Archive for Global Disease Alerts
PRO/PL> Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, melon – New Zealand ex Australia: intercept
Other Plant Disease -- New ZealandNew Zealand authorities confirmed the detection of Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus (CGMMV) on a batch of watermelons from the Northern Territory and suspended cucurbit imports on August 20. [The following] week, NZ amended its requirements to allow fruit from CGMMV-free areas in Queensland to enter the country.Dianne Fullelove, Australian Melon Association, said the infected fruit came from a farm found to have CGMMV in 2014. Australian biosecurity only regard Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Anthrax – Turkey (04): (AN, IB) bovine, human
Anthrax -- TurkeyTurkish Health Minister Fahretin Kocja reported that 48 people from the Silivri Istanbul district, which have been found to have been in contact with anthrax animals in this area, have been summoned for hospital examination and research, Turkish television channel NTV quoted BTA as saying.The Minister pointed out in a written statement that in only 6 of the investigated women cutaneous lesions that are symptoms of anthrax were found and no other signs of disease were found in the Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> West Nile virus (28): Europe (Romania) equine, OIE
West Nile Virus -- RomaniaInformation received on [and dated] 3 Sep 2018 from Dr. Geronimo Raducu Branescu, President Secretary of State Chief Veterinary Officer, National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety, National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority, Bucharest, RomaniaSummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 27 Aug 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 31 Aug 2018Reason for notification: first occurrence of a listed diseaseManifestation of disease: clinical Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> African swine fever – Europe (36): Bulgaria (VN) domestic swine, 1st rep, OIE
African Swine Fever -- BulgariaInformation received on [and dated] 31 Aug 2018 from Dr. Damyan Iliev, Chief Veterinary Officer & Deputy Executive Director, Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Sofia, BulgariaSummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 31 Aug 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 31 Aug 2018Reason for notification: 1st occurrence of a listed disease in the countryCausal agent: African swine fever virusNature of diagnosis: clinical, Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, human (16): China, H7N9
Avian Influenza H7N9 -- ChinaSince March 2013, when the avian influenza A(H7N9) virus infection was 1st detected in humans, a total of 1567 laboratory-confirmed human cases, including at least 615 deaths (1), have been reported to WHO (Figure 1) [see URL for figures] in accordance with the International Health Regulations (2005). In the latest wave (the 6th wave since Oct 2017), only 3 human cases have been detected; meanwhile there have been generally fewer A(H7N9) virus detections in poultry and Read more [...]
PRO/PL> Multiple diseases, ginger, black pepper, coffee – India: (KA,KL)
Other Plant Disease -- IndiaGinger farms in Kerala and Karnataka [were] submerged in floods starting June [2018]. Ginger rhizomes have since been affected by the soft rot disease. Heavy rains in ginger growing districts flooded the fields. They wiped out rhizomes on almost 5000 hectares [about 12 360 acres] in Karnataka and 2500 hectares [about 6180 acres] in Kerala, [the] South Indian Ginger Growers' Association [said]."Torrential rains have washed off black pepper vines in many parts of the 2 states," Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> PRO/AH/EDR>Crimean-Congo hem. fever – Pakistan (13) : (SD)
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever -- PakistanOfficials at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) confirmed on [Fri 31 Aug 2018] a second patient from Quetta, Balochistan, was affected by Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever [CCHF] adding that now 2 patients suffering from the disease are under treatment at the health facility."Sixteen-year-old A.S. is from Quetta, and was brought to the JPMC with high-grade fever, headache, bruises on the body and bleeding from nose and mouth. Lab reports confirmed that Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> MERS-CoV (32): Saudi Arabia (QS)
MERS -- Saudi ArabiaDate: Sun 2 Sep 2018Case no. 18-1744MERS in Albekeria city: 56-year-old female in Albekeria city, Qaseem region.Contact with camels: noCase classification: primary, community acquiredOutcome: hospitalizedDate: Mon 3 Sep 2018Case no. 18-1745MERS in Buraidah city: 66-year-old male in Buraidah city, Qaseem region.Contact with camels: noCase classification: primary, community acquiredOutcome: hospitalizedFatality reportedDate: [Sun 2 Sep 2018]Case no. Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Eastern equine encephalitis – USA (20): (NJ) equine
Eastern Equine Encephalitis -- United StatesA horse in Monmouth County died this month [August 2018] after contracting a serious, mosquito-borne disease, the 1st case of its kind in New Jersey this year [2018].The 5-year-old mare was euthanized on 18 Aug 2018 after it acquired eastern equine encephalitis, which causes inflammation of the brain tissue and, in most cases, kills any horse that acquires it, according to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture in a release issued Friday [24 Aug 2018].The Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Yellow fever – Africa (13): Republic of Congo
Yellow Fever -- Republic of CongoCongo Republic will launch a country-wide vaccination campaign to control an outbreak of yellow fever near the border with the Angolan enclave of Cabinda, the health ministry said on Friday [31 Aug 2018].Earlier this week, the authorities said over 180 suspected cases and one confirmed case of the sometimes deadly mosquito-borne virus had been identified this year [2018], many in the western commercial hub of Pointe Noire."Congo (Republic) declared a yellow fever Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> West Nile virus (27): Europe (Serbia)
West Nile Virus -- SerbiaIn 2018, as of 30 Aug 2018, 975 confirmed and probable autochthonous human West Nile virus [WNV] infections were reported by European countries: 710 in EU/EEA Member States and 265 in EU neighbouring countries. Italy reported 327 cases, Serbia 213, Greece 147, Romania 117, Hungary 96, Israel 49, France 11, Austria 8, Croatia 3, Kosovo 3 and Slovenia 1.So far, this year [2018], we observed a 3.4-fold increase in the number of WNV infections in humans compared to the entire Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Crimean-Congo hem. fever – Greece: ex Bulgaria
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever -- GreeceCCHF was 1st recognised in Bulgaria in 1952; since then, several cases have been reported. Genetic characterisation of the Bulgarian strains showed that they cluster into the clade Europe 1. Our patient was infected in an area that was considered at low risk for CCHF outbreaks up to 2008, when a cluster of cases was observed in the region. Although the seroprevalence in the human population in Blagoevgrad province is low (1 percent), a seroprevalence of 41.9 Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> MERS-CoV (31): Saudi Arabia (RI, QS), UK (England) ex Saudi Arabia, WHO
MERS -- Saudi ArabiaOn [22 Aug 2018], the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) National Focal Point for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland notified WHO about a laboratory-confirmed Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. The patient is a resident of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who was visiting the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The patient is a male aged between 80-89 years with underlying chronic medical conditions. He Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola update (81): Congo DR (NK) case update, response, clinical trials
Ebola -- DR CongoHealth workers fighting the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC have given nearly 20 people experimental drugs to treat the virus since mid-August [2018]. But because the drugs have been dispensed on a case-by-case, "compassionate use" basis, it is hard to know whether any are effective. Now, desperate to determine which therapy works best, researchers from the DRC and US governments, the World Health Organization, and other groups are meeting this week to plan a clinical trial that Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Poliomyelitis update (39): Global, WPV & cVDPVs, cVDPV post OPV2 cessation
Polio -- PakistanNew wild poliovirus cases reported this week: 1Total number of wild poliovirus cases in 2018: 15Total number of wild poliovirus cases in 2017: 22New cVDPV cases reported this week: 7Total number of cVDPV cases (all types) in 2018: 32Total number of cVDPV cases (all types) in 2017: 96HighlightsSummary of new viruses this week:- Afghanistan - 1 new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - based on positive contacts, 2 negative acute Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Lumpy skin disease, bovine – Egypt: (KS, MF)
Lumpy Skin Disease -- EgyptThe Directorate of Veterinary Medicine in the governorate of Kafr ash Shaykh continued on Saturday [1 Sep 2018] to immunize livestock against nodular dermatitis [lumpy skin disease (LSD)] in the centers and cities of the governorate, in the face of the disease spreading among livestock. Of the targeted 190 000 cattle, 6000 have been vaccinated.Dr. Abdel Hakim Saleh Abu Ismail, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Veterinary Medicine in Kafr ash Shaykh, said in a statement Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Angiostrongylus cantonensis – USA (06): (HI) distribution
Foodborne Illness -- United StatesA recently released University of Hawaii study has confirmed the presence of rat lungworm on Molokai and on every island throughout the state except Lanai. Rat lungworm [_Angiostrongylus cantonensis_] is a parasite that has a complicated lifecycle that requires slugs or snails as well as rats to mature. Ingesting a slug or snail infected with the parasite can cause neurological damage, pain and disability, and Hawaii has seen a recent influx of cases of the rare Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (94): Cambodia (KC) poultry, HPAI H5N1, OIE
Avian Influenza H5N1 -- CambodiaInformation received on [and dated] 31 Aug 2018 from Dr. Sen Sovann, Director General, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, General Directorate of Animal Health and Production (GDAHP), Phnom Penh, CambodiaSummaryReport type: Immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 20 Aug 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 23 Aug 2018Report date: 31 Aug 2018Date submitted to OIE: 31 Aug 2018Reason for notification: Recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> African swine fever – Asia (11): China (AH) domestic swine, spread, OIE
African Swine Fever -- ChinaInformation received [and dated] on 31 Aug 2018 from Dr. Zhang Zhongqui, Director General, China Animal Disease Control Centre, Veterinary Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China (People's Rep. of)SummaryReport type: Immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 17 Aug 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 30 Aug 2018Report date: 31 Aug 2018Date submitted to OIE: 31 Aug 2018Reason for notification: 1st occurrence of a listed diseaseManifestation of disease: Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia – Namibia: (KW, KE) OIE
Bovine Pleuropneumonia -- NamibiaInformation received on [and dated] 31 Aug 2018 from Dr. Adrianatus Florentius Maseke, Chief Veterinary Officer, Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Windhoek, NamibiaSummaryReport type: Immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 1 Apr 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 25 Jul 2018Report date: 31 Aug 2018Date submitted to OIE: 31 Aug 2018Reason for notification: Recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> African swine fever – Europe (35): Bulgaria (VN) domestic, 1st outbreak
African Swine Fever -- BulgariaThe first case of African swine fever (ASF) was established in the village of Tutrakantsi in the Varna region, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BNSA) announced on Friday [31 Aug 2018], a day after it became clear that the disease had reached the country.A couple of days ago [around 28 Aug 2018], 3 of 7 backyard fattening pigs died in Tutrakantsi. The mayor immediately reported the deaths to the local veterinary service, and samples were taken. The samples were investigated Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Measles update (56): Americas, Europe
Measles -- Worldwide/UnknownA travel alert level 1 has been issued by the CDC in response to Brazil's measles outbreak. International travelers to Brazil and the state of Amazonas, in particular, should ensure they are vaccinated against measles before departure, announced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This CDC alert is in reaction to the ongoing measles outbreak throughout Brazil.On [Mon 20 Aug 2018], the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported 1237 confirmed measles Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> West Nile virus (26): Americas (USA) equine
West Nile Virus -- United StatesA 9-year-old unvaccinated Quarter Horse gelding from Pendleton County, Kentucky, tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV) on [Tue 28 Aug 2018]. This is the 1st confirmed case of WNV in Kentucky horses for 2018.In a statement, E.S. Rusty Ford, equine operations consultant for the Kentucky State Veterinarian's Office, said the gelding is alive and in stable condition, and it has a favorable prognosis. Ford said the gelding presented on [Sun 23 Aug 2018] with lower-lip Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Invasive tick – USA (14): (CT)
Tick-borne disease -- United StatesResearchers at Western Connecticut State University have confirmed the 1st instance of an exotic new tick in Connecticut. The Asian long-horned tick is an invasive species that can harm livestock but is not yet known to be a danger to humans in the United States.The WCSU Tickborne Disease Prevention Laboratory collected the tick in early July [2018], and testing confirmed that the single specimen is the new species.Research assistant Brittany Schappach, who completed Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Mycoplasma bovis, bovine – New Zealand (13): (NTL)
Other Animal Disease -- New ZealandA Northland dry stock farm has tested positive for _Mycoplasma bovis_, the first confirmed infection in the region. Biosecurity New Zealand said on Thursday [30 Aug 2018] that a property in Northland had tested positive for the cattle disease, taking the number of infected properties nationwide to 37.The infected property was a dry stock beef farm. It was identified through the tracing of animal movements from other infected farms and was now under a "restricted Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> West Nile virus (25): Europe (Germany) animal, 1st case, OIE
West Nile Virus -- GermanyInformation received on [and dated] 30 Aug 2018 from Dr. Karin Schwabenbauer, Ministerial Dirigentin and Chief Veterinary Officer, Directorate of Animal Health, Animal Welfare, Bundesministerium fur Ernahrung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL), Bonn, GermanySummaryReport type: Immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 28 Aug 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 29 Aug 2018Report date: 30 Aug 2018Date submitted to OIE: 30 Aug 2018Reason for notification: 1st occurrence of Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update (33): Africa (Algeria)
Cholera -- AlgeriaThe Ministry of Health said yesterday [29 Aug 2018] that 2 people have died of cholera in Algeria as 62 cases of disease have been identified since the start of August 2018. According to a ministry statement, 62 cases had been confirmed as of [Tue 28 Aug 2018] with another 173 suspected cases."All preventive measures have been taken with a view to pre-empting the spread of the disease," the statement read. Since cases of the disease first appeared in mid-August [2018], the Algerian Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Cholera, diarrhea & dysentery update (32): Americas (Chile) non-toxigenic
Cholera -- Chile1. Bhattacharya MK, Dutta D, Bhattacharya SK, et al. Association of disease approximating cholera caused by _Vibrio cholerae_ of serogroups other than O1 and O139. Epidemiol Infect. 1998; 120(1): 1-5; .2. Sharma C, Thungapathra M, Ghosh A, et al. Molecular analysis of non-O1, non-O139 _Vibrio cholerae_ associated with an unusual upsurge in the incidence of cholera-like disease in Calcutta, India. J Clin Microbiol. 1998; 36: 756-63; .3. Bidinost C, Saka HA, Aliendro O, et al. Virulence Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Salmonellosis, st I 4,[5],12:i:- – USA (02): kosher chicken, alert, CDC
Salmonella -- United StatesCDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are investigating a multistate outbreak of _Salmonella_ I 4,[5],12:i:- infections linked to kosher chicken.Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. PulseNet is the national subtyping network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> E. coli EHEC – USA (24): (FL) O26, grocery chain ground beef, alert, recall
E. coli -- United StatesPublix Super Markets Inc., a Lakeland, Florida, retail grocery store chain is voluntarily recalling an undetermined amount of ground beef products made from chuck that may be contaminated with _Escherichia coli_ O26, the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today, 30 Aug 2018.The ground chuck items were purchased by consumers from 25 Jun 2018, through 31 Jul 2018. The following products are subject to recall: These items were shipped Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Crimean-Congo hem. fever – Pakistan (12): (Sindh)
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever -- PakistanOfficials at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) [in Karachi, Sindh] said on [Tue 28 Aug 2018] that they have admitted another Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever patient into the health facility, adding that the elderly man from Balochistan is in critical condition."The 65-year-old, from Quetta was brought to a private hospital in critical condition from where he was shifted to the JPMC for treatment," Dr Seemin Jamali, the hospital's executive director, Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, human (15): China, H7N9
Avian Influenza H7N9 -- ChinaAbstract--------The substantial increase in prevalence and emergence of antigenically divergent or highly pathogenic influenza A(H7N9) viruses during 2016-17 raises concerns about the epizootic potential of these viruses. We investigated the evolution and adaptation of H7N9 viruses by analyzing available data and newly generated virus sequences isolated in Guangdong Province, China, during 2015-2017. Phylogenetic analyses showed that circulating H7N9 viruses belong to Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> MERS-CoV (30): Saudi Arabia (RI) new case
MERS -- Saudi ArabiaCase No. 18- 1741MERS in Alzulfi city: 77-year-old male living in Alzulfi city, Qaseem RegionContact with camels: noCase classification: primary / community-acquiredCurrent status: hospitalized--Communicated by:ProMED-mail[Another primary community-acquired case with no known history of contact with camels or presumably other known cases. While the report says Alzulfi city, Qaseem (Qasim) region, according to maps and prior reports, Al Zulfi city is officially located in Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> African swine fever – Asia (10): China (AH) domestic swine, spread
African Swine Fever -- ChinaAfrican swine fever [ASF] has infected 185 pigs on a farm in Wuhu City in eastern China's Anhui province, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday [30 Aug 2018]. The infection killed 80 of 459 hogs on a farm in Wuhu's Nanling County.Transport of hogs and related products has been banned in the affected area, said a notice on the ministry's website.[Byline: Elias Glenn]--Communicated by:Sabine Zentis[Since 3 Aug 2018, 4 ASF outbreaks have been officially reported by Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Cholera, diarrhea and dysentery update (31): Africa
Cholera -- Worldwide/UnknownHighlights- A total of 39 new cases AWD/cholera were reported in week 33 compared to 53 cases week 32.- A total of 8 (21 percent) cases were reported from flood affected regions of Lower Jubba region.- No new death was reported in week 32 and week 33.- A cumulative total of 6169 cases including 41 deaths have been reported since December [2017].- The new AWD/cholera cases reported in Beletweyne started in December [2017].- In 2018 new outbreaks were reported in Banadir, Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Anthrax – Turkey (03): (AN) bovine
Anthrax -- TurkeyTurkey's Meat and Milk Board has confirmed that anthrax was detected at a farm in the Gölbaşı district of Ankara where cattle imported from Brazil were kept, the Cumhuriyet daily reported.According to a written statement from the board, "There is nothing to be concerned about because the infected meat was not released to the market." But the board failed to mention that 50 out of 3959 cattle had died of anthrax.According to a T24 news website report, the board vaccinated Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Marburg virus disease: testicular persistence
Marburg Fever -- Worldwide/UnknownCoffin KM, Liu J, Warren TK, et al. Persistent Marburg Virus Infection in the Testes of Nonhuman Primate Survivors. Cell Host & Microbe, In Press, Corrected Proof. Available online 30 Aug 2018.Highlights----------- Marburg virus (MARV) persists in the testes of macaque survivors after treatment- MARV infiltrates macaque testes late in infection- MARV persists in testicular Sertoli cells, thereby disrupting tissue barrier integrity- Local immunosuppressive T-reg Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Anthrax (02): virulence, confirmation
Anthrax -- Worldwide/UnknownBy analyzing genomic sequences from more than 400 strains of the bacterium that causes anthrax, researchers have provided the 1st evidence that the severity - technically known as virulence - of specific strains may be related to the number of copies of certain plasmids they carry. Plasmids are genetic structures of the cell that can reproduce independently, and are responsible for producing the anthrax toxin and other virulence factors.The research found that bacteria Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Schistosomiasis – France: (Corsica) hybrid parasite
Schistosomiasis -- FranceSchistosomiasis was discovered on the French island of Corsica in 2014; a DNA analysis suggests it originated in Senegal.[Byline: Elizabeth Pennisi]--Communicated by:ProMED-mail[The reference for the paper in bioRxiv is:Kincaid-Smith J, Tracey A, de Carvalo August R, et al. Whole genome sequencing and morphological analysis of the human-infecting schistosome emerging in Europe reveals a complex admixture between _Schistosoma haematobium_ and _Schistosoma bovis_ parasites; Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease – China (12): (NM), serotype O, bovine
Foot and Mouth -- ChinaSome cows have been infected with O-type foot-and-mouth disease [FMD] in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with 36 diseased and 12 that succumbed to the sickness. The local government has culled 100 infected cows as well as those that had contact with them, and those slaughtered as a precaution have now been declared disease-free, thus bringing the local outbreak under effective control, per the statement.[Byline: Chen Juan & Liu Jing]--Communicated Read more [...]
