Disease

Monkeypox in Central African Republic

On 6 September 2016, the Ministry of Health staff from Haute-Kotto health district alerted the central level of suspected monkeypox cases admitted at Ira Banda health centre. The index case was a hunter who fell ill on 17 August and died in his village without specimens being collected for laboratory testing. Between 4 September and 7 October, 26 cases have been admitted and of these, three have been laboratory confirmed for monkeypox. Epidemiological investigations are currently on-going to evaluate the magnitude of the outbreak.

Arkansas (USA) mumps outbreak tops 500

The mumps outbreak in northwest Arkansas has topped 500 cases in Benton, Washington, and Madison counties. The case tally is at 520 as of Thursday, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. Two-thirds of the cases have been reported in children ages 5-17.

US Virgin Islands Zika case count tops 500

The number of locally acquired Zika virus cases reported in the US Virgin Islands increased by 62 in the past week, bringing the total to 524. According to health officials, while the number of confirmed cases continues to grow, there has been a downward trend in new cases for more than five weeks.