Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo adds 11 new cases in past week
CIDRAP Eleven new Ebola virus cases have been added to the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the past week, pushing the case total to 57, including 35 deaths, for a death rate of 61.4%, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday. First declared on September 4, the outbreak is still confined to the […]
Sep 24, 2025
WHO confirms 11 new Ebola cases in Congo
Reuters Eleven new confirmed cases of Ebola were reported in Democratic Republic of Congo since the World Health Organization’s last update on September 15, showing a decreasing trend of cases in the recent week, the UN health agency said on Wednesday. As of September 21, a total of 57 cases, including 10 probable cases and […]
Sep 24, 2025
Plague suspected in southern Colorado county following mass prairie dog die-off
Colorado News A mass die-off of prairie dogs in a Colorado county has health officials concerned that it could be the plague. La Plata County Public Health Department (LPCPH) announced Monday that it was investigating several once-active prairie dog colonies where there was now little to no activity detected. While for many, the word “plague” […]
Sep 24, 2025
US Measles Cases Hit 1,514 on Fresh Outbreaks in Utah, Arizona
Bloomberg Measles infections in the US have reached 1,514 this year, as outbreaks continue to spread and routine childhood vaccinations fall. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported infections in 41 states. Cases are now being driven by travel and fresh outbreaks in Utah and Arizona after Texas declared its outbreak had ended in August. […]
Sep 24, 2025
Ebola outbreak in the DRC: why is it so deadly?
Nature ‘Spillover event’ in which an animal infected humans is likely to be the cause of 47 confirmed cases and 25 deaths. An outbreak of Ebola has been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with 47 confirmed cases, including 25 deaths, as of yesterday, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There […]
Sep 24, 2025
‘Nightmare bacteria’ cases are increasing in the U.S.
NBC It’s likely many people are unrecognized carriers of the drug-resistant bacteria, which could lead to community spread, CDC scientists said. Infection rates from drug-resistant “nightmare bacteria” rose almost 70% between 2019 and 2023, according to a new report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists. Bacteria that are difficult to treat due to the so-called […]
Sep 24, 2025
Why seniors who want covid shots should consider getting one this week
Washington Post The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is weighing changes to coronavirus vaccine recommendations that could make it harder for some seniors to access them. For people 65 or older considering getting a new covid shot, this week might be the best opportunity to get vaccinated without complications before a federal vaccine advisory committee’s […]
Sep 24, 2025
The Preventable Return of Deadly Diseases
The Atlantic The historian Kyle Harper on the history of plagues, the rise of anti-vaccination politics, and why measles is back in America. On this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with reflections on President Donald Trump’s repeated delays to enforce the congressionally mandated TikTok ban. He explains how Trump’s pattern of […]
Sep 17, 2025
Child dies from complications of measles years after infection
The Conversation A school-age child has died from a devastating brain complication of measles in Los Angeles, highlighting the deadly consequences of declining vaccination rates. The child, who was too young to receive the measles vaccine, developed subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) – a progressive and almost always fatal brain condition that strikes years after initial measles infection. SSPE affects […]
Sep 17, 2025
Upsurge in Lassa fever cases as deaths hit 162 in August —NCDC
Tribune/Nigeria THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a rise in confirmed Lassa fever cases, with 162 deaths recorded across 21 states as of epidemiological week 35, spanning August 25 to 31, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported. The NCDC, via its official website on Tuesday, reported 10 new […]
Sep 17, 2025