Tick-borne Disease

Study finds no increased COVID-19 risk for childcare workers

In one of the first large-scale studies of COVID-19 transmission in US childcare programs, no association was found between day care exposure and COVID-19 transmission risk for providers.

One more sick in DRC Ebola outbreak, 73 total, with 31 deaths

Ebola has sickened one more person in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Equateur province outbreak, upping the total to 73 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said today on Twitter.

No new deaths were reported, keeping the fatality count at 31.

Survey finds inconsistent, under-supported tick surveillance across US

In the face of the increasing spread of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in the United States, tick surveillance and control efforts across the country are inconsistent and hampered by lack of infrastructure and financial support, according to a new survey of professionals in the field.

Study supports shorter antibiotic course for pneumonia in children

A study of children hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) found that a shorter course of antibiotics did not increase the odds of treatment failure compared with a longer course, US researchers reported today in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

DRC reports another new Ebola death

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported a second new Ebola case, which involves an 11-month-old girl who was treated at the same Beni hospital as a man whose illness was announced on Apr 10.

Study: To avoid ticks, don't dump fall leaves on wooded edge of lawn

Raking or blowing fall leaves on a lawn's border with a wooded area can create the ideal habitat for blacklegged ticks to thrive and spread disease the next spring, according to a study yesterday in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Two new Ebola cases recorded in DRC

According to the World Health Organization (WHO's) Ebola dashboard, two new cases of the viral disease were recorded today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), raising the outbreak total to 3,351 cases including 2,217 deaths.

Officials are still investigating 519 suspected cases

Health insurance claims show increasing Lyme prevalence in US

A survey of health insurance claims made in the United States from 2007 through 2018 shows that claim lines with a diagnosis of Lyme disease increased 117%. The information is included in a white paper published today by FAIR Health, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to healthcare costs and health insurance information.

CDC: 21 sick with Salmonella in 13 states in outbreak tied to turtles

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday announced a 13-state Salmonella Oranienburg outbreak linked to pet turtles that has sickened at least 21 people.

Of the 21 patients, 7 have been hospitalized but none have died, the CDC said. Illness-onset dates vary from May 29 to Sep 3, and patients range in age from less than 1 to 80 years, with a median age of 24.

Five countries report polio, including first vaccine-derived case in Benin

In new polio developments, Pakistan reported five more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases and four African countries reported more circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases, including the first in Benin, according to the latest weekly update today from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).