Zika Has All But Disappeared in the Americas. Why? ( Science) One. That is the total number of locally transmitted Zika cases confirmed in the continental US this year, as of mid-August. That single case, recorded on 26 July in Hidalgo County in Texas, which borders Mexico, contrasts with hundreds of cases of local transmission last year. Go to article

Global Health Security

WHO and Federal Ministry of Health of Somalia Call for Urgent Support to Address Measles Outbreak in Somalia ( WHO) As millions of people in Somalia remain trapped in a devastating cycle of hunger and disease, WHO and health partners are working with national health authorities to save lives and reach the most vulnerable with essential health services. Go to article

Role of Food Insecurity in Outbreak of Anthrax Infections Among Humans and Hippopotamuses Living in a Game Reserve Area, Rural Zambia ( Emerging Infectious Diseases) In September 2011, a total of 511 human cases of anthrax infection and 5 deaths were reported in a game management area in the district of Chama, Zambia, near where 85 hippopotamuses had recently died of suspected anthrax. The human infections generally responded to antibiotics. Go to article

Imported Case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-COV) Infection from Omen to Thailand, June 2015 ( Eurosurveillance) From 2012 to 21 July 2017, there have been 2,040 reported laboratory-confirmed cases and 712 deaths from MERS-CoV infection in 27 countries. A single imported case of MERS in South Korea, identified on 20 May 2015, resulted in 150 laboratory-confirmed cases, amplified by infection in hospitals and the transfer of patients within and between hospitals, and caused 15 deaths within 26 days, mainly among patients, visitors and healthcare personnel. This highlighted the need for vigilant surveillance and the importance of swift and thorough contact tracing. Go to article

Responding to a cVDPV1 Outbreak in Ukraine: Implications, Challenges and Opportunities ( Vaccine) The European Region, certified polio-free in 2002, remains at risk of wild poliovirus reintroduction and emergence of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV) until global polio eradication is achieved, as demonstrated by the cVDPV1 outbreak in Ukraine in 2015. Go to article

Medicine & Public Health

Evaluation of 5 Commercially Available Zika Virus Immunoassays ( Dispatch) Because of the global spread of Zika virus, accurate and high-throughput diagnostic immunoassays are needed. We compared the sensitivity and specificity of 5 commercially available Zika virus serologic assays to the recommended protocol of Zika virus IgM-capture ELISA and plaque-reduction neutralization tests. Go to article

Global Yellow Fever Vaccination Coverage from 1970-2016: An Adjusted Retrospective Analysis ( The Lancet) Substantial outbreaks of yellow fever in Angola and Brazil in the past 2 years, combined with global shortages in vaccine stockpiles, highlight a pressing need to assess present control strategies. The aims of this study were to estimate global yellow fever vaccination coverage from 1970 through to 2016 at high spatial resolution and to calculate the number of individuals still requiring vaccination to reach population coverage thresholds for outbreak prevention. Go to article

Kinetics of Zika Viral Load in Semen ( The New England Journal of Medicine) Although sexual transmission of ZIKV probably accounts for few of the epidemiologic characteristics of the current outbreak, possible infection of pregnant women is a major concern. The maximum reported duration of detectable ZIKV RNA in semen is at least 188 days after the onset of symptoms. Thus, the CDC has recommended the use of condoms for 6 months after infection to avoid sexual transmission. However, most published studies on this topic have been based on a single semen sample from one ZIKV-infected patient, and few have included follow-up of multiple patients after the onset of symptoms until semen negativity for ZIKV. Go to article

Conveyance Contact Investigation for Imported Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Cases, United States, May 2014 ( Emerging Infectious Diseases) In 2014, the CDC conducted conveyance contact investigations for 2 MERS cases imported into the US, comprising all passengers and crew on 4 international and domestic flights and 1 bus. Of 655 contacts, 78% were interviewed; 33% had serologic testing. No secondary cases were identified.  Go to article

Science & Technology

The Evolutionary Dynamics of Influenza A Virus Within and Between Human Hosts ( bioRxiv) While the global evolution of influenza A virus is dominated by the positive selection of novel antigenic variants that circulate in the tropics, much less is known about influenza virus evolution within and between human hosts. With few exceptions, most of the available data derive from studies of chronically infected, immunocompromised hosts, experimental infections with attenuated viruses, or animal models. Go to article

Genomics-Based Identification of Microorganisms in Human Ocular Body Fluid ( bioRxiv) Advances in genomics have the potential to revolutionize clinical diagnostics and management of infectious diseases. Here, we examine the microbiome of vitreous (intraocular body fluid) from patients who developed endophthalmitis following cataract surgery or intravitreal injection. Go to article

Rapid Development of Vaccines Against Emerging Pathogens: The Replication-Deficient Simian Adenovirus Platform Technology ( Vaccine) Despite the fact that there had been multiple small outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease, when a large outbreak occurred in 2014 there were no vaccines or drugs available for use. Clinical development of multiple candidate vaccines was then initiated in parallel with attempts to contain the outbreak but only one vaccine was eventually tested in a phase III trial. Go to article