Pestilence/Bioweapons cont.

[Matthew]

>Two passengers suspected of having the deadly Marburg virus have forced the closure of a major German station amid fears the highly infectious Ebola-like disease has reached Europe.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13917063/Passenger-suspected-having-deadly-eye-bleeding-Marburg-virus-forces-closure-major-German-station.html

[Matthew]

>WHO reports new MERS case in Saudi Arabia
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/mers-cov/who-reports-new-mers-case-saudi-arabia

[Matthew]

>An infection with the new mpox variant Ib has been detected for the first time in Germany. The strain has been spreading in several African countries for months.
>According to the WHO, clade Ib is believed to be more contagious and more dangerous than previous mpox variants that have been seen in Germany.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-detects-first-mpox-variant-ib-case/a-70565943

[Matthew]

>First case of bird flu in U.S. pigs
https://khqa.com/weather/agriculture/ag-in-an-instant-first-case-of-bird-flu-in-us-pigs-and-farmy-chime-in-photos

>Bird Flu in Pigs Is One Step Closer to Endangering Humans
>Pigs remain at the center of scientists’ nightmare scenario because commercial swine carry lots of human flu viruses. Their cells share enough features with ours that flu viruses can use some of the same entry ports, known as receptors.
>If a pig that already carried human flu got infected with the H5N1 bird flu, a new virus could emerge with parts of both — perhaps gaining the ability to infect us as easily as seasonal flu but with greater lethality.
https://archive.is/YObq7

>Two more cases of a new strain of the mpox virus have been detected in London, in household contacts of the first patient, health officials say.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx27q0y6rl9o

[Matthew]

>Canadian teen in critical condition with bird flu; source of exposure is unknown
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/12/health/canada-bird-flu/index.html

[Matthew]

>Why a teenager’s bird-flu infection is ringing alarm bells for scientists
>Viral genome sequences released last week suggest that the teenager is infected with an H5N1 avian influenza virus bearing mutations that might improve its ability to infect the human airway. If true, it could mean that the virus can rapidly evolve to make the jump from birds to humans.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03805-4

[Matthew]

>An unknown disease killed 143 people in Democratic Republic of the Congo's southwestern province in November, local authorities told Reuters.
>Infected people had flu-like symptoms, including high fever and severe headaches, Remy Saki, deputy governor of Kwango province, and Apollinaire Yumba, provincial minister of health, said on Monday.
>The situation is extremely worrying as the number of infected people continues to rise, civil society leader Cephorien Manzanza told Reuters.
https://archive.is/LV3ew

[Matthew]

>A terrifying new flu-like disease has killed 179 people — mostly teens — and health officials have no idea what it is
>Most of the dead have been between 16 and 18, authorities said.
https://nypost.com/2024/12/04/us-news/a-mystery-disease-has-killed-179-mostly-teenagers-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo

[Matthew]

>Five Years After COVID Outbreak, China Has a Mysterious Virus Outbreak
https://www.wionews.com/videos/five-years-after-covid-outbreak-china-has-a-mysterious-virus-outbreak

>China's diseases control authority said on Friday that it was piloting a monitoring system for pneumonia of unknown origin
>In a recent interview with the state-backed National Business Daily, a respiratory expert at a Shanghai hospital warned the public against blindly using antiviral drugs to fight human metapneumovirus
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-steps-up-monitoring-emerging-respiratory-diseases-2024-12-27

[Matthew]

>The first severe case of bird flu in the U.S. is showing signs of mutation, stoking fears that the virus could become more transmissible among humans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced.
>The sample taken from the patient in Louisiana showed mutations in the gene responsible with attaching to a host's cells, the CDC said Thursday.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/12/27/bird-flu-mutation-united-states-louisiana/77265627007

[Matthew]

>Outbreak of suspected Marburg Virus Disease - United Republic of Tanzania
>As of 11 January 2025, nine suspected cases were reported including eight deaths (case fatality ratio (CFR) of 89%) across two districts – Biharamulo and Muleba.
>The regional risk is considered high due to Kagera region's strategic location as a transit hub, with significant cross-border movement of the population to Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Reportedly, some of the suspected cases are in districts near international borders, highlighting the potential for spread into neighbouring countries.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON552

[Matthew]

>A potential Ebola outbreak has been reported in a western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in what would be the second viral hemorrhagic fever outbreak in the region at a time when the Trump administration has paused communication with the World Health Organization.
>A WHO official told STAT that 12 suspected cases of Ebola, including eight deaths, have been recorded in the Boyenge health area, in DRC’s Equateur province.
>It comes at a particularly fraught time, with violence in Kinshasa prompting the Department of State to close the U.S. embassy and to instruct staff and other Americans in the city to shelter in place until they can safely leave the city.
>Gary Kobinger, an Ebola expert who has responded to outbreaks of the disease in DRC noted that there are daily flights from Equateur province to Kinshasa, and flights from the capital to the rest of the world.
>In addition to the possible Ebola outbreak, there is an outbreak of Marburg fever, caused by a related virus, in Tanzania, which shares a border with eastern DRC.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/01/28/potential-ebola-outbreak-drc-who-us

[Matthew]

>Uganda confirms outbreak of Ebola in capital Kampala
https://archive.is/4Djbb

[Matthew]

>Unknown disease kills over 50 in DR Congo's Equateur province
> About 2,000 people have fled Bomate, which is 25 kilometers (over 15 miles) from Basankusu, the epicenter of the outbreak, Radio Okapi reported on Wednesday, citing a press statement issued by Senator Jean-Paul Boketsu Bofili of the Equateur province.
>According to Bofili, symptoms of the unidentified disease include hemorrhagic fever, headaches, and joint or lower back pain.
>“To date, there have been more than 36 deaths reported by the Basankusu health zone in one week, i.e., the period from February 3 to 9, and more than 50 deaths since the outbreak of the disease a few weeks earlier in this locality, which has only about 5,000 inhabitants," the senator said.
>Urging the public to follow the health measures, he emphasized that this is a "serious health and humanitarian tragedy, which is beyond the capacity of local administrative authorities and the health system," leaving them overburdened and understaffed.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/unknown-disease-kills-over-50-in-dr-congos-equateur-province/3481547

[Matthew]

>A suspected Ebola exposure at a Manhattan urgent-care facility had two patients rushed to the hospital by emergency workers in hazmat suits Sunday – but the infection may be norovirus, sources said.
>Officials feared Ebola infections because patients had traveled from Uganda and had symptoms consistent with the disease but no tests had confirmed its presence, the sources added.
https://nypost.com/2025/02/16/us-news/suspected-ebola-exposure-at-nyc-urgent-care-as-hazmat-crews-on-scene-sources

[Matthew]

>Testing in two unexplained illness clusters in Equateur Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has ruled out Ebola and Marburg viruses, and further testing and investigations are under way
>The newest cluster is centered in Bromate Villega in Basankusu Health Zone and was reported to provincial officials on February 9. Initially, 32 cases were reported, including 20 deaths in the community. As of February 15, a total of 419 suspected cases and 45 deaths have been reported. Half of the deaths occurred within 2 days of symptom onset. Symptoms include fever, headache, body ache, neck stiffness, cough, and gastrointestinal symptoms.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/misc-emerging-topics/tests-rule-out-ebola-marburg-dr-congo-unexplained-illness-clusters

[Matthew]

>The Ebola outbreak in Uganda, which had seemed to be in retreat, has claimed a new victim: a 4-year-old boy who died on Monday, according to a State Department cable viewed by The New York Times.
>Uganda’s Ministry of Health informed U.S. officials of the death on Thursday.
>The boy’s death is an indication that the virus is still circulating, and the country has returned to a more active response
https://archive.is/UmOcd

[Matthew]

>The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that it is currently in Kisii County [Kenya] to assist in identifying a mysterious, unknown disease outbreak that has sparked a public health scare in the county.
>Over 200 people in Kisii County have been hospitalised due to an unidentified illness, which first emerged in South Mugirango.
>The disease, which was first detected about three weeks ago, has since spread to three villages: Nyabigege, Nyamarondo, and Nyarigiro.
>Patients suffering from the disease have reported symptoms including severe diarrhoea with bloody stools, fever, and intense headaches.
https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/109537-who-kisii-identify-cause-mysterious-disease

[Matthew]

>Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Health has confirmed that a child patient diagnosed with encephalitis caused by the avian influenza virus A/H5N1 is currently receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital 1.
>According to infectious disease experts, this is an extremely rare case where the A/H5N1 avian flu virus affects the central nervous system without involving the respiratory system.
https://vietnamnet.vn/en/avian-flu-virus-a-h5n1-causes-rare-brain-infection-in-7-year-old-girl-2392949.html

>In updates on H5N1 avian flu today, the World Health Organization (WHO) shared new details about Mexico's recent fatal case, the country's first H5N1 infection
>Mexico's fatal H5N1 case involved D1.1 genotype, which has been tied to serious illness
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/mexicos-fatal-h5n1-case-involved-d11-genotype-which-has-been-tied-serious

[Matthew]

>Nine new cases of MERS, including two deaths, have been reported in Saudi Arabia, according to the World Health Organization
>The cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – a disease typically transmitted by camels – were reported between March 1 and April 21, 2025, according to the WHO.
>Among the nine cases, a cluster of seven cases were identified in Riyadh, including six health and care workers who acquired the infection from caring for a single infected patient.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2025/05/13/two-mers-deaths-reported-in-saudi-arabia-who

[Matthew]

>China reports more H9N2 and H10N3 avian flu cases
>China has reported eight more H9N2 avian flu infections in people from four different areas, along with another H10N3 avian flu case in a resident of Guangxi province
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/china-reports-more-h9n2-and-h10n3-avian-flu-cases

[Matthew]

>According to medical and local sources, large areas of Ibb Governorate, Yemen are witnessing an unprecedented wave of an undiagnosed illness. The sources reported that local authorities affiliated with the Houthi militia are dealing with the emerging health crisis with apparent secrecy, despite the increasing danger signs.
>Health facilities in the governorate's center and its districts are receiving increasing numbers of infected patients daily, with statistics indicating the arrival of dozens of new cases every 24 hours. The sources explained that some critical cases were transferred to intensive care units due to a sudden deterioration in their health.
>Medical records have recorded several deaths due to this epidemic over the past few days, the most recent of which was the death of a woman.
https://adennews.net/162149

[Matthew]

>Cambodia's health ministry yesterday reported two more human H5N1 avian flu cases, part of a spike in cases in June, with six cases reported so far this month.
>The patients are a 46-year-old woman and her 16-year-old son who are neighbors of the country's last publicly announced case, a 41-year-old woman
>Investigators found sick and dead chickens in the patients' home, the neighbor's home, and in the village.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/cambodia-confirms-2-more-h5n1-avian-flu-infections

[Matthew]

>Cambodia’s health ministry today reported a seventh human H5N1 avian flu case for the month of June, a 36-year-old woman from the same province as the last three cases, part of an ongoing rise in illnesses with several linked to a new reassortant.
>Like the most recently reported cases, the woman is from Siem Reap province in the central part of the country, according to a health ministry
>Officials, however, said she lives in a different village than the most recent three cases
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/h5n1-sickens-another-cambodia

[Matthew]

>Eight (8) people have died in recent days after showing signs of the Ebola hemorrhagic disease in the Mweka territory, in the Kasaï province, in the center of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to official sources on Wednesday.
>Among the victims are also three (3) healthcare workers (two nurses and one laboratory technician), which heightens the severity of the situation.
https://x.com/acprdcongo/status/1963117249968955675

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2103844/urgent-health-warning-bleeding-eye-disease-sweeps-through-region-8-dead

[Matthew]

>At least 15 people have died in a new outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country's health ministry has said.
>The latest outbreak is in central Kasai province, with 28 suspected cases recorded, the ministry said.
>"Case numbers are likely to increase as the transmission is ongoing. Response teams and local teams will work to find the people who may be infected and need to receive care, to ensure everyone is protected as quickly as possible," WHO added in a statement.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjed2pg0wy7o

[Matthew]

>As outbreak responders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to gauge the scope of a recently declared Ebola outbreak in Kasai province, 68 suspected cases have now been identified
>The initial cases were reported from two health zones, mainly in Bulape but also in Mweka. Ngongo said suspected cases are now reported in two more health districts, Mushenge and Dekese.
>Genetic sequencing of five samples suggests a new zoonotic spillover.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/ebola/suspected-cases-dr-congo-ebola-outbreak-rise-68

[Matthew]

>Another region in Mongolia has been closed due to plague.
https://zamin.uz/en/world/160493-another-region-in-mongolia-has-been-closed-due-to-plague.html

>Four more H9N2 avian flu cases confirmed in China
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/four-more-h9n2-avian-flu-cases-confirmed-china

>The Democratic Republic of Congo began on Sunday a vaccine programme against a fresh Ebola epidemic
>According to the latest toll from the Congolese health authorities on Sunday, 28 deaths and 81 confirmed cases have been registered since the first confirmed infection of a pregnant 34-year-old woman on August 20.
https://trt.global/afrika-english/article/4f1b28e2e320

>A flight from South Korea to New York diverted to Winnipeg, Canada, on Wednesday morning
>Passengers were quarantined and one person was transported to a local hospital, according to the CBC
>The ill passenger was temporarily placed in a special containment unit, a spokesperson told the outlet
https://people.com/passengers-quarantined-after-asiana-airlines-flight-diverts-to-canada-11808109