9 cases detected in Beijing and Shanghai

The H7N9 avian influenza virus has sickened two more people in China. The infections were detected in two of the country's biggest cities: Beijing and Shanghai.

DRC declares yellow fever outbreak over

Today the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the yellow fever outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is over, based on an announcement from the DRC. The declaration follows Angola's Dec 23 announcement that the outbreak had ended in that country. The DRC reported its last case on Jul 12, 2016.

China adds two more cases to H7N9 total

China reported two more H7N9 avian influenza cases, including the season's second case detected in Beijing, according to official sources and state media.

Experts recommend strategies for successful stewardship

An article yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases aims to help healthcare institutions comply with newly mandated antimicrobial stewardship standards by highlighting the habits of successful antimicrobial stewardship programs.

H5N8 avian flu outbreaks expand in Israel, Europe

Israel and four European countries reported more highly pathogenic H5N8 outbreaks, according to the latest updates from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Israel reported six new outbreaks in the central part of the country, with start dates ranging from Jan 23 to Feb 12, five of them at farms (turkeys, ducks, and laying hens) and one involving three barn owls found dead at a nature park.

Daptomycin shown to be safe, effective in kids with MRSA skin infections

Daptomycin is well-tolerated and effective in children with invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin infections, according to the results of a clinical trial published this week in Pediatrics.

Officials confirm 5 more cases of Zika-related birth defects in US

Five more babies have been born in the United States with Zika-related birth defects, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are now 43 babies in the country with documented defects from the mosquito-borne illness.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Daptomycin shown to be safe, effective in kids with MRSA skin infections

Daptomycin is well-tolerated and effective in children with invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin infections, according to the results of a clinical trial published this week in Pediatrics.

Officials confirm 6 new MERS cases, 1 death in Saudi Arabia

Over the past 4 days, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a flurry of MERS cases, one of them fatal and all involving men.

Neonatal sepsis risk calculator nearly halves newborn antibiotic use

An online calculator that predicts the risk for early onset sepsis (EOS) can cut antibiotic use in newborns nearly in half, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics.

China reports 2 more H7N9 cases, updates treatment recommendations

China today reported two more H7N9 avian influenza infections in humans, and the country's top health officials have announced an update to treatment recommendations for patients.

The latest cases are both from Sichuan province in southwestern China, according to a state news agency report translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.

H3N2 strain dominates global flu, which shows signs of ebbing

Flu activity remains elevated throughout much of the world, with the H3N2 variant dominating, according to a new update from the World Health Organization (WHO). The report said the peak of flu activity may be over in parts of Europe and North America, with some countries reporting a slight downward trend.

Study describes incidence, risk factors for MDR Enterobacteriaceae in kids

A study yesterday in BMC Infectious Diseases shows that critically ill children with tracheal Enterobacteriaceae infection are at risk for multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections.

Scientists report first case of artemisinin-resistant malaria in Africa

The first known case of malaria resistant to the essential drug artemisinin was reported yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine.