Ghana prepares for possible first-ever Marburg virus outbreakhttps://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1122242
Marburg is a highly infectious viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease.
Case fatality rates have varied from 24% to 88% in past outbreaks depending on virus strain and case management.
Three people have died from a mysterious Ebola-like disease in Africa's Tanzania, prompting the government to dispatch a team of doctors to investigate it. Symptoms of the illness include fever, headaches, fatigue and nosebleedshttps://www.ndtv.com/world-news/mysterious-ebola-like-disease-kills-3-in-tanzania-probe-launched-3158007
Tanzania has never before recorded a case of Ebola or Marburg, two deadly viruses known to cause bleeding.
This comes days after Ghana reported two suspected cases of the Marburg virus, which belongs to the same family as Ebola.
The World Health Organisation said if confirmed it would be the first case of Marburg in Ghana.
New York polio case is the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ hundreds of others could be infected, health official sayshttps://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/05/new-york-polio-case-tip-of-iceberg-hundreds-of-others-could-be-infected.html
Langya Virus: China Detects New Virus in 35 Peopledeaths have been reported so far.
Typical symptoms have included fever, fatigue, a cough, loss of appetite, muscle pain, nausea, headache and vomiting. In more severe cases, patients have shown a decrease in white blood cells, low platelet counts, liver failure and kidney failure. No
The henipavirus family, to which this new strain belongs, are classed as biosafety Level 4 viruses, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and can have fatality rates ranging from 40 to 75 percent.https://www.newsweek.com/langya-virus-china-detects-new-virus-35-people-1732267
Tomato flu outbreak in Indiahttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(22)00300-9/fulltext
Just as we are dealing with the probable emergence of fourth wave of COVID-19, a new virus known as tomato flu, or tomato fever, has emerged in India in the state of Kerala in children younger than 5 years.
New case of Ebola virus confirmed in Democratic Republic of Congo https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/23/africa/drc-new-ebola-case-intl/index.html
Bird Flu Found in Dolphin in Florida and Porpoise in Swedenhttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/07/health/bird-flu-dolphins-cetaceans.html
The findings represent the first time a highly pathogenic form of the virus, which has devastated bird populations this year, has been detected in cetaceans.
Is bird flu the next pandemic? Experts say a human outbreak is 'on the horizon' after record numbers of deadly strain in animalshttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11156293/Is-bird-flu-pandemic-Experts-say-human-outbreak-horizon.html
There are increasing concerns that, as it spreads in animals, the virus could evolve to infect humans and cause a global crisis deadlier than Covid.
After all, that is what happened with so-called Spanish flu at end of World War I, which was caused by a similar strain to the one circulating now (H5N1).
So far the new virus has been detected in more than 22million birds and poultry globally since September 2021 — double the previous record the year before.
Not only is the virus spreading at speed, it is also killing at an unprecedented level, leaving some experts to say this is the deadliest variant so far.
Wild birds don't usually suffer serious ill-effects themselves — but mass death does result when they pass the disease on to domestic poultry, especially in giant intensive farms.
So one unsolved mystery of the present outbreak is why and how this strain has altered so as to devastate its wild hosts, and what that portends.
Scientists are calling it a 'game-changer'.
So far this year there have been 125 outbreaks across the UK, compared with 26 in 2021.
Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, said the current H5N1 strain is too poorly optimised to spread from person-to-person
He believes the virus would need to spread to other animals more similar genetically to humans before acquiring the ability to infect people with ease
Bird Flu Found in Dolphin in Florida and Porpoise in Swedenhttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/07/health/bird-flu-dolphins-cetaceans.html
The findings represent the first time a highly pathogenic form of the virus, which has devastated bird populations this year, has been detected in cetaceans.
blast and fire at Russian lethal virus labhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49727101
Vektor has one of the world's largest collections of viruses, including Ebola... smallpox, bird flu and different strains of hepatitis
Neither can we exclude theft of pathogens during the chaos and aftermath of the explosion, or that the explosion itself was deliberate to enable thefthttps://jglobalbiosecurity.com/articles/10.31646/gbio.41
in the case of engineered or synthetic pathogens, previously unknown disease syndromes may occur
Uganda declares Ebola Virus Disease outbreakare currently eight suspected cases who are receiving care in a health facility.
The Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed the case after testing a sample taken from a 24-year-old male. This follows an investigation by the National Rapid Response team of six suspicious deaths that have occurred in the district this month. There
One-year-old dies as 11 more suspected Ebola cases identified in Uganda https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/22/africa/suspected-ebola-cases-uganda-intl/index.html
Ebola infections grow in Uganda as death toll rises to 23 https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/26/africa/ebola-deaths-rise-uganda-intl/index.html
Ebola infections grow in Uganda as death toll rises to 23https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/26/africa/ebola-deaths-rise-uganda-intl/index.html
The virus has now spread to neighboring Kyegegwa and Kassanda districts, with the Ugandan Health Ministry reporting that cumulative cases had risen to 36, including confirmed and probable cases.
U.S. to Begin Screening Air Passengers From Uganda for Ebola https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/health/ebola-cdc-uganda.html
Deadly Ebola Outbreak Spreads to Uganda’s Capital https://www.wsj.com/articles/deadly-ebola-outbreak-spreads-to-ugandas-capital-11665598506
At least four suspected cases of Ebola were being monitored in Uganda's capital Kampala on Wednesday, after the capital's first death on Fridayhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/uganda-ebola-outbreak-fears-mount-first-death-recorded-capital
Health officials now fear that the virus could spread within the capital, which has direct flights to Europe and the United States as well as other destinations.
The eight most recent Ebola cases reported during the outbreak in Uganda have no known links with current patients, the World Health Organization said on Wednesdayhttps://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-concerned-about-ebola-spread-latest-eight-cases-not-contacts-others-infected-2022-10-19
"We remain concerned that there may be more chains of transmission and more contacts than we know about in the affected communities," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.
WHO: Ugandan Ebola outbreak ‘rapidly evolving’ after 1 month https://apnews.com/article/health-matshidiso-moeti-east-africa-kampala-72ad17ad9054966e1c5823a352bb8591https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebola-outbreak-uganda-world-health-organization-concerned
WHO director-general "concerned" over potential scope of Uganda's Ebola outbreak
Uganda's Ebola outbreak sees a worrisome increase in infections after spike in cases over the weekendhttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ugandas-ebola-outbreak-sees-worrisome-increase-infections-spike-cases-rcna53669
"Kampala should have restriction of movement," said Uganda Medical Association (UMA) president, Dr Samuel Oledo during an interview on Uganda-based KFM Radio.https://newsaf.cgtn.com/news/2022-10-26/Uganda-medics-urge-lockdown-on-Kampala-to-curb-Ebola-spread-1eqxZ7AvDUI/index.html
"Let us hold Kampala when it is still early. The earlier we lockdown Kampala, the better. Ugandans are still taking it as something so minor. It is catastrophic that right now, people are not even reporting cases," he added.
Russia continues to spread disinformation at the United Nations.https://twitter.com/USAmbUN/status/1585744323068534794
So let me set the record straight: Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program.
It is Russia that has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of international law.
As Ebola cases steadily rise in Uganda, with a spate of cases recently reported in Kampala, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the latest developments increase the risk to Uganda and the surrounding region.https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/10/ugandas-ebola-cases-rise-who-ups-risk-assessment
Ebola outbreak projected to surge as response repeats mistakes of Wuhan https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/ugandas-ebola-outbreak-projected-kill-500-response-repeats-mistakes
Uganda confirms Ebola case in country's east as outbreak expands https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/uganda-confirms-ebola-case-countrys-east-outbreak-expands-2022-11-13https://www.srugim.co.il/729968-%d7%99%d7%a9%d7%a8%d7%90%d7%9c-%d7%9e%d7%a7%d7%99%d7%9e%d7%94-%d7%91%d7%99%d7%aa-%d7%97%d7%95%d7%9c%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%99%d7%99%d7%a2%d7%95%d7%93%d7%99-%d7%9c%d7%98%d7%99%d7%a4%d7%95%d7%9c-%d7%91%d7%a0
The State of Israel is establishing a dedicated hospital to treat the deadly virus, the Ebola virus, which is spreading in Africa.
Flu and RSV Are Sickening More Kids This Yearhttps://www.wsj.com/articles/flu-and-rsv-are-sickening-more-kids-this-year-11669995926
“We’re seeing really unprecedented levels of hospitalizations for this time of year”
'Off the charts': California reporting very high flu activity, among worst in U.S.https://news.yahoo.com/off-charts-california-reporting-very-140056656.html
California is now reporting very high flu levels, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the respiratory illness continues to surge nationwide.
Germany faces ‘catastrophic’ paediatric bed shortage as RSV cases soar https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/dec/01/germany-faces-catastrophic-paediatric-bed-shortage-as-rsv-cases-soar
Avian flu outbreak in U.S. worst on record, over 50 million birds dead https://www.axios.com/2022/11/26/us-avian-flu-outbreak-2022-worst-record
Viruses other than the coronavirus made headlines in 2022been more than 81,100 cases across 110 countries and 55 deaths.
Mpox went global
The mpox virus, a relative of the virus that causes smallpox, had never before spread widely among people outside of Central and West Africa. But in May, mpox, previously known as monkeypox, burst onto the global scene. As of November 28, there have
Ebola surged in Ugandaeither infection or being culled to control the virus’ spread. In Europe, the 2021–2022 season was also the largest known epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza
Two small Ebola virus outbreaks were reported in Congo this year. But more worrisome was an outbreak in Uganda that began in September.
Poliovirus found in sewage
A version of the poliovirus was detected in sewage in New York, Israel, the United Kingdom and some other places where polio had been eliminated, suggesting the virus — which can cause paralysis — was circulating there.
Unexplained hepatitis hit children
Between October 2021 and July 8, the last time the World Health Organization released an update, more than 1,000 children globally had developed severe hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver. Experts still aren’t sure why.
Bird flu wreaked havoc
Birds around the world also faced a deadly viral foe this year: the H5N1 influenza virus. In the United States alone, more than 4,300 wild birds have tested positive for the virus. A record number of farmed poultry — more than 53 million — died from
People can also be susceptible, with two reported cases since December 2021. Although bird flu doesn’t easily spread among people, experts worry that as the epidemic continues the virus will pick up mutations that allow it to transmit from person toperson. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/viruses-ebola-monkeypox-mpox-polio-hepatitis-bird-flu-2022
Scarlet fever cases soar to 17,695 as Strep A outbreak kills 19 childrenhttps://www.thesun.co.uk/health/20820031/scarlet-fever-cases-soar-children-die
health officials do not believe the number of scarlet fever infections has yet peaked, suggesting more deaths are likely.
Cases of the deadly bug are also circulating in high numbers in other European countries, including France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, according to the WHO.
Invasive strep A is on the rise and affecting kids in unusual wayscommon bacteria have been popping up across the United States, as well as Europe, often in connection with sometimes confusing symptoms, including skin rashes, fever, a racing heart and unexplained swelling.
First came a viral storm. Now, we have puzzling superinfections.
Rare bacterial infections, such as invasive strep A, are popping up around the United States and Europe, with serious effects reported in children
Infection with Streptococcus pyogenes — or group A strep, for short — typically produces mild symptoms, such as rash, fever or swollen tonsils leading to the eponymous strep throat. But in recent months, cases related to a rare invasive form of the
‘Incredibly concerning’: Bird flu outbreak at Spanish mink farm triggers pandemic fearshttps://www.science.org/content/article/incredibly-concerning-bird-flu-outbreak-spanish-mink-farm-triggers-pandemic-fears
H5N1 appears to have spread through a densely packed mammalian population and gained at least one mutation that favors mammal-to-mammal spread.
North Korea has ordered a five-day lockdown of the capital Pyongyang amid rising cases of an unspecified respiratory illness, according to NK News.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/25/five-day-covid-19-lockdown-imposed-in-pyongyang
mass death of 2,500 endangered seals found along Russia's Caspian Sea coast last monthhttps://www.dailysabah.com/life/health/concerning-bird-flu-spreads-through-mammals-but-low-risk-to-humans
A researcher at Russia's Dagestan State University, Alimurad Gadzhiyev, said last week that early samples from the seals "tested positive for bird flu"
Lion dies of H5N1 bird flu at zoo in central Peru, health ministry says https://twitter.com/BNOFeed/status/1622783840723894275https://twitter.com/BNOFeed/status/1622784702296870912
Earlier today, Peru also reported the deaths of 3 sea lions and a dolphin from H5N1 bird flu
At least 585 sea lions in Peru have died of H5N1 bird flu https://twitter.com/BNOFeed/status/1623059927324590082
WHO's Tedros says we "must prepare" for a potential H5N1 human bird flu pandemic.https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1623627525590073345
bird flu... mortality rate estimated to be at approximately 60 percent https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/bird-flu-outbreak-us-human-risk-remains-low-cdc-says-rcna20985
Equatorial Guinea has quarantined more than 200 people and restricted movement after an unknown illness causing hemorrhagic fever killed at least eight people, Health Minister Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba said on Friday as the government races to test samples.https://archive.is/x9Mjm
Equatorial Guinea's neighbour Cameroon on Friday restricted movement along its border after the "unexplained deaths", its Health Minister Malachie Manaouda said in a statement.
The symptoms of the "non-identified illness" were nose bleeds, fever, joint pain and other ailments that caused death within a few hours, the head of health for the district, Ngu Fankam Roland, said in a statement.
"unusual epidemiological situation"
Equatorial Guinea confirms first-ever Marburg virus disease outbreakhttps://www.afro.who.int/countries/equatorial-guinea/news/equatorial-guinea-confirms-first-ever-marburg-virus-disease-outbreak
So far nine deaths and 16 suspected cases with symptoms including fever, fatigue and blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea have been reported.
Marburg virus disease is a highly virulent disease that causes haemorrhagic fever, with a fatality ratio of up to 88%. It is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease.
Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. Many patients develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus. However, supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improves survival.
Cameroon detects two suspected cases of Marburg virus https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/who-increasing-health-surveillance-after-equatorial-guinea-finds-marburg-virus-2023-02-14https://archive.is/NoxQX
Deadly new fungal superbug is worrying doctorshttps://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/deadly-new-fungal-superbug-is-worrying-doctors-heres-what-you-need-to-know-172932479.html
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning about a deadly new fungal superbug called Candida auris fungus, which was first seen in a patient in 2009 in Japan.
(C. auris) is a multi-drug–resistant fungal infection that spreads in hospitals and is extremely deadly — killing as many as one in three who get it
'The Last of Us': How Likely Is a Fungal Apocalypse?https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-02-16/the-last-of-us-how-likely-is-a-fungal-apocalypse
A type of yeast found in soil, Candida auris “was not previously a human pathogen"
“This is a fungal species that nobody knew about before 2009, and all of a sudden it was detected independently on four continents at the same time"
Candida auris also spreads more easily than other fungal threats
The rise of Candida auris reflects another fear experts regularly express, in that it doesn’t respond well to antifungal medicines.
(C. auris) is a multi-drug–resistant fungal infection that spreads in hospitals and is extremely deadly — killing as many as one in three who get ithttps://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/deadly-new-fungal-superbug-is-worrying-doctors-heres-what-you-need-to-know-172932479.html
After death of girl, 12 more possibly detected with H5N1 bird flu in Cambodia https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501244375/after-death-of-girl-yesterday-12-more-detected-with-h5n1-bird-flu/
The bird flu virus isolated from a girl who died from the disease had mutations that made it better adapted to human cellshttps://news.sky.com/story/bird-flu-victim-had-virus-with-mutations-that-made-it-better-adapted-to-human-cells-12822936
Over Half of States Have Rolled Back Public Health Powers in Pandemichttps://khn.org/news/article/over-half-of-states-have-rolled-back-public-health-powers-in-pandemic
Republican legislators in more than half of U.S. states, spurred on by voters angry about lockdowns and mask mandates, are taking away the powers state and local officials use to protect the public against infectious diseases.
Mystery disease kills five people in Tanzania: Experts dispatched to investigate ‘strange’ illness that causes headaches and nosebleeds before deathhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11871337/Mystery-disease-kills-five-people-Tanzania-Experts-dispatched-investigate-strange-illness.html
Mystery disease kills five people in Tanzania: Experts dispatched to >investigate ‘strange’ illness that causes headaches and nosebleeds before >death https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11871337/Mystery-disease-kills-five-people-Tanzania-Experts-dispatched-investigate-strange-illness.html
Are there actually new (synthetic?) diseases, or has African medical care improved enough to pay more attention to uncommon existing ones?
There was severe liver inflammation in kids in April, monkeypox in May, polio in July, and “tomato flu” in August.https://archive.is/7D9ud
Each appears to be the result of an unusual manifestation or proliferation of a virus scientists have studied for decades
Tanzania confirms first-ever outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease https://www.afro.who.int/countries/united-republic-of-tanzania/news/tanzania-confirms-first-ever-outbreak-marburg-virus-disease
A killer plant fungus infected a human and caused flu-like symptoms in what researchers say is a world-first case.https://news.sky.com/story/killer-plant-fungus-chondrostereum-purpureum-infects-man-in-india-in-world-first-case-12844978
Africa sees new virus that kills within 24 hours, claims three in Burundihttps://www.firstpost.com/world/deadlier-than-covid19-africa-sees-new-virus-that-kills-within-24-hours-claims-three-in-burundi-12377712.html
The symptoms appear to point towards some sort of viral haemorrhagic fever, which damages the walls of tiny blood vessels making them leak, such as Marburg and Ebola. However, the health minister has already ruled out both the illnesses
This outbreak came soon after neighbouring country Tanzania announced an outbreak of Marburg for the first time, in which eight people developed symptoms and five died.
All cases were found in Tanzania’s northwest, which has a straight border with Burundi.
Following the announcement of its first-ever outbreak in February, Equatorial Guinea, in west Africa, verified eight more cases of the highly contagious bug last week.
According to the World Health Organization, the fact that the new cases were dispersed over three distinct provinces and a distance of almost 100 miles “suggests wider transmission of the virus.”
Since the cases were discovered in provinces that border other nations, “the risk of international spread cannot be ruled out,” according to a statement.
A medical investigation team was sent to southern Tanzania in July of last year to look into a mysterious disease called “nosebleed” that had killed three persons there.
Equatorial Guinea's first outbreak of Marburg virus...is continuing to grow, spreading over a wide geographic area with potentially undetected chains of transmission, officials for the World Health Organization said.laboratory-confirmed cases that have not been reported by officials.
WHO said Equatorial Guinea is not reporting some confirmed cases
Officials for WHO noted that while they are working with officials in Equatorial Guinea, the agency also has field workers on the ground helping to respond to the outbreak in affected areas. And through the field workers, WHO knows of additional
With all affected provinces sharing borders with Cameroon and Gabon, WHO has assessed the risk of a multi-country outbreak as high.https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/marburg-outbreak-grows-with-concerning-geographic-spread-in-equatorial-guinea
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned doctors Thursday to be aware of two growing outbreaks of Marburg virus disease in Africa, and will begin reaching out to some arriving travelers to the U.S. to watch for symptoms of the Ebola-likeviral hemorrhagic fever. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marburg-virus-cdc-alert-travelers
Scientists Fear ‘Catastrophic’ COVID Combination With Another Virus >Scientists are calling for a universal vaccine after a Chinese study warned COVID could combine with the super-lethal MERS virus.https://www.thedailybeast.com/scientists-fear-catastrophic-covid-combination-with-mers-virus
Scientists Fear Bird Flu Surge as Billions of Birds Start to Fly Homehttps://www.thedailybeast.com/scientists-fear-bird-flu-surge-as-billions-of-birds-start-to-fly-home
The annual migration back to the northern hemisphere is likely to bring a new wave of H5N1, which is already affecting animals and humans.
Bird Flu in Chilean Man Shows Virus Adapting to Human Spreadperson in Chile have one of those classes of changes. But we also know that of those three sets of changes, this is the easiest one for the virus to make.”
Tests done on a Chilean man infected with bird flu showed signs that the virus has partially adapted to spread between mammals.
“There are three major categories of changes we think H5 has to undergo to switch from being a bird virus to being a human virus,” Richard Webby, a bird flu expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, told the Times. “The sequences from the
Growing concern over Marburg outbreak as Equatorial Guinea struggles to track caseshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/marburg-outbreak-latest-cases-symptoms-africa-country
Equatorial Guinea is struggling to track cases of the deadly Marburg virus and protect health workers from infection, as the nation’s outbreak continues to grow, the World Health Organisation has warned.
The outbreak began in rural districts, but the most recent cases have been reported from the country's commercial capital, Bata.
The WHO said: “The presence of confirmed cases in Bata increases the risk of disease spread, as it is the most populated city and economic hub of Equatorial Guinea, with an international airport and port.
“Bata has also reported the highest number of confirmed cases and confirmed deaths.”
US bird flu outbreak 'wiping out everything in numbers we've never seen before', scientists warnhttps://news.sky.com/story/us-bird-flu-outbreak-wiping-out-everything-in-numbers-weve-never-seen-before-scientists-warn-12860762
Warnings over the spread of bird flu come after the World Health Organization said people should not assume the risk to humans will always remain low.
The World Health Organization warned Tuesday that fighters in conflict-ravaged Sudan had occupied a central public laboratory holding samples of diseases including polio and measles, creating an "extremely, extremely dangerous" situation.https://www.zawya.com/en/world/africa/huge-biological-risk-after-sudan-fighters-occupy-lab-who-pprkx2b3
"There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab... by one of the fighting parties," Nima Saeed Abid, the WHO's representative in Sudan, told reporters in Geneva via video-link.
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