Disease

More Scarlet Fever Cases in UK

There have been a record number of new cases since September 2015, with 600 being reported each week.

In total, there have been 6157 new cases of scarlet fever affecting all of the country.

Foot and Mouth Disease in South Korea

An additional outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed in South Korea, rekindling concerns that the livestock disease may further spread widely, the government said Friday.

Pigs at a swine farm in Nonsan in the central region of South Chungcheong Province tested positive for the highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The quarantine authorities have culled some 400 affected animals, and placed a travel ban on animals and vehicles, the ministry added.

The latest outbreak came just three days after an infection was confirmed at a nearby farm in Nonsan on Tuesday.

The animal disease has been spreading in South Chungcheong Province as two outbreaks of FMD were also confirmed in the neighboring towns of Gongju and Cheonan last month.

Disease

Foot and Mouth Disease in India

Less than a week after Bareilly reported an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) which killed more than a dozen head of cattle, 26 cattle in the Pinahat area of Agra are suspected to have died of the disease.

Lassa Fever Outbreak in Nigeria - Update

Three persons have been confirmed dead with over 200 others currently under observation following the outbreak of Lassa fever in Rivers State, the Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr. Theophilus Odagme has said.

Disease

Ebola - West Africa

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is not over quite yet — just one day after the region was declared "Ebola-free," a new case of the virus was confirmed in Sierra Leone. WHO had said such flare-ups were to be expected.

Zika virus infection – France - Overseas Departments

On 21 December 2015, WHO received notification of the first 2 laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus infection in two overseas departments of France: Remire-Montjoly, French Guiana and Schœlcher, Martinique. Since then, 2 additional cases have been reported in Saint Laurent du Maroni, French Guiana and in Fort de France, Martinique.

Foot and Mouth Disease in Malawi

Malawi Government has suspended all livestock sales in Nsanje district following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the district.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development through its secretary Bright Kumwembe says there is an outbreak of the disease in cattle at Bangula dip tank and Magoli Extension Planning Area (EPA) in the district which is within the Shire Valley ADD.

Preliminary investigation conducted by veterinary field staff from the Shire Valley ADD and Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development indicates a total number of 60 critical cases out of a total of 581 cattle in 4 kraals.

The ministry further said a total of 65,000 cattle are at risk within the affected area and investigations are ongoing to establish the extent of the problem.

Disease

Foot and Mouth Disease in Punjab, India.

An outbreak of the highly infectious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been declared in many villages of the Faridkkot area which could plunge the agriculture and dairy industry into a deeper crisis. While there are reports of casualties among cows due to the disease in some villages in the last two days, the extent of the outbreak remains unclear.

The Department of Animal Husbandry does not have enough vaccine to inoculate all cattle in the area. A further difficulty is the unwillingness of local farmers to come forward top have their cattle vaccinated.

Disease

Turkey - Foot and Mouth Disease

There have been 217 cases in a new foot-and-mouth disease outbreak since Sept. 29, Faruk Çelik, minister for food, agriculture and livestock said on Dec. 16.

Speaking at a press conference, Çelik said 117 of these outbreaks are under control while 100 others are still active.

An area of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) around the affected area has been quarantined, with livestock barred from both leaving and entering the area.

France reports new bird flu strain

France has detected the first cases of low pathogenic H5N3 bird flu and found more cases of highly infectious strains in an outbreak of the disease in the southwest of the country.

Three cases of H5N3 bird flu were found at three different farms in the southwest, the French agriculture ministry said in a report posted by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on Wednesday.

"There is no risk for human health and no impact on our management of the crisis," a ministry official said.

France, the European Union's largest agricultural producer, has been facing cases of bird flu since late last month involving three highly pathogenic strains - H5N1, H5N2 and H5N9.

Disease

Microcephaly – Brazil

On 8 December 2015, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Brazil provided PAHO/WHO with an update regarding the unusual increase in the number of cases of microcephaly among newborns in the northeast of Brazil.

As of 5 December, 1,761 suspected cases of microcephaly, including 19 deaths, have been identified. The cases are distributed across 422 municipalities of 14 federal units. Pernambuco and Paraíba are the most affected states with 804 and 316 cases, respectively. Fatal cases were reported in Rio Grande do Norte (7), Sergipe (4), Bahia (2), Rio de Janeiro (2), Ceará (1), Maranhão (1), Paraíba (1) and Piauí (1).

Cholera – Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has notified WHO of ongoing outbreaks of cholera across the country. Although the overall trend is decreasing, there are still areas reporting a high number of cases.

Since the beginning of the year, 19,705 cases have been reported in DRC. As of 29 November, the following provinces had reported cases: South Kivu (4,906), ex-Katanga (4,565), Maniema (3,971), North Kivu (3,294) and ex-Oriental (2,969). A high number of cases are still reported in the province of South Kivu where the situation is particularly worrying because of the presence of camps hosting refugees from Burundi. Furthermore, there are concerns that the epidemic in Maniema could spread to other provinces of the country as observed during the 2011 cholera epidemic when areas of Kinshasa were also affected.

Foot-and-mouth outbreak hits Limpopo, South Africa

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed in the Limpopo province.

The department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that laboratory tests had confirmed the outbreak and had also identified the virus as the SAT 3 strain. "The outbreak occurred in the Matiane community, in the Thulamela local municipality of the Vhembe District which is within the FMD protection zone of South Africa, where vaccination for FMD is routinely conducted," the department said in a Times Live report.

The areas is reportedly close to the Kruger National Park where infected buffalo were a constant source of the infection. The department speculated that the drought in the area may be causing cattle and buffalo to come into increased contact due to limited grazing and water sources.

Disease

Foot and Mouth Disease on West Bank - Israel

The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture reported preliminary finding of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in sheep in the West Bank.

Disease

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

Between 17 and 24 October 2015, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 12 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 1 death.

Guinea records new cases of Ebola

Three more people in Guinea have been infected with the Ebola virus, a senior health official said on Wednesday, further dampening hopes of an imminent end to the world's worst recorded outbreak of the disease.

The three were infected in Forecariah in western Guinea from the family of a woman who died of Ebola and whose body was handled without appropriate protection.

In all, nine sick people are being treated at centres throughout the country and most are connected to the dead woman.

Zimbabwe runs out of money to contain outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease

Zimbabwe has run out of money to vaccinate millions of domestic animals to curb the spread of Foot and Mouth and protect against Newcastle Disease, acting Agriculture Secretary John Gondo said.

“We are in the process of vaccinating over 1.5 million cattle and 8 million chickens for FMD and Newcastle Disease, but the challenge is that there’s no money to buy more vaccine from Botswana”.

South Africa, which borders an affected area, has raised pressure on Zimbabwe to prevent further transmission of the disease, which could have an impact on beef exports.

Disease

Typhoid in Syria

Typhoid has broken out among residents of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, the United Nations said on Wednesday, warning of further disease outbreaks unless aid reached the camp because of the appalling conditions there.

Eleven cases of typhoid were confirmed by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which gained access to residents from the Yarmouk camp for the first time since June in nearby Yalda, where it carried out more than 200 medical consultations.

Typhoid is contracted by drinking or eating contaminated matter and symptoms include nausea, fever, and abdominal pain. Untreated, the disease can lead to complications in the gut and head which can kill up to one in five patients.

Foot and Mouth Disease - Zimbabwe

International beef exports remain suspended for nearly 15 years due to continued outbreaks of the foot and mouth disease across the country. Government efforts to eradicate the disease have proved fruitless.

Disease

MERS Outbreak Over in South Korea

South Korean health officials declared an end to an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which has killed 36 people in the country and caused widespread social and economic disruption since it emerged in May.

The declaration came as U.S. researchers announced that an experimental MERS vaccine has shown promise in animal studies.

The deadly virus first appeared in Saudi Arabia and nearby countries in 2012, leaving hundreds dead and health officials scrambling to contain it.

The recent South Korean outbreak was the only one to emerge outside the Arabian Peninsula.

Officials in Seoul were initially criticized for a slow response during the early days of the outbreak.

But quarantine measures were soon introduced that confined nearly 17,000 people to their homes and kept the disease from spreading outside of medical facilities.

Botswana records another foot and mouth disease outbreak

The Ngamiland area in north-western Botswana was on Thursday put on high alert as some cattle appeared to show signs of the foot and mouth disease (FMD). Ministry of Agriculture spokesperson Jeffery Peko confirmed the suspected FMD cases, saying the movement of cloven hoofed animals and their fresh products within and out of the Ngamiland area has been suspended with immediate effect.

Botswana recently announced that it has recorded a suspected outbreak of FMD in Chobe district in northern part of the country.

France acts against olive disease outbreak in Corsica

A bacterial infection ravaging olive trees in the far south of Italy has spread to Corsica, where emergency measures are being implemented.

Xylella fastidiosa, spread by insects, was found at Propriano in southern Corsica. The bacterium can also attack citrus trees and vineyards.

France has destroyed plants around the infected bush found in Propriano.

Xylella is one of the biggest disease threats to plants worldwide, the European Commission says. There is no effective treatment for infected plants and new Commission regulations say the only solution is to destroy them and establish Xylella-free buffer zones around them.

Disease

Novel coronavirus infection - update

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has informed WHO of an additional two laboratory-confirmed cases with infection of the novel coronavirus (nCoV).

Foot and Mouth Outbreak in Kazakhstan

Quarantine measures have been imposed in the east of the country following the confirmation of a foot and mouth disease outbreak in the village of Akshoka.

Disease

China Bird Flu - Update

Three more people in China have died from severe respiratory infections from the H7N9 virus, pushing the number of deaths so far to 27. Two new cases have also been reported.

Saudi Arabia reports 7 new novel coronavirus cases

Saudi Arabia's health ministry has reported that five Saudis have died of novel coronavirus (nCoV) infections in the past few days, and two more case-patients are in intensive care.

Newcastle Disease Outbreak in Kazakhstan.

The country's concerned veterinary authorities have reported an outbreak of Newcastle disease in East Kazakhstan.

Second outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Tibet

Over 500 head of cattle have been culled in the latest outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Tibetan capital region of Lhasa in central Tibet.

Disease

Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in Tibet

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) reported an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the Tibetan village of Shigatse, which has affected dozens of cattle.

According to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) yesterday, there were 32 cases of foot and mouth disease, and in total, 156 cattle, sheep and goats were culled to prevent the disease from spreading.

Disease

Foot and Mouth Disease in China

A small outbreak of the highly contagious viral disease of cattle and swine, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), has been reported by authorities in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

New Strain of Norovirus Spreads Around the World

A new strain of the winter vomiting disease norovirus has spread to France, New Zealand and Japan from Australia and is overtaking all others to become the dominant strain in Britain.

The norovirus variant, known as Sydney 2012, was identified in a scientific paper last week and Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said genetic testing showed it was now causing more cases in England and Wales than other strains.

Sydney 2012 does not carry worse symptoms than others but, like other norovirus strains, it can cause violent and projectile vomiting, diarrhoea and sometimes fevers, headaches and stomach cramps.

Norovirus cases have risen earlier than expected this winter in Britain, across Europe, Japan and other parts of the world.

Although norovirus mostly causes just a few days of sickness, it is responsible for millions of infections every year and is notorious for its ability to evade control.

Disease

Chinese health officials ordered approximately 2,500 pigs to be culled over fears of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Forty-three pigs were initially infected and died from the illness at a large pig farm near Dalian City in Lianing Province, China.

Disease

Foot and mouth disease outbreak in western Uganda. Rwanda bans cattle movement across the border between the countries.

Avian botulism outbreak kills dozens of birds in Hawaii.