Here is a look at some interesting infectious disease and health news reported across the globe:

Vaccine researchers are preparing for Disease X

Last year the World Health Organisation published a plan to accelerate research into pathogens that could cause public-health emergencies. One priority was the bafflingly named “Disease x”. The x stands for unexpected, and represents concern that the next big epidemic might be caused by something currently unknown.

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Image/CDC
Image/CDC

Diagnostic Pitfalls of Zika and Chikungunya Viruses

Millions of people have contracted Zika and chikungunya virus infections since the outbreaks that have been striking Latin America since 2013. Particularly Zika-related malformations in newborns warrant reliable diagnostics. DZIF scientists from the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin demonstrate the problems with the currently available diagnostics, particularly for Zika virus detection, and develop combined testing methods that have higher reliability.

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North Kivu, DRC: MSF scales up patient care activities amid growing tensions and decreased access to healthcare

Almost six months after the declaration of the Ebola epidemic in north-eastern DRC, response teams on the ground, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), are still struggling to gain control of the outbreak. So far, 619 people have been infected with the virus and 361 of them have died in what is the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record since the virus was discovered in this country in 1976.

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Combination therapy found to be more effective in treating patients with leishmaniasis and HIV

The results of clinical trials conducted in Ethiopia by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the University of Gondar, and Addis Ababa University, open the way for more effective and safer treatments for people with both HIV and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a group of patients who have historically suffered from poor treatment options. The results were published today in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

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Food recalls up 10 percent since 2013 as foodborne illnesses kill 3,000 Americans a year

Americans experience more food recalls today than they did five years ago, particularly when it comes to meat and poultry, a government watchdog analysis found.

Meat and poultry recalls increased by two-thirds from 2013 to 2018, while food recalls overall edged up 10 percent, according to the report published Thursday by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

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