Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Fourth case of dangerous mosquito-borne virus confirmed in Massachusetts
The Hill A fourth case of the dangerous mosquito-borne illness was confirmed in Massachusetts on Monday, according to health officials. A man in his 50s contracted Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced on Monday. The man lives in Middlesex County which is at high risk for EEE. Nationally, cases of EEE […]
Sep 10, 2024
India reports case of mpox in traveller from affected country
Reuters India had recorded a suspected case of mpox found in a man who recently travelled from a country suffering an outbreak of the virus, the health ministry said on Sunday. The patient has been isolated in a hospital and is in a table condition, the ministry said. The ministry did not specify which strain […]
Sep 10, 2024
4th human case of EEE detected in Mass., health officials say
Boston.com “This year’s EEE season has been particularly active and is generating a lot of concern in communities across Massachusetts.” A fourth human case of Eastern equine encephalitis has been detected in Massachusetts this season, state health officials announced Monday. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said in a statement that the newest case is […]
Sep 10, 2024
5 burning questions about Missouri’s mysterious H5 bird flu case
STAT Could raw milk — or a cat — help explain how a person who had no contact with animals caught the virus? News that a person in Missouri contracted H5 bird flu despite having no known contact with infected animals or birds — in other words, no evident route of infection — raises pressing questions public health […]
Sep 10, 2024
Scientists discover novel orthonairovirus in man bitten by tick in China
Med Express A case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine describes a previously unidentified orthonairovirus, dubbed Wetland virus (WELV), in a man bitten by a tick at a wetland park in Inner Mongolia, China, in 2019. After isolating the virus from the index patient, a team led by Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology researchers conducted […]
Sep 10, 2024
US is beefing up mpox testing, vaccine access against new strain
Reuters The United States has beefed up testing and surveillance for a new strain of mpox and has ensured that vaccines are readily available at local pharmacies and community health centers, senior administration officials said in a briefing on Friday. No cases of the more transmissible strain of the virus have been confirmed in the […]
Sep 10, 2024
New Hampshire man tests positive for EEE and 2 other mosquito viruses, now fighting for life
CBS News A New Hampshire man is fighting for his life because of a mosquito bite. Fifty-four-year-old Joe Casey of Kensington has tested positive for three mosquito-borne viruses, including eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus. “He’s my brother. It’s very difficult, especially because it’s from a mosquito,” his sister-in-law Angela Barker told WBZ-TV, fighting back tears. […]
Sep 4, 2024
Officials confirm H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in three California dairy farms
Los Angeles Times Federal officials have confirmed that three California dairy herds have suffered outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu, due most likely to the transportation of cattle and not exposure to diseased birds. Health officials announced last week that they suspected cows at three Central Valley dairies had contracted the illness, and were awaiting testing […]
Sep 4, 2024
As mosquito-borne illnesses spread, here’s how to tell West Nile, dengue and EEE apart
ABC News As mosquito season continues, public health officials in the U.S. have been tracking several different illnesses caused by the pesky flying insect. Health officials are reporting at least eighteen deaths from West Nile virus in the U.S. this year, with three recent deaths recorded in Wisconsin and Illinois. There have been six cases of eastern equine […]
Sep 4, 2024
2 additional cases of West Nile virus confirmed in Massachusetts
WCVB Massachusetts public health officials are raising the risk level for West Nile virus in nine cities and towns after reporting two additional human cases of the mosquito-borne disease. According to the Department of Public Health, one patient is a man in his 50s who was exposed in Suffolk County, and the other is a […]
Sep 3, 2024