Zoonotic & Vector-Borne Diseases

A new survey reveals that infectious disease virologists, epidemiologists and clinicians see the need to address gaps in surveillance programs to identify emerging pathogens, public health funding and testing infrastructure capabilities.

The International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) ProMED surveillance system is a way for clinicians and interested ID stakeholders to be aware of local outbreaks and follow-up in response to get more information on them.

With no vaccines or specific treatments available, the mosquito-borne pathogen, which causes fever, severe headache, and joint pain, raises alarms due to its spread across the Americas.

The organization's designation for the Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN (Jynneos) mpox vaccine is aimed at helping with the public health response, especially in Africa, where incidences rates continue to increase.

Jennifer Ronholm, PhD, discusses the novel concept of microbiome protection to create healthier animals and reduce antimicrobial usage.

The town of Plymouth decided to prohibit people from using the parks from dusk to dawn due to concerns over eastern equine encephalitis after a man contracted the rare disease in the state.

Transmission to humans is limited in the US, but concerns linger, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study found that the vaccine, combined with presumptive antimalarial treatment, reduced Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia and clinical malaria over two transmission seasons.

Bavarian Nordic is working to get their MVA-BN (Jynneos) mpox vaccine to those affected in African countries, as well as working towards a clinical trial for the younger pediatric population, and potential regulatory approval in Europe for adolescents.

We have complied some of our news stories and interviews from the last week to offer information on the differences between clade I and clade 2 mpox, why WHO declaring the global emergency is significant, looking at mpox in the United States, and more.

Mitch Wolfe, MD, former Chief Medical Officer of CDC, offers some insights on mpox including the benefits of declaring a global emergency, disease transmission, and considerations for both the US public and clinicians.

Scott Bertani, who is the director of Advocacy of the National Coalition for LGBTQ Health, discusses what the new mpox health declarations mean to the US, which groups are high risk, and information about the vaccine to prevent the disease.

The Public Health Agency of Sweden reported the individual sought care at Region Stockholm and has been diagnosed with mpox caused by clade I.

This is the very first such declaration by the Africa CDC since its inception in 2017.

The federal agency says the ongoing outbreak of the clade 1 variant in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been reported in neighboring countries.

A single-dose dengue vaccine that is effective across various age groups and independent of prior dengue exposure is essential.

A Spanish man contracted the virus after a tick bite and succumbed to it last week.

Malaria control efforts can be impacted by indoor nuisance pest management as ineffective control of pests may erode community trust in vector control products.

Participants of the phase 3 trial for the Pfizer and Valneva vaccine candidate, VLA15, received their immunizations and everyone will be observed through next year’s Lyme disease season.

With an efficacy rate of 78% and WHO prequalification, the vaccine rollout aims to vaccinate 6.6 million children across 15 African countries by the end of 2024, marking an advancement in public health efforts to combat malaria's impact

Epidemiologist Courtney Tillman, MPH, emphasizes the importance of routine vaccinations and awareness of occupational risks to prevent human infections.

The individuals who worked in an egg layer facility in Colorado were confirmed to have H5N1 and they have reported mild symptoms without hospitalizations.

As of July 2, 2024, the CDC reported 2,559 cases of dengue fever across the country with the majority of cases reported in Florida.

The first 2024 case of tularemia also known as rabbit fever was confirmed in a Wheat Ridge, Colorado resident.

Christina Rafferty, BSc, an expert from the CDC, discusses the CLASS assay for swift and accurate detection of Anopheles stephensi, which is essential for controlling malaria spread and protecting communities from resurgence in Africa.

The report comes from Colorado, and public health officials have not yet identified the source of transmission.

Recent studies in Emerging Infectious Diseases have highlighted the persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus on milking equipment surfaces and its presence in dairy cattle mammary glands.

Michigan is taking decisive action to support dairy farms affected by the recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Bearded dragon pets carrying this illness and infecting their loving caregivers create a significant public health concern.

This framework in preventing and controlling mpox outbreaks, eliminating human-to-human transmission of the disease, and reducing spillover of the virus from animals to humans.