Disease

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

Between 18 and 31 March 2016, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 16 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 6 deaths.

Elizabethkingia Outbreak - USA - Update

The mystery infection Elizabethkingia has spread to another state from Wisconsin, where an outbreak has already killed 18 people. The Illinois Department of Public Health has confirmed one case of Elizabethkingia in a woman who died in March. Meanwhile, infectious disease experts still don’t know where it has come from.

Another case has surfaced in Michigan, and is also of the same strain. Little else has been reported about this case, except that the infected person didn’t die.

The mysterious disease infects the blood. Symptoms include fever, shortness of breath, chills, and a bacterial skin infection called cellulitis. Unfortunately, Elizabethkingia is resistant to bacteria and therefore hard to treat. The Elizabethkingia bacteria is found in soil, river water, and reservoirs, but usually doesn’t make people sick. It’s not transmitted person-to-person. Anyone with a weakened immune system or an underlying health issue is at risk of contracting the bacteria.