Disease

Human infection with avian influenza virus – Uganda

According to a news report by TV Uganda, 20 people from the various islands across the country are feared to have caught bird flu according to ministry of health spokesperson Vivian Nakalika. Surveillance has been stepped up and blood samples have been taken from the suspected victims to further the investigations.

Yellow Fever - Brazil - Update

In a follow-up on the yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, through the first 18 days of 2017, 206 suspected and probable cases of yellow fever were reported, including 53 deaths in Minas Gerais state, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). This is up from 110 cases and 30 deaths reported one week ago.

Seoul Virus - USA

A virus rarely seen in the United States recently infected eight people in Wisconsin and Illinois who were working in facilities where pet rats are bred, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Authorities first became aware of the infections when two people in Wisconsin who operated a rat-breeding facility fell ill in December 2016, with one going to the hospital. Both breeders tested positive for Seoul virus, which is part of the Hantavirus family, a group of viruses that typically infect rodents, the CDC said.

Health officials then discovered that the Wisconsin breeders had purchased rats from two rat-breeding facilities in Illinois, and tests showed that six people who worked at the Illinois facilities were infected with the same virus.