Vaccines for three deadly viruses fast-tracked

Scientists have named three relatively little-known diseases they think could cause the next global health emergency.

A coalition of governments and charities has committed $460m to speed up vaccine development for Mers, Lassa fever and Nipah virus.

They are asking funders at the World Economic Forum Davos for another $500m.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) aims to have two new experimental vaccines ready for each disease within five years.

New vaccines usually take about a decade to develop and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Malaria champions unnerved by Trump uncertainty at crucial time

DAVOS, Switzerland – When it comes to fighting malaria, Bill Gates and Ray Chambers are both inspired and concerned: With victory in sight, will the world's new leaders commit to finally beating this persistent parasite?

In exclusive interviews with Reuters in Davos, Gates and Chambers both voiced concern about leadership changes in the U.S. and in United Nations bodies and what these might mean for funding and commitment to global health.

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Pet rats in Illinois, Wisconsin linked to Seoul virus outbreak, CDC says

(CNN)The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday that pet rats are the source of an outbreak of Seoul virus infections in Illinois and Wisconsin. The virus has been confirmed in eight patients in an ongoing investigation.
The recent cases are "the first human cases we've seen in the United States associated with pet rats," said Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, a veterinarian and deputy division director for CDC's division of high consequent pathogens and pathology. Several previous outbreaks reported in the US occurred in wild rats.

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First child death from flu reported this season in California as cases rise sharply

Thousands of Californians have been showing up at doctors’ offices and hospitals sick with the flu this month, in what officials say could be a much more severe flu season than the last.

“If you compare this time last year we’re seeing twice as many flu cases,” said Dr. Michael Neely, interim chief of infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “If it keeps going up at this rate and stays up then we will see a lot more cases this year.”

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Brazil investigating dozens of suspected yellow fever cases

SAO PAULO – Brazilian authorities say they've now confirmed 47 cases of yellow fever, and 25 deaths.

The Health Ministry also says it's investigating more than 160 other suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease.

The outbreak is centered in the east-central state of Minas Gerais, whose governor declared a 180-state of emergency this month after an initial report of eight deaths.

:-(

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World must not miss early signals of any flu pandemic - WHO

The World Health Organization called on all countries on Monday to monitor closely outbreaks of deadly avian influenza in birds and poultry and to report promptly any human cases that could signal the start of a flu pandemic.

Different strains of bird flu have been spreading across Europe and Asia since late last year, leading to large-scale slaughtering of poultry in certain countries and some human deaths in China. Experts fear the virus could mutate to spread more easily among people.

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At Least 80 Sick in Massive Mumps Outbreak in Spokane, Washington

Health officials in Washington state are fighting an outbreak of mumps that has infected 80 people in Spokane, according to the local health department.

The outbreak began at the end of last year, when two people were reportedly infected with the disease. Of the 80 infections reported, 50 were among people who had been vaccinated for mumps, five in unvaccinated people and 25 in people whose vaccination status was not clear, the Spokane Regional Health District reported yesterday. Most of those affected are under the age of 20, according to Papich.

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CDC Issues H7N9 Bird Flu Travel Warning

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new travel warning about bird flu in China.

It says the H7N9 strain of bird flu appears to be unusually active again and advises people traveling to China should stay away from chickens and poultry markets.

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Mumps Outbreak Worsens in Washington State, With Nearly 300 Reported Cases

Video in link.

Cases of mumps in an ongoing outbreak in Washington state have continued to rise, with at least 298 likely or confirmed mumps cases, according to the state health department and the Spokane Regional Health District.

There are at least 166 likely cases in King County, where Seattle is located, and 94 cases in Spokane, where at least 300 students were told to stay home due to concerns they were not up to date on their vaccinations, the health departments in those counties said Thursday.

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A couple people in my household feeling sick. :(


Seasonal Flu Reaches Epidemic Levels in US

Cases of the seasonal flu have reached epidemic levels, according to a report released today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC also reported that eight pediatric deaths have been reported due to seasonal influenza and that 10 states have experienced high amounts of people with flu-like symptoms. Widespread influenza activity was reported in 37 states.

:-( eight pediatric deaths

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Macedonia reports outbreak of H5N8 bird flu at farm: OIE

Macedonia reported an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N8 bird flu virus at a farm in the southwestern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday, citing a report from the local veterinary authorities.

The infected birds were found at a farm in the region of Struga, the report sent by the Paris-based OIE said, without giving details on the type of birds contaminated.

The H5N8 bird flu virus has been spreading across Europe since late last year, leading to the large-scale slaughter of poultry in several countries, while other bird flu strains lead to some human deaths in China.

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No women's Zika vaccine likely before 2020: WHO


Geneva (AFP) - About forty potential vaccines for the Zika virus are being tested, but none are likely to be available for women of childbearing age before 2020, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

WHO director Margaret Chan said the virus, linked to deformations in babies' heads and brains, remained "firmly entrenched" in large parts of the world.

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‘Very bad’ flu season looms in Kansas City area if cases continue to soar

The flu season hitting the Kansas City area right now is on pace to be “very bad,” according to health officials tracking the spread of the disease over the past two weeks.

Kansas and Missouri are among at least 10 states reporting widespread flu outbreaks, with the number of cases in Kansas increasingly sharply. Even as the flu season appears to be reaching a crescendo at the beginning of February, doctors say that it isn’t too late to get vaccinated and that everyone should do so if they can.

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CDC Seeks Controversial New Quarantine Powers To Stop Outbreaks

Federal health officials may be about to get greatly enhanced powers to quarantine people, as part of an ongoing effort to stop outbreaks of dangerous contagious diseases.

The new powers are outlined in a set of regulations the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published late last month to update the agency's quarantine authority for the first time since the 1940s.

ok..good luck with this CDC.

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Workers may have been exposed to Ebola, HIV and TB at Winnipeg lab, reports reveal

More than a dozen employees may have been exposed to potentially dangerous pathogens in incidents at Winnipeg's National Microbiology Laboratory over a 22-month period.

There were 14 cases involving possible exposures in 45 incident reports between January 2015 and October 2016, which were released under an access to information request.

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Antibiotic resistance: Superbugs can be killed by modifying existing drugs, scientists discover

In the evolutionary arms-race between deadly bacteria and the antibiotics used by doctors to kill them, the bugs have very definitely been gaining the upper hand in recent years.

But, amid growing reports of bacteria resistant to even the ‘last resort’ antibiotics, comes the news that scientists have found a new way that some existing drugs can still be effective.

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Czechs cull up to 20,000 poultry as bird flu outbreak spreads

Czech authorities ordered a cull of up to 20,000 ducks and other poultry at a producer in the south of the country on Monday in the biggest single case of this year's bird flu outbreak.

The affected producer, Blatenska Ryba, 100 km (60 miles) south of Prague, has already had to cull 6,500 ducks at another location last month.

"We have a case, first estimates see some 20,000 (ducks) there," regional director of the State Veterinary Administration (SVS) Frantisek Kouba told Reuters.


You are welcome, Tutankhamon "Communist".

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Mumps Outbreak Reaches 367 Cases in Washington State; Numbers Expected to Rise

An outbreak of the mumps has continued to grow in Washington state, with at least 367 people diagnosed or suspected of having the illness, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

The vast majority of those infected have been school-age children, according to Paul Throne, the manager of the state's immunization program. Of the school-age children infected in this outbreak, 87 percent were up to date on their mumps vaccinations, Throne said today, but lower vaccination rates among school-age children in general may be contributing to the growth of the outbreak.

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UNDP and Global Fund grant to fight drug-resistant TB in Bolivia with focus on prison populations


New York, 8 February - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) announced a new US$11 million grant to fight tuberculosis (TB) in Bolivia. Aiming to strengthen detection, diagnosis and treatment of TB in the South American country, the funds will focus on TB/HIV co-infections, drug resistant TB, and TB in Bolivian prison populations.

Bolivia, with an estimated total population of 10.5 million inhabitants, had the third highest TB rate in the Latin America and Caribbean region in 2014. Despite major advances in reducing TB rates in Bolivia, a significant number of cases go undiagnosed. According to the World Health Organization, there were an estimated 13,000 new cases of TB in 2015 yet only 7,893 were diagnosed or notified. The grant will help the government of Bolivia strengthen TB surveillance systems, introduce rapid diagnosis technology, and improve capacity to diagnose, test and successfully treat drug-resistant TB.

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Mumps Update:


With 404 cases, Washington mumps outbreak continues to grow


On Thursday, Washington state reported 404 confirmed and probable cases of mumps since October. Mumps is a contagious disease caused by a virus spread from person to person through saliva and mucus.

Two counties are reporting just one case each, while six counties have multiple cases. King County tops the list at 176 confirmed or probable cases. Spokane County has 165, Tacoma-Pierce County has 45, Grant County has nine, Snohomish County has four, Ferry County has three and Thurston and Yakima Counties each just one.

Approximately 25% of the total infections occurred among people within the 14 to 18 age group, 22% in the 10 to 13 age group, 14% in the 5 to 9 age group, 5% in the 19 to 24 age group and 3% in the infant to 4 age group. People over 25 made up the remaining reported infections. No deaths have been reported.

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