Here is a look at some interesting infectious disease and health news, opinion and research reported across the globe:
Monkey Fever in Shivamogga: Kyasanur’s ticking time bomb

Reckless human forays into eco-sensitive forest areas and lax public health monitoring have led to a deadly outbreak of Kyasanur Forest Disease, or Monkey Fever, in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, disrupting normal life and the local plantation economy. Mohit M. Rao reports from Aralagodu, the epicentre of the outbreak.
Temperature-Stable Experimental Tuberculosis Vaccine Enters Clinical Testing
Vaccinations have begun in a Phase 1 human clinical trial testing a freeze-dried, temperature-stable formulation of an experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate. The trial is being conducted at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development and will enroll as many as 48 healthy adult volunteers aged 18 to 55 years.
Thousands of Polish parents shun vaccines for their kids: report
Officials are expected to release data for 2018 in the second half of this year.
Under Polish law, parents who do not follow their child’s immunisation schedule are issued a warning and may then be fined up to PLN 10,000 (EUR 2,300) for each missed vaccination, and up to PLN 50,000 in total.
Sarawak rabies outbreak declared ‘Stage 2 Disaster’
The rabies outbreak in Sarawak which began in July 2017 has been declared a ‘Stage 2 Disaster’.
The declaration allows all government agencies to pool their resources and work together to contain the disease, which has so far spread to 61 areas across the state and killed 16 of 17 infected human victims.
Report: Dysentery Outbreak in Northern Negev City of Arad
In the northern Negev city of Arad, Jewish families are battling a disease that is usually found in third-world environments.
But the parents of four-year-old Lia Esther Schneider say that she was diagnosed with dysentery and shigella after a week in which their little girl suffered “hell on earth” – diarrhea, non-stop nosebleeds and sleepless nights for both her and her parents.
- Measles in Oregon: Case confirmed in Multnomah County
- Infectious disease bric-a-bracs: New anti-influenza drugs, Leishmaniasis in Sindh
- Cruise news: GI outbreak onboard Viking Ocean Cruises vessel, Viking Sea
- Travel advisory for Kazakhstan: Measles outbreak
- Philippines reports 200,000 dengue cases in 2018, 31st Dengvaxia complaint filed over doctor’s death
- Measles: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declares a state of emergency
- CDC Health Advisory: Rifampin/Penicillin-Resistant RB51 Brucella from consuming raw milk