The number of measles cases recorded across the U.S. rose by almost 100 last week as the annual total continued its march toward record levels, federal health officials reported Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 465 cases have been confirmed in 19 states so far in 2019, the second-highest total since measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. almost two decades ago.


Booming measles cases rocket toward record: Up nearly 100 from last week

---

E. Coli outbreak sickens nearly 100 in five states, and nobody knows where it’s coming from

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it has yet to determine the source of an E. coli outbreak that has now infected 96 people in five states — an admission one expert in food-borne illness called “perplexing,” considering how many have become sick.

The recent spate of sickness, which began March 2, is directly linked to a strain of E. coli known as “O103,″ according to the CDC. AT least 11 people have been hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, however, no deaths have been reported. The patients’ ages range from 1 to 81 with a median age of 17.

Symptoms of E. coli infection often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, typically occurring three days after consuming the bacteria. The states affected by the outbreak are Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.

Tuesday’s notice follows an announcement from the CDC Friday, in which they reported 72 ill patients linked to the strain.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/04/06/dozens-have-fallen-ill-during-five-state-e-coli-outbreak-nobody-knows-where-its-coming/?utm_term=.6e6eec75071f

ARLINGTON, Va. (WJLA) — A potentially deadly superbug fungus has been spreading in the United States and worldwide. The lastest count from the Centers for Disease Control showed nearly 600 cases of the drug-resistant Candida auris in 12 states, including Maryland and Virginia.

Considered a “serious global threat,” cases have been confirmed in every continent in the world. In the U. S., most of the cases are in New York City, Chicago, and New Jersey.


https://wjla.com/news/local/cdc-candida-auris-superbug-fungus-md-va

---

A top Red Cross official said Friday he’s “more concerned than I have ever been” about the possible regional spread of the Ebola virus after a new spike in cases, as the World Health Organization met on whether to declare the outbreak in Congo an international health emergency.



Congo's Ebola outbreak might be declared global emergency

---

The number of new U.S. measles cases continued to accelerate last week as health authorities race to curb the outbreaks and scientists who study the virus say measles may be more harmful than once believed.

There were 555 cases of measles in 20 states this year as of April 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday, 90 more than were reported the previous week.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/measles-cases-continue-to-soar-stirring-concern-over-long-term-effects-11555337326

---

An experimental vaccine against the Ebola virus is 97.5 percent effective at preventing the disease, protecting well over 90,000 people in the massive, ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to preliminary data.


https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/04/ebola-vaccine-is-97-5-effective-early-outbreak-data-suggests/

---

An experimental vaccine against the Ebola virus is 97.5 percent effective at preventing the disease...

Now, that's pretty good going!


All on our only one planet,
Martin

---

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Some adults who received the measles vaccine between 1963 and 1967 may not be protected from the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That's because when the measles vaccine first became available, in 1963, there were two versions and only one was effective.

The first version of the early vaccine was inactivated, also known as "killed" measles vaccine. The other version was live attenuated measles vaccine, which was a weakened form of the virus. The killed vaccine was discontinued in 1967 when it was determined that it did not, in fact, protect against measles virus infection.


Born In The 1960s? The CDC Says You May Need A Measles Shot Before Traveling

---

A large-scale pilot of what has been called the world's first malaria vaccine to give partial protection to children has begun in Malawi.

The RTS,S vaccine trains the immune system to attack the malaria parasite, which is spread by mosquito bites.

Earlier, smaller trials showed that nearly 40% of the 5-to-17-month-olds who received it were protected.

about time.

Innovative child malaria vaccine test starts in Malawi

---

US measles outbreak is largest since disease was declared eliminated in 2000



E. coli outbreak linked to ground beef spreads to 10 states, sickens 156, CDC reports

---

The government of Malawi has begun administering the world’s first approved malaria vaccine to young children as part of a sweeping pilot program that could save tens of thousands of lives per year across some of Africa’s poorest regions, advocates say.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/malawi-malaria-vaccine-who_n_5cbfd26ee4b0764d31d9d6bf

---

Amid measles fears, more than 200 students and staff at L.A. universities are quarantined

Trying to stop a measles outbreak from spreading, health officials announced Thursday that more than 200 students and staff members at UCLA and Cal State L.A. who have been exposed to measles are being asked to stay home.

The five people diagnosed with measles so far in L.A. County this year include a UCLA student and a Cal State L.A. student. Concerned about the quick spread of disease on busy college campuses, health officials have ordered that students and staff exposed to measles who cannot show they have been vaccinated be quarantined until further notice.

U.S. health officials confirmed another 78 cases of measles last week, urging people to get vaccinated as they battle the worst year for the disease in 25 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday said it has confirmed 704 cases of measles this year as of Friday, the largest number of cases in the U.S. in a single year since 1994 and the largest number of cases since measles were considered eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/29/us-measles-cases-climb-to-704-as-the-disease-spreads-among-unvaccinated-people.html

---

Butembo (DR Congo) (AFP)

Twenty-six people died of Ebola in a single day in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province, the highest daily toll since its outbreak nearly nine months ago, the health ministry said Tuesday.

The current outbreak is the second deadliest on record, after the epidemic that struck West Africa in 2014-2016 and killed more than 11,300 people.

The health ministry it had counted 957 deaths in the country, of which 891 were confirmed cases and 66 suspected ones.

"There were 26 deaths from confirmed cases" on Sunday, April 28, in the northeastern North Kivu province, the ministry said in a statement.

It said of the total deaths of 957, 33 were health workers who had succumbed to the disease.


Record 26 Ebola deaths in DRCongo in a single day

---

Apologies if is not about a single threat, it's just an article on health care charges in the US.
They Want It to Be Secret: How a Common Blood Test Can Cost $11 or Almost $1,000

Huge price discrepancies like that are unimaginable in other industries. Also unusual: not knowing the fee ahead of time.

Another story on price gouging in the US.
Girl’s $143,000 bill for snakebite treatment reveals antivenin price gouging

The average list price for the antivenin is $3,198. The hospital charged $16,989.

A Cruise Ship Has Been Quarantined In Saint Lucia Because Of Measles

The ship appears to belong to the Church of Scientology.

The Caribbean island of Saint Lucia quarantined a cruise ship to prevent the spread of measles, a public health official said Tuesday.

The country's chief medical officer, Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James, said in a video message that Saint Lucia authorities learned early Tuesday of a case of measles on the ship. After discussions with other regional health authorities, Fredericks-James said Saint Lucia ordered passengers and crew members to remain on the docked ship because of the highly contagious nature of the disease.

"Because of the risk of potential infection, not just from the confirmed measles case but from other persons who may be on the boat at this time, we made the decision to not allow anyone to disembark," Fredericks-James said.

She did not name the ship, but a Saint Lucia Coast Guard official identified it to MSNBC as the Freewinds. As of Wednesday, according to MarineTraffic.com, it remained docked in Castries, the country's capital.

Drug company founder convicted of bribing doctors with money, strippers to sell more Fentanyl

A pharmaceutical company founder accused of paying doctors millions of dollars in bribes to prescribe a highly addictive fentanyl spray was convicted Thursday in a case that exposed such marketing tactics as using a stripper-turned-sales-rep to give a physician a lap dance.

John Kapoor, the 76-year-old former chairman of Insys Therapeutics, was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy after 15 days of jury deliberations. Four former employees of the Arizona-based company, including the former exotic dancer, were also convicted.

Some of the most sensational evidence in the months-long federal trial included a video of employees dancing and rapping around an executive dressed as a giant bottle of the powerful spray Subsys, and testimony about how the company made a habit of hiring attractive women as sales representatives.

Federal prosecutors portrayed the case as part of the government's effort to go after those it views as responsible for fuelling the nation's deadly opioid crisis.

---

Terrible :-(


The death toll in the Democratic Republic of Congo's latest Ebola outbreak has risen to more than 1,000, according to the country's health ministry, with a volatile security situation and deep community distrust complicating efforts to beat back the nine-month-old epidemic.


DR Congo records 1,000th Ebola death in current outbreak

---

https://www.dw.com/en/measles-german-minister-proposes-steep-fines-for-anti-vaxxers/a-48607873

German Health Minister Jens Spahn is proposing a law that allows for fining parents of unvaccinated children up to €2,500 ($2,800). The conservative lawmaker said he wants to "eradicate" measles.

Parents in Germany who refuse to vaccinate their children against measles would be required to pay up to €2,500 ($2,800) in fines and their children would be thrown out of kindergarten, according to a draft law put forward by Health Minister Jens Spahn.

"I want to eradicate measles," Spahn told the mass circulation Bild am Sonntag paper. "All parents should be secure in the knowledge that their children will not be infected and endangered by measles."