Disease

Bird Flu - China

The China National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) announced this week five additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9).

Cryptosporidiosis Outbreak in Ohio, USA

More than 100 people in Ohio have been sickened with a diarrhoea illness linked to swimming in local pools, causing health officials to declare an outbreak in several counties.

Overall, 107 cases of cryptosporidiosis have been reported this year in Columbus, Franklin County and Delaware County, which is more cases than the area has seen in the last three years combined, Columbus officials said.

The Crypto parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive in chlorinated water for long periods of time, of 10 days or more, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The main symptom of the illness is watery diarrhoea, but the parasite can also cause stomach cramps, vomiting and fever, the CDC said. People become infected with the parasite in swimming pools after swallowing contaminated water.