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T oday's Headlines: November 15, 2018

Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases

Measles Outbreak: 13 More Cases in Four Days in Rockland County (Patch-New City) There are 68 confirmed cases of measles within Rockland County as well as 11 suspected cases. That's a jump of 13 cases in just four days. County Department of Health officials said that the entire county should be considered at risk. Even people previously considered immune - anyone born before 1957 and anyone who has received two doses of measles vaccine - could catch the highly contagious disease. Go to article
 
WHO Leader Says Ebola Outbreak Could Last 6 More Months (CIDRAP) Peter Salama, MD, deputy-director for emergency preparedness and response for the WHO, told Reuters that the Ebola outbreak in the eastern edge of the Democratic Republic of the Congo could last at least another 6 months. Go to article

 
Domestic Preparedness & Response
 
They Evacuated to Escape the Deadly Camp Fire. Then Norovirus Invaded Their Shelter. (Washington Post) More than a dozen people who evacuated to escape the devastating Camp Fire in Northern California have been sickened by a contagious virus that has spread through an emergency shelter, officials say. Lisa Almaguer, a spokeswoman for the Butte County Public Health Department, told the Sacramento Bee that about 15 to 20 people being housed at Neighborhood Church of Chico have tested positive for norovirus, an extremely contagious virus known to spread easily, causing vomiting and diarrhea. Go to article

 
Government Affairs & National Security
 
Congress Passes Bill to Create New Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Homeland Preparedness News) The US House of Representatives advanced legislation this week to create the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the Department of Homeland Security. Go to article

 
Global Health Security
 
United Nations Considers a Test Ban on Evolution-warping Gene Drives (MIT Technology Review) The billionaire Bill Gates wants to end malaria, and so he's particularly "energized" about gene drives, a technology that could wipe out the mosquitoes that spread the disease. Gates calls the new approach a "breakthrough," but some environmental groups say gene drives are too dangerous to ever use. Now the sides are headed for a showdown. Go to article
 
MOA Joint Statement on `Very Serious' Spread of ASF & New Outbreak in Hubei (Avian Flu Diary) With half (n=17) of China's 34 provincial-level administrative units (i.e. provinces, municipal cities, Autonomous regions, & SARs) already having reported African Swine Fever - including several of the large pork producing provinces in the south - it is fair to say the virus has become well entrenched. Go to article

 
Medicine & Public Health
 
Cross-reactive Dengue Virus Antibodies Augment Zika Virus Infection of Human Placental Macrophages (Cell Host & Microbe) Zika virus, which emerged in regions endemic to dengue virus, is vertically transmitted and results in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Antibodies to DENV can cross-react with ZIKV, but whether these antibodies influence ZIKV vertical transmission remains unclear. Go to article
 
The Mystery Viruses Far Worse Than Flu (BBC-Future) Spanish flu was one of the most serious pandemics humanity has faced over the last century. But there are others, and some have the capacity to be even deadlier. Go to article
 
Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccination on Influenza-associated Hospitalisations Over Time Among Children in Hong Kong: A Test-negative Case-control Study (The Lancet - Respiratory Medicine) The protection conferred by influenza vaccination is generally thought to last less than a year, necessitating annual revaccination. However, the speed with which influenza vaccine effectiveness might decline during a year is unknown, which is of particular importance for locations with year-round influenza activity. We aimed to assess how influenza vaccine effectiveness changes by time intervals between vaccination and admission to hospital, taking advantage of almost year-round circulation of influenza in Hong Kong. Go to article

 
Science & Technology
 
Farm Animals May Soon Get New Features Through Gene Editing (AP) Cows that can withstand hotter temperatures. Cows born without pesky horns. Pigs that never reach puberty. A company wants to alter farm animals by adding and subtracting genetic traits in a lab. It sounds like science fiction, but Recombinetics sees opportunity for its technology in the livestock industry. Go to article

 
Other 21st Century Threats
 
China's Crackdown on Genetics Breaches Could Deter Data Sharing (Nature) China's enormous population is a genetics goldmine. But the government, wary that this data could be exploited for profit, has been cracking down on researchers and companies that violate rules on sharing its citizens' genetic material and information. Some scientists fear that this closer attention is creating hurdles for international collaborations. Go to article


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