Tuberculosis kills 3, sickens 26 in Alabama

A tuberculosis outbreak in western Alabama has killed three adults, the state department of public health confirmed on Thursday. Since January 2014, 26 patients were diagnosed, four of which are children. The state is turning to monetary incentives to get Perry County residents to come in for screening, WIAT reported.

The infection rate in the town of Marion is greater than those in many third world countries, public health officials said.


http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/01/08/tuberculosis-kills-3-sickens-26-in-alabama.html

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After Ebola, 2 Other Tropical Diseases Pose New Threats

A little-known bacterial disease may be killing as many people worldwide as measles, scientists said on Monday, while a mosquito-borne virus known as Zika is also raising global alarm.

The spread of Ebola in West Africa last year shows how poorly-understood diseases can emerge and grow rapidly while researchers race to design and conduct the scientific studies needed to combat them.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/after-ebola-2-other-tropical-diseases-pose-new-threats/

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President Vladimir Putin Claims Russia Has Invented World's Most Effective Ebola Drug

Russian President Vladimir Putin has unexpectedly announced that his country has invented the world’s most effective drug against Ebola.

At a government meeting today, Putin told officials that Russia had registered a new medicine against the deadly illness for which an effective treatment remained elusive, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. The latest outbreak of the highly contagious virus has ravaged West Africa for the past two years.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/president-vladimir-putin-claims-russia-invented-worlds-effective/story?id=36266302

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Liberia Ebola epidemic 'over', ending West African outbreak


Liberia's Ebola epidemic is over, says the World Health Organization (WHO), effectively putting an end to the world's worst outbreak of the disease.

The "end of active transmission" was declared, after 42 days without a new case in Liberia.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35308743

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It's back. :-(

Ebola virus: New case emerges in Sierra Leone


Sierra Leone officials have confirmed a death from Ebola, hours after the World Health Organization declared the latest West Africa outbreak over.

The country was declared free of the virus on 7 November, and the region as a whole was cleared when Liberia was pronounced Ebola-free on Thursday.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35320363

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CDC says closely monitoring outbreak of new bird flu strain

CHICAGO – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is closely monitoring individuals who may have been exposed to the new strain of bird flu that has been found in a flock of turkeys in Indiana, a CDC health official said on Friday.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/01/15/cdc-says-closely-monitoring-outbreak-new-bird-flu-strain.html

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More than 100 people quarantined after Sierra Leone Ebola death

More than 100 people have been quarantined in Sierra Leone after coming in contact with a woman who died of Ebola last week, highlighting the potential for the disease to spread, just as the deadliest outbreak on record appeared to be over.

The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared that "all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa" after Liberia joined Sierra Leone and Guinea in going six weeks with no reported new cases of Ebola. At the same time, it warned of possible flare-ups as survivors can carry the virus for months.

http://in.reuters.com/article/us-health-ebola-leone-idINKCN0UV0MS

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WHO hopes to eradicate polio in 2016

An official says the World Health Organization hopes to eradicate polio in 2016, after containing outbreaks in conflict-ridden Syria, Iraq and Somalia by immunizing millions of children over two years.

Christopher Maher, who runs the regional polio eradication program, says there's a chance to "finish polio forever" this year. He says the disease still occurs in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but that the caseload is dropping.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/01/18/who-hopes-to-eradicate-polio-in-2016.html

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Zika virus scare spreads as Brazil gears up for Carnival, Olympics

Olympic and tourism officials in Brazil downplayed risks for foreign visitors from the mosquito-borne Zika virus on Monday, even as the health ministry warned pregnant women to consult doctors before visiting the country amid a widening scare.

Alarm over the virus, linked to a rising number of mental birth defects among children of mothers infected by it, comes two weeks before nationwide Carnival celebrations, a highlight of Brazil's tourism calendar.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-health-idUSKCN0UW1H4

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UK should have listened to Ebola warnings, report says

The UK government should have paid more attention to warnings about Ebola before a formal emergency was declared, a group of MPs has said in a report.

A Commons committee said the government had been "too reliant" on the World Health Organisation (WHO) system, which declared an emergency in August 2014.

Instead it should have listened to other groups that were warning about Ebola months earlier, the report said.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-35349081

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Vaccines alliance signs $5 million advance deal for Merck's Ebola shot

The Gavi global alliance for vaccines and immunization group signed a $5 million advance purchase commitment on Wednesday to buy a vaccine being developed by Merck to protect against future outbreaks of the deadly Ebola virus.

Gavi said the agreement would help the U.S. drugmaker take the experimental Ebola vaccine through late-stage clinical trials to licensing and then through pre-qualification by the World Health Organization (WHO).

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-ebola-vaccine-idUSKCN0UY0OT

It's always money.

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Florida, Illinois report travel-related Zika cases

Travel-related cases of a mosquito-borne illness running rampant in Latin America have reached Florida and Illinois, officials in those states said Tuesday. Cases of Zika virus— which health officials in Brazil believe is causing babies to be born with abnormally small heads— have also been reported in Hawaii and Texas. All of the U.S. cases thus far have involved people who traveled to Latin America.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/01/20/florida-illinois-report-travel-related-zika-cases.html?intcmp=hpbt3

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I didn't expect the recent good news regarding Ebola would mean "Wi[ted out everywhere forever", but such a quick rollback is disheartening.

Can we blame Obama?
ISIS?
Misfit?

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

I didn't expect the recent good news regarding Ebola would mean "Wi[ted out everywhere forever", but such a quick rollback is disheartening.

Can we blame Obama?
ISIS?
Misfit?

The list would be endless to pass blame.

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WHO confirms second new Ebola case in Sierra Leone

The second person to die of Ebola in Sierra Leone was a 38-year-old woman, the aunt of the 22-year-old who died of the disease on January 12, the World Health Organization announced on Thursday. The older woman died while under observation in a quarantine facility.

Sierra Leone's Health Ministry spokesman, Sidi Yahyah Tunis, also confirmed the new case, adding that the Ministry was expecting other cases - particularly among the people who had washed the body before the burial.

http://www.dw.com/en/who-confirms-second-new-ebola-case-in-sierra-leone/a-18995645

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Antibodies from Ebola survivors may lead to better treatment

NASHVILLE, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Scientists identified antibodies from Ebola survivors they report can kill multiple forms of the deadly virus, according to a new study.

The development changes concerns that separate vaccines or treatments would be necessary for each species of Ebola, with scientists at Vanderbilt University and the University of Texas suggesting one drug could be used to treat or prevent all types of the virus.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2016/01/22/Antibodies-from-Ebola-survivors-may-lead-to-better-treatment/3821453473398/

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Brazil Zika outbreak: More babies born with birth defects

Brazil says the number of babies born with suspected microcephaly or abnormally small heads since October has now reached nearly 4,000.

In the worst affected area, about 1% of newborns have suspected microcephaly.

The Brazilian authorities believe the increase is caused by an outbreak of Zika virus. Just 150 babies were born with microcephaly in 2014.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35368401

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New Ebola cases represent ‘second generation’ of virus in Sierra Leone – WHO

Two new Ebola cases have been confirmed in Sierra Leone, which indicates that the deadly virus is not controlled and is now in its “second generation,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said, adding that there’s currently no vaccine against it.

https://www.rt.com/news/329878-ebola-second-generation-who/

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In the news.

UK is 'vulnerable' to next Ebola outbreak

The UK is vulnerable to epidemics such as Ebola because of a gaping hole in the country's ability to manufacture vaccines, a group of MPs has warned.

The Science and Technology Committee said the UK "lacks the capacity" to produce enough to protect people.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35381466

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