Biology Digest

 

Health officials with the city of Baguio continue to see a rise in dengue fever cases. Since the beginning of the year through the end of August, the City Health Services Office’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit reported 891 dengue cases, up from 124 cases reported during the same period last year, a six-fold increase. According to Medical Officer 4 Donabel Tubera-Panes, eight dengue related fatalities were reported. Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. There are four closely related but antigenically different serotypes of the virus that can cause dengue (DEN1, DEN 2, DEN 3, DEN 4). Dengue Fever (DF) – marked by an onset of sudden high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and pain in muscles and joints. Some may also have a rash and varying degree of bleeding from various parts of the body (including nose, mouth and gums or skin bruising).Dengue has a wide spectrum of infection outcome (asymptomatic to symptomatic). Symptomatic i...

A clinical trial has been launched in Argentina to see if a shorter regimen of the drug benznidazole has the potential to become a new standard treatment for Chagas disease to treat adult patients in the chronic phase of the disease, with fewer side effects. Trypanosoma cruzi /CDC The hope with a shorter regimen is to increase adherence to treatment, improve the overall risk profile versus the benefits of treatment, and expand treatment coverage. Approved by the regulatory agency ANMAT, the NuestroBen clinical trial will be carried out at six sites in the cities of Buenos Aires, Corrientes, and Santiago del Estero. It is led by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases  initiative  (DND i ), in partnership with Laboratorio ELEA PHOENIX and the Mundo Sano Foundation, under the supervision of Argentina’s Ministry of Health. ‘ We carried out the first controlled study in Bolivia between 2016 and 2018 to assess the efficacy of various regimens with benznidazole. We concluded that a two-wee...

A new research study reveals that Valley Fever, a fungal disease most commonly found in Arizona and California, may be more common in Utah than previously thought. Coccidioides/CDC The study showed that cases of Valley Fever have been slowly increasing, and the disease now affects people in a larger geographical area than previously recognized. This study is the largest, most comprehensive assessment of Valley Fever cases in Utah in more than 50 years. In a collaborative project, researchers from University of Utah Health, Intermountain Healthcare, and the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) described the clinical characteristics, geographic distribution, and rates of Valley Fever throughout Utah. A 1957 study found Valley Fever in three counties in southwestern Utah: Iron, Kane, and Washington. Over the years, however, the disease hasn’t been closely tracked. “With climate change, temperatures are increasing,” says Adrienne Carey, M.D., infectious disease specialist at  University of...

The Polk County (FL) Sheriff’s Office reports that on Sunday, September 5, Polk County Animal Control responded to a home on Old Bartow Eagle Lake Road in Bartow, where the family dog was exposed to a bat while being walked by its owner. Image/CDC The dog’s owner called Animal Control, and the Animal Control Officers collected the bat carcass and sent it to the state laboratory in Tampa for testing. On Wednesday, September 8th, the results of the test confirmed that the bat was infected with rabies. The dog is vaccinated, but out of an abundance of caution, will remain quarantined inside its home for 45 days. This is Polk County’s fifth case of rabies in 2021. The previous cases involved a bat, a raccoon, and two foxes. http://outbreaknewstoday.com/florida-polk-county-officials-report-5th-rabies-case-of-2021/

At least one Afghan refugee that recently arrived at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin has been confirmed measles positive,  according to a ABC News 19 report. Image/CDC According to a Fort spokesperson, the person arrived at the fort on September 4 and later “presented with symptoms consistent with measles.” Tests confirmed the diagnosis on September 5. The individual was placed into isolation upon confirmation. Contact tracing was done and those who had close contact with the person were then placed in quarantine. Anyone at risk was also given a “post-exposure” vaccination. To date, no other people have been diagnosed with measles. Measles is a highly contagious, sometimes serious disease caused by a virus. It manifests with high fever, rash (spots on the skin), cough and conjunctivitis. In certain cases it can present complications such as: pneumonia in 1 in 20 children, encephalitis in 1 in 1,000 children, 0.1% sclerosing panencephalitis, and 1 to 2 in 1,000 children who c...

The  Veterinary Health Alert Network (Rasve)  of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) has reported an outbreak of anthrax in a bovine farm in Ciudad Real. Image/Robert Herriman According to the  World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) , 25 animals died from the disease. They also report the outbreak has originated in an area of ​​pasture usually covered by the Guadiana River, which has been exposed by the drop in flow. All surviving animals have been removed from the area and vaccinated with the Antravax vaccine. At the moment, as a result of this outbreak, there have been no cases in humans. However, almost at the same time, the Management of the Don Benito y Villanueva de la Serena Health Area of ​​the Extremadura Ministry of Health has issued an epidemiological alert after the appearance in the area of ​​several possible cases of anthrax in both animals and in humans. Anthrax is a bacterial pathogen in  livestock  and ...