Health Security Headlines
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T oday's Headlines: December 12, 2018

Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases
 
Ebola Count in DRC Hits 500 in Growing Outbreak (CIDRAP) The world's second-largest Ebola outbreak hit another milestone today, as the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 2 new cases, raising outbreak totals to 500, including 289 deaths. Go to article
 
The Recurring Dread of a Paralyzing Illness (The Atlantic) The 2018 spike in acute flaccid myelitis has peaked, but the quest to understand this debilitating illness continues. AFM, or acute flaccid myelitis, is a rare polio-like illness that affects around one in a million people, mostly young children. Go to article
 
 
Government Affairs & National Security
 
Connell of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity Speaks About the Future of Biosecurity Research, Ethics (Homeland Preparedness News) Thirty years ago, Nancy Connell was working to get thousands of scientists, including Nobel laureates, to sign a pledge presented at the United Nations, an agreement that said they would not knowingly engage in research that would lead to the development of a biological weapon. Go to article
 
 
Global Health Security
 
The Venezuela Regional Migration Crisis (Congressional Research Service) The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Venezuela has elevated congressional concerns about the country, which remains in a deep political and economic crisis under the authoritarian rule of President Nicolás Maduro. Even as Venezuela has experienced hyperinflation (the highest in the world), a rapid contraction of its economy, and severe shortages of food and medicine, President Maduro has refused to accept international humanitarian assistance. Go to article
 
 
Medicine & Public Health
 
Practical Guidance for Clinical Microbiology Laboratories: Viruses Causing Acute Respiratory Tract Infections (Clinical Microbiology Reviews) Respiratory viral infections are associated with a wide range of acute syndromes and infectious disease processes in children and adults worldwide. Many viruses are implicated in these infections, and these viruses are spread largely via respiratory means between humans but also occasionally from animals to humans. Go to article
 
Tick-borne Flaviviruses, with a Focus on Powassan Virus (Clinical Microbiology Reviews) The tick-borne pathogen Powassan virus is a rare cause of encephalitis in North America and the Russian Far East. The number of documented cases described since the discovery of Powassan virus in 1958 may be <150, although detection of cases has increased over the past decade. In the US, the incidence of Powassan virus infections expanded from the estimated 1 case per year prior to 2005 to 10 cases per year during the subsequent decade. Go to article
 

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