The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today updated its recommendations for testing pregnant women for Zika virus, mainly because one of the most frequently used tests—which detected immunoglobulin B (IgM) antibodies—is more likely to yield a false positive result, especially as incidence of the disease in the Americas decreases.
For the third week in a row, China reported just one H7N9 avian influenza case, a sign that the fifth and biggest wave of infections may be drawing to a close.
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, yesterday announced the second year of funding to states—totaling $30.9 million—to support the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
A study yesterday in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases that measured the time between symptom onset and diagnosis in 537 patients with MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia found that patients were diagnosed 0 to 36 days after symptoms appeared, with a median of 4 days.
A case series of 112 babies born to Brazilian mothers who had confirmed Zika infections found that 21.4% had eye abnormalities with the potential to impair sight, with the condition sometimes seen on its own without microcephaly or other central nervous system (CNS) problems. Researchers from Brazil reported in JAMA Pediatrics today.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) said there was a new case of measles in an adult who visited several public places while infectious. The new case brings the total to 79 for Minnesota's ongoing measles outbreak.
In other Zika developments, a human rights group raised concerns about water, sanitation, and other public health concerns in Brazil, and India announced microcephaly screening for newborns.
Details from the investigation into an unusual Zika infection in the family member of a critially ill man point to person-to-person contact, thought to be rare.
Cholera outbreaks in countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean region have reached a critical point, and the WHO and its partners are scaling up efforts to reduce the risk of spread to unaffected areas and neighboring countries, the agency said in a statement today.
According to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are now 88 babies born in the United States with Zika-related birth defects, an increase of 8 since the last report. The number of pregnancy losses showing Zika-related birth defects remains at 8.
