Disease Surveillance

Wales joins countries experiencing rise in measles cases, with 4 reported infections reported amongst children. Welsh public health officials are urging parents to check that their children are up to date on their measles vaccinations in order to prevent further spread of the outbreak.  To read the…

Bird Flu, or H5N1 was detected in some birds in New York City following reports from cases in dairy cows in Texas. So far, only 2 human cases have been reported since 2022 one of which was a farmer in Texas likely infected from close contact with dairy cows. According to health officials, human…

After cattle tested positive for bird flu, officials in Texas have reported that a farmer has become ill with the virus after being in close contact with the animals. According to officials, it is the first human case of avian influenza in the state and the second in the country. Authorities in…

Brazil in state of public health emergency due to upwards of 1 million dengue cases this year. The healthcare system is overwhelmed as a result, setting up field hospitals to combat the growing cases. It has been speculated by scientists that the rise in dengue cases are caused by migration and…

Health officials continue to track Florida's measles outbreak after the Florida Surgeon General defied health orders to contain an outbreak at an elementary school. Although it is unknown whether the new cases are related to the elementary school outbreak, Florida's measles cases join the other 11…

Chronic wasting disease, a form of neurodegenerative prion disease which spreads through moose, deer, and other wildlife populations in the US and Canada, has been rising in transmission. Due to the increase in cases, scientists are concerned that human-to-human transmission may be possible,…

Alberta has documented 812 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in the last year leading to pneumonia and meningitis. According to infectious disease doctors, the cases are on the rise for individuals of all ages and are the highest the province has ever seen.  To read the full article by…

According to the WHO, there has been a 45 fold increase in measles cases in the UK. In 2022, there was a recorded 91 cases of measles, and in 2023, 42,200 cases were recorded. UK health officials speculate that the rise in cases in the last year is a result of declining vaccination rates amongst…

Within a week, the World Economic Forum is planning on meeting to discuss mitigation strategies for hypothetical "Disease X". The meeting is being held to discuss potential strategies in the event of another pandemic like COVID-19. The meeting has met criticism online from right wing party members…

The number of diphtheria cases in the UK have risen in the past year, with 3 people having died from the disease. According to the UK Health Security Agency, the increase could have been caused by an increase in the number of asylum seekers in the UK as well as people catching diphtheria from their…

On April 5, 2023, the National IHR Focal Point for the United Kingdom informed WHO of an increase in severe myocarditis in neonates associated with enterovirus infection in Wales. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, and the most common cause is viral infection, but it can also be…

Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania had Marburg outbreaks in January and March of this year, respectively. As a hemorrhagic fever, Marburg is a relatively rare disease with a very high death rate. Like Ebola, it is transmitted through bodily fluids and symptoms include high fever and capillary leakage.…

Even with current improvements and updated vaccinations in the latter part of the pandemic, it still poses significant dangers for older Americans. Statistics show that nearly 3/4th of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in people over the age of 65, with the highest casualty among people over the age of…

Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans, but there are limited licensed therapeutics and vaccines available. In January 2023, the Ministry of Health of Uganda declared the end of the Ebola disease, 42 days after the last confirmed case tested negative. The outbreak was declared in…