Archive for Global Disease Alerts
PRO/PL> Meloidogyne enterolobii, guava – India: 1st rep (TN)
Other Plant Disease -- India_Meloidogyne enterolobii_ (EPPO A2 List) has been reported for the 1st time from India. The nematode was detected in guava (_Psidium guajava_) orchards showing sudden decline in Tamil Nadu.(K Poornima et al (2016), Madras Agricultural Journal 103, 359-365)--Communicated by:ProMED-mail[Root knot nematodes (_Meloidogyne_ species) attack a wide range of plants and cause significant economic losses in many vegetable and fruit crops. The genus contains around 70 species and Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Equine infectious anemia – Canada: (AB) equine
Equine Infectious Anemia -- CanadaOn 1 Mar 2018, Equestrian Canada (EC) reported that a horse in Strathcona County, Alberta had tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA).The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) national reference laboratory confirmed the case on 21 Feb 2018, a statement on EC's website said."The animal was sampled by an accredited veterinarian because it was exhibiting clinical signs compatible with EIA infection," the statement said. "For humane reasons, the horse was Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Salmonella, pet food – USA (02): recall: feline deaths
Salmonella -- United StatesBlue Ridge Beef of Eatonton, GA is recalling one lot of its frozen "Kitten Grind" raw pet food after consumer complaints, including reports of the deaths of 2 kittens. One of the kittens was confirmed to have died from Salmonella septicemia.The recall falls on the heels of the Food and Drug Administration's investigation into the pet deaths, according to the recall notice on the agency's website.Septicemia is an infection of the blood stream, also referred to as bacteremia Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Syphilis – Australia: (QL) fatal, congenital, incr. cases, indigenous
Syphilis -- AustraliaA 6th infant has died from syphilis amid a devastating outbreak of the disease in parts of remote Australia. The young children have all died in Queensland, where the spate of cases emerged in 2011. Department of Health official Sharon Appleyard told Senate Estimates that 6 of 13 infants with reported cases of congenital syphilis had died. The latest death occurred in northern Queensland in January [2018].The bacterial outbreak is severely impacting indigenous communities and Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Yellow fever – Americas (19): Brazil
Yellow Fever -- BrazilBrazil confirmed 723 [yellow fever] cases and 237 deaths for the period 1 Jul 2017 to 28 Feb this year [2018]. During the same period last year [2016-2017], there were 576 confirmed cases and 184 deaths.The Ministry of Health updated on Thu (1 [Mar 2018]) the information passed along from the state secretariats of health about the situation of yellow fever in the country. In the monitoring period (1 Jul 2017-28 Feb 2018) there were 723 confirmed cases of yellow fever in the Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus – Americas (17): USA (NM)
Hantavirus -- United StatesThe 2nd reported case of [a] hantavirus [infection] in New Mexico has left a 9 year old Farmington boy fighting for his life in a Colorado hospital.For the last month, GH said his family has been left with a lot of questions "They realized that he wasn't doing good, but they still didn't know it was that serious," GH said. In January [2018], he said his son came down with what they thought was the flu. "You usually take them in, and you send them back out with the medicine, Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish – Italy: (LM) OIE
Other Animal Disease -- ItalyInformation received on [and dated] on 2 Mar 2018 from Dr Silvio Borrello, chief veterinary officer, Food Safety and Collegial Bodies for Health Protection, Ministere de la Sante, Department for Veterinary Public Health, Rome, ItalySummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 7 Feb 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 21 Feb 2018Reason for notification: recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: 31 Dec 2016Manifestation of disease: Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Pertussis (04): USA, Armenia, Australia, New Zealand
Whooping Cough -- United StatesThe amount of whooping cough cases in Daviess County has already doubled from last year's numbers [2017]. "We usually only have one to 2 cases a year," Daviess County public health nurse Kathy Sullender said. "This year [2018] we have already had 4 cases. Three of the 4 cases had not received a vaccination," Sullender said. "The one that was vaccinated had a very mild case."For questions about any vaccine or to schedule shots, call the Daviess County Health Department Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Measles update (15): Europe, Asia, Pacific
Measles -- Ukraine[4] and [5] Pakistan[6] New Zealand (Auckland) ex Singapore alert******Europe------[1] UkraineDate: Tue 27 Feb 2018 23:27Source: 112 UA [edited]The situation with measles in Ukraine has stabilized, although it is too early to say about reducing the incidence rate. This was announced at a briefing by the director of the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health Volodymyr Kurpita. He noted that from [Mon 19 - Sun 25 Feb 2018] nearly 800 people became ill with Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Meningitis – South Sudan: (Imatong) fatal, susp, RFI
Meningitis -- South SudanAt least 18 people became ill and died in 2 counties in South Sudan's Imatong State recently, and government officials believe meningitis is to blame. Imatong governor Tobolio Alberio told Radio Tamazuj on [Wed 28 Feb 2018] that 18 people died after being afflicted by a disease in Ayachi and Torit East Counties in February [2018], which he said the local doctors have been unable to diagnose.The top state official further said 7 [fatal] cases were 1st reported in Ayachi County Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Infectious salmon anemia – Canada: (NS)
Other Animal Disease -- CanadaNova Scotia fisheries minister Keith Colwell says 600 000 salmon smolts have been killed following an outbreak of infectious salmon anemia at 2 land-based aquaculture facilities last month [February 2018]. Colwell says the small, independently owned fish farms are close to each other, but he would not name them or say where they are located. He says it was almost a complete loss for one company, but the other lost only part of its stock.Colwell says there are no health Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Salmonellosis, st I 4,[5],12:b:- – USA (02): kratom
Salmonella -- United StatesUp to 12 more ill people from 7 states were added to this investigation since the last update on 20 Feb 2018. As of 28 Feb 2018, 40 people infected with the outbreak strain of _Salmonella_ I 4,[5],12:b:- have been reported from 27 states.States / Case countAlabama / 1Arizona / 1California / 3Colorado / 1Delaware / 1Florida / 1Georgia / 1Kansas / 1Kentucky / 1Louisiana / 1Massachussetts 1Michigan / 1Minnesota / 1Missouri / 1North Carolina / 2North Dakota / Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Yellow fever – Africa (04): Nigeria
Yellow Fever -- NigeriaThe Kebbi commissioner for health, Alhaji Usman Kambaza, said on [Fri 2 Mar 2018] that 36 cases of yellow fever have been recorded in 8 local government areas of the state. Kambaza told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that to counter the spread of the disease and to prevent an epidemic in the affected areas, a yellow fever reactive vaccination campaign would be conducted in the areas. He said that yellow fever disease [had been] recorded in Bagudo, Fakai, Koko/Besse, Maiyama, Ngaski, Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (40): Denmark (East) wild bird, HPAI H5N6, OIE
Avian Influenza H5N6 -- DenmarkThe [Danish] national veterinary institute, DTU Vet, has revealed it has discovered bird flu in a dead white-tailed eagle found near Slagelse in Zealand. According to the Food and Environment Ministry, the bird flu type is most likely H5H6, which is highly deadly to birds. There's no need for the public to be overly alarmed, said the ministry."Firstly, birds of prey are the most sensitive to getting bird flu because they eat other birds, dead and alive," John Larsen, Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Strangles, equine – USA (02): (FL)
Strangles -- United StatesSince 20 Feb 2018 there have been 2 horse quarantines in Alachua County due to the illness known as "strangles". And the disease is causing some concern for participants in upcoming horse shows.Strangles acts very similarly like the flu does for people, but it's a horse specific bacterial infection. Dr Erica Lacher is an equine veterinarian and she explained, "It was once called strangles because it could cause horses to strangle, but with the invention of antibiotics it's Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Pneumoconiosis – USA: (VA,WV,KY) coal miners
Chronic/Non-Infectious Disease -- United StatesIt's 2018, and black lung disease is on the rise in Appalachia. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) looked at 3 federally funded clinics between 2013 and 2017 and documented the largest cluster of advanced black lung disease -- ever. In that time period, the clinics treated 416 coal miners primarily from Virginia and Kentucky with complicated black lung, the most advanced stage of the disease.Not only are Read more [...]
PRO/AH> African swine fever – Europe (05): Poland, wild boar, spread
African Swine Fever -- PolandNew cases of African swine fever (ASF) are being found in Poland with an increasingly high speed. In 2018 alone, until [Tue 20 Feb 2018], thePolish authorities have found 511 cases of ASF amongst its wild boar population. In comparison: in the whole of 2017, Poland discovered 741 cases of ASF in dead wild boars, of which 388 in the last quarter.This information was shared by Prof Zygmunt Pejsak, head of the Department of Swine Diseases at the National Veterinary Research Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus – Americas (16): Panama (LS)
Hantavirus -- PanamaA case of [a] hantavirus [infection], the 1st this year in Herrera province, was confirmed by the health authorities in this region of the country. The individual involved is a 28 year old patient, resident in the Monagrillo neighborhood of Chitre, who is suspected to have acquired infection outside this region, specifically in the area of Tres Quebradas in Los Santos province.The patient is currently receiving intensive care in the Gustavo Nelson Collado Hospital in Chitré, Read more [...]
PRO/AH> African swine fever – Europe (05): Moldova, domestic, OIE
African Swine Fever -- MoldovaInformation received on [and dated] 2 Mar 2018 from Mr Vsevolod Stamati, deputy director general, National Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Moldova, National Food Safety Agency, CHISINAU, MoldovaSummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 27 Feb 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 28 Feb 2018Reason for notification: recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: 28 Jan 2018Manifestation of disease: clinical diseaseCausal Read more [...]
PRO/AH> American foulbrood, apis – Australia: (SA)
Other Animal Disease -- AustraliaBiosecurity SA [South Australia] is reminding beekeepers to be on the lookout for American foulbrood (AFB), found in hives pollinating lucerne in the Tintinara area. Biosecurity SA's new bee biosecurity officer Teagan Alexander is working closely with apiarists in the region to ensure no further spread of the disease.A notifiable disease, AFB is a bacterial disease that kills honeybee brood, resulting in the weakening and eventual killing of affected hives. The disease Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Lassa fever – West Africa (15): Ghana
Lassa Fever -- GhanaThe Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed the 1st recorded case of Lassa fever in the country at Tema General Hospital. Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the director-general of the Ghana Health Service, who was speaking to the media in Accra on Thursday [1 Mar 2018], said one person has been confirmed dead from Lassa fever.Lassa fever is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with the urine, saliva faeces, and blood of infected rodents.The confirmation, Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus – Americas (14): Chile (LL)
Hantavirus -- ChileA new case of a hantavirus infection has been confirmed in the Los Lagos region, a 56 year old man from Cochamo who had a positive test that confirmed the virus that is transmitted by the long-tailed mouse. The man was cleaning out a shed in the community, where he was infected by the hantavirus. He was taken to the hospital in Concepción to be connected to mechanical ventilation and remains under treatment.A 2nd man is a suspected case, and he remains in the Los Lagos region, Read more [...]
PRO/PL> Aphanomyces root rot, pea & lentil – Canada: survey
Other Plant Disease -- CanadaAphanomyces root rot 2017 survey results showed a high prevalence in Prairie pulse crops
. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Syama Chatterton says she found root rot in every field, making prevalence an alarming 100 per cent. "As for the percentage of roots that have disease within a field, we're looking at about 70 per cent," she said.In terms of severity, roots are rated on a scale with 1 being healthy and 7 the most diseased. Peas, said Chatterton, were at about Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Yellow fever – Americas (18): WHO Brazil, Europe ex Brazil
Yellow Fever -- BrazilDuring the 1st 4 weeks of 2018, a rapid increase in the number of confirmed human cases of yellow fever was observed in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais. From [1 Jul 2017] through [16 Feb 2018], 464 confirmed human cases of yellow fever have been reported in Brazil, including 154 deaths. Confirmed cases were reported in São Paulo (181 cases, including 53 deaths), Minas Gerais (225 cases, including 76 deaths), and Rio de Janeiro (57 cases, Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Legionellosis – USA (04): (FL) spa, pool, irrigation system susp
Legionnaires' -- United StatesThe Sarasota County Health Department will test the pool and spa area of IslandWalk at the West Villages development in North Port to determine whether they are the source of a legionnaires' disease outbreak that occurred at the gated community [Fri 23 Feb 2018].Tom Higginbotham, environmental health director for the Sarasota County Health Department, said special test kits arrived [Tue 27 Feb 2018] and water from the hot tub and two pools will be tested. The health Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Tilapia syncytial hepatitis – Peru: (PI) OIE
Hepatitis -- PeruInformation received on 28 Feb 2018 from Dr Janios Miguel Quevedo Valle, [Directorate General for Animal Health, SENASA (National Agrarian Health Service), Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation] Lima, PeruSummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 9 Nov 2017Date of confirmation of the event: 29 Dec 2017Report date: 27 Feb 2018Reason for notification: emerging diseaseMorbidity: 4 (scale 0 to 5)Mortality: 4 (scale 0 to 5)Zoonotic impact: noCausal Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus – New Zealand: new strain
-- New ZealandNew Zealand is planning to release a rabbit virus across the country, in an attempt to cull the ballooning wild population. Wild rabbits are seen as a pest in parts of the country and the virus, known as RHDV1-K5, will be released from March [2018]. Farming groups have welcomed the move while others have raised concerns including the risk it may pose to pet rabbits.Why are rabbits such a big problem in New Zealand?Rabbits were introduced to New Zealand around the 1830s and have long Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (39): Netherlands, poultry, HPAI H5N6, OIE
Avian Influenza H5N6 -- NetherlandsInformation received on [and dated] 27 Feb 2018 from Dr Christianne Bruschke, chief veterinary officer, Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Hague, NetherlandsSummaryReport type: Immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 24 Feb 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 26 Feb 2018Reason for notification: recurrence of a listed diseaseDate of previous occurrence: 8 Dec 2017Manifestation of disease: clinical diseaseCausal agent: highly pathogenic avian influenza Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Letter, unknown contaminant – USA: (VA) military staff
Undiagnosed -- United StatesNearly a dozen people, including several marines, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall fell ill [on Tue 27 Feb 2018] after they opened a suspicious letter containing an unknown substance. The letter was received about 3:30 p.m. in Henderson Hall, which Arlington Fire officials described as an administrative building. A gunnery sergeant opened a letter and showed it to a superior, a Pentagon official told NBC News.Up to 11 people began to feel ill, and the building was evacuated. Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus – Americas (13): USA (AZ), Panama (LS)
Hantavirus -- United StatesA woman from Arizona predicted that she would be diagnosed with flu, but it turned out to be an infection that is caused by a rare rodent-carried virus that called a hantavirus. The woman, who is 27 years old, started getting sick in January [2018]. All the symptoms that came, nausea, stomach pain, led her to connected it with flu.After meeting the doctor she went back to home. Later on, she started feeling shortness of breath. The woman's mother said, "she didn't test Read more [...]
PRO/AH> Foot & mouth disease – Russia (02): (ZB) bovine, st O, epidemiology
Foot and Mouth -- RussiaHaving the longest land border, the Russian Federation is under constant threat of importation of pathogens of transboundary animal diseases. Thus, the causative agents of the African swine fever [ASF] and infectious nodular dermatitis [LSD] were introduced into the territory of the Russian Federation through the countries of Transcaucasia.Earlier this year [2018], in the Trans-Baikal Territory, foci of foot and mouth disease [FMD] were registered, caused by a drift, from Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Salmonellosis – USA (04) : (CO) restaurant chain
Salmonella -- United StatesA Weld County family restaurant chain temporarily closed its Fort Lupton and Dacono locations [Thu 22 Feb 2017] after being linked to a salmonellosis outbreak with 21 confirmed cases, according to the Weld County Department of Health and Environment. Burrito Delight restaurants were determined to be the source of the outbreak, which expanded from 8 to 21 confirmed cases this week, including 12 people who reportedly ate food from Burrito Delight at Aims Community College Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Salmonellosis, st Typhimurium – Africa: ST313, virulence
Salmonella -- Worldwide/Unknown_Salmonella enterica_ serovar Typhimurium ST313 is a relatively newly emerged sequence type that is causing a devastating epidemic of bloodstream infections across sub-Saharan Africa. Analysis of hundreds of salmonella genomes has revealed that ST313 is closely related to the ST19 group of _S._ Typhimurium that cause gastroenteritis across the world. The core genomes of ST313 and ST19 vary by only ∼1000 SNPs. We hypothesized that the phenotypic differences that Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Hepatitis E – Namibia (05): (KH) fatal
Hepatitis E -- Worldwide/Unknown"Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is severe during pregnancy, with a pregnant case fatality rate around 30 per cent. In Bangladesh, plasma samples from 1100 women during the 1st trimester (TM) and 3rd TM of pregnancy and 3 months postpartum (PP) were tested for anti-HEV IgG. During this time, 40 women developed antibody responses to HEV. These seroconverters are classified as the cases (incidence = 46 infections per 1000 person-years). All except one seroconversion Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Rabies (12): Africa (S Africa) Asia (Thailand) animal, human
Rabies -- South AfricaA local woman was on the receiving end of a rabies scare last week [week of 19 Feb 2018] when she was bitten by a horse. LM, who lives on a farm near Doringkop, inland from Stanger [KwaZulu-Natal], told the Courier she approached the horse on [Mon 19 Feb 2018] thinking it was sick. "It was lying down, which made me think maybe it had colic and then the best thing to do is try get them back up on their feet," she said.While trying to help the horse, she got too close and was Read more [...]
PRO/EDR> Measles update (14): Europe, Asia and Pacific, USA
Measles -- SwitzerlandThe canton of Neuchâtel is experiencing a measles outbreak. In one month, the Cantonal Public Health Service became aware of 7 cases of this contagious viral disease. Measures to keep children [that are not vaccinated] away have been declared.On 18 Jan 2018, Vaud [canton] health authorities informed the Neuchâtel cantonal doctor of a case of measles in a 6 year old child who was residing in the canton of Vaud, but attending a Neuchâtel school. Despite control Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus – Americas (13): Argentina (BA)
Hantavirus -- ArgentinaA woman died in the General La Madrid partido [2nd-level administrative subdivision] of Buenos Aires province, as confirmed by the municipality. With this case, the total is 17 [cases], as stated by the Ministry of Health, despite the assurances of this health agency that there is no outbreak.The patient who died was hospitalized for several weeks, during which investigations were carried out in order to determine whether this was a case of [a] hantavirus [infection]. In fact, Read more [...]
PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza (38): Saudi Arabia (RI) poultry, HPAI H5N8, spread
Avian Influenza H5N8 -- Saudi ArabiaThe Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture on Sunday [25 Feb 2018] confirmed the detection of one case of H5N8 avian flu in Al Kharj [governorate, Riyadh region]. The ministry has been actively taking measures to control the spread of the disease.The ministry affirmed that since the outbreak of H5N8 avian flu the number of samples collected reached 9234 in the Kingdom. Only 140 of those samples tested positive, it added.--communicated by:ProMED-MBDS[The Read more [...]
PRO/AH> African swine fever – Europe (04): Ukraine, wild boar, domestic, OIE
African Swine Fever -- UkraineInformation received on [and dated] 23 Feb 2018 from Dr Andrii Zhuk, 1st deputy head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Production, International Cooperation of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, UKR Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, Kiev, UkraineSummaryReport type: immediate notificationDate of start of the event: 21 Feb 2018Date of confirmation of the event: 22 Feb 2018Reason for notification: recurrence Read more [...]
PRO> Hantavirus – Americas (15): USA (AZ) comment
Hantavirus — United States