New cases of highly pathogenic avian flu in poultry have recently been detected in south-western regions of France,

New bird flu outbreak: More than 60 farms in France infected

Published time: 22 Dec, 2015 16:38

 

© Luc Gnago / Reuters

 

 

New cases of highly pathogenic avian flu in poultry have recently been detected in south-western regions of France, forcing authorities to step up sanitary measures.

 

The total number of confirmed cases of contamination with the virus in France has risen to 61, according to a statement from the French Ministry of Agriculture. The statement was published on Tuesday.

infos140 @infos140

GRIPPE AVIAIRE 8 nouveaux foyers identifiés dans les Landes. 61 foyers désormais touchés dans le sud-ouest

6:45 AM - 22 Dec 2015

 

Special protection zones stretching for between 3 to 10 kilometers around the farms have been set up until the epidemic ceases, a decree published in the Official Journal said.
There is currently no evidence that the virus is transmitted to humans through birds’ eggs, meat or foie gras, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease and Control (ECDC) stated.

Read More Here

Biological Hazard - New Zealand, [Wellington, Motueka, Kaikoura and Christchurch] South Island : Measles

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Biological Hazard

New Zealand

[Wellington, Motueka, Kaikoura and Christchurch] South Island

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Biological Hazard in New Zealand on December 11 2015 01:43 PM (UTC).

 

Base data

EDIS Number	BH-20151211-51213-NZL
Event type	Biological Hazard
Date/Time	December 11 2015 01:43 PM (UTC)
Last update	December 11 2015 01:46 PM (UTC)
Cause of event
Damage level	Is not or not known

Geographic information

Continent	Australia - New-Zealand
Country	New Zealand
County / State	South Island
Area	Wellington, Motueka, Kaikoura and Christchurch
Settlement
Coordinate	41° 7.443,173° 0.059

Number of affected people / Humanities loss

Dead person(s)	0
Injured person(s)	0
Missing person(s)	0
Evacuated person(s)	0
Affected person(s)	0
Foreign people	0

Biohazard information

Biohazard level

Disease, agent name	Measles
Infected person(s)	0
Species	Human
Status	suspected

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Biological Hazard in New Zealand on December 11 2015 01:43 PM (UTC).

 

A measles warning has been issued in several areas after an infected tourist traveled the country. A 28-year-old European man carrying the virus traveled from Wellington, to Motueka, Kaikoura and Christchurch from December 3 to 11. The Canterbury District Health Board now is asking anyone who may have come in contact with him and is now presenting symptoms to call their doctor. He is believed to have contracted the highly-infectious virus while in Australia and is in private accommodation in Christchurch until the end of his infectious period. Canterbury medical officer Alistair Humphrey said it was a particularly risky time for the tourism industry. "Over the next few years there is a heightened risk of measles as a result of the decision by parents in the 1990s not to get their children immunized," he said. Where He Stayed: December 3-5: Comfort Hotel, Cuba Street, Wellington,5 December 5: BlueBridge Ferry,December 5-7: Motueka Holiday Top 10,December 8-10: Lazy Shag Backpackers, Kaikoura,December 11: Travels to residence outside Christchurch

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msn news

Sick tourist prompts measles warning

NZ Newswire

© Getty Images Measles is untreatable but easily preventable through vaccinations A measles warning has been issued in several areas after an infected tourist traveled the country.

A 28-year-old European man carrying the virus traveled from Wellington, to Motueka, Kaikoura and Christchurch from December 3 to 11.The Canterbury District Health Board now is asking anyone who may have come in contact with him and is now presenting symptoms to call their doctor.
He is believed to have contracted the highly-infectious virus while in Australia and is in private accommodation in Christchurch until the end of his infectious period.

Read More Here

 

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Biological Hazard - Taiwan, Changzhi, Pingtung County : H5N8 (highly pathogenic avian influenza virus)

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Taiwan Hit by Six More Bird Flu Outbreaks

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Biological Hazard

Taiwan

Changzhi, Pingtung County

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Biological Hazard in Taiwan on December 11 2015 04:45 AM (UTC).

 

Base data

EDIS Number	BH-20151211-51211-TWN
Event type	Biological Hazard
Date/Time	December 11 2015 04:45 AM (UTC)
Last update	December 11 2015 04:46 AM (UTC)
Cause of event
Damage level	Is not or not known

Geographic information

Continent	Asia
Country	Taiwan
County / State	Pingtung County
Area
Settlement	Changzhi
Coordinate	22° 33.119,120° 32.926

Biohazard information

Biohazard level
Biohazard description
Disease, agent name	H5N8 (highly pathogenic avian influenza virus)
Infected person(s)	0
Species	Animal (ducks)
Status	confirmed
Symptoms

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Biological Hazard in Taiwan on December 11 2015 04:45 AM (UTC).

 

Pingtung County's animal disease control officials on Thu 10 Dec 2015 culled 8881 ducks after the highly pathogenic bird flu virus H5N8 was found to have infected ducks on a poultry farm in Changzhi Township, officials said. County officials said the farm operator kept the birds in a closed environment in violation of the law and they decided to issue a fine on the owner in accordance with the act governing the prevention of animal infectious diseases. To reduce the risk of spreading virus, local health authorities have worked with the farm owner in disinfecting the area and launched monitoring and sampling of poultry within a 1 km about 0.6 mile radius from the infected farm, said the officials.

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Taiwan Hit by Six More Bird Flu Outbreaks

11 December 2015

 

TAIWAN - Taiwan has reported six more outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
There were four outbreaks of the H5N2 serotype in Pingtung and Hualien counties (see image above). Just over 14,000 birds were destroyed to try and prevent these outbreaks from spreading.
The premises affected included a duck farm, a chicken farm, and chickens in two abattoirs. The cases were discovered after abnormal mortality levels.


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"This flu comes from beyond our borders, But every year it becomes wilder and more resistant" to treatment : Tehran, Health Minister Hassan Hashemi

PRESS TV

Swine flu outbreak claims 33 lives in Iran

Mon Dec 7, 2015 7:18PM

A digital rendering of the H1N1 virus

At least 33 people have lost their lives following an outbreak of swine flu mainly in two southeastern Iranian provinces in the past three weeks, Iran’s deputy health minister says.

Ali Akbar Sayyari said on Monday that the flu left 28 people dead in Kerman Province and five, including four pregnant women, in Sistan and Baluchestan.

He added that there are more cases of infection across the country.

Read More Here

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Swine flu outbreak nears Tehran as Iran death toll tops 40

 

.

View photo

The World Health Organisation declared the swine flu pandemic over in August 2010 (AFP Photo/Sam Panthaky)

 

Tehran (AFP) - An outbreak of swine flu in Iran has claimed 42 lives since mid-November, including in a province neighbouring Tehran, Health Minister Hassan Hashemi said Thursday.

Hashemi, quoted by ISNA news agency, said 33 deaths from the H1N1 virus were recorded in Kerman and five in Sistan-Baluchistan, both provinces in southeastern Iran.

The other four deaths were in three northern provinces, including one in Karaj, near the capital, he said in an update recording nine new fatalities since Monday.

Hashemi has said the number of deaths from flu was similar to previous years, but that it was becoming harder to treat.

"This flu comes from beyond our borders, especially from Sistan-Baluchistan" near Pakistan, the minister said Monday. "But every year it becomes wilder and more resistant" to treatment.

Read More Here

As many as 200 people have gotten sick in a norovirus outbreak at a downtown Seattle office building, health officials reported Monday.

As Many As 200 Sickened In Seattle Tower Norovirus Outbreak

Norovirus is highly contagious and causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Donna Gordon Blankinship

12/08/2015 05:18 pm ET

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

SEATTLE (AP) -- As many as 200 people have gotten sick in a norovirus outbreak at a downtown Seattle office building, health officials reported Monday.

Illness at the Russell Investments Center grew exponentially after a catered event in the building, but several cases were reported before the event last Tuesday, according to Public Health-Seattle & King County, which is still investigating the outbreak that began last week.

Between 175 and 200 cases have been reported to the health department either independently or through a survey of people who went to the catered event in the building.

"We anticipate that number is probably low," said Dr. Meagan Kay, medical epidemiologist for communicable diseases with the Seattle and King County Public Health Department.

Two people spent one night in a hospital because of norovirus, and another eight people were treated in emergency rooms during the past week.

Read More Here

Flesh-eating skin disease grips ISIS-controlled areas in Syria (GRAPHIC)

 

Published time: 8 Dec, 2015 05:10Edited time: 8 Dec, 2015 16:14

The collapse of medical services in terrorist-controlled parts of Syria has caused the spread of a flesh-eating virus transmitted by parasites munching on corpses dumped in the streets.

“As a result of abominable acts by ISIS that included the killing of innocent people and dumping their corpses in streets, this is the leading factor behind the rapid spread of Leishmanisis disease,” Dilqash Isa, the head of the Kurdish Red Crescent told the Kurdish Rudaw news.

Kurdish fighters in Syria claimed the disease, spread by sand flies, was not noticed until Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) influence and atrocities spread across Syria. Leishmaniasis, which is rarely deadly but leads to disfiguring lesions on the skin, was particularly bad in war-torn parts of Syria, one unnamed militant told the publication.

“We have been fighting on the battlefield for almost four years and this disease basically generated from embattled areas of Tal Hamis, Hon and Qosa,” he claimed.
.....

 

 .....

“It is very possible in the area where there is a lot of military activity and population movement, those are circumstances in which an outbreak of the leishmaniasis can occur,” Dr. William Schaffner (MD) told RT.

Read More Here

Biological Hazard - Iraq, [Provinces of Capital City, Kerman and Sistan-Baluchistan] MultiProvinces : An outbreak of swine flu has left 33 people dead in two provinces of southwestern Iran

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Iran swine flu outbreak kills 33 in three weeks: state media

• By AFP on December 7, 2015 5:32 pm

 

An outbreak of swine flu has left 33 people dead in two provinces of southwestern Iran in the last three weeks, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday.
IRNA quoted Deputy Health Minister Ali Akbar Sayyari as saying there had been 28 deaths in Kerman province and five in Sistan-Baluchistan and warning the H1N1 virus was likely to spread to other areas including the capital Tehran.
“The health ministry predicts that the virus will spread in the coming days to Tehran, West and East Azerbaijan and Kermanshah provinces more than to other places,” he said.

Read More Here
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December 07 2015 06:03 PM

Biological Hazard

Iraq

[Provinces of Capital City, Kerman and Sistan-Baluchistan] MultiProvinces

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Biological Hazard in Iraq on December 07 2015 06:03 PM (UTC).

 

An outbreak of swine flu has left 33 people dead in two provinces of southwestern Iran in the last three weeks, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday. IRNA quoted Deputy Health Minister Ali Akbar Sayyari as saying there had been 28 deaths in Kerman province and five in Sistan-Baluchistan and warning the H1N1 virus was likely to spread to other areas including the capital Tehran. "The health ministry predicts that the virus will spread in the coming days to Tehran, West and East Azerbaijan and Kermanshah provinces more than to other places," he said. Nearly 600 people have been hospitalised in Kerman province over the outbreak, the head of the province's medical university, Ali Akbar Haghdoost, told the ISNA news agency. "Traces of the H1N1 virus were uncovered three weeks ago and we were the first province to report the epidemic," Haghdoost said. He called for limited travel during a three-day holiday weekend due to start on Thursday in order to prevent the spread of the virus. A major H1N1 outbreak in 2009 sparked a World Health Organization pandemic alert in June 2009, after the virus emerged from Mexico and the United States. The alert was lifted in August 2010 and the outbreak left some 18,500 people dead in 214 countries.

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Biological Hazard : Sudan, [Greater Darfur regions] Multiple areas - 469 suspected cases of viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF)

Photo Credit: Content Providers(s): CDC/Dr. Lyle Conrad
Wikipedia.org
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December 07 2015 08:57 AM

Biological Hazard

Sudan

[Greater Darfur regions] Multiple areas

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Biological Hazard in Sudan on December 07 2015 08:57 AM (UTC).

 

Between 29 Aug-27 Nov [2015], 469 suspected cases of viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF), including 120 deaths, were reported in the 5 Darfur states, according to the Sudanese Ministry of Health. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan reported in its latest weekly bulletin that the outbreak has now spread to 27 localities in Sudan's conflict-torn western region. The highest number of reported cases is in West Darfur (296) followed by North Darfur (68) Central Darfur (68), South Darfur (23), and East Darfur (14). The highest number of fatalities was recorded in West Darfur (90), followed by North Darfur (15), Central Darfur (12), East Darfur (2) and South Darfur (one). The World Health Organisation (WHO) has supported vector control activities with larvicide interventions, reaching 6268 families (40 800 people) in Ed Daein, capital of East Darfur, in the South Darfur localities of Tullus, Kass, Ed El Fursan, Buram, and El Sereif Beni Hussein in North Darfur. A further 30 000 families (195 000 people) in South Darfur's Tullus town and the Kass camps for the displaced were reached with integrated vector control activities conducted jointly by the Ministry of Health and the WHO. These activities are now ongoing in Buram, Ed Fursan and Nyala localities in the state. In addition, the WHO supported larvicide fogging and spraying assistance to more than 1300 families (8500 people) in El Sereif town, North Darfur.
In North Darfur, Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Spain and the WHO support a treatment centre in El Sereif locality. MSF Switzerland is supports a treatment centre and 2 mobile clinics in the West Darfur Krendig and Kereinik camps for the displaced in Kereinik locality. The UN Children's Agency (Unicef) supported the Ministry of Health in West Darfur to reach 385 700 people on viral haemorrhagic fever prevention through local radio programmes. It supported national NGOs to conduct health education sessions in El Geneina and Kereinik localities. Unicef has also supported health promotion activities in Zalingei, Azum, Bindisi, West Jebel Marra and Wadi Salih localities of Central Darfur. Haemorrhagic fevers are endemic in many states of Sudan including Red Sea, Kassala, Gedaref, and South Kordofan, OCHA states. In 2012, sporadic cases of dengue fever and yellow fever co-infection were reported in Darfur, while no cases were reported in 2013. In 2014, however, a large-scale dengue fever outbreak occurred in Red Sea (1092 cases), North Darfur (132), South Darfur (48), West Darfur (24), South Kordofan (59), and Kassala (57).

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Deadly kissing bugs reported in more than half of U.S., spreading Chagas disease

Daily News

 

BY Nicole Lyn Pesce

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Updated: Wednesday, November 25, 2015, 11:58 AM

 

"Kissing Bug" now in Florida and Georgia

WTEV - Jacksonville, FL

 

Here’s another reason to stay in New York this holiday season — the “kissing bug” has now spread to 28 states.

Texas is the latest to report an outbreak of infections from the Latin American triatomine bug after the pest had been spotted in other southern and western states, including Georgia, Alabama and California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The creepy crawler resembling a cockroach gets its colorful nickname because it likes to bite around the lips and eyes of people when they are asleep. More than half of the bugs carry a parasite that can cause Chagas disease in humans, dogs and other mammals.

The good news? To actually pass on the disease, the bug not only needs to bite you, but then defecate into the gash. If left untreated, up to 30% of bite victims will develop chronic conditions such as difficulty breathing, heart and intestinal complications, and, in extreme cases, death.

There have been eight million cases in Latin America and South America because of poorly constructed rural homes, according to the CDC.

To prevent an outbreak, the CDC recommends:

Sealing cracks and gaps around windows, walls, roofs, and doors.
Removing wood, brush, and rock piles near your house.

Read More Here

Zika virus : A virus believed to cause under-developed brains and skulls in newborn babies has sparked a public health emergency in Brazil and the Caribbean.

 Independent

Zika virus: Health alerts in South America and Caribbean following fears illness may cause birth deformities

Doctors believe the illness may be linked to a rise in cases of microcephaly in infants

• Alexandra Sims
• Thursday 19 November 2015 Zika virus is a mosquito-borne disease similar to dengue fever VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

A virus believed to cause under-developed brains and skulls in newborn babies has sparked a public health emergency in Brazil and the Caribbean.

The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease similar to dengue fever, was first identified on Easter Island, Chile in February last year and has since spread to Brazil, Columbia and the Caribbean.
On Monday, the Caribbean Public Health Agency confirmed five cases of the Zika virus in a territory of the Caribbean Community, according to Liverostrum News Agency.

The territory where the cases were confirmed has not been revealed.

Reports say the disease surveillance system operated by one of the community's members, Grenada, has since been heightened and health officials are on alert.

Read More Here

Heavy rains, flooding and a spike in new arrivals could threaten the lives of over 110,000 Burundian refugees in overcrowded camps in Tanzania

Fear of cholera, floods as Burundi refugees pack Tanzania camps

By Agencies, Citizen Digital

Published on  24 November 2015

Heavy rains, flooding and a spike in new arrivals could threaten the lives of over 110,000 Burundian refugees in overcrowded camps in Tanzania, six aid agencies said on Monday, amid warnings of rising political tension in Burundi.

Life-threatening malaria and diarrhoea have been spreading in Nyarugusu, the world’s third largest refugee camp, since the rainy season began, and damage caused by a powerful El Nino has left aid agencies short of funds throughout east Africa.

Also Read: Armed vigilantes in Burundi’s capital expose deepening crisis

“Refugees are arriving in the hundreds every day,” the agencies, which include Oxfam, Save the Children and HelpAge International, said in a statement.

“Many people are still living in overcrowded mass shelters months after their arrival, where wet floors and cramped conditions mean that the risk of respiratory infections and waterborne diseases is high.”

The agencies also fear a fresh outbreak of cholera, which killed 33 Burundian refugees in western Tanzania in May, as heavy rain sometimes makes toilets overflow and flood shelters.




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A new report from Fairewinds Energy Education (FEE), reveals that the incident in Fukushima could result in as many as one million more cancers in Japan's future

'Million Cancer Deaths From Fukushima Expected in Japan,’ New Report Reveals

Posted on:

Sunday, November 8th 2015 at 5:15 am

Written By:

Sayer Ji, Founder

 

 

A shocking new report defies the chronically underestimated impacts of the Fukushima's triple meltdown on the risk of cancer in exposed populations, which does not just include Japan, but arguably the entire world. 

A new report from Fairewinds Energy Education (FEE), "Cancer on the Rise in Post-Fukushima Japan," reveals that the ongoing multi-core nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant that started in March 2011 has produced approximately 230 times higher than normal thyroid cancers in Fukushima Prefecture, and could result in as many as one million more cancers in Japan's future as a result of the meltdown.

According to the new report, data provided by a group of esteemed Japanese medical professionals and TEPCO, confirm a direct link of numerous cancers in Japan to the triple meltdown. As transcribed by Enenews.com, Arnie Gundersen, chief engineer at Fairewinds stated, Nov. 4, 2015:

"It's been almost 5 years from the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns, and the news from Japan is still not good. Two reports recently released in Japan, one by Japanese medical professionals and the second from Tokyo Power Corporation – TEPCO – acknowledged that there will be numerous cancers in Japan, much greater than normal, due to the radioactive discharges from the triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi... I believe, as do many of my colleagues, that there will be at least 100,000 and as many as one million more cancers in Japan's future as a result of this meltdown... [T]he second report received from Japan proves that the incidence of thyroid cancer is approximately 230 times higher than normal in Fukushima Prefecture... So what's the bottom line? The cancers already occurring in Japan are just the tip of the iceberg. I'm sorry to say that the worst is yet to come."

Read More and Watch Video Here

Biological Hazard - Bulgaria, Province of Kyustendil, Rila : Brucellosis (Animal)

WHAT IS BRUCELLOSIS?

Brucellosis is a contagious disease of both humans and animals caused by bacteria (invisible to the naked eye) of the genus Brucella which causes extensive economic damage to cattle breeding but is also a significant health issue as more than 50.000 people contract brucellosis world-wide.

Vet,gov.ba
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Biological Hazard

Bulgaria

Province of Kyustendil, Rila

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Biological Hazard in Bulgaria on Thursday, 29 October, 2015 at 04:05 (04:05 AM) UTC.

Description 15 animals have been tested positive for brucellosis in the region of Rila town, the press centre of the District Administration - Kyustendil, announced. On September 13 began the second serological examinations of all small ruminants, cattle and equine which were tested negative in the first serological examinations in the infected villages. On October 20 were retested a total of 2,790 goats, sheep, buffalo, cattle and equine. 11 goats of them and three sheep from farms in the town of Rila, as well as one goat in Smochevo village were tested positive for brucellosis disease. Biohazard name: Brucellosis Biohazard level: 3/4 High Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level. Symptoms:   Status: confirmed

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1. 15 animals tested positive for brucellosis in Bulgaria’s Rila

   Focus Information Agency · 2 days ago

   15 animals have been tested positive for brucellosis in the region of Rila town, the press centre of the ... Rila. 15 animals have been tested positive for ...

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Biological Hazard - State of Wyoming, [Laramie County] : Pneumonic plague found in housecat

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Biological Hazard

USA

State of Wyoming, [Laramie County]

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Biological Hazard in USA on Thursday, 29 October, 2015 at 04:14 (04:14 AM) UTC.

Description A housecat has been diagnosed with pneumonic plague in rural western Laramie County. Over a dozen individuals who came into contact with the cat are currently being assessed by the Wyoming Department of Health to determine if they need to receive antibiotics. Plague is a serious bacterial infection that can be deadly if not treated promptly with antibiotics. The pneumonic form of plague can be easily transmitted from a coughing cat or other animal to a human. Humans can then breathe in the bacteria and develop pneumonic plague as well. Although health officials believe this is thought to be an isolated case, plague has been present in the area before with animal cases in 2005 and 2008 and is believed to be endemic in Wyoming wildlife. Biohazard name: Plague (pneumonic, cat ) Biohazard level: 4/4 Hazardous Biohazard desc.: Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release. Symptoms:   Status: confirmed

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Local News 8

Pneumonic plague found in Laramie County cat

 

POSTED: 10:24 AM MDT Oct 29, 2015 

GNU image/MGN Online

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A housecat has been diagnosed with pneumonic plague in rural western Laramie County.
Over a dozen individuals who came into contact with the cat are currently being assessed by the Wyoming Department of Health to determine if they need to receive antibiotics.

Read More Here
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Animal plague found in Laramie County

Posted: Wed 3:27 PM, Oct 28, 2015

 

LARAMIE COUNTY - A housecat has been diagnosed with pneumonic (the lung form) of plague in rural western Laramie County.

Plague, known as the Black Death during medieval times, is a serious bacterial infection that can be deadly if not treated promptly with antibiotics. The pneumonic form of plague can be easily transmitted from a coughing cat or other animal to a human. Humans can then breathe in the bacteria and develop pneumonic plague as well.

On October 26, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) notified Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department (CLCHD) of a plague positive housecat submitted to the Wyoming State Veterinary Lab on October 21.



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Biological Hazard - South Korea, Capital City, Seoul [Konkuk University,Neungdong-ro] : Q Fever

Students look at instructions in front of a makeshift clinic at Konkuk University in Seoul on Thursday.

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Biological Hazard

South Korea

Capital City, Seoul [Konkuk University,Neungdong-ro]

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Biological Hazard in South Korea on Thursday, 29 October, 2015 at 04:39 (04:39 AM) UTC.

Description A mysterious virus has infected 21 graduate students at Konkuk University's school of veterinary science in Seoul. Health authorities have placed all 21 in quarantine and closed off the school building. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said the victims started coming down with pneumonia last week, and a team of epidemiologists have been dispatched to the university. According to the KCDC, those infected are master's and doctoral candidates who used the school's lab from Oct. 19 to 28. They are being treated in isolation at state-run hospitals. The first four graduate students who showed symptoms were hospitalized at Konkuk University Medical Center and then transferred to the National Medical Center on Wednesday. All of them visited a cattle fair in Gyeonggi Province last week as well as an animal farm owned by the university in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. A university official said they may have contracted Brucellosis, which infects cattle and can be transmitted to humans. But some experts suspect Q fever, caused by the Coxiella burnetii bacteria found in the droppings of cattle, swine and sheep. It causes airborne infections among humans. Symptoms such as fever, headache and muscle aches appear after a two-week gestation period. But Song Dae-sup at Korea University said, "Brucellosis and Q fever are not commonly found in Korea and are rarely passed on to humans. We need to look at the possibility of pneumonia caused by germs or other toxic agents." Lee Jae-gap at Hallym University Medical Center said since only the four visited the animal farm, the infection could be mycoplasma pneumonia or whooping cough, which sometimes occur in schools or communities. Konkuk University sealed off the veterinary school building and told the school's 850 staff and students to report any suspicious symptoms. The building was thoroughly disinfected on Wednesday morning as well, according to school officials. Biohazard name: Q Fever Biohazard level: 3/4 Hight Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level. Symptoms: Status: suspected

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 Mystery Virus Sweeps Konkuk University

A mysterious virus has infected 21 graduate students at Konkuk University's school of veterinary science in Seoul.

Health authorities have placed all 21 in quarantine and closed off the school building. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said the victims started coming down with pneumonia last week, and a team of epidemiologists have been dispatched to the university.

According to the KCDC, those infected are master's and doctoral candidates who used the school's lab from Oct. 19 to 28. They are being treated in isolation at state-run hospitals.

The first four graduate students who showed symptoms were hospitalized at Konkuk University Medical Center and then transferred to the National Medical Center on Wednesday. All of them visited a cattle fair in Gyeonggi Province last week as well as an animal farm owned by the university in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province.

Read More Here
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10 More Catch Mystery Infection at Konkuk University

Ten more graduate students have come down with a mysterious pneumonia attack at Konkuk University's Seoul campus on Thursday, bringing the total to 31.

Twenty-one people were diagnosed with the same symptoms earlier. But all have so far tested negative for a dozen well-known infectious diseases.

"We're still trying to figure out the cause," a spokesman for the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

 Students look at instructions in front of a makeshift clinic at Konkuk University in Seoul on Thursday.

Read More Here

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Biological Hazard - State of Illinois, [Crawford County] : Meningitis (viral)

Health Center Guidance on Viral Meningitis and Viral Syndromes

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Biological Hazard

USA

State of Illinois, [Crawford County]

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Biological Hazard in USA on Tuesday, 20 October, 2015 at 05:10 (05:10 AM) UTC.

Description More Pittsburg students are staying home than usual, and more students at school are bringing bottled water. These are mainly precautions for the three confirmed reports of viral meningitis in two of district's schools. The three infected students are barred from school until the virus runs its course. And the two schools of the infected students were not disclosed due to confidentiality laws. Janis Goedeke, a health officer with Crawford County, said the three cases of viral meningitis are the only confirmed cases in Crawford County at this time. "The bacterial is much more serious (than the viral) and can be life threatening," Goedeke said, adding "Viral meningitis is very common in the community anyway, and particularly this time of year. This is not an unusual circumstance." Districtwide, as a precaution to reduce potential spreading, water fountains were turned off and a trash bag placed over them on Thursday and Friday - the water fountain prohibitions were lifted this week. On Saturday, Goedeke said the blood samples of the students came back positive for viral meningitis. The results prompted the health department and district to post on Facebook. The district also sent out an automated voice message to parents about the incident. All of the alerts talk about precautions the school is taking and precautions students and parents can take. "The preventative measures are basically the healthy habits that we normally use," said Superintendent of Schools Destry Brown. "Encouraging handwashing, we are going to do more disinfecting every day at the end of the day. We will also have teachers and students using antibacterial wipes to clean desks between classes." Brown said anyone with signs of meningitis - headache, fever or sore neck - should stay home. Brown said "quite a few parents" have decided to keep their students home at this time. Brown said the absentees will not be "unexcused." Brown said there was also a case thought to be Whooping Cough, but the results came back negative. He said the health department is still waiting the results of others tested for Whooping Cough. Biohazard name: Meningitis (viral) Biohazard level: 3/4 Hight Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level. Symptoms:   Status: confirmed

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Meningitis confirmed in Pittsburg

By Michael Stavola
mstavola@morningsun.net

Posted Oct. 19, 2015 at 10:08 PM

Pittsburg, Kan.

More Pittsburg students are staying home than usual, and more students at school are bringing bottled water.

These are mainly precautions for the three confirmed reports of viral meningitis in two of district’s schools. The three infected students are barred from school until the virus runs its course. And the two schools of the infected students were not disclosed due to confidentiality laws. Janis Goedeke, a health officer with Crawford County, said the three cases of viral meningitis are the only confirmed cases in Crawford County at this time.

“The bacterial is much more serious (than the viral) and can be life threatening,” Goedeke said, adding “Viral meningitis is very common in the community anyway, and particularly this time of year. This is not an unusual circumstance.”

Districtwide, as a precaution to reduce potential spreading, water fountains were turned off and a trash bag placed over them on Thursday and Friday – the water fountain prohibitions were lifted this week. On Saturday, Goedeke said the blood samples of the students came back positive for viral meningitis.

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