Archive for Global Disease Alerts
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (278): Thailand, China, WHO, global
COVID-19 -- ThailandIn March [2020], Thailand declared a state of emergency. People were told to stay indoors and curfews were put in place. Businesses were ordered to close and there was a growing nervousness about what lay ahead with the fast-spreading virus.But instead of locking herself indoors, health volunteer Aksorn Boosamsai went to visit neighbours in Klong Toey -- the largest slum in the centre of Bangkok. "I was scared ... but I think helping the community is one of my duties," the 52-year-old Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (279): selected countries
COVID-19 -- ChinaNew York: 411 972 / 708California: 184 095 / 5528New Jersey: 172 390 / 313Illinois: 137 224 / 462Texas: 119 645 / 5112Massachusetts: 107 210 / 149Florida: 100 217 / 2926Pennsylvania: 86 668 / 685Michigan: 67 957 / 246Georgia: 65 928 / 1227Maryland: 64 603 / 297Virginia: 58 465 / 471Arizona: 54 586 / 2196North Carolina: 53 736 / 802Louisiana: 50 239 / 174Connecticut: 45 782 / 27Ohio: 45 609 / 728Indiana: 42 633 / 210Tennessee: 35 553 / 451Minnesota: 33 227 Read more [...]
PRO/PL> Undiagnosed disease, cardamom – Bhutan: (CR)
Undiagnosed -- Bhutan[In Chirang district,] cardamom orchards [are showing] yellowish-brown hues mixed with a green tint. Many plants are affected, forming yellowish- brown to reddish-brown patches. Leaves have dried up. What has affected the crop remains unknown to many farmers. They claim that it has become a common cause of declining yield. Farmers say that the leaves dry after the roots rot.According to the [local] agriculture official, the cardamom plants suffer from the attack of microbial Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Cyclosporiasis – USA: salad mix, recall, CDC
Protozoa, miscellaneous -- United StatesA new multistate outbreak of _Cyclospora_ infections is "potentially linked" to certain store brands of garden salad mix, according to federal health officials. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both issued safety alerts Friday [19 Jun 2020], advising consumers in 6 Midwestern states to avoid select salads sold at Hy-Vee, Aldi, and Jewel-Osco stores.Jewel-Osco announced Saturday [20 Jun 2020], it is voluntarily Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (276): Oman app, Japan, Viet Nam, asymptomatic, WHO, global
COVID-19 -- OmanInformation on the natural history of asymptomatic infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains scarce./1-3 The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the cruise ship Diamond Princess led to 712 persons being infected with SARS-CoV-2 among the 3711 passengers and crew members, and 410 (58%) of these infected persons were asymptomatic at the time of testing (see the Supplementary Appendix, available with the full text of this letter Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Lumpy skin disease – Bangladesh (02): (RP) cattle, spread
Lumpy Skin Disease -- BangladeshWhile humans are trying to fight the deadly novel coronavirus across the globe, cattle in the country's northern districts, under Rangpur division, are getting infected at an alarming pace by another highly contagious virus: lumpy skin disease (LSD). According to independent sources and affected cattle owners, at least 50 cattle, mostly calves, have died with nearly 20 000 infected with LSD in 7 out of 8 districts in the division over the last several months.However, Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (275): selected countries
COVID-19 -- Worldwide/UnknownNew York: 410 434 / 841California: 174 978 / 4363 New Jersey: 171 787 / 345Illinois: 136 104 / 634Texas: 111 408 / 4250Massachusetts: 106 936 / 286Florida: 93 797 / 4049Pennsylvania: 85 677 / 384Michigan: 67 545 / 448Maryland: 63 956 / 408Georgia: 63 809 / 1800Virginia: 57 443 / 650North Carolina: 51 613 / 1773Louisiana: 48 515 / -119Arizona: 49 798 / 3109Connecticut: 45 715 / 158Ohio: 44 355 / 521Indiana: 42 061 / 315Tennessee: 34 446 / 429Minnesota: 32 Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Foot & mouth disease – Sweden: research, airborne transmission
Foot and Mouth, COVID-19 -- SwedenCitation: Bjornham O, Sigg R, Burman J. Multilevel model for airborne transmission of foot-and-mouth disease applied to Swedish livestock. PLoS ONE. 2020; 15(5): e0232489. doi: .AbstractThe foot and mouth disease is an ever-present hazard to the livestock industry due to the huge economic consequences following an outbreak that necessitates culling of possibly infected animals in vast numbers. The disease is highly contagious, and previous epizootics have shown that Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (46): Bulgaria (PD) poultry, HPAI H5N8, OIE
Avian Influenza H5N8 -- BulgariaInformation received on [and dated] 18 Jun 2020 from Dr Damyan Iliev, chief veterinary officer and deputy executive director, Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Sofia, BulgariaSummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 4 Jun 2020Date of confirmation of the event: 4 Jun 2020Reason for notification: recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: 18 Mar 2020Manifestation of disease: clinical diseaseCausal Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (274): meat plants, immunity, global, WHO
COVID-19 -- Worldwide/Unknown- WHO director-general Dr Tedros, in his regular media briefing yesterday [Fri 19 Jun 2020], highlighted that today [Sat 20 Jun 2020] is World Refugee Day and highlighted the risks of COVID-19 for some of the world's most vulnerable people. He also stressed the shared duty to do everything we can to prevent, detect, and respond to transmission of COVID-19 among refugee populations.- WHO has published "Criteria for releasing COVID-19 patients from isolation", which provides Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (273): selected countries
COVID-19 -- ChinaNew York: 409 593 / 1167New Jersey: 171 442 / 413California: 170 615 / 3608Illinois: 135 470 / 692Texas: 107 158 / 4497Massachusetts: 106 650 / 228Florida: 89 748 / 3822Pennsylvania: 85 293 / 501Michigan: 67 097 / 299Maryland: 63 548 / 319Georgia: 62 009 / 1097Virginia: 56 793 / 555North Carolina: 49 840 / 1150Louisiana: 48 515 / -119Arizona: 46 689 / 3246Connecticut: 45 557 / 47Ohio: 43 834 / 596Indiana: 41 746 / 308Tennessee: 34 017 / 1188Minnesota: 32 Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Pertussis update (03): Canada (NU)
Whooping Cough -- CanadaDue to a case of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, daycare [centres] in Sanikiluaq will remain closed "for the time being," Nunavut's chief public health officer said today [28 May 2020]. The public health advisory is intended to prevent the spread of this highly contagious infection within the Hudson Bay community of about 900, Dr Michael Patterson said during the Government of Nunavut's [GN] update on COVID-19 on Thursday [28 May 2020]. But "we do not think this represents Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (272): Italy sewage, Germany slaughterhouse, WHO, global
COVID-19 -- Italy- The hydroxychloroquine arm of the Solidarity Trial, which seeks to find an effective COVID-19 treatment, is being stopped. The decision is based on evidence from the Solidarity Trial, the UK's Recovery trial and a Cochrane review of other evidence on hydroxychloroquine. Data show that hydroxychloroquine does not result in the reduction of mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, when compared with standard of care.- Dr Tedros announced the roll out of the WHO Academy, a major Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Nipah virus – India: (KL) corr
Nipah/Hendra Virus — India
PRO/AH> African swine fever – Africa (06): Nigeria (LA,OG) domestic
African Swine Fever -- NigeriaHundreds of thousands of pigs have been culled by Nigerian farmers in response to an explosion of African swine fever (ASF). The outbreak began around Lagos and parts of neighbouring Ogun state earlier this year [2020], pig farmers say, but has now spread to many other parts of the country.In the absence of official data [but see OIE report at http://promedmail.org/post/20200618.7480740], farmers who spoke to the Guardian estimated that nearly a million pigs had been Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Tick-borne encephalitis – France (03): (AR) raw cheese, context
Tick-borne Encephalitis -- FranceOutbreak of cases of tickborne encephalitis [TBE] linked to the consumption of raw milk goat cheese Ain, April-May 2020Epidemiological update as of 4 Jun 2020---------------------------------------Doctors from Oyonnax and Bourg-en-Bresse hospitals reported to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional health agency that they had been treating several patients with viral-looking lymphocytic meningitis but without etiology identified since 10 May 2020. The main bacterial Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (271): selected countries
COVID-19 -- ChinaOn [18 Jun 2020]:- 32 new cases of confirmed infections (4 imported cases, 3 in Guangdong province, and 1 in Gansu province; 28 locally acquired cases, 25 in Beijing municipality, 2 in Hebei province, and 1 in Liaoning province); 2 new cases of suspected infection (both locally acquired in Beijing), and no deaths.- 4 new severe cases were identified.- A total of 1864 imported cases have been reported.- The National Health Commission had received reports of 83 325 confirmed cases Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (270): India, rapid breath test, WHO, global
COVID-19 -- IndiaGrocery stores and petrol stations will be open, but only for limited hours during the day and with physical distancing norms in place. Taxis, auto-rickshaws, and private vehicles will not be allowed to operate, except in emergencies. "The public are advised to buy essential supplies without using their vehicles and from stores that are located within 2km (one mile) from their residences," chief minister Edapaddi K Palaniswamy said earlier this week.Other things include:- food delivery Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola update (27): Congo DR (EQ,NK) cases, summaries, WHO
Ebola -- DR Congo9560 people were vaccinated, from 14 Feb --10 Apr 2020, with the 2nd dose of the 2nd Ad26.ZEBOV / MVA-BN-Filo vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) in the 2 health areas from Karisimbi to Goma; - 20 339 people were vaccinated until 29 Feb 2020, with the 2nd vaccine d26.ZEBOV / MVA-BN-Filo (Johnson & Johnson) in the 2 health areas from Karisimbi to Goma;- A total of 2129 people were vaccinated from 11 Apr - 20 May 2020 around the resurgent cases of Beni;- Since the start of vaccination Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (269): selected countries
COVID-19 -- ChinaOn [17 Jun 2020]:- 28 new cases of confirmed infections (4 imported cases, 2 in Shanghai municipality, 1 in Shaanxi province, and 1 in Gansu province; 24 indigenous cases, 21 in Beijing municipality, 2 in Hebei province, and 1 in Tianjin municipality); 3 new cases of suspected infections (all are indigenous cases in Beijing), and no deaths.- The National Health Commission had received reports of 83 293 confirmed cases and 4634 deaths; 78 379 patients had recovered and been discharged Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (07) – Americas
Dengue -- United StatesBetween EW 1 and EW 22 of 2020 [w/e 30 May 2020], a total of 218 744 cases of dengue (confirmed, probable, and suspected), including 72 deaths, were reported. Of the total of reported cases, 1553 (0.7%) were laboratory confirmed (RT-PCR), 47 692 (22%) were classified as probable cases, and 167 (0.08%) as severe dengue. During the 1st weeks of 2020, an upward trend of reported cases was observed, with a peak in EW 6 of 2020; since the 1st week of January, reported cases have Read more [...]
PRO/PL> Late blight, potato – Ireland, UK: alert
Other Plant Disease -- Ireland[A] potato blight warning [was] issued for Ireland. National meteorological service Met Eireann [Irish National Meteorological Service] have issued an environmental warning to the whole country, predicting a 'Blight Warning' which could start with some bad weather this week.The warning states that "Weather conditions conducive to the spread of potato blight will occur this weekend [13-14 Jun 2020]." Despite high temperatures, the weather will remain cloudy and muggy Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (268): USA prisons, WHO, global
COVID-19 -- United States- WHO welcomes initial clinical trial results from the United Kingdom that show dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, can be lifesaving for patients who are critically ill with COVID-19. According to preliminary findings shared with WHO, for patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients who only require oxygen, mortality was cut by about 1/5th.- Older people have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> E. coli EHEC – Canada: human, pet food exposure, recall
E. coli -- CanadaThe Public Health Agency of Canada on Fri 12 Jun 2020 shared a pet food recall of Carnivora Fresh Frozen Patties for suspected _Escherichia coli_ contamination. A total of 24 lots of 6 products were included in the recall. The recall includes approximately 1803 SKUs [stock keeping units] of potentially contaminated product sold throughout Canada between 13 Jan 2020 and June 2020. The Carnivora brand of raw, frozen pet food is manufactured by Riveriene Farm Ltd.According to the Public Read more [...]
PRO/AH> African swine fever – Africa (05): Nigeria (LA,AB) domestic, OIE
African Swine Fever -- NigeriaInformation received on [and dated] Tue 16 Jun 2020 from Dr Olaniran Alabi, director, chief veterinary officer, Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abuja, NigeriaSummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 26 May 2020Date of confirmation of the event: 6 Jun 2020Reason for notification: unexpected change in the distribution or increase in morbidity or mortality of a listed diseaseSummary Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Plague – Congo DR (04): (IT) bubonic, septicemic, fatal
Plague — DR Congo
PRO/AH/EDR> Crimean-Congo hem. fever – Europe: Turkey, Spain
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever -- TurkeyJust as Turkey tries to return to normal after its battle with the coronavirus, another danger lurks that threatens rural areas. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a deadly disease usually confined to summer, is forcing authorities to adopt new measures to contain it. So far, it has claimed 15 lives across Turkey.The Health Ministry set up a board of scientists, which held its 1st meeting on Thursday [11 Jun 2020], to determine what actions to take against Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Tuberculosis – India: (Vellore) M. orygis
Tuberculosis -- India1. Duffy SC, Srinivasan S, Schilling MA, Stuber T, et al. Reconsidering _Mycobacterium bovis_ as a proxy for zoonotic tuberculosis: a molecular epidemiological surveillance study. Lancet Microbe 2020; 1(2): e66-73. The full journal article is available at . - Mod.ML]--communicated by:ProMED-mail[The summary of the referenced journal article is extracted below:Summary-------"BackgroundZoonotic tuberculosis is defined as human infection with _Mycobacterium bovis_. Although Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (267): animal, domestic, wild, cat, research
COVID-19 -- ChinaAbstract--------A few animals have been suspected to be intermediate hosts of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, a large-scale single-cell screening of SARS-CoV-2 target cells on a wide variety of animals is missing. Here, we constructed the single-cell atlas for 11 representative species in pets, livestock, poultry, and wildlife. Notably, the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 target cells in cat was found considerably higher than other species we investigated Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (266): Denmark (ND) animal, farmed mink, 1st rep
COVID-19 -- DenmarkA herd of mink is being slaughtered at a farm in North Jutland after several of the animals and one employee tested positive for coronavirus. Nicholas Kuhn Hove, the head of emergency preparedness at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration said in a press statement that samples from the animals had been sent to be tested at Denmark's infectious diseases agency (SSI; Statens Serum Institut) over the weekend [13-14 Jun 2020], after some of the animals displayed symptoms.At Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (265): selected countries
COVID-19 -- Worldwide/UnknownNew York: 405 785 / 646New Jersey: 170 250 / 446California: 159 041 / 3440Illinois: 133 639 / 623Massachusetts: 105 885 / 195Texas: 95 793 / 4413Pennsylvania: 84 083 / 394Florida: 80 109 / 2783Michigan: 66 269 / 184Maryland: 62 409 / 377Georgia: 59 078 / 664Virginia: 55 331 / 445Louisiana: 47 706 / 534North Carolina: 45 906 / 793Connecticut: 45 349 / 114Ohio: 42 062 / 450Indiana: 40 786 / 356Arizona: 39 097 / 2392Tennessee: 31 830 / 670Minnesota: 30 882 / Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (264): China (Beijing), dexamethasone, WHO, global
COVID-19 -- ChinaOfficials have closed 11 markets and disinfected thousands of food and beverage businesses in Beijing since the outbreak was detected. The city has now reported 137 infections over the last 6 days, with 6 new asymptomatic cases and 3 suspected cases on Wednesday [17 Jun 2020], according to the municipal health commission. An additional 2 domestic cases, one in neighbouring Hebei province and another in Zhejiang, were reported by national authorities on Wednesday [17 Jun 2020], while Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Tick-borne encephalitis – France (02): (AR) raw cheese conf
Tick-borne Encephalitis -- FranceAs of [10 Jun 2020], 37 cases of tickborne encephalitis or attenuated flu-like forms linked to the consumption of raw milk goat cheeses have been reported to the regional health agency (ARS).Investigations have confirmed the diagnosis of tickborne encephalitis virus (TBE) infection in 28 cases, while 9 are still under investigation. These cases correspond to the same outbreak, [linked to] the virus in raw goat milk and a batch of raw milk cheeses, produced by the Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Powassan virus encephalitis – USA: (WI) transfusion
Powassan virus -- United StatesPowassan virus infection likely acquired through blood transfusion presenting as encephalitis in a kidney transplant recipient.Abstract--------A kidney transplant patient without known tick exposure developed encephalitis 3 weeks after transplantation. During the transplant hospitalization, the patient had received a blood transfusion from an asymptomatic donor later discovered to have been infected with Powassan virus. This report describes a probable instance of Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (263): selected countries
COVID-19 -- ChinaNew York: 405 139 / 669New Jersey: 169 804 / 363California: 155 601 / 2719Illinois: 133 016 / 473Massachusetts: 105 690 / 87Texas: 91 380 / 2138Pennsylvania: 83 689 / 390Florida: 77 326 / 1758Michigan: 66 085 / 31Maryland: 62 032 / 331Georgia: 58 414 / 733Virginia: 54 886 / 380Louisiana: 47 172 / 553Connecticut: 45 235 / 147North Carolina: 45 113 / 850Ohio: 41 612 / 419Indiana: 40 430 / 521Arizona: 36 705 / 1014Tennessee: 31 160 / 728Minnesota: 30 693 / Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> COVID-19 update (262): China (Beijing), superspreaders, WHO, global
COVID-19 -- China- As the pandemic accelerates in low- and middle-income countries, WHO is especially concerned about its impact on people who already struggle to access health services - often women, children, and adolescents. WHO has developed guidance on maintaining essential services.- WHO has also carefully investigated the risks of women transmitting COVID-19 to their babies during breastfeeding. Based on the available evidence, WHO's advice is that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any Read more [...]
PRO/PL> Smut, sugar cane – Fiji: alert
Other Plant Disease -- FijiFiji faces a threat from the sugarcane smut disease, says the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji [SRIF]. Acting chief executive officer Prema Naidu says the disease, which has reached Australia, is a major threat to Fiji's sugar industry."All the sugar-growing countries in the world have smut, except Fiji which is the only country where it hasn't been found as yet," said Mr Naidu. "The threat is looming large and the potential is that its spores can be wind blown and are Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus – Americas (08): Argentina (CH)
Hantavirus -- ArgentinaThe Office of the Director of the Rural Hospital of Epuyen [HZE] stated that, given the confirmed case of a hantavirus infection, they have taken coordinated action per the protocol consisting of the isolation of 6 people, companions of the patient who is hospitalized in the HZE. The isolation is being controlled by health personnel and the local police as well as with the assistance of Social Action of the municipality.Blood samples have been taken to carry out related tests, Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus – Asia (03): Taiwan
Hantavirus -- ChinaA woman in Kaohsiung City has contracted [a] hantavirus [infection], becoming the 5th case in the city and the 7th case in the country this year [2020], setting a new high since records began in 2001. The woman, in her 50s, is a restaurant worker in the southern port city. She was bitten by a rat on 19 Apr [2020] at her workplace and later exhibited symptoms of the disease, including fever, headache, muscle pain, chill, and excessive fatigue.Unfortunately, screening did not take Read more [...]
