Two Cases of Monkeypox Imported to the United Kingdom, September 2018 ( Eurosurveillance) Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonotic disease that occurs mostly in Central and West Africa. In this report, we detail the identification of two separately imported cases of monkeypox to the UK in September 2018 and the public health response. Each case was managed as a separate incident in the absence of epidemiological evidence linking them in the UK and the public health responses were conducted accordingly. Go to article

Estimating the Current Burden of Chagas Disease in Mexico: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Surveys from 2006 to 2017 ( bioRxiv) In Mexico, estimates of Chagas disease prevalence and burden vary widely. Updating surveillance data is therefore an important priority to ensure that Chagas disease does not remain a barrier to the development of Mexico's most vulnerable populations. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the literature on epidemiological surveys to estimate Chagas disease prevalence and burden in Mexico, during the period 2006 to 2017. A total of 2,764 articles were screened and 38 were retained for the final analysis. Go to article

Health Preparedness Plan for Dengue Detection During the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo ( PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases) Participants in mass gathering events are at risk of acquiring imported and locally endemic infectious diseases. The 2014 dengue outbreak in Tokyo gathered attention since it was the first time in 70 years for Japan to experience an autochthonous transmission. Preparation for emerging infectious threats is essential even in places where these outbreaks have been largely unknown. The aim of this study is to identify strategies for early detection and prevention of dengue infection during the 2020 summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo. Go to article

Multidrug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni Outbreak Linked to Puppy Exposure - United States, 2016-2018 ( MMWR) Campylobacter causes an estimated 1.3 million diarrheal illnesses in the US annually. In August 2017, the Florida Department of Health notified CDC of six Campylobacter jejuni infections linked to company A, a national pet store chain based in Ohio. CDC examined whole-genome sequencing data and identified six isolates from company A puppies in Florida that were highly related to an isolate from a company A customer in Ohio. This information prompted a multistate investigation by local and state health and agriculture departments and CDC to identify the outbreak source and prevent additional illness. Go to article

Plot, Poison, or Curse? Ebola Rumours Spread in Congo ( Thomson Reuters Foundation) Some think the disease is a plot to kill off opposition voters. Others believe it is a money-making scheme by foreign groups. These are among the rumours that have caused people to refuse Ebola vaccines and throw stones at health workers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where an Ebola outbreak has killed almost 100 people since July, the Red Cross said. Go to article

The Science Behind Home Disaster Preparedness Kits Is a Disaster ( Wired) Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001-or at least since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005--the government has urged all of us, every individual, to be ready to go without help for at least three days in the wake of a disaster. You're supposed to have kits in your cars and at home... maybe not the shopping cart from The Road, but just, like, be ready, OK? And now with Florence a waning threat but with fires and storms an apparently permanent part of Earth's changed climate (and earthquakes, volcanoes, and terror always possible), the rules seem to be shifting a bit again. The new message: Be ready for 14 days on your own. Two weeks. Go to article

Hurricane Maria's Effect on the Health Care Industry Is Threatening Lives Across the US ( Huffington Post) It's been a year since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, and Paul Seamann, a paramedic in West Virginia, still doesn't have enough IV saline bags. Seamann is director of operations for Jan-Care Ambulance Service, which serves 100 ambulances over 8,000 square miles of mostly rural communities. He's incredulous that bags of IV fluid are still so difficult to procure a year after Maria wiped out power and capabilities at the Puerto Rico-based manufacturing plants of Baxter International, a top producer of the bags. Go to article

Hurricane Florence's "1,000-year" Rainfall, Explained ( Vox) The National Weather Service reported Thursday that the overwhelming amount of rain from Hurricane Florence over three days was a "1,000-year" event. But these once-rare events are poised to become more common as the climate changes. Torrential downpours dropped upward of 50 inches of rain in some areas of the Carolinas as the storm made landfall and weakened. Across North Carolina, Florence dumped about 8 trillion gallons of rain, enough to fill more than 12 million Olympic swimming pools. Go to article

Hurricane Florence Death Toll Rises to 42 as South Carolina Expects More Record Flooding ( CBS News) At least 42 deaths have now been attributed to Hurricane Florence, according to officials. There were 31 deaths in North Carolina, nine in South Carolina and two in Virginia. Well over half of those killed were in vehicles. Go to article

Biological Select Agents and Toxins: Actions Needed to Improve Management of DOD's Biosafety and Biosecurity Program ( GAO) The Department of Defense has made progress by taking a number of actions to address the 35 recommendations from the Army's 2015 investigation report on the inadvertent shipments of live Bacillus anthracis (anthrax). However, DOD has not yet developed an approach to measure the effectiveness of these actions. As of March 2018, DOD reports 18 recommendations as having been implemented and 17 as having actions under way to implement them. These actions are part of a broader effort to improve biosafety, biosecurity, and overall program management. Go to article

See Also: Biosafety Reforms Still Lagging at Military Labs ( New York Times) Three years after discovering that a military laboratory had shipped live anthrax to facilities around the world, the Department of Defense still has not developed a plan to evaluate its biological security practices, the federal Government Accountability Office reported on Thursday. Go to article

Variation in Childhood Diarrheal Morbidity and Mortality in Africa, 2000-2015 ( New England Journal of Medicine) Diarrheal diseases are the third leading cause of disease and death in children younger than 5 years of age in Africa and were responsible for an estimated 30 million cases of severe diarrhea (95% credible interval, 27 million to 33 million) and 330,000 deaths (95% credible interval, 270,000 to 380,000) in 2015. The development of targeted approaches to address this burden has been hampered by a paucity of comprehensive, fine-scale estimates of diarrhea-related disease and death among and within countries. Go to article

Better than DEET Repellent Compounds Derived from Coconut Oil (Nature Scientific Reports) Hematophagous arthropods are capable of transmitting human and animal pathogens worldwide. Vector-borne diseases account for 17% of all infectious diseases resulting in 700,000 human deaths annually. Repellents are a primary tool for reducing the impact of biting arthropods on humans and animals. N,N-Diethyl- meta-toluamide (DEET), the most effective and long-lasting repellent currently available commercially, has long been considered the gold standard in insect repellents, but with reported human health issues, particularly for infants and pregnant women. In the present study, we report fatty acids derived from coconut oil which are novel, inexpensive and highly efficacious repellant compounds. Go to article

Uganda to Deploy Ebola Vaccine If Virus Spreads from Congo ( Reuters) Uganda will vaccinate against Ebola should it spread from Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been hit twice this year, the WHO said on Thursday. Uganda borders Congo's Ituri and North Kivu provinces, where Ebola is believed to have killed 97 people since the latest outbreak started in July, and infected another 45. Go to article

Dynamic Human Environmental Exposome Revealed by Longitudinal Personal Monitoring ( Cell) Human health is dependent upon environmental exposures, yet the diversity and variation in exposures are poorly understood. We developed a sensitive method to monitor personal airborne biological and chemical exposures and followed the personal exposomes of 15 individuals for up to 890 days and over 66 distinct geographical locations. We found that individuals are potentially exposed to thousands of pan-domain species and chemical compounds, including insecticides and carcinogens. Go to article

' Latent' Tuberculosis? It's Not That Common, Experts Find ( New York Times) Although experts frequently assert that nearly 1.7 billion people carry dormant tuberculosis worldwide, that figure may be a "gross exaggeration" of the real threat, a recent study concludes. The study, published last month in the journal BMJ, found that nearly everyone who falls seriously ill with TB does so within two years of getting infected. So-called latent infections only rarely become active, even in old age. Go to article

Naval Research Laboratory Seeks to Advance Field Diagnostics of Infectious Agents ( Global Biodefense) The Naval Research Laboratory is seeking partners to advance technology developed for in vitro diagnostic devices that are amenable to military hardening and integration with communication capabilities to support the medical diagnostic and epidemiological detection and biosurveillance needs of the US military and specifically for field deployment. Go to article