Flavia Riccardo, Federica Monaco, Antonino Bella, Giovanni Savini, Francesca Russo, Roberto Cagarelli, Michele Dottori, Caterina Rizzo, Giulietta Venturi, Marco Di Luca, Simonetta Pupella, Letizia Lombardini, Patrizio Pezzotti, Patrizia Parodi, Francesco Maraglino, Alessandro Nanni Costa, Giancarlo Maria Liumbruno, Giovanni Rezza and the working group

In Italy, the 2018 West Nile virus transmission season started early with a high number of cases reported. One-Health surveillance, within the Italian West Nile national preparedness and response plan, detected viral circulation 9 days before symptom-onset of the first confirmed human case; triggering timely implementation of blood and transplant safety measures. This is an example of how functional coordination allows health authorities to use early warning triggers from surveillance systems to implement preventive measures.

Patients are asking for Shingrix. Know the important facts about storage, preparation, and administration, and what patients should be told before they receive this vaccine.

ProMED Mail

Ebola -- DR CongoHighlights----------Equateur is different from other parts of the DRC. 40 percent of its population is Twa, an African Pygmy group that lives interdependently with agricultural Bantu-speaking populations, providing them with game [that is, bushmeat. - Rapp.MM] in exchange for farm products. The Twa population is already marginalized and vulnerable, and the research effort will face many issues related to language and culture, beginning with understanding and communicating perceptions of…

ProMED Mail

Ebola -- DR Congo…

ProMED Mail

Ebola -- DR CongoAccording to the latest situation report published by the WHO, a total of 990 contacts are under surveillance in Mabalako (790), Beni (141), and Mandima (59) health zones as of [11 Aug 2018]. Of these, 129 are healthcare workers. So far, 8 healthcare workers have contracted the virus, and 1 has died.Today [15 Aug 2018] the WHO detailed the surveillance and preparedness plans underway in the DRC and Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi -- the countries most likely to experience…

ProMED Mail

Ebola -- DR CongoOn Fri 17 Aug 2018, the Minister of Health, Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga, visited the teams deployed in Mangina (Mabalako Health Zone). In particular, he spoke with the additional surveillance teams sent in reinforcements who arrived since yesterday [Thu 16 Aug 2018] on site. With 2157 contacts already registered, they have a huge amount of work to do to follow up on these contacts, to continue the investigations and the active search for cases, as well as to prepare the ground for the vaccination…

ProMED Mail

Ebola -- DR Congo…

ProMED Mail

Hantavirus -- United StatesDeschutes County Health Department officials confirmed a local woman died [Wed 13 Jun 2018] from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome [HPS], a disease [virus] transmitted through rodent droppings.The woman, 67, and her husband, lived in Redmond but also maintained a home in the 3 Rivers community in Culver [Jefferson county].According to a neighbor, she had come to the Culver home before Memorial Day to prepare for a family visit."They have a loft in their barn that they use for extra…

ProMED Mail

Salmonella -- Worldwide/UnknownAccording to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), 5 European countries have reported 147 people infected with _Salmonella [enterica_ serotype] Agona, which could be linked to ready-to-eat food. In the UK, 129 people have been infected, while Finland counts 15 cases, Denmark 1, Germany 1 and Ireland 1.Experts from EFSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) believe that ready-to-eat products containing cucumbers and prepared in the UK may be the source of…

ProMED Mail

Foodborne Illness -- BrazilIn Para, Brazil, there has been a cluster of Chagas disease cases that officials believe may be related to the consumption of tainted acai berries. This could be because of carelessness in the conditions [during the] preparation of the product. The disease is typically contracted by consuming food or beverages contaminated by infected triatomine bugs, also known as "kissing" bugs.Illness typically develops by one week after exposure and can last for up to 60 days. Although most infected…

ProMED Mail

-- Worldwide/UnknownPerspectivesEnhancing preparation for large nipah outbreaks beyond Bangladesh: preventing a tragedy like ebola in West AfricaInternational Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 72, July 2018, Pages 69-72Halsie Donaldson, Daniel Lucey A novel view on the pathogenesis of complications after intravesical BCG for bladder cancerInternational Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 72, July 2018, Pages 63-68Manu P. Bilsen, Krista E. van Meijgaarden, Hanna K. de Jong, Simone A.

ProMED Mail

Foodborne Illness -- United StatesTwo more states--Iowa and Michigan--have reported _Cyclospora_ infections linked to Del Monte prepackaged vegetable trays, lifting the number of affected states to 4 and the illness total to 78, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a [15 Jun 2018] announcement.In a related development, Del Monte Fresh Produce on [15 Jun 2018] announced a voluntary recall of vegetable trays sold at some retailers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In a…

ProMED Mail

HIV/AIDS -- Australia1. Holt M, Lea T, Mao L, et al. Community-level changes in condom use and uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis by gay and bisexual men in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia: results of repeated behavioural surveillance in 2013-17. Lancet HIV. 2018. pii: S2352-3018(18)30072-9. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3018(18)30072-9.--Communicated by:ProMED-mail[The abstract of the journal article referenced in the news report above is extracted below:Summary"Background. Pre-exposure prophylaxis…

ProMED Mail

Malaria -- ParaguayWith free universal health services in Paraguay and a strong malaria surveillance system, malaria cases were detected early, investigated promptly, and classified correctly.Dedicated elimination strategy------------------------------After reporting its last case of malaria in 2011, Paraguay launched a 5-year plan to consolidate the gains, prevent re-establishment of transmission, and prepare for elimination certification. Activities centred on strengthening epidemiological…

Chantal B Reusken, Ramona Mögling, Pieter W Smit, Roland Grunow, Giuseppe Ippolito, Antonino Di Caro and Marion Koopmans

From December 2013 to March 2016, West Africa experienced the largest Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak to date, leading to a European-wide activation of laboratory preparedness and response. At the end of the outbreak, laboratories associated with the two European preparedness networks of expert laboratories EMERGE JA and EVD-LabNet were invited to participate in an assessment of the response of European laboratories to the EBOV outbreak, to identify learning points and training needs to strengthen future outbreak responses. Response aspects assessed included diagnostics, biorisk management and quality assurance. The overall coverage of EBOV diagnostics in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) was found to be adequate although some points for quality improvement were identified. These included the need for relevant International Organization for Standardization (ISO) accreditation, the provision of EBOV external quality assessments (EQA) in periods where there is no emergency, facilitating access to controls and knowledge, biorisk management without compromising biosafety and a rapid public health response, and the need for both sustained and contingency funding for preparedness and response activities.