This deadly flu season has peaked, but a late bump could loom

The worst of the flu season is over, but increasing numbers of people are being infected by a secondary strain of the respiratory virus that could lead to a late-season bump, according to a federal health report released Friday.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/03/02/this-deadly-flu-season-has-peaked-but-a-late-bump-could-loom/?utm_term=.1ad83912fbf9

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Diabetes is actually five separate diseases, research suggests

Scientists say diabetes is five separate diseases, and treatment could be tailored to each form.

Cheers.

Thanks for the link Wiggo.

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Australia on track to become first country to completely eliminate cervical cancer.

Experts predict Australia is likely to become the first country to effectively eliminate cervical cancer within the next 40 years.

Cheers.

South Africa says it has finally traced the source of a listeria outbreak that has killed 180 people in the past year - said to make it the worst in history.

The source is a factory operated by Enterprise Foods in Polokwane in Limpopo.

More facilities are being tested to see if they contributed to the outbreak which infected almost 1,000 people.

The health minister warned cross-contamination of other processed meats could have occurred in shops.

"Avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready to eat‚" Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told journalists at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Sunday afternoon.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43279627

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We have a small listeria outbreak in Australia mainly affecting the Eastern Coast States coming from Rockmelons..

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/food-warnings/third-person-dies-in-rockmelons-listeria-outbreak/news-story/29435de103eab36a6cb578d2c8852fbe

Lassa fever is not a new disease, but the current outbreak is unprecedented, spreading faster and further than ever before.

Health workers are overstretched, and a number have themselves become infected and died.

The potentially fatal disease is a so-called "viral haemorrhagic fever", which can affect many organs, and damage the body's blood vessels.

But it is difficult to treat.

Most people who catch Lassa will have only mild symptoms such as fever, headache and general weakness. They may have none at all.

However, in severe cases, it can mimic another deadly haemorrhagic fever, Ebola, causing bleeding through the nose, mouth and other parts of the body.

Lassa fever normally has a fatality rate of about one per cent. But in the Nigerian outbreak it is thought to be more than 20% among confirmed and probable cases, according to the country's Centre for Disease Control.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43211086

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(CNN)An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium linked to chicken salad has sickened another 105 people, bringing the total to 170 in seven states, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. No deaths have been reported, but 62 people have been hospitalized.
An investigation by the CDC and the US Department of Agriculture linked the outbreak to chicken salad produced by Triple T Specialty Meats Inc., sold from January 4 to February 9 at Fareway grocery stores in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. Sixty-five illnesses were reported in a CDC announcement February 22.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/08/health/outbreak-salmonella-chicken-salad-bn/index.html

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Health officials are trying to figure out why dentists are dying after discovering a strange pattern in cases of a lung disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that an analysis of patients at a Virginia care center found a high incidence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) for dentists. Out of nearly 900 patients studied over roughly two decades, the CDC found eight dentists and one dental technician, all men, had the disease. Seven of the patients had already died.

While that does not sound like a lot, it represents 1 percent of the total IPF patients. Meanwhile, the CDC noted, only about 0.038 percent of people living in the country are dentists.

http://www.newsweek.com/dentists-mysteriously-dying-lung-disease-idiopathic-pulmonary-fibrosis-cdc-838559

Dentists Mysteriously Dying of Lung Disease: CDC Report

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Disease X: World Health Organisation issues global alert for potential pandemic.

A GLOBAL alert has been issued to the world’s doctors over a potentially savage pathogen, which has been dubbed Disease X.

Cheers.

(CNN)As tens of thousands of Americans die from prescription opioid overdoses each year, an exclusive analysis by CNN and researchers at Harvard University found that opioid manufacturers are paying physicians huge sums of money -- and the more opioids a doctor prescribes, the more money he or she makes.
In 2014 and 2015, opioid manufacturers paid hundreds of doctors across the country six-figure sums for speaking, consulting and other services. Thousands of other doctors were paid over $25,000 during that time.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/11/health/prescription-opioid-payments-eprise/index.html

Thanks for the article Wiggo.

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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is confirming the first case of measles in the state this year.

The state announced Wednesday a person in Washtenaw County had been hospitalized after recently traveling internationally and getting sick.

The person, now recovering, was considered contagious upon returning. Officials say anyone in customs or baggage claim in Detroit Metropolitan Airport's north terminal between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. March 6 should seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of the disease.

The state notes measles is a highly contagious illness and vaccinations are an effective way to prevent it. Measles typically will start with a high fever, red eyes, runny nose, sensitivity to light, and eventually rashes on the face and head that move to other parts of the body.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/michigan/articles/2018-03-14/officials-confirm-1st-measles-case-in-michigan-this-year

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Platypus milk could hold key to fighting superbugs.

Australia's humble platypus might hold the answer to the world's superbug woes.

Scientists have pin-pointed a curly protein in the native animal's milk - dubbed the "Shirley Temple" - they believe could be used to kill off bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics.

The platypus is a monotreme, which along with echidnas, are the only mammals that lay eggs and produce milk to feed their young.

But because they don't have teats, they express their highly-nutritious milk onto their belly - leaving it exposed to the environment.

And that's why researchers from the CSIRO and Deakin University believe it is so potent.

"By taking a closer look at their milk, we've characterised a new protein that has unique antibacterial properties with the potential to save lives," CSIRO scientist Dr Janet Newman said on Thursday.

Cheers.

Measles Symptoms: Public Health Warning After Infectious People Visit Newark, Detroit and Memphis Airports

Travelers through three different airports in the U.S. are being warned by public health officials to check for symptoms of measles after two cases of the viral infection were confirmed in recent visitors.

A boy with measles arrived from Brussels at Terminal B of Newark Liberty International Airport on March 12 before departing for Memphis International Airport in Terminal C.

http://www.newsweek.com/measles-symptoms-public-health-warning-after-infectious-people-visit-newark-846067

Thanks Wiggo.

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Chlamydia, described as the most common sexually transmitted disease, may possibly double the risk of ovarian cancer, according to new research from the National Cancer Institute.

Over 1.5 million Americans have chlamydia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The STD causes no symptoms, so some people do not even know that they have been infected with it.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/223129/20180316/chlamydia-the-most-common-std-doubles-ovarian-cancer-risk.htm

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WHO says diphtheria infected over 1,300 people in Yemen

CAIRO — The World Health Organization says a diphtheria outbreak in war-torn Yemen has spread rapidly nationwide and infected more than 1,300 people.

WHO said in a statement that children and young adults account for almost 80 percent of cases and more than 70 people have died.

Diphtheria, first reported in Yemen in October last year, is a contagious and potentially fatal disease that primarily infects the throat and airways.

WHO said Friday a vaccination campaign targeting 2.7 million Yemeni children has been completed in 11 governorates.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/who-says-diphtheria-infected-over-1300-people-in-yemen/2018/03/17/b7e7acbe-29c8-11e8-a227-fd2b009466bc_story.html?utm_term=.0948efa98ca8

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GENEVA —

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a major breakthrough in efforts to contain South Africa’s longest and largest recorded listeria outbreak.

The current outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa began more than one year ago in January 2017. As of March 12, the WHO has recorded 978 lab-confirmed cases of this foodborne disease, including 183 deaths.

WHO food safety expert Peter Ben Embarek says it is very difficult to investigate outbreaks of listeriosis because the disease has a very long incubation period. He says it can take several weeks before people show any symptoms, get sick and are hospitalized.

https://www.voanews.com/a/south-africa-listeria/4303115.html

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Flyers who live in fear of catching bugs on every flight, take heart: the risk of picking up respiratory infections while cruising at 35,000 feet may be slimmer than you think.

Scientists used a computer model to crunch information on how people moved around aircraft on flights lasting three-and-a-half to five hours. They found that passengers sitting one row in front, or one row behind, a person with flu had an 80% risk of catching the bug.

The same level of risk applied to those sitting one or two seats either side of the infectious traveller, but for all other passengers, the risk was less than 3%. An infected cabin crew member infected 4.6 passengers per flight, the model found.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/19/virus-risk-on-planes-is-lower-than-you-might-think-study-says

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Mumps is resurging. And it may be because the immune response provoked by the mumps vaccine weakens significantly over time, and not because people are avoiding vaccination or because the virus has evolved to develop immunity to the vaccine, a new study has found.

The mumps resurgence has been largely in people 18 to 29, most of whom received the recommended two shots in early childhood, and not in older people who gained immunity through natural infection before the vaccine was developed.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/well/live/mumps-is-on-the-rise-a-waning-vaccine-response-may-be-why.html

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Mass vaccination against anthrax continues on Yamal tundra
More than 658,000 reindeer are up for vaccination in order to prevent another outbreak of the deadly bacteria infection
https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/arctic/2018/03/mass-vaccination-against-anthrax-continues-yamal-tundra

It is all part of an effort to prevent an outbreak of the deadly infection, similar to the one in 2016. Then, a young boy died and at least 115 people were hospitalized. Military personnel was sent to the region and burned more than 2,300 infected reindeer in order to halt the spread of the infection.

Flu season is finally coming to a close, but federal health officials are warning parents of young children to remain vigilant.

Illness related to A-strain H3N2 flu, the strain responsible for the majority of flu cases earlier this season, has decreased across the U.S., according to the weekly surveillance report the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is released every Friday.

Slightly more than half -- or about 58 percent -- of the confirmed flu cases reported in the week ended March 17 were B-strain viruses. B-strain viruses have the potential to cause flu outbreaks, but do so less frequently than A-strain viruses.

http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf/2018/03/parents_vigilant_flu_season.html

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