Here is a look at some interesting infectious disease and health news, opinion and research reported across the globe:
WHO supports five countries to fight Lassa fever outbreaks
With five countries in Western Africa reporting outbreaks of Lassa fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) has scaled up its efforts to support the region’s response to the disease.
CDC: flu activity hits highest level this season
The percentage of people visiting the doctor for influenza-like illness (ILI) last week jumped from 3.8% to 4.3%, the highest of the 2018-2019 flu season, according to today’s weekly FluView update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Saudi MOH Announces 7 More MERS Cases In Wadi Aldwasir
The Saudi MOH announced 7 more secondary, hospital-acquired MERS cases in Wadi Aldwasir, bringing the number of cases reported since Sunday (Epi Week 6) to 24.
Tuberculosis survivors challenge Johnson & Johnson patent application in India
Two tuberculosis survivors filed a patent challenge in India on Thursday to try to block Johnson & Johnson (J&J) from extending its monopoly on bedaquiline, a critical medicine in the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB).
A new protocol for Hepatitis A vaccination to prevent a vaccine-resistant virus
Researchers of the University of Barcelona (UB) have analysed, with massive sequencing techniques for the first time, the evolution of the Hepatitis A virus with samples from patients. The results, published in the journal EBioMedicine, show the presence of variants of the virus that could escape the effects of the vaccine.
- Measles in Thailand: 600 cases in first month
- Infectious disease bric-a-bracs: Measles in Europe 2018, XDR typhoid in Pakistan
- Ukraine reports 15,000 measles cases in January
- Flea-borne typhus in Los Angeles County: 107 cases since last year
- Philippines: Anne Curtis appointed as UNICEF national goodwill ambassador, Vaccinations a priority
- Babesia assay for blood donor screening receives FDA approval
- Antibiotics: FDA accepts review regulatory filings for Merck investigational combo drug and ZERBAXA®
