Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases
Salmonella Outbreak in 20 States Linked to Popular Herbal Supplement Kratom (
KQED Science) A popular herbal supplement that some people use in lieu of powerful opioid drugs has been linked to an outbreak of salmonella, the CDC reported Tuesday. So far 28 people in 20 states are believed to have been sickened by contaminated kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia that's variously ingested as pills or powder or brewed into tea. Eleven people have been hospitalized.
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Death Toll from Listeria Outbreak in South Africa More Than Doubles to 172 (
Reuters) The death toll from an outbreak of the food-borne disease listeria in South Africa has more than doubled from previous numbers given in January to 172 deaths, the government said on Thursday. The National Institute of Communicable Diseases said 915 cases of the disease have been confirmed since January last year, up from the previous figures given last month of 61 deaths and 720 confirmed outbreaks.
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Global Health & Security
Bangladesh: The Crisis Is Not over - Rohingya Refugees Are Still Arriving (
Medecins Sans Frontieres) Since 25 August 2017, nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh. They join tens of thousands of others who were fled there after previous periods of tension and violence in neighbouring Rakhine state, Myanmar. The thing I find most striking about this situation is its magnitude - the sheer number of people who have crossed the border in a short space of time, barely six months. In fact, people continue to arrive today.
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Funding Urgently Needed to Prevent Collapse of Gaza Health System (
Relief Web) WHO and health partners urgently require US$ 11.2 million to fill priority health needs for 1.27 million people in Gaza for three months. Of this amount, WHO requires US$2.4 million. If funding is not urgently secured, 1,715 patients will immediately face a life threatening situation, including: 113 newborns, 100 patients in intensive care units, 702 patients requiring hemodialysis 200 patients in need of surgery, 100 women in need of obstetric surgeries, 500 patients in need of emergency care.
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Medicine & Public Health
CDC Approves Comeback for Nasal Mist Flu Vaccine (
Biz Women - Business Journals) If you avoided getting a flu vaccine this year because you're needle-phobic, there's good news: the nasal spray is coming back. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 12 to 2 Wednesday to allow FluMist, the only non-injected flu vaccine approved for use in the US, to return to the disease prevention arsenal for the 2018-2019 flu season after a two-year suspension.
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The Ethics of Fighting Drug Resistance (
Project Syndicate) The fight against antimicrobial resistance is based on an ethical imperative to protect human, animal, and environmental health, not just today, but for future generations. And yet tackling AMR poses its own ethical challenges and dilemmas, which policymakers need to address sensibly, transparently, and urgently.
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Science & Technology
21st Century Threats
