A report summing up all the investigation findings in India's Nipah virus outbreak says 17 of 19 patients appear to have contracted the virus from the index patient, a 26-year-old man, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported yesterday, citing findings released by health officials from Kerala state.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved TPOXX (tecovirimat), made by SIGA Technologies, as the first drug with an indication for treating smallpox, a disease that has been eradicated but could still be used as a bioweapon.
Depression, headaches, and insomnia are just some of the often debilitating symptoms.
A study published in Vaccine shows that even small doses of the yellow fever vaccine are likely to offer protection against the virus for up to 8 years after vaccination. The information reassures countries like Brazil, who have used fractional dosing in an effort to stretch supplies of the vaccine during recent outbreaks.
Kenya has reported 36 more illnesses in its Rift Valley fever outbreak, lifting the total to 90, the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said in its latest weekly health emergencies update. No new deaths have been reported, keeping the fatality count at 10.
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) announced the first case of variant influenza H3N2 (H3N2v) detected this year in a county fairgoer who was in close proximity to pigs. The Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the infection on Jun 29.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) health ministry said today that all contacts of the last confirmed case have completed their 21-day monitoring periods with none showing any signs of illness, marking the beginning of the countdown to the end of the nation's ninth Ebola outbreak.
In a separate report, researchers from Liberia weigh in on urban spread in the DRC and recommend strategies for reducing that type of Ebola transmission.
In a World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office weekly bulletin, Kenya reported an additional 44 cases of Rift Valley fever (RVF), including 6 deaths, in an ongoing outbreak of the virus.
The spike in cases raises outbreak totals to 54 cases, including 11 deaths, resulting in a case-fatality rate of 20.4%. Men ages 21 to 30 years old make up 70% of the patients.
No new lab-confirmed Ebola infections were reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the past 3 days, though surveillance workers continue to report more suspected cases from the remote hot spots, while tests rule out earlier suspected cases.
