Infectious Diseases


CDC Distributing Zika Preparedness Funds

"Although the continental United States has not yet seen local transmission of the Zika virus, mosquito season is here and states must continue to both work to prevent transmission and prepare for their first local case," said Dr. Stephen C. Redd, director of CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response.

Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, the mosquitoes that alos spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.

Phase I Human Trial of Zika Vaccine Approved

"We are proud to have attained the approval to initiate the first Zika vaccine study in human volunteers," said Dr. J. Joseph Kim, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s president and CEO. "We plan to dose our first subjects in the next weeks and expect to report phase I interim results later this year."

HHS, Cuba Sign Public Health Pact

"Cuba has made significant contributions to health and science, as evidenced by their contribution to the Ebola response in West Africa and becoming the first country to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission. This new collaboration is a historic opportunity for two nations to build on each other's knowledge and experience and benefit biomedical research and public health at large," HHS Secretary Burwell said.

FDA Approves Cholera Vaccine

Cholera is rare in the United States, but travelers to parts of the world with inadequate water and sewage treatment and poor sanitation are at risk for infection. Travelers to such areas have relied on preventive strategies recommended by CDC to protect themselves against cholera, including safe food and water practices and frequent hand washing.

Vendors and health care employees are at risk when unfamiliar with techniques and procedures required to properly handle materials that can be supporting dangerous fungi and bacteria.

Three Steps to Minimize the Risk of HAIs in Your Facility

Despite CDC recommendations, there is no law requiring infection prevention training for any construction worker or other vendor working in a health care facility.

Zika Outbreak Fairly Likely in Europe Soon: WHO

The overall risk of a Zika virus outbreak across the WHO European Region is low to moderate during late spring and summer, according to a new risk assessment from the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

West Virginia Health Department Expands HCV Notification

Four cases were identified as a result of the Bureau for Public Health's hotline, but they cannot be conclusively linked to the Raleigh Heart Clinic in Beckley, W.Va., State Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta said.

The parasites that cause malaria are transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. The PfSPZ Vaccine is composed of live, but weakened P. falciparum sporozoites — the early developmental form of the parasite.

Investigational Malaria Vaccine Shows Promise: NIH

The data showed that the vaccine provided malaria protection for more than one year in 55 percent of people without prior malaria infection. In those individuals, the PfSPZ Vaccine appeared to confer sterile protection, meaning the individuals would be protected against disease and could not further transmit malaria.



Of the 721 cases and nine deaths statewide, investigators examined the records of 119 UMMC patients, including three deaths, and found 71 percent tested positive for a synthetic cannabinoid – and more than three fourths of the positive tests identified MAB-CHMINACA, a potent synthetic cannabinoid.

CDC's 65th Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference Under Way

The Atlanta conference for EIS officers includes sessions on Zika, e-cigarettes, chronic diseases, serious illnesses associated with the synthetic cannabinoid MAB-CHMINACA, visitor injuries from with bison in Yellowstone National Park, and more.

Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, the mosquitoes that alos spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.

American College of Physicians Calls for Global Climate Action

"The American College of Physicians urges physicians to help combat climate change by advocating for effective climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, helping to advance a low-carbon health care sector, and by educating communities about potential health dangers posed by climate change," said ACP President Dr. Wayne J. Riley

WHO Updates HCV Treatment Guidelines

The updated guidelines are intended to promote the scale-up of HCV treatment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where few people currently have access to hepatitis treatment.

USGS Says Alaska a Hot Spot for Avian Influenza to Enter North America

While no highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses have been found in Alaska, the state is an important area to monitor because of migratory bird flyways from North America and Eurasia that overlap it.

Blue Bell Says Listeria Likely Spread Via Plant Drainage

The company also said it couldn't identify a single source of Listeria bacteria that contaminated equipment.

TB Fight Only Half-Won, UN Secretary-General Says

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon observed World Tuberculosis Day on March 24 by calling for increased and united global efforts to end the disease by 2030, adding that it will kill 1.5 million people this year alone.

Northwest Hospital & Medical Center has contacted about 1,340 of its patients who had surgery from Dec. 30, 2011, to March 9, 2012, in an operating room where the suspended surgican technician, identified as Rocky Allen, worked.

Surgical Tech Suspended As Patients Warned of Possible Infections

Northwest Hospital & Medical Center has contacted about 1,340 of its patients who had surgery from Dec. 30, 2011, to March 9, 2012, in an operating room where that individual, identified as Rocky Allen, worked.

WHO Committee Recommends No Zika General Travel Restrictions

Surveillance for microcephaly and GBS should be standardized and enhanced, particularly in areas of known Zika virus transmission and areas at risk, the committee recommended, and work should begin on the development of a potential case definition for "congenital Zika infection."

CDC's Director Visiting Puerto Rico to Assess Zika Response

Public health experts fear the outbreak could result in hundreds of thousands of infected people in Puerto Rico during 2016 based on past experience with dengue and chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same mosquitoes.

African Conferees Back Universal Access to Vaccinations

"Our children are our most precious resource, yet one in five fail to receive all the immunizations they need to survive and thrive, leaving millions vulnerable to preventable disease," said Dr. Kesetebirhan Admasu, minister of Health for Ethiopia. "This is not acceptable."

Federal Experts Update HELP Committee on Zika Threat

A trio of experts testified at a Feb. 24 hearing about their agencies' work to develop a vaccine and educate the public about the virus.

New Lyme Disease Bacteria Found

"This discovery adds another important piece of information to the complex picture of tickborne diseases in the United States," said Dr. Jeannine Petersen, a CDC microbiologist.

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