Ebola Deaths in DR Congo Rises to 49 With 2,000 Feared 'Contacts' ( Voice of America) The deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo has now claimed 49 lives since the start of the month, the government has said, and the WHO expects more cases. The gradually increasing death toll, with a further 2,000 people feared to have come into contact with the virus, adds to the woes of a country already facing violence, displacement and political uncertainty. Go to article

 

See also: 5 Experimental Treatments Introduced in Latest DRC Ebola Outbreak ( Devex) Experts at the WHO say they are hopeful that the availability of 5 experimental Ebola treatments will give a vital boost to efforts to quickly contain the current Ebola outbreak in the conflict-affected North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Go to article

Measles Cases Hit Record High in the European Region ( WHO) Over 41,000 children and adults in the WHO European Region have been infected with measles in the first 6 months of 2018. The total number for this period far exceeds the 12-month totals reported for every other year this decade. So far, the highest annual total for measles cases between 2010 and 2017 was 23,927 for 2017, and the lowest was 5,273 for 2016. Monthly country reports also indicate that at least 37 people have died due to measles so far this year. Go to article

Third African Swine Fever Outbreak Hits China's Hog Herd ( Reuters) China's Ministry of Agriculture said on Sunday 88 hogs had died from African swine fever in the eastern city of Lianyungang, the third outbreak this month, as the highly-contagious disease threatened to spread through the world's biggest pig herd. Go to article

See also: Japan Widens Stricter Quarantine After China's 2nd African Swine Fever Case ( Reuters) Japan has widened its stricter quarantine to travellers from China's Henan and Heilongjiang provinces after its Asian neighbour's second case of African swine fever was reported in those areas, an official at Japan's ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries said on Friday. Go to article

2017-2018 Influenza Season Week 32 Ending August 2018 ( CDC) WHO and NREVSS collaborating laboratories, which include both public health and clinical laboratories located in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, report to CDC the total number of respiratory specimens tested for influenza and the number positive for influenza by virus type. In addition, public health laboratories also report the influenza A subtype (H1 or H3) and influenza B lineage information of the viruses they test and the age or age group of the persons from whom the specimens were collected. Go to article

  

Cholera Threats Persists in West Africa's Lake Chad Basin ( Outbreak News Today) More than 20,000 cholera cases have been confirmed in the Lake Chad Basin states of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon since January. In its latest epidemiological analysis of the regional cholera outbreak, UNICEF said 255 deaths have been reported since January. Go to article

Government Affairs & National Security

Johns Hopkins Hosts Pandemic Simulation Exercise for Congressional Staffers ( Homeland Preparedness News) The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Global Health Council, NTI Bio, and PATH hosted a simulation exercise for congressional staffers to demonstrate the need for congressional support and action to prevent infectious disease threats. Go to article

China Sacks Six More Officials Over Vaccine Scandal ( Saudi Gazette) China said on Saturday it has sacked 6 senior officials over a vaccine scandal that inflamed public fears over the safety of domestically produced drugs. The government has been struggling to shore up public confidence in the pharmaceutical sector following the revelation last month that a major Chinese manufacturer of rabies vaccines was found to have fabricated records and was ordered to cease production. Go to article

From Fragility to Resilience: Recommendations for Strengthening USAID's 'Self-Reliance' Approach ( Brookings) Finding pathways out of fragility has become a major priority of the development community given the rise of extreme poverty, conflict, and violent extremism in these contexts and their acute vulnerability to pandemics, natural disasters, and global price shocks. Go to article

'Huge Disaster': Deadly Kerala Floods Displace Over 800,000 ( Aljazeera) More than 800,000 people have been displaced in Kerala, as the death toll from the worst flooding to hit the southern Indian state jumped to at least 370, with losses to infrastructure pegged at almost $3bn. Go to article

Congo's New Ebola Outbreak is Hitting Health Care Workers Hard ( Science) Health care workers have been especially hard hit by the current outbreak of Ebola in the northeastern part of the DRC. To date, nine of the 51 confirmed cases of Ebola have been in people caring for the ill, says Peter Salama, an epidemiologist based in Geneva, Switzerland, who heads the response to the outbreak for the WHO. Go to article

Hajj, Umrah, and the Neglected Tropical Diseases ( PLOS: Neglected Tropical Diseases) Through the Hajj and Umrah, it is estimated that visitors to Saudi Arabia arrive from almost every country, based on a ratio of "one pilgrim per 1,000 Muslims from that country". Currently, the largest countries in terms of Muslim populations are Asian nations located in tropical disease-endemic areas, led by Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, followed by Nigeria and Egypt in Africa, where NTDs are also widespread. Together, these nations account for almost 700,000 Hajj pilgrims, and according to the Global Burden of Disease Study, they account for some of the largest numbers of people living with NTDs. Go to article

Fractional-Dose Yellow Fever Vaccination-Advancing the Evidence Base ( The New England Journal of Medicine) In 2016, a global shortage of yellow fever vaccine occurred as a result of major yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and the DRC. By October, 7136 cases and 493 deaths were reported in the 2 countries. Reactive vaccination campaigns were conducted in areas with autochthonous transmission during the summer of 2016, but many people were still living in areas of risk. Go to article

Medicine & Public Health

Zika Virus Seropositivity in 1-4-Year-Old Children, Indonesia, 2014 ( Emerging Infectious Diseases) We assessed Zika virus seroprevalence among healthy 1-4-year-old children using a serum sample collection assembled in 2014 representing 30 urban sites across Indonesia. Of 662 samples, 9.1% were Zika virus seropositive, suggesting widespread recent Zika virus transmission and immunity. Larger studies are needed to better determine endemicity in Indonesia. Go to article

Emergency Preparedness: Hazard Vulnerability Assessment is Dynamic ( McKnight's Senior Living) As long-term care providers around the nation, including assisted living communities and skilled nursing facilities, continue to optimize their emergency preparedness programs according to regulatory requirements and best practices, they have become very familiar with the concept of hazard vulnerability assessment, or HVA. Go to article

Science & Technology

Biological Engineers Discover New Antibiotic Candidates ( MIT News) The human body produces many antimicrobial peptides that help the immune system fend off infection. Scientists hoping to harness these peptides as potential antibiotics have now discovered that other peptides in the human body can also have potent antimicrobial effects, expanding the pool of new antibiotic candidates. Go to article

Newest Form of CRISPR Corrects Genetic Disease in Viable Human Embryos, With Few Errors ( STAT+: subscription required) Scientists in China have used a next-generation form of CRISPR genome-editing to repair a disease-causing mutation in human embryos, the first use of the technique in viable embryos that were created by a standard fertility clinic technique. The study is a notable advance over previous attempts to edit human embryos and brings closer the day when genome editing might be used to alter the DNA of early-stage IVF embryos in such a way that the changes would be inherited by subsequent generations, potentially wiping out diseases caused by single genetic mutations. Go to article

Middle East and Africa Pharma Economy Expected to New $39B by 2021 ( R&D) Favorable market conditions are driving increased growth across the Middle East and North Africa pharmaceutical market, according to a report by CPhI, which cited aging and gentrifying populations, increased healthcare spending, and a modernizing supply chain as transforming prospects in the region. CPhI, a pharmaceutical event organizer, will be holding Middle East and Africa sessions September 3-5 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Go to article