‘Rapid Spread’ of Deadly Plague Threatens Madagascar Capital

EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
DEADLY CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
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Deadly Plague Outbreak Kills Dozens in Madagascar: WHO

“There is now a risk of a rapid spread of the disease due to the city’s high population density and the weakness of the healthcare system. The situation is further complicated by the high level of resistance to deltamethrin (an insecticide used to control fleas) that has been observed in the country,” said the World Health Organization (WHO).

Plague – Madagascar

On 4 November 2014, WHO was notified by the Ministry of Health of Madagascar of an outbreak of plague. The first case, a male from Soamahatamana village in the district of Tsiroanomandidy, was identified on 31 August. The patient died on 3 September.

As of 16 November, a total of 119 cases of plague have been confirmed, including 40 deaths. Only 2% of reported cases are of the pneumonic form.

Some 16 districts in seven regions throughout the rat-infested island country have so far reported cases of plague infection. “Antananarivo, the capital and largest city in Madagascar, has also been affected with 2 recorded cases of plague, including 1 death,” said a report by WHO.

Background

Plague is a bacterial disease caused by Yersinia pestis, which primarily affects wild rodents. It is spread from one rodent to another by fleas. Humans bitten by an infected flea usually develop a bubonic form of plague, which produces the characteristic plague bubo (a swelling of the lymph node). If the bacteria reach the lungs, the patient develops pneumonia (pneumonic plague), which is then transmissible from person to person through infected droplets spread by coughing. If diagnosed early, bubonic plague can be successfully treated with antibiotics. Pneumonic plague, on the other hand, is one of the most deadly infectious diseases; patients can die 24 hours after infection. The mortality rate depends on how soon treatment is started, but is always very high. [Source: WHO]

World’s Largest Floating Petri Dish

Submitted by a reader [Edited by FIRE-EARTH]

First survivor of next contagious deadly disease on a cruise ship should be awarded…

More than 8,700 passengers and crew, wine, dine and make sewage aboard Oasis of the Seas nearly every day of the year.

Oasis of the Seas is 362 meters long, 65 meters wide and 65 meters high from the water line—the size of a city block. It made its maiden voyage five years ago.

Oasis Stats
22 knots cruising speed; 16 guest decks; 18 total decks; 24 passenger elevators; 4 bow thrusters with 7,500 horse power each; 5,400 guests (double occupancy); 6,360 guests total; 2,394 crew (From more than 71 countries); 241 km of piping used 5,310 km of electrical cables; 600,000 liters of paint used; 500,000 individual steel parts; makes 50 tons of ice cubes every day; contains 2,300 tons of water in the swimming pools and whirlpools…

The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas. (Photo source:cri.cn/ xinhua)

• Passengers Sickened On Oasis Of The Seas Cruise November 27, 2011
• Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Accidents and Incidents
• Norovirus on the Oasis of the Seas December 28, 2013

Ebola and Other Outbreaks in U.S.

GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
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Ebola Outbreak: Second Texas healthcare worker ‘tests positive’ —Health officials

A second healthcare worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for Ebola, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced on Wednesday.

The worker, who was on the team that cared for the Liberian Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan, was immediately isolated after reporting a fever on Tuesday, the health officials said.

“Health officials have interviewed the latest patient to quickly identify any contacts or potential exposures, and those people will be monitored.”

Another nurse, 26-year-old Nina Pham, became infected by Ebola virus while caring for Duncan, who died on October 8.

“An additional health care worker testing positive for Ebola is a serious concern, and the CDC has already taken active steps to minimize the risk to health care workers and the patient,” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement.

Ebola Stats

• At least 4,447 people have died from the outbreak, mainly in West Africa, since December 2013, according to The World Health Organization (WHO).
• Most of the fatalities have occurred in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
• WHO warns the infection rate could reach 5,000 to 10,000 new cases per week by December 2014 if the response remains inadequate.

Ebola in Brief

Symptoms of Ebola include

• Fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F)
• Severe headache
• Muscle pain
• Weakness
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)

Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days.

Recovery from Ebola depends on the patient’s immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years. [Source: CDC]

U.S. Health Emergency

Gov. Malloy declared a “public health emergency” for the state of Connecticut last week and signed an order authorizing the Department of Public Health to quarantine potentially infected individuals/groups.

In Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the respective state health commissioners have the authority to quarantine anyone suspected of exposure to Ebola virus.

Global Health Emergency

WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa  a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern,’ under the International Health Regulations on August 8, 2014.

All Other U.S.-Based Outbreaks [sourced from CDC]

• Acute Neurological Illness with Focal Limb Weakness in Children, Undetermined Origin Announced September 2014
• Cilantro – Cyclosporiasis (Texas) Announced September 2014
• Almond and Peanut Butter – Salmonella Braenderup Announced August 2014
• Live Poultry – Salmonella Infantis and Newport Announced May 2014
• Serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak at University of California, Santa Barbara Announced December 2013
• Serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak at Princeton University Announced December 2013
• Fungal Meningitis and Other Infections – Multistate outbreak Announced October 2013

Outbreaks Affecting International Travelers

See the Travelers’ Health site for a complete list.

• MERS-CoV Announced May 2014
• Ebola Outbreak in West Africa Announced March 2014
• Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus  Announced March 2013

Related Links

• Connecticut Declares Ebola Health Emergency, Authorizes Quarantines October 8, 2014
• Ebola outbreak devastating West Africa could spread globally October 1, 2014

Connecticut Declares Ebola Health Emergency, Authorizes Quarantines

GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
EBOLA HEALTH EMERGENCY IN CONNECTICUT
EBOLA EPIDEMIC IN WEST AFRICA
SCENARIOS 797, 444, 333, 080, 011
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CT Gov. authorizes quarantines, after declaring Ebola a ‘public health emergency’

Gov. Malloy has declared a “public health emergency” for the state of Connecticut and signed an order on Tuesday authorizing the Department of Public Health to quarantine potentially infected individuals/groups.

“We are taking this action today to ensure that we are prepared, in advance, to deal with any identified cases in which someone has been exposed to the virus or, worst case, infected,” said Malloy.

“It is essential to be prepared and we need to have the authorities in place that will allow us to move quickly to protect public health, if and when that becomes necessary,” he added.

“While local health officials are certainly on the front lines of this effort, at the ready to address any situation, having this order in place will allow us to have a more coordinated response in the event that someone in Connecticut either tests positive for Ebola or has been identified as someone who is at risk of developing it,” said Commissioner Mullen of the Department of Public Health.

With the the emergency proclamation in place, “we don’t have to scramble in the event I need to take action.” said Mullen.

There are no Ebola cases currently in Connecticut, and the order is meant as a precaution in case someone with either a confirmed infection or suspected of carrying the virus enters the state.

Other U.S. states seem to have been left with little option but to follow the precedent set by the Connecticut governor.

In Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the respective state health commissioners have the authority to quarantine anyone suspected of exposure to Ebola virus.

Ebola in Brief

Symptoms of Ebola include

• Fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F)
• Severe headache
• Muscle pain
• Weakness
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)

Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days.

Recovery from Ebola depends on the patient’s immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years. [Source: CDC]

Global Health Emergency

WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa  a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern,’ under the International Health Regulations on August 8, 2014.

Related Links

• Ebola outbreak devastating West Africa could spread globally October 1, 2014

First Ebola Case Diagnosed in the U.S.

GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
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Ebola outbreak devastating West Africa could spread globally

The first case of Ebola in the United States has been diagnosed in a person who had traveled to Dallas, Texas from Liberia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed.

The patient had no symptoms when leaving West Africa, but developed symptoms about four days after arriving in the U.S. on September 20, said CDC.

The person fell ill on Sept. 24 and sought medical care at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas on Sept. 26. After developing symptoms consistent with Ebola, he was admitted to hospital on Sept. 28. Based on the person’s travel history and symptoms, CDC recommended testing for Ebola. The laboratory test results confirmed Ebola infection.

“Ebola can be scary. But there’s all the difference in the world between the U.S. and parts of Africa where Ebola is spreading. The United States has a strong health care system and public health professionals who will make sure this case does not threaten our communities,” said CDC Director. “While it is not impossible that there could be additional cases associated with this patient in the coming weeks, I have no doubt that we will contain this.”

Symptoms of Ebola include

• Fever (greater than 38.6°C or 101.5°F)
• Severe headache
• Muscle pain
• Weakness
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)

Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days.

Recovery from Ebola depends on the patient’s immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years. [Source: CDC]

Global Health Emergency

WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa  a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern,’ under the International Health Regulations on August 8, 2014.

Related Links

• Ebola: 1.4 Million Cases by January 20, 2015? September 24, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak Declared Global Health Emergency  August 8, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak: Public Health Emergency Declared in Sierra Leone July 31, 2014
• EBOLA Epidemic Spreading in West Africa June 19, 2014

Ebola: 1.4 Million Cases by January 20, 2015?

GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
DEADLY EBOLA HF EPIDEMIC
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN WEST AFRICA
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Ebola Cases in Sierra Leone and Liberia Could Reach 1.4 Million by January —CDC

Up to 1.4 million people in West Africa could be infected with the Ebola virus by January 20, 2015, according to researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC says it has has developed a dynamic modeling tool called Ebola Response that allows for estimations of projected cases over time in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The agency’s estimate ranges between 550,000 and 1.4 million. The top range assumes that the number of cases, which currently stands at nearly 6,000, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is underreported by a factor of 2.5 and should be adjusted to 15,000.

Projecting Ebola Case Estimates

CDC has used the Ebola Response modeling tool to calculate Ebola cases through mid-January in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The model estimates a range of between 550,000 and 1.4 million cases by January 20, 2015. The top range of the case estimate, 1.4 million, is explained by the model’s assumption that cases are significantly underreported by a factor of 2.5.

The World Health Organization has projected that Ebola outbreak could infect 20,000 people by early November, failing rigorous infection control measures, and become an endemic disease in the region.

The death toll is at least 2,811 out of 5,864 reported cases, according to the U.N. agency.

CDC analysis, published in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), projects the cases in Liberia doubling every 15 to 20 days, and those in Sierra Leone doubling every 30 to 40 days.

Global Health Emergency

WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa  a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern,’ under the International Health Regulations on August 8, 2014.

Related Links

• Ebola Outbreak Declared Global Health Emergency  August 8, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak: Public Health Emergency Declared in Sierra Leone July 31, 2014
• EBOLA Epidemic Spreading in West Africa June 19, 2014

State of Emergency Declared in Ohio amid Major Health Threat

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Toxins Contaminate Toledo Water

Toxins, either from algae formed on Lake Erie or released during fracking, have contaminated the water supply of Toledo, Ohio’s fourth-largest city, forcing the governor to declare a state of emergency and the officials to warn residents not to drink the water.

Residents have been warned not to cook using tap water or use the contaminated water for bathing children. They have also been told not to boil the tap water because it will only increase the toxin’s concentration.

“The city advised about 400,000 residents in Toledo, most of its suburbs and a few areas in southeastern Michigan not to brush their teeth with or boil the water because that would only increase the toxin’s concentration. The mayor also warned that children should not shower or bathe in the water and that it shouldn’t be given to pets,” said a report.

“We don’t really want to speculate on this,” Gov Kasich told the AP. “When it comes to this water, we’ve got be very careful.”

“What’s more important than water? Water’s about life,” he said. “We know it’s difficult. We know it’s frustrating.”

“The state emergency operations center has been activated in response to the water contamination issue affecting the Toledo area,” said Ohio EMA.

Stores in Toledo area have run out of bottled water as residents rushed to stock up supplies.

“These organisms are capable of producing a number of toxins that may pose a risk to human and animal health,” officials said in a press release.

Consuming the contaminated water could result in nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other health problems.

Related Links

• If Anything Can Explode, Leak, Contaminate… January 12, 2014
• Up to 27 Million Gallons of Coal Ash Spill into Dan River, NC February 7, 2014
• Officials ‘Baffled’ by LNG Explosion in Washington April 6, 2014

Ebola Outbreak: Public Health Emergency Declared in Sierra Leone

UPDATED August 1, 2014 @ 03:00UTC

EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
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Sierra Leone declares public health emergency to curb deadly Ebola outbreak

Death toll from an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa—Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone—has risen to at least 729 since February, including 233  in Sierra Leone, said WHO.

Liberia’s government earlier announced that it was closing down all schools across the country to stop the spread of the deadly virus.

Ebola Fears in Other Countries

“The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday that it has put in place precautionary measures to prevent the entry and spread of the Ebola virus disease in the country,”  said a report.

Ebola could be a threat to Britain, said the British Foreign Secretary during an emergency meeting on Wednesday.

“In terms of the UK, the issue is about the possibility of somebody who has contracted the disease in Africa getting sick here.” He told reporters.

The Nigerian government has ordered the temperature screening of all passengers arriving from places at risk from Ebola, while suspending pan-African airline Asky because it brought the first Ebola case to the overcrowded capital Lagos.

Ethiopia and Kenya have begun screening passengers arriving from West Africa.

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF)

EHF is a highly contagious virus that spreads via close personal contact and kills up to 90% of the victims.

Five subspecies of Ebolavirus have so far been found. Four of those have caused disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus); and Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans, according to CDC.

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and damage to central nervous system.
• There are  no known cure or vaccine for the Ebola virus.
• Incubation period is from two to 21 days.

In Africa, confirmed cases of Ebola HF have previously been reported in the following countries:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
• Gabon
• South Sudan
• Ivory Coast
• Uganda
• Republic of the Congo (ROC)
• South Africa (imported)

The current outbreak  is the first known occurrence of Ebola HF in Guinea.

“The natural reservoir host of ebolaviruses, and the manner in which transmission of the virus to humans occurs, remain unknown. This makes risk assessment in endemic areas difficult. With the exception of several laboratory contamination cases (one in England and two in Russia), all cases of human illness or death have occurred in Africa; no case has been reported in the United States,” said CDC.

Ebola virions (image 2 colorized 1), diagnostic specimen from the first passage in Vero cells of a specimen from a human patient — this image is from the first isolation and visualization of Ebola virus, 1976. In this case, some of the filamentous virions are fused together, end-to-end, giving the appearance of a “bowl of spaghetti.” Negatively stained virions. Magnification: approximately x40,000.  Micrograph from F. A. Murphy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

12 deadly pathogens could spread into new regions aided by climate change

A report by Wildlife Conservation Society released on October 7, 2008 lists 12 deadly pathogens that could spread globally as a result of climate change. “All have potential impacts to both human and wildlife health as well as global economies.” Report said.

Titled ‘The Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change,’ the report illustrates examples of diseases that could spread due to temperatures changes and variations in regional precipitation levels.

The “Deadly Dozen” list [ABC order]

1. Avian influenza
2. Babesia
3. Cholera
4. Ebola
5. Intestinal and external parasites
6. Lyme disease
7. Plague
8. Red tides
9. Rift Valley fever
10. Sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis)
11. Tuberculosis
12. Yellow fever

RELATED LINKS

• EBOLA Epidemic Spreading in West Africa June 19, 2014
• Sierra Leone “Quarantines” Ebola Affected Area June 14, 2014
• Ebola Kills 100 in West Africa April 5, 2014
• Ebola Spreads to Liberia, Senegal Shuts Border March 31, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak Kills Dozens March 23, 2014
• Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Breaks Out in SW Uganda October 20, 2012
• Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012 July 28, 2012
• Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases October 8, 2008

EBOLA Epidemic Spreading in West Africa

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Death toll from Ebola outbreak in West Africa climbs to 337

Death toll from an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa—Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone— has risen to 337 since February, this year, reported World Health organization (WHO).

The the epidemiological situation as of June 18, 2014 is as follows:

Some 47 new cases and 14 additional deaths were reported across the region last week. Guinea is currently the worst affected country with 264 Ebola-related deaths, while  the death tolls in Sierra Leone has climbed to 49, with  Liberia reporting 24 fatalities.

Guinea (from WHO report)

Between June 14 and 16, 2014 an additional f 7 new cases and 5 new deaths were reported in Guinea, Gueckedou (4 cases and 5 deaths) and Boffa (3 cases and 0 deaths). The cumulative number of cases and deaths reported from Guinea to 398 (254 confirmed, 88 probable and 56 suspected) and 264 deaths, according to WHO.

The geographical distribution of these cases and deaths is as follows: Conakry (70 cases and 33 deaths); Guéckédou (224 cases and 173 deaths); Macenta (41 cases and 28 deaths); Dabola, (4 cases and 4 deaths); Kissidougou (8 cases and 5 deaths); Dinguiraye (1 case and 1 death); Telimele (30 cases and 9 deaths); Bofa (19 cases and 10 deaths) and Kouroussa (1 case and 1 death). Twenty four (24) patients are currently in EVD Treatment Centres: Conakry (6), Guéckédou (9), Telimele (3) and Boffa (6).

The number of contacts currently being followed countrywide is 1,258 and distributed as follows: Conakry (252), Guéckédou (529), Macenta (52), Telimele (118), Dubreka (118) and Boffa (189). So far 69.4% (2,848 contacts being followed-up out of a 4,106 contacts registered since the beginning of the outbreak) have completed the mandatory 21 days observation period.

Possible Outbreak in Senegal and Gambia

News of a possible outbreak in Senegal may have been suppressed. As of early April, Gambia had placed at least two people with suspected EHF under quarantine.

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF)

EHF is a highly contagious virus that spreads via close personal contact and kills up to 90% of the victims.

Five subspecies of Ebolavirus have so far been found. Four of those have caused disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus); and Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans, according to CDC.

There are  no known cure or vaccine for the Ebola virus.

In Africa, confirmed cases of Ebola HF have previously been reported in the following countries:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
• Gabon
• South Sudan
• Ivory Coast
• Uganda
• Republic of the Congo (ROC)
• South Africa (imported)

The current outbreak  is the first known occurrence of Ebola HF in Guinea.

“The natural reservoir host of ebolaviruses, and the manner in which transmission of the virus to humans occurs, remain unknown. This makes risk assessment in endemic areas difficult. With the exception of several laboratory contamination cases (one in England and two in Russia), all cases of human illness or death have occurred in Africa; no case has been reported in the United States,” said CDC.

Ebola virions (image 2 colorized 1), diagnostic specimen from the first passage in Vero cells of a specimen from a human patient — this image is from the first isolation and visualization of Ebola virus, 1976. In this case, some of the filamentous virions are fused together, end-to-end, giving the appearance of a “bowl of spaghetti.” Negatively stained virions. Magnification: approximately x40,000.  Micrograph from F. A. Murphy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

12 deadly pathogens could spread into new regions aided by climate change

A report by Wildlife Conservation Society released on October 7, 2008 lists 12 deadly pathogens that could spread globally as a result of climate change. “All have potential impacts to both human and wildlife health as well as global economies.” Report said.

Titled ‘The Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change,’ the report illustrates examples of diseases that could spread due to temperatures changes and variations in regional precipitation levels.

The “Deadly Dozen” list [ABC order]

1. Avian influenza
2. Babesia
3. Cholera
4. Ebola
5. Intestinal and external parasites
6. Lyme disease
7. Plague
8. Red tides
9. Rift Valley fever
10. Sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis)
11. Tuberculosis
12. Yellow fever

Situation in Conakry (Guinea) – from WHO report

The outbreak in Conakry, capital city of Guinea with total population of about 1.5 million, started on 3 March 2014. It is linked (epidemiologically) to the outbreak in Gueckedou.

• As at 15 June 2014, a total of 68 cases and 33 deaths were reported of which 31 cases recovered and discharged. The distribution of cases by location is shown in figure 3.

• Cumulatively, 1001 contacts were identified of which 668 completed their follow-up and currently 333 are under follow-up.

• The outbreak spread to the following districts: Telimele (30 cases including 9 deaths), Boffa (19 cases including 10 deaths) and Kouroussa (1 case including 1 deaths). The geographical distribution of cases in Telimele and Boffa is shown on the next page.

Situation in Gueckedou, Macenta and Kissidougou (Guinea)

Gueckedou

• The first cases of EVD outbreak in West Africa were reported from Gueckedou district which has a total population of 405,000.

•  The onset of the index case was on 2 December 2013.

•  A total number of 221 cases including 171 deaths were reported; 43 cases were recovered and discharged.

•  Cumulatively, 1911 contacts were identified of which 1366 completed their follow-up and currently 545 are under follow-up.

Macenta

• The outbreak in Macenta district started on 17 February 2014. The total population of the district is 296, 000.

•  A total of 41 cases and 28 deaths were reported of which 12 cases recovered and discharged.

•  Cumulatively, 359 contacts were identified of which 307 completed their follow-up and currently 52 are under follow-up.

Kissidougou

•  The outbreak in Kissidougou district started on 24 February . The total population of the district is 214,000.

• A total of 8 cases and 5 deaths reported of which 3 recovered and discharged.

• No new cases have been reported since 1 April 2014.

RELATED LINKS

• Sierra Leone “Quarantines” Ebola Affected Area June 14, 2014
• Ebola Kills 100 in West Africa April 5, 2014
• Ebola Spreads to Liberia, Senegal Shuts Border March 31, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak Kills Dozens March 23, 2014
• Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Breaks Out in SW Uganda October 20, 2012
• Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012 July 28, 2012
• Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases October 8, 2008

 

Encephalitis Kills Dozens of Children in East India

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Encephalitis spreads across east India states of Bihar, West Bengal

At least fifteen children have died in the Indian state of Bihar from suspected encephalitis since Sunday as the disease spreads to new districts, taking the death toll to 92, health officials said.

Thirteen of th victims died from suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) Sunday, and two children died Monday.

Meantime, in the neighboring state of West Bengal, “at least 19 children have died of encephalitis from June 3 to 16. ” said a senor health official.

“The AES is now spreading its tentacles to new areas,” said the health department.

Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES)

Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a clinical condition caused by infection with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) or other infectious and noninfectious causes.

Transmission of Japanese Encephalitis Virus 

Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus, a flavivirus, is closely related to West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses. JE virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Culex species mosquitoes, particularly Culex tritaeniorhynchus.

The virus is maintained in a cycle between mosquitoes and vertebrate hosts, primarily pigs and wading birds. Humans are incidental or dead-end hosts, because they usually do not develop high enough concentrations of JE virus in their bloodstreams to infect feeding mosquitoes.

JE virus transmission occurs primarily in rural agricultural areas, often associated with rice production and flooding irrigation. In some areas of Asia, these conditions can occur near urban centers.

In temperate areas of Asia, JE virus transmission is seasonal. Human disease usually peaks in the summer and fall. In the subtropics and tropics, transmission can occur year-round, often with a peak during the rainy season. —CDC

MERS Deaths Surge to 282 in Saudi Arabia

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Saudi Arabia revises up MERS mortalities

Saudi Arabian health officials finally admitted that many more people have died from the MERS infection than previously reported. 

The Saudi health ministry on Tuesday said that a review of data on Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) had shown that there were in fact 688 cases in the country with 282 mortalities reported.

Before the review, the ministry’s latest figures were 575 infections, with 190 deaths.

The new figures increase the official mortality rate from MERS to 41 percent, up from 33 percent previously.

The announcement came a day after the country’s deputy health minister was fired. The sacking followed that of the health minister in April.

MERS-CoV Cases Worldwide

FIRE-EARTH Models project the total cases of MERS-CoV infections worldwide at 804 with 363 mortalities, as of June 3, 2014. See also previous projection.

What’s MERS?

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness  caused by a coronavirus called “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).”

Symptoms

MERS symptoms include fever and pneumonia leading to kidney failure and often death. Most victims who got infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of them died. Some people were reported as having a mild respiratory illness within 14 days after traveling from countries in the Arabian Peninsula or neighboring countries.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

MERS was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It is caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They had fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of these people died.

MERS-CoV is not the same coronavirus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. However, like the SARS virus, MERS-CoV is most similar to coronaviruses found in bats. –CDC

Countries with Lab-Confirmed MERS – Reported Cases Since April 2012

• Egypt
• France
• Greece
• Italy
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Malaysia
• Netherlands
• Oman
• Philippines
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• United Kingdom (UK)
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Unites States of America (USA)
• Yemen

Source of MERS

MERS-CoV has been “extraordinarily common” in camels since the 1990s, and it may have evolved after being passed to humans, according to a recent study.  The virus has been found in camels in Qatar and a bat in Saudi Arabia. Camels in a few other countries have also tested positive for antibodies to MERS-CoV.

Doctors Resigning for Fear of Infection

At least four doctors at a Jeddah hospital resigned in April after refusing to treat MERS patients for fear of infection, said reports.

MERS a Year Ago

A total of 38 infected cases had been reported in Saudi Arabia, 49 worldwide, as of May 30, 2013.

Related Links

• MERS Infection Kills More People  May 17, 2014
• 2ND Case of MERS Reported in U.S.  May 13, 2014
• First U.S. Case of Deadly MERS Virus Confirmed  May 3, 2014
• Saudi MERS Death Toll Reaches 102 April 28, 2014

Links to Other Infectious Diseases

• Ebola Kills 100 in West Africa April 5, 2014
• Ebola Spreads to Liberia, Senegal Shuts Border March 31, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak Kills Dozens March 23, 2014

• Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Breaks Out in SW Uganda October 20, 2012
• Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012 July 28, 2012
• Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases October 8, 2008

Deadly Hog Virus Re-infects Indiana Farm

EMERGING and RE-Emerging INFECTIOUS DISEASES
2ND OUTBREAK OF DEADLY PEDV
SCENARIO 011
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Second Outbreak of Deadly PEDV Reported in U.S.

An Indiana farm has confirmed a second outbreak of the deadly Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), fueling concerns the deadly disease, which has wiped out 10 percent of the U.S. hog population since last year, will be harder to contain than previously thought.

The rest of this exclusive report is posted at:  Deadly pig virus re-infects U.S. farm, fuels supply fears

The highly contagious disease has killed about 7 million U.S. hogs since it was first diagnosed last year and seriously threatens pork production across the country.

About 6,000 separate cases of the virus have been reported in 29 states across the nation, as of April 22, 2014. The U.S. has about 68,300 hog farms, according to USDA.

Virus Strain PC21A is a  highly contagious coronavirus that causes porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). It was first reported in the United States in May 2013 in Iowa.  The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has since spread rapidly throughout the U.S., according to reports filed with CDC.

Electron micrograph of a US porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) particle detected in a field fecal sample collected during a 2013 outbreak of PED on a farm in Ohio, USA; the fecal sample from which PEDV strain PC21A in this study was detected was from a pig on the same farm during the same outbreak. The sample was negatively stained with 3% phosphotungstic acid. Scale bar = 50 nm. Source: CDC – “Pathology of US Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Strain PC21A in Gnotobiotic Pigs”

Related Links

• 29 U.S. States Report Deadly PEDV  April 22, 2014

• Viral Hog Epidemic Outbreak in NC March 1, 2014
• Thousands of Dead Pigs Dumped in Shanghai River March 11, 2013

 

MERS Infection Kills More People

EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
DEADLY MERS
SCENARIO 011
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Saudi Arabia reports five new MERS cases and three additional deaths

Saudi health authorities reported five new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases and three additional deaths from the infection on Friday.

The latest figures raise the total number of reported cases in Saudi Arabia to at least 520, including 163 fatalities

MERS Cases Worldwide

FIRE-EARTH Models project the total cases of MERS-CoV infections worldwide at 650 with 210 fatalities, as of May 17, 2014.

What’s MERS?

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness  caused by a coronavirus called “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).”

Symptoms

MERS symptoms include fever and pneumonia leading to kidney failure and often death. Most victims who got infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of them died. Some people were reported as having a mild respiratory illness within 14 days after traveling from countries in the Arabian Peninsula or neighboring countries.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

MERS was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It is caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They had fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of these people died.

MERS-CoV is not the same coronavirus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. However, like the SARS virus, MERS-CoV is most similar to coronaviruses found in bats. –CDC

Countries with Lab-Confirmed MERS – Reported Cases Since April 2012

• Egypt
• France
• Greece
• Italy
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Malaysia
• Netherlands
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• United Kingdom (UK)
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Unites States of America (USA)
• Yemen

Source of MERS

MERS-CoV has been “extraordinarily common” in camels since the 1990s, and it may have evolved after being passed to humans, according to a recent study.  The virus has been found in camels in Qatar and a bat in Saudi Arabia. Camels in a few other countries have also tested positive for antibodies to MERS-CoV.

Doctors Resigning for Fear of Infection

At least four doctors at a Jeddah hospital resigned in April after refusing to treat MERS patients for fear of infection, said reports.

MERS a Year Ago

A total of 38 infected cases had been reported in Saudi Arabia, 49 worldwide, as of May 30, 2013.

Related Links

• 2ND Case of MERS Reported in U.S.  May 13, 2014
• First U.S. Case of Deadly MERS Virus Confirmed  May 3, 2014
• Saudi MERS Death Toll Reaches 102 April 28, 2014

Links to Other Infectious Diseases

• Ebola Kills 100 in West Africa April 5, 2014
• Ebola Spreads to Liberia, Senegal Shuts Border March 31, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak Kills Dozens March 23, 2014

• Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Breaks Out in SW Uganda October 20, 2012
• Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012 July 28, 2012
• Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases October 8, 2008

Global Health Emergency Declared as Poliovirus Spreads

EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
INTERNATIONAL SPREAD OF WILD POLIOVIRUS
GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO 011
.

Global Health Emergency Declared as Wild Poliovirus Spreads

The international spread of wild poliovirus in 2014 is a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC),” the Director General of WHO  declared on 5 May 2014, based on the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee’s assessment.

“… the international spread of polio to date in 2014 constitutes an ‘extraordinary event’ and a public health risk to other states for which a co-ordinated international response is essential,” said the WHO’s Emergency Committee.

At end-2013, 60% of polio cases were the result of international spread of wild poliovirus, and there was increasing evidence that adult travellers contributed to this spread. During the 2014 low transmission season there has already been international spread of wild poliovirus from 3 of the 10 States that are currently infected: in central Asia (from Pakistan to Afghanistan), in the Middle East (Syrian Arab Republic to Iraq) and in Central Africa (Cameroon to Equatorial Guinea). A coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop this international spread of wild poliovirus and to prevent new spread with the onset of the high transmission season in May/June 2014; unilateral measures may prove less effective in stopping international spread than a coordinated response. The consequences of further international spread are particularly acute today given the large number of polio-free but conflict-torn and fragile States which have severely compromised routine immunization services and are at high risk of re-infection. Such States would experience extreme difficulty in mounting an effective response were wild poliovirus to be reintroduced. As much international spread occurs across land borders, WHO should continue to facilitate a coordinated regional approach to accelerate interruption of virus transmission in each epidemiologic zone.

States currently exporting wild poliovirus

Pakistan, Cameroon, and the Syrian Arab Republic pose the greatest risk of further wild poliovirus exportations in 2014.

States infected with wild poliovirus but not currently exporting

Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Somalia and particularly Nigeria, given the international spread from that State historically, pose an ongoing risk for new wild poliovirus exportations in 2014.

Global Public Health Emergency

Based on the Committee’s assessment, the Director General of WHO  on 5 May 2014 declared the international spread of wild poliovirus in 2014 a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).”

Scanning electron photomicrograph of polio virions

The poliovirus lives in the human pharynx and intestinal tract. Poliomyelitis is an acute infection that involves the gastrointestinal tract and, occasionally, the central nervous system. It is acquired by fecal-oral transmission. Source: CDC

What’s Polio

Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person invading the brain and spinal cord and causing paralysis. Because polio has no cure, vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and the only way to stop the disease from spreading. The spread of polio has never stopped in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. Poliovirus has been reintroduced and continues to spread in Syria, Cameroon and the Horn of Africa after the spread of the virus was previously stopped.

Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases

• First U.S. Case of Deadly MERS Virus Confirmed May 3, 2014
• Ebola Kills 100 in West Africa April 5, 2014
• Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases October 8, 2008

First U.S. Case of Deadly MERS Virus Confirmed

EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
DEADLY MERS
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO 011
.

CDC confirms first case of MERS Coronavirus infection in the U.S.

 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was confirmed on Friday in a traveler returning to the United States from Saudi Arabia, CDC reported.

“We’ve anticipated MERS reaching the US, and we’ve prepared for and are taking swift action,” said CDC Director.  “We’re doing everything possible with hospital, local, and state health officials to find people who may have had contact with this person so they can be evaluated as appropriate.  This case reminds us that we are all connected by the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.  We can break the chain of transmission in this case through focused efforts here and abroad.”

On April 24, the patient traveled by plane from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to London, England then from London to Chicago, Illinois.  The patient then took a bus from Chicago to Indiana.  On the 27th, the patient began to experience respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, coughing, and fever. The patient went to an emergency department in an Indiana hospital on April 28th and was admitted on that same day. The patient is being well cared for and is isolated; the patient was in stable condition as of May 2, 2014. Because of the patient’s symptoms and travel history, Indiana public health officials tested for MERS-CoV. The Indiana state public health laboratory and CDC confirmed MERS-CoV infection in the patient Friday afternoon.

“It is understandable that some may be concerned about this situation, but this first U.S. case of MERS-CoV infection represents a very low risk to the general public,” said the assistant surgeon general and director of CDC’s National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases.  In some countries, the virus has spread from person to person through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person. However, there is currently no evidence of sustained spread of MERS-CoV in community settings.

CDC and Indiana health officials are not yet sure how the patient became infected with the virus.  Exposure may have occurred in Saudi Arabia, where outbreaks of MERS-CoV infection are occurring. Officials also do not know exactly how many people have had close contact with the patient.

So far, including this U.S. importation, there have been 401 confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection in 12 countries. [Note: Egypt has also recorded at least one case. Editor.]  To date, all reported cases have originated in six countries in the Arabian Peninsula.  Most of these people developed severe acute respiratory illness, with fever, cough, and shortness of breath; 93 people died. [Note: Confirmed death toll exceeds 102. Editor] Officials do not know where the virus came from or exactly how it spreads. There is no available vaccine or specific treatment recommended for the virus.

What’s MERS?

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness  caused by a coronavirus called “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).”

Symptoms

MERS symptoms include fever and pneumonia leading to kidney failure and often death. Most victims who got infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of them died. Some people were reported as having a mild respiratory illness within 14 days after traveling from countries in the Arabian Peninsula or neighboring countries.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

MERS was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It is caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They had fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of these people died.

MERS-CoV is not the same coronavirus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. However, like the SARS virus, MERS-CoV is most similar to coronaviruses found in bats. –CDC

Countries With Lab-Confirmed MERS Cases – Since April 2012

• Egypt (see below)
• France
• Italy
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Malaysia
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Tunisia
• United Kingdom (UK)
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Unites States of America (USA)

Source of MERS

MERS-CoV has been “extraordinarily common” in camels since the 1990s, and it may have evolved after being passed to humans, according to a recent study.  The virus has been found in camels in Qatar and a bat in Saudi Arabia. Camels in a few other countries have also tested positive for antibodies to MERS-CoV.

Doctors Resigning for Fear of Infection

At least four doctors at a Jeddah hospital resigned in April after refusing to treat MERS patients for fear of infection, said reports.

Egypt’s Reports First Case of MERS-CoV

Egypt reported its first case  of MERS last week. A man in his twenties who  had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, and showed symptoms of the infection, tested positive for MERS-CoV, according to a report.

MERS a Year Ago

A total of 38 infected cases had been reported in Saudi Arabia, 49 worldwide, as of May 30, 2013.

Related Links

• Saudi MERS Death Toll Reaches 102 April 28, 2014

Links to Other Infectious Dieases

• Ebola Kills 100 in West Africa April 5, 2014
• Ebola Spreads to Liberia, Senegal Shuts Border March 31, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak Kills Dozens March 23, 2014

• Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Breaks Out in SW Uganda October 20, 2012
• Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012 July 28, 2012
• Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases October 8, 2008

Saudi MERS Death Toll Reaches 102

EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
DEADLY MERS
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO 011
.

8 more deaths and 16 new cases of MERS reported over 24 hrs in Arabia

The Saudi health ministry reported eight additional deaths and 16 new cases of MERS infections late Sunday.

The acting health minister said the latest fatalities had raised the total to 102 deaths. Meanwhile, the number of recorded infections have climbed to 339, with 143 new cases reported since April 1, a massive rise of 73 percent in just four weeks.

The previous Saudi health minister was fired last Monday amid the rising death toll, and a “lack of transparency.”

What’s MERS?

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness  caused by a coronavirus called “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus” (MERS-CoV).

Symptoms

MERS symptoms include fever and pneumonia leading to kidney failure and often death. Most victims who got infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of them died. Some people were reported as having a mild respiratory illness within 14 days after traveling from countries in the Arabian Peninsula or neighboring countries.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

MERS was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It is caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They had fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About half of these people died.

MERS-CoV is not the same coronavirus that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. However, like the SARS virus, MERS-CoV is most similar to coronaviruses found in bats. –CDC

Countries With Lab-Confirmed MERS Cases – Since April 2012

• Egypt (see below)
• France
• Italy
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Malaysia
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Tunisia
• United Kingdom (UK)
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Source of MERS

MERS-CoV has been “extraordinarily common” in camels since the 1990s, and it may have evolved after being passed to humans, according to a recent study.  The virus has been found in camels in Qatar and a bat in Saudi Arabia. Camels in a few other countries have also tested positive for antibodies to MERS-CoV.

Doctors Resigning for Fear of Infection

At least four doctors at a Jeddah hospital have resigned so far this month after refusing to treat MERS patients for fear of infection, said reports.

Egypt’s Reports First Case of MERS-CoV

Egypt reported its first case  of MERS last week. A man in his twenties who  had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, and showed symptoms of the infection, tested positive for MERS-CoV, according to a report.

29 U.S. States Report Deadly PED

EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO 011
.

PED could seriously threaten U.S. pork production

The highly contagious disease called porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) has killed about 5 million U.S. hogs since it was first diagnosed in May 2013 and seriously threatens pork production across the country.

In March, environmental groups urged Gov. McCrory to declare a state of emergency in North Carolina due to a rapidly-spreading viral outbreak that had affected about a third of the state’s 3,000 major hog farms.

About 6,000 separate cases of the virus have been reported in 29 states across the nation. The U.S. has about 68,300 hog farms, according to USDA.

Virus Strain PC21A is a  highly contagious coronavirus that causes porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). It was first reported in the United States in May 2013 in Iowa.  The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has since spread rapidly throughout the U.S., according to reports filed with CDC.

Iowa is the top hog producer state in the U.S., followed by North Carolina.

Electron micrograph of a US porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) particle detected in a field fecal sample collected during a 2013 outbreak of PED on a farm in Ohio, USA; the fecal sample from which PEDV strain PC21A in this study was detected was from a pig on the same farm during the same outbreak. The sample was negatively stained with 3% phosphotungstic acid. Scale bar = 50 nm. Source: CDC – “Pathology of US Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Strain PC21A in Gnotobiotic Pigs”

The most seriously at risk populations are piglets less than 10 days old.

The virus, thriving in cold, wet weather, kills newborn piglets on infected farms until the herd develops immunity after a few weeks, and is affecting about 100 new farms each week. PED causes severe dehydration and loss of appetite and has a nearly 100 percent mortality rate.

Water Quality

“The water-quality watchdogs say they are particularly worried that hog farmers are burying massive numbers of dead animals where they will contaminate groundwater. Also, they say that in some cases dead hogs are left for days, piled in overflowing ‘dead boxes.’ They say the blood and other liquids from those are seeping into groundwater and streams, and that animals feeding on the dead hogs are spreading the virus,” said the report.

The environmentalists have urged the authorities to collect and disseminate more information concerning

• Numbers of dead hogs
• Method and of disposal and burial sites of infected carcases
• Magnitude and extent of threat posed by the epidemic

“Basically we just feel like this is a serious enough problem that the government should be stepping in and getting involved and having direct contact with the facilities that are disposing of these dead hogs,” said Gray Jernigan, a North Carolina-based staff attorney for the Waterkeeper Alliance.

“Since the outbreak began, we’ve certainly seen more hogs sent for disposal and gotten reports of mass burials, and it’s getting to the point where it’s fairly alarming.”

More of this report is posted HERE.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED)

New Variant of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, United States, 2014 (CDC)

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) was first reported in the United Kingdom in 1971. The disease was characterized by severe enteritis, vomiting, watery diarrhea, dehydration, and a high mortality rate among swine. Subsequently, the causative agent of PED was identified as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), which belongs to the family Coronaviridae and contains an enveloped, single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome.

PEDV has been reported in many other countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, China, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam  and was first identified in the United States in May 2013.

By the end of January of 2014, the outbreak had occurred in 23 US states, where 2,692 confirmed cases (www.aasv.org/news/story.php?id = 6989) caused severe economic losses. Recent studies have shown that all PEDV strains in the United States are clustered together in 1 clade within the subgenogroup 2a and are closely related to a strain from China, AH2012 .

In the state of Ohio, the first PED case was identified in June of 2013; since then, thousands of cases have been confirmed by the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. […]

Value of Trade in Swine and Swine Products
In 2011, the United States exported 1.75 billion metric tons of pork and related products worth $5.32 billion (The American Meat Institute, 2013).  Japan and Mexico are the two leading importers of U.S. pork products by value, said USDA.

PED in Japan

The deadly virus has already infected about 250,000 pigs in Japan, killing at least 50,000 of them, as of April 20,2014.

The disease was confirmed in Okinawa last October and has since spread to hundreds of pig farms in 21 prefectures throughout Japan.

Related Links

• Viral Hog Epidemic Outbreak in NC March 1, 2014
• Thousands of Dead Pigs Dumped in Shanghai River March 11, 2013

Ebola Kills 100 in West Africa

DEADLY VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
EBOLA KILLS 100 IN W. AFRICA
MALI SUSPECTS EBOLA HF
.

Mali suspects EHF cases as death toll reaches 100 in W. Africa

Mali health authorities say they have identified possible cases of Ebola HF since the epidemic outbreak in neighboring Guinea.

The outbreak, which originated in Guinea in early March, has since spread to the neighbors Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Guinea has reported an increased total of 127 probable and suspect cases, including 86 deaths (case fatality ratio: 68%), as of April 4, 2014. Of the suspect cases, 35 have been laboratory confirmed positive cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), including 14 health care workers and 11 cases in Conakry, the capital, according to various sources.

Liberia has reported 14 suspect cases, which include 7 deaths and 2 laboratory-confirmed cases of EHF from persons with recent travel history to Guinea. Authorities are investigating reports of additional suspect cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Outbreak, Guinea and Liberia 2014

Source:  CDC/National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)

Possible Outbreak in Senegal and Gambia

News of a possible outbreak in Senegal may have been suppressed.

Gambia has placed at least two people with suspected EHF under quarantine.

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever(EHF)

EHF is a highly contagious virus that spreads via close personal contact and kills up to 90% of the victims.

Five subspecies of Ebolavirus have so far been found. Four of those have caused disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus); and Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans, according to CDC.

There are  no known cure or vaccine for the Ebola virus.

In Africa, confirmed cases of Ebola HF have previously been reported in the following countries:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
• Gabon
• South Sudan
• Ivory Coast
• Uganda
• Republic of the Congo (ROC)
• South Africa (imported)

The current outbreak  is the first known occurrence of Ebola HF in Guinea.

“The natural reservoir host of ebolaviruses, and the manner in which transmission of the virus to humans occurs, remain unknown. This makes risk assessment in endemic areas difficult. With the exception of several laboratory contamination cases (one in England and two in Russia), all cases of human illness or death have occurred in Africa; no case has been reported in the United States,” said CDC.

Ebola virions (image 2 colorized 1), diagnostic specimen from the first passage in Vero cells of a specimen from a human patient — this image is from the first isolation and visualization of Ebola virus, 1976. In this case, some of the filamentous virions are fused together, end-to-end, giving the appearance of a “bowl of spaghetti.” Negatively stained virions. Magnification: approximately x40,000.  Micrograph from F. A. Murphy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

12 deadly pathogens could spread into new regions aided by climate change

A report by Wildlife Conservation Society released on October 7, 2008 lists 12 deadly pathogens that could spread globally as a result of climate change. “All have potential impacts to both human and wildlife health as well as global economies.” Report said.

Titled ‘The Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change,’ the report illustrates examples of diseases that could spread due to temperatures changes and variations in regional precipitation levels.

The “Deadly Dozen” list [ABC]

1. Avian influenza
2. Babesia
3. Cholera
4. Ebola
5. Intestinal and external parasites
6. Lyme disease
7. Plague
8. Red tides
9. Rift Valley fever
10. Sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis)
11. Tuberculosis
12. Yellow fever

RELATED LINKS

• Ebola Spreads to Liberia, Senegal Shuts Border March 31, 2014
• Ebola Outbreak Kills Dozens March 23, 2014

• Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Breaks Out in SW Uganda October 20, 2012
• Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012 July 28, 2012
• Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases Octob

Name One Other Species …

TOXIC AIR POLLUTION
CRIMES AGAINST NATURE
.

No other species makes their habitat unlivable!

Extremely high levels of air pollution are spreading across parts of England.

The pollution is a cocktail of emissions from the UK and Europe, rich in toxic pollutants, including high concentration of the atmospheric particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ozone, mixed with dust from the Sahara—the proverbial icing.

The elderly, those with respiratory problems, asthma, lung or heart disease, have been warned against venturing outside, said a report.

The latest episode follows the legal proceedings launched against the UK by the European Commission in February for failing to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air after 15 consecutive years of warning, said the report.

The head of Asthma UK organization has warned that about 70 percent of asthma sufferers who find air pollution makes their condition worse “will be at an increased risk of an attack.” Even healthy people could experience symptoms including sore throat, eye irritation, nasal discomfort, burning lungs and dry cough.

UK capital London cloaked in smog. Image source: Clean Air in London.

Air pollution the world’s worst environmental hazard: WHO

“[About] 1 in 8 of total global deaths [occurs] as a result of air pollution exposure. This finding more than doubles previous estimates and confirms that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Based on its environmental models, FIRE-EARTH science team believes the figure released by WHO is grossly underestimated.

Outdoor air pollution-caused deaths – breakdown by disease:

• 40% – ischaemic heart disease;
• 40% – stroke;
• 11% – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
• 6% – lung cancer; and
• 3% – acute lower respiratory infections in children.

Indoor air pollution-caused deaths – breakdown by disease:

• 34% – stroke;
• 26% – ischaemic heart disease;
• 22% – COPD;
• 12% – acute lower respiratory infections in children; and
• 6% – lung cancer.

Related Links

• 7 Million People Killed by Air Pollution in 2012 March 25, 2014
• Air Pollution Kills May 2, 2009
• Pollution Kills, OK? Posted on May 11, 2010

Ebola Spreads to Liberia, Senegal Shuts Border

VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVERS
EBOLA CONFIRMED IN LIBERIA
.

Ebola HF cases confirmed in Liberia

At least two cases of Ebola have been confirmed in Liberia, apparently spreading from neighboring Guinea, where the deadly virus has killed 78 people.

The two confirmed cases in Liberia are sisters, one of whom had recently returned from Guinea, said officials.

The highly contagious virus is spread via close personal contact and kills between 25% and 90% of victims.

The first known outbreak in Guinea started in the remote southeastern Forest Region but had recently spread to the capital, Conakry [Population 2.2 million.]

Senegal shuts border with Guinea

Senegal government closed its border with neighboring Guinea soon after confirmation that the virus had reached Conakry.

“When it used to be only in the south of Guinea, we didn’t do anything special. But now that it’s reached Conakry, we believe it’s safer to close our borders,” said Senegal’s Health Minister.

“We have also closed all weekly markets, known as luma, in the south. And we’re having some discussions with religious leaders regarding big religious events,” she added.

Suspected cases of Ebola have also been reported in neighboring Sierra Leone.

Five subspecies of Ebolavirus have so far been found. Four of those have caused disease in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Côte d’Ivoire ebolavirus); and Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). The fifth, Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus), has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans, according to CDC.

There are no known cure or vaccine for the Ebola virus.

In Africa, confirmed cases of Ebola HF have previously been reported in the following countries:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
• Gabon
• South Sudan
• Ivory Coast
• Uganda
• Republic of the Congo (ROC)
• South Africa (imported)

“The natural reservoir host of ebolaviruses, and the manner in which transmission of the virus to humans occurs, remain unknown. This makes risk assessment in endemic areas difficult. With the exception of several laboratory contamination cases (one in England and two in Russia), all cases of human illness or death have occurred in Africa; no case has been reported in the United States,” said CDC.

Ebola virions (image 2 colorized 1), diagnostic specimen from the first passage in Vero cells of a specimen from a human patient — this image is from the first isolation and visualization of Ebola virus, 1976. In this case, some of the filamentous virions are fused together, end-to-end, giving the appearance of a “bowl of spaghetti.” Negatively stained virions. Magnification: approximately x40,000.  Micrograph from F. A. Murphy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas.

12 deadly pathogens could spread into new regions aided by climate change

A report by Wildlife Conservation Society released on October 7, 2008 lists 12 deadly pathogens that could spread globally as a result of climate change. “All have potential impacts to both human and wildlife health as well as global economies.” Report said.

Titled ‘The Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change,’ the report illustrates examples of diseases that could spread due to temperatures changes and variations in regional precipitation levels.

The “Deadly Dozen” list [ABC]

1. Avian influenza
2. Babesia
3. Cholera
4. Ebola
5. Intestinal and external parasites
6. Lyme disease
7. Plague
8. Red tides
9. Rift Valley fever
10. Sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis)
11. Tuberculosis
12. Yellow fever

RELATED LINKS

• Ebola Outbreak Kills Dozens March 23, 2014
• Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Breaks Out in SW Uganda October 20, 2012
• Disaster Calendar – 28 July 2012 July 28, 2012
• Climate Change Spreads “Deadly Dozen” Diseases October 8, 2008
• GEO-4: Another ‘Optimistic’ Report October 26, 2007

Killing Life in Beijing

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
DEADLY AIR POLLUTION
.

‘The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is creating life’  —I Ching

China issued a “yellow alert” yesterday amid 5th consecutive day of deadly air pollution in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Provinc . Beijing AQI reached a peak of of 417 at 11:00 am local time on Wednesday.

“Foggy weather will appear in north China and areas along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, while some parts of Beijing and Tianjin, and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning will see heavy air pollution until Wednesday morning, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said on Tuesday,” Xinhua reported.

“Yellow” is the 2nd lowest [despite the life-threatening smog] of a four-tier alert system—red, orange, yellow, blue—indicating the severity of air pollution.

The reoccurring heavy smog episodes have been described as “Apocalyptic” by Beijing residents.

AQI for Beijing and surrounding areas. Source: aqicn.org

Related Links

• 7 Million People Killed by Air Pollution in 2012 March 25, 2014
• EU Capitals Rivaling Beijing Air Pollution March 16, 2014
• Chinese Cities Unfit for Living March 8, 2014
• You’ve Created a World Unfit for Living February 28, 2014
• Apocalyptic Smog Covers 10 Percent of China February 25, 2014
• Hazardous Smog Continues Choking N China  February 24, 2014
• Beijing 398  February 23, 2014
• Derisory “Yellow Alert” as Brown Smog Bears on Beijing February 21, 2014
• Smog and Mirrors in Beijing February 16, 2014

For earlier posts on Beijing AQI, search blog content.

7 Million People Killed by Air Pollution in 2012

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
DEADLY AIR POLLUTION
.

Air pollution the world’s worst environmental hazard: WHO

Based on its environmental models, FIRE-EARTH team believes the estimate by World Health Organization (WHO) is grossly underestimated.

“[About] 1 in 8 of total global deaths – as a result of air pollution exposure. This finding more than doubles previous estimates and confirms that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk,” said WHO.

The latest data reveal a more robust link between air pollution and cardiovascular diseases such as strokes and ischaemic heart disease, “in addition to air pollution’s role in the development of respiratory diseases, including acute respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases,” as well as between air pollution and cancer, said WHO.

Unsustainable Policies

“Excessive air pollution is often a by-product of unsustainable policies in sectors such as transport, energy, waste management and industry,” said a WHO public health expert.

“In most cases, healthier strategies will also be more economical in the long term due to healthcare cost savings as well as climate gains.”

Outdoor air pollution-caused deaths – breakdown by disease:

• 40% – ischaemic heart disease;
• 40% – stroke;
• 11% – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
• 6% – lung cancer; and
• 3% – acute lower respiratory infections in children.

Indoor air pollution-caused deaths – breakdown by disease:

• 34% – stroke;
• 26% – ischaemic heart disease;
• 22% – COPD;
• 12% – acute lower respiratory infections in children; and
• 6% – lung cancer.

Related Links

• Air Pollution Kills May 2, 2009
• Pollution Kills, OK? Posted on May 11, 2010

A Global Threat Caused by Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the US

Overuse of antibiotics has helped create bacteria that are outliving the drugs used to treat them: CDC

The fast-growing antibiotic resistance is an extremely dangerous problem. The antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been described as “nightmare bacteria” that “pose a catastrophic threat” to people throughout the world.

Threat Level: URGENT

From top: 1. Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) causes life-threatening diarrhea. These infections mostly occur in people who have had both recent medical care and antibiotics. Often, C. difficile infections occur in hospitalized or recently hospitalized patients.  2. Untreatable and hard-to-treat infections from carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteria are on the rise among patients in medical facilities. CRE have become resistant to all or nearly all the antibiotics we have today. Almost half of hospital patients who get bloodstream infections from CRE bacteria die from the infection.  3. Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease that can result in discharge and inflammation at the urethra, cervix, pharynx, or rectum.

Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, and at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these infections. Many more people die from other conditions that were complicated by an antibiotic-resistant infection.

In addition, almost 250,000 people who are hospitalized or require hospitalization get Clostridium difficile each year, an infection usually related to antibiotic use. C. difficile causes deadly diarrhea and kills at least 14,000 people each year. Many C. difficile infections and drug-resistant infections can be prevented.

How Bacteria Become Resistant

“When bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, they start learning how to outsmart the drugs. This process occurs in bacteria found in humans, animals, and the environment. Resistant bacteria can multiply and spread easily and quickly, causing severe infections. They can also share genetic information with other bacteria, making the other bacteria resistant as well. Each time bacteria learn to outsmart an antibiotic, treatment options are more limited, and these infections pose a greater risk to human health.” Read more…

“Antibiotic resistance is rising for many different pathogens that are threats to health,” said CDC Director. “If we don’t act now, our medicine cabinet will be empty and we won’t have the antibiotics we need to save lives.”

Urgent Threats

• Clostridium difficile
• Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)
• Drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Serious Threats

• Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter
• Drug-resistant Campylobacter
• Fluconazole-resistant Candida (a fungus)
• Extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLs)
• Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)
• Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Drug-resistant Non-typhoidal Salmonella
• Drug-resistant Salmonella Typhi
• Drug-resistant Shigella
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
• Drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Drug-resistant tuberculosis

Microorganisms with a threat level of SERIOUS. Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States 2013. Source: CDC

Concerning Threats

• Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA)
• Erythromycin-resistant Group A Streptococcus
• Clindamycin-resistant Group B Streptococcus

A “ticking time bomb”

The danger posed by growing resistance to antibiotics is ‘as big a risk as terrorism,’ the UK medical chief, Professor Sally Davies has warned, describing the threat as a “ticking time bomb.” See video.

Related Links

• ‘Virtually Untreatable’ Tuberculosis Poses Global Threat March 25, 2013
• Superbugs Invasion Has Begun May 19, 2012

• Super Superbug C. difficile March 23, 2010

TB and other Superbug Related Links

• TDR-TB Outbreak in India January 17, 2012
• Mysterious Outbreak of E. coli in 6 States June 9, 2012

• Legionella Outbreak in Scotland: 1 Dead, 16 Critical Posted on June 6, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in Ontario Towns Posted on May 29, 2012
• The second reported victim of necrotizing fasciitis bacteria   Posted on May 17, 2012

• Gonorrhea: First superbug strain found Posted on July 12, 2011
• Resurgence of C. difficile in Ontario, Canada Posted on July 4, 2011
• New superbug spreading from India Posted on August 11, 2010
• Malaria parasites resist old drugs, need new ones! May 29, 2009
• Global Health Alert: New Zealand MRSA Infections Up 3,500 pct March 15, 2009
• “Flesh Eating Bacteria” Linked to NSAIDs September 19, 2009
• Sudden worldwide increase in antibiotic-resistant bacterium December 28, 2009

Global Health Emergencies

State of emergency declared in Honduras as dengue fever death toll rises

Honduras government has declared a state of emergency after a dengue fever outbreak that has killed 16 people and infected more than 12,000 others, local media reported.

The mosquito-borne  disease has infected more than half of the municipalities in the country.

The Health Minister has declared a national priority to control mosquitoes.

It is very difficult to control or eliminate Ae. aegypti mosquitoes because they have adaptations to the environment that make them highly resilient, or with the ability to rapidly bounce back to initial numbers after disturbances resulting from natural phenomena (e.g., droughts) or human interventions (e.g., control measures). One such adaptation is the ability of the eggs to withstand desiccation (drying) and to survive without water for several months on the inner walls of containers. For example, if we were to eliminate all larvae, pupae, and adult Ae. aegypti at once from a site, its population could recover two weeks later as a result of egg hatching following rainfall or the addition of water to containers harboring eggs. [CDC]

Of the 12,135 reported cases, some 1,839 are suspected to be of the potentially fatal Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), which can lead to internal bleeding and shock -like state.

-oOo-

Philippines

One new case of HIV/AIDS reported in the Philippines every 2 hours

One new case of HIV/AIDS infection has been reported every two hours in the Philippines so far this year, according to the Department of Health’s National Epidemiology Center (DOH-NEC).

Since 2007,  a steady increase in HIV cases has been recorded by the center. “In 2000, there was one case registered every three days; in 2011, this number grew to one case every three hours.”

In May 2013 some 415 new HIV cases were recorded, with 55 percent of cases being among people aged 20-29.

In June, 431 new HIV cases were registered, bringing the total number for the first half of this year to 2,323, the center said.

The June total was 46 percent higher than a year ago and the “highest number of cases reported in a month,” said DOH-NEC.

Since 1987, when HIV was first discovered in the Philippines, DOH-NEC has recorded 13,594 cases.

“Tip of the iceberg”

Many consider this official number is just the “tip of the iceberg” because less than 1 percent of the general population are tested for HIV, so officially registered cases are unlikely to accurately reflect the epidemic, said UN-OCHA.

“We project that the number of infected will reach 39,000-50,000 by 2015,” said the executive director of The Library Foundation Sexuality, Health and Rights Educators Collective, Inc., an NGO member of the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC), the country’s central advisory body on HIV/AIDS.

-oOo-

Unusual Mortality Event (UME) Declared for California Sea Lions

It’s going to be a bad year or two for sea lions – Biologist

More dying sea lion have stranded themselves on SoCal beaches since January 2013 than in the previous five years combined. “It’s going to be a bad year or two for sea lions,” said a wildlife biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Beginning in January 2013, elevated strandings of California sea lion pups have been observed in Southern California (Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties). The area with the highest reported stranding rates is currently Los Angeles County, followed by Orange County, and strandings are increasing in San Diego County.

The increase of sea lion strandings continues and has intensified over the last few weeks. Live sea lion strandings are nearly three times higher than the historical average.

“We anticipate this will get worse when the pups begin to wean from their mothers and have to forage on their own.” NMF biologist said.

“The oddest part of this is the pups should have been with their mothers,” the biologist said. “We think the mothers are having to go out farther and stay out longer to find food and the pups begin to forage on their own after they’ve been alone for some time.”

Live California sea lion historical stranding rates for 2008-2012 (admits to rehabilitation facilities from Jan 1-March 31). Data for 2013 is as of March 24, 2013.  Source: NOAA FISHERIES

At least 948 sea lion pups have stranded themselves on SoCal beaches between January 1 and March 24, 2013, with the largest number, 395 pups, reported in the Los Angele County.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Death toll from novel coronavirus (nCoV) reaches 11: World Health Organization (WHO)

A new confirmed case of novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection has been reported, said WHO.

• The patient was a 73-year-old male from United Arab Emirates, who was transferred from a hospital in Abu Dhabi to Munich by air ambulance on 19 March 2013. He died on 26 March 2013.

• WHO has been informed of a global total of 17 confirmed cases of human infection with nCoV, including 11 deaths as of March 26, 2013.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that includes viruses that may cause a range of illnesses in humans, from the common cold to SARS. Viruses of this family also cause a number of animal diseases. -CDC

This colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) reveals the “rosettelike” appearance of the matured SARS-CoV (coronavirus) particles (arrows). See PHIL 6400 for a black and white version for this image. Credit: CDC/ Dr. Mary Ng Mah Lee, National University of Singapore, Singapore.