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Flu shows signs of decline in some Southern Hemisphere regions

As the Southern Hemisphere's flu season winds down, disease levels in temperate South American and southern Africa countries decreased or have peaked in recent weeks, according to the latest global flu update from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Saudi MOH records new MERS case in Najran

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) today recorded a new case of MERS-CoV for epidemiologic week 40, which is this week.

A 49-year-old man from Najran was diagnosed as having  MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). The MOH said the man was hospitalized and likely exposed to the virus in a community setting. He had not reported recent contact with camels, a known risk factor.

WHO: Flu activity still high in many Northern Hemisphere countries

Flu activity is still high in the Northern Hemisphere's temperate-zone countries, with a few countries now reporting hospitalization and intensive care unit admission levels that top previous seasons, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its latest global flu update. Adults ages 65 and older are the hardest hit groups in both Canada and the United States.

WHO issues health advisory ahead of South Korea Olympic Games

In a joint statement today the World Health Organization (WHO) and South Korean health officials issued public health recommendations for people attending the upcoming winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang.

Norovirus outbreak strikes Winter Olympics security staff, others

With the Winter Olympics just getting under way in South Korea, a norovirus outbreak has sidelined 32 workers, including 21 from the security staff, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Authorities have called in military personnel to help with security.

High-dose vaccine more likely to protect against lab-confirmed flu

The high-dose flu vaccine is 38% more effective in protecting elderly people against laboratory-confirmed influenza than the standard-dose vaccine, according to a study of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) senior patients published yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Immune history, not egg-based problems may have affected 2012-13 flu VE

As researchers work on solving the complex puzzle of all the factors that influence flu vaccine effectiveness (VE), researchers today report that low VE of the H3N2 component during the 2012-13 flu season may have been due to poor immune response rather than adaptations in egg-grown vaccine viruses, as previously thought.

FDA oversees voluntary destruction, recall of kratom products

Days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said kratom, a plant used as an opioid substitute, was behind a multistate outbreak of Salmonella illness, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Botany Bay, Enhance Your Life, and Divinity by Divinity Products Distribution of Grain Valley, Mo., agreed to stop selling all products containing kratom, and voluntarily destroyed a high vo

Japan approves new one-dose antiviral flu drug

Japan's health ministry has given fast-track approval to a new flu antiviral with a different mechanism of action than neuraminidase inhibitors that offers a one-dose treatment option, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

Saudi Arabia records new hospital-related MERS case

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced a new case of hospital-acquired MERS-CoV in Riyadh, involving a health worker who is likely part of a hospital-related outbreak.

Nigeria's Lassa fever total grows, expands to another state

The number of suspected cases in Nigeria's Lassa fever outbreak has climbed to 1,386 over the past week, which includes 12 more confirmed cases and 4 more deaths, the country's Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said in its latest report for the week ending Mar 11. So far 365 confirmed cases and 114 deaths have been reported.

Three more MERS cases reported in Saudi Arabia

Yesterday and today, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced three new cases of MERS-CoV, including another household contact of a previously reported case in Jeddah.

Yesterday, the MOH said a 43-year-old Saudi man from Riyadh was in critical condition after being diagnosed as having MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). The man had direct contact with camels.

CDC: Flu continues decline across the US as influenza B incidence rises

The rate of outpatient visits for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) dropped to 2.7% last week, close to the national baseline of 2.2%, according to the latest influenza surveillance data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is the 17th week ILI has been at or above the national baseline.

As US flu cases continue to slow, influenza B picks up

The rate of outpatient visits for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) dropped again this week to 2.5%, down from 2.7% in the previous week, and influenza B continues to cause an increasing percentage of flu cases, according to the latest influenza surveillance data reported today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This is the 18th week ILI has been at or above the national baseline, which is 2.2%.

Saudi Arabia records 3 new MERS cases

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) released details of three new cases of MERS-CoV over the weekend, including two cases in Hofuf.

Monkeypox outbreak recorded in Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR) declared an outbreak of monkeypox in Bambari district, according to the latest weekly World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office bulletin, dated Mar 30 but posted yesterday.

Saudi Arabia records 2 new MERS cases

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed two new cases of MERS-CoV, including a household contact in Riyadh.

On Apr 2, a 58-year-old Saudi man from Najran was diagnosed as having an asymptomatic MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infection. He is in stable condition, and the source of his infection is listed as "primary," meaning it's unlikely he contracted the disease from another person. 

CDC: Flu activity drops across the country

Only two states reported high levels of influenza-like illness (ILI) last week, according to the latest influenza surveillance data reported today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And only 11 states, down from the previous week's 16, recorded widespread influenza activity.

US flu visits finally fall below national baseline

Outpatient visits for flulike illness fell below the US national baseline of 2.2% last week, the first time since late November, but nine new flu-related deaths in kids were reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly update.

Third case of MERS recorded in Riyadh household cluster

Today Saudi Arabia's ministry of health (MOH) reported a new MERS-CoV case, the third case connected to a household cluster in Riyadh. The notice came in an epidemiologic week 2 notification.

Flu vaccine tied to fewer hospitalizations among COPD patients

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who received the seasonal influenza vaccine had a38% reduction in influenza-related hospitalizations compared with those who were unvaccinated. The findings, based on a Canadian study, are published in Chest.

CDC records 3 more acute flaccid myelitis cases, 196 total

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today recorded 3 new cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), bringing the total for 2018 to 196 confirmed cases. The confirmed cases are among the 357 reports that CDC received of patients under investigation. 

2018 has seen the most AFM cases of any year since the CDC began tracking the mysterious illness in 2014.

Oman and Saudi Arabia report new MERS cases

Two Middle East countries reported new MERS-CoV cases today, including four in Oman and one in Saudi Arabia, according to separate health ministry announcements.

MERS sickens three more in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's health ministry today reported three more MERS-CoV cases, two of them linked to ongoing outbreak activity in Wadi ad-Dawasir in the south-central part of the country.

WHO: Brisk flu activity reported in several countries

Flu is rising in several parts of the world, with 2009 H1N1 dominant, but many locations experiencing H3N2 circulation, as well, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in a global flu update, covering activity through Feb 3.