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WHO declares West Africa free of Ebola transmission

Today the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Liberia free of Ebola transmission—meaning the last patient in the country tested negative for a second time 42 days ago—a step that marks the third time West Africa has been declared free of Ebola after its massive outbreak in 2014 and 2015.

Study: Low-dose, natural-route Ebola fails to cause disease in macaques

Low doses of the Makona strain of Ebola failed to cause disease, tissue lesions, or high viral titers in macaques when administered via the mouth or eye, according to a study yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Disease.

Netherlands reports first H7N9 poultry outbreak since 2015

The Netherlands lost nearly 45,000 poultry to low-pathogenic H7N9 avian influenza, the first outbreak of the strain in more than a year, according to a Jun 10 report from the country to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

FDA confirms multistate E coli outbreak's link to General Mills flour

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that Escherichia coli O121 found in a sample of General Mills flour from the home of one of the patients in a 38-case outbreak matches the strain infecting people.

Flu season hits stride in some Southern Hemisphere countries

The Southern Hemisphere flu season has begun to see increases in some temperate countries of South America and in South Africa, but activity is fairly low in such countries in the Oceana region as Australia, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in a global flu update.

CDC reports another detection of MCR-1 resistance gene in pig sample

Federal officials have detected the MCR-1 resistance gene in another Escherichia coli isolate taken from a pig, bringing to three the number of US detections in 3 weeks, after the gene was found in late May in samples from a person and a separate pig.

ECDC recommends multipronged effort to combat MCR-1 resistance

The MCR-1 resistance gene, which has now been detected in at least 20 countries and renders bacteria resistant to the last-resort antibiotic colistin, poses a "substantial public health risk" to the European Union and must be combatted on a range of fronts, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said today in its latest rapid risk assessment.

Study finds similarity in outbreak and sporadic foodborne illnesses

Foodborne illness patterns are generally similar when comparing outbreaks with sporadic infections, except in some instances for children, according to an analysis of the characteristics of four bacteria monitored by surveillance sites that are part of the US FoodNet system.

ECDC report describes severe enterovirus outbreak in Spain

An outbreak of an especially large and severe enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) outbreak in kids younger than 10 in Spain's Catalonia region that began in the middle of April has so far sickened 87, with 22 still in the hospital, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said today in a risk assessment.

WHO updates Zika strategy, needs $122 million in response funding

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the rollout of an updated strategy to fight Zika virus, covering response steps over the next 18 months. It said it needs $121.9 million to carry out the strategy.

Chinese girl sick with H9N2 infection

A 4-year-old girl in China's Guangdong province is sick with an H9N2 avian influenza infection, according to a translated report posted Jun 18 by FluTrackers, an infectious disease message board.

Yellow fever declared epidemic in parts of DRC; 1,000 cases suspected

Yellow fever in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been declared an epidemic in three provinces as officials report 1,000 suspected cases, Reuters reported today.

Study: Weakness, fever, distress common with Ebola in young children

A study published in the July issue of The Lancet Global Health notes that weakness, fever, distress, and diarrhea were common symptoms in children under the age of 5 years who were being treated for Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa, and many presented without a fever. 

WHO gives details on 6 Saudi MERS-CoV cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) today issued a statement offering new details on 6 cases of MERS-CoV reported on Jun 19 and 20 in Saudi Arabia. Four of the cases are related to the current outbreak at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh.

CDC, AstraZeneca weigh in on ACIP FluMist action

In the aftermath of its advisory panel yesterday recommending against inhaled flu vaccine (FluMist) for the upcoming season due to low efficacy, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement on the decision and next steps.

New MERS case and death reported in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new MERS-CoV case today, bringing the country's total to 1,400, as well as a death in a previously reported MERS patient.

A 55-year-old Bangladeshi man living in Jeddah tested positive for MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). He had primary exposure to the virus, the MOH said, adding that he's currently in stable condition.

Obama veto threat looms over latest version of Zika funding bill

President Obama yesterday signaled he would veto a $1.1 billion Zika funding bill passed by the House of Representatives before they adjourned for the 4th of July break, Reuters reported. He said he objects to the deal reached through House and Senate conferencing because it is well short of the $1.9 billion the administration requested back in February.

Saudi Arabia reports 3 recent MERS cases

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported three new MERS-CoV cases over the weekend, an uptick after few new cases were reported last week. At least one patient is linked to an ongoing outbreak at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia reports 2 new MERS cases, 1 linked to camels

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported two new MERS cases today, and a death in a previously reported patient. The new patients and the deceased were elderly Saudi men who were not healthcare workers.

H5N1 strikes Nigerian poultry farm, Chinese zoo lions

Nigeria's agriculture ministry yesterday reported an H5N1 avian flu outbreak at a commercial farm in Lagos state, and authorities in China said H5N1 has been detected in lions at a zoo in Hubei province.

Phase 3 study shows HPV vaccine effective for women over 26

The human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 vaccine (Cervarix) is safe and effective when administered to older adult women after 7 years of follow-up. That's the takeaway from the VIVIANE study, which tracked 10,000 women worldwide who received the vaccine after the age of 26.

Study: Clinical decision tree eases antibiotic-resistant bacteria diagnosis

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that a clinical decision tree can be used to determine whether a patient with bacteremia has been infected by extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria, which are more difficult to treat due to antibiotic resistance.

WHO reports more than 350 new cases of yellow fever in Angola, DRC

Yellow fever continues to sweep across border areas between Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to the World Health Organization's (WHO's) weekly yellow fever situation report.

E coli outbreak linked to General Mills flour grows to 42 cases in 21 states

An outbreak of Escherichia coli O121 linked to General Mills flour has grown by 4 cases, to 42, and the company has expanded its recall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

Flu vaccine more effective than thought in mismatched year

A new study in Clinical Infectious Diseases reports that the flu vaccine in 2014-15 was more effective than expected in hospitalized adults, including those 65 or older.