Infectious disease news quick-takes
Dengue in Florida
Florida health officials reported 18 additional locally-acquired dengue fever cases in Miami-Dade County.
This brings the state total to 128 indigenous cases—Broward (4), Hardee, Miami-Dade (121), Palm Beach, and Polk counties.
Legionnaires’ Disease in New Jersey
New Jersey officials report investigating an increase in Legionnaires’ disease cases in residents across Middlesex and Union counties.
As of November 6, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has been notified of 21 individuals from Middlesex County and 20 individuals from Union County who were sick and tested positive for Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease. The onset of symptoms occurred between August 3 and October 24, 2023. To date, no deaths have been reported. On average, each of these counties receives six to eight confirmed reports of Legionnaires’ disease from August to October each year.
Karachi Naegleria death toll rises to 12
In Karachi, Pakistan, the Sindh Health Department reported an additional death due to the brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri.
This is the 12th fatality due to the lethal parasite in the city this year.
Sindh caretaker minister for health, Dr Saad Khalid urged the public to refrain from swimming in pools that have not been properly chlorinated. He further advised the public to avoid activities that may cause water to enter the nose.
Burkina Faso dengue outbreak
The Burkina Faso Ministry of Health has reported 26,946 new dengue cases and 187 deaths in the past three weeks.
Cumulatively, since the beginning of the year 131,679 cases (17,125 confirmed; 34,687 probable; 79,867 suspected) and 349 deaths (CFR: 0.3%) of dengue fever have been reported from all 13 regions in the country.
Since early September, there has been a sustained increase in the number of cases reported from Centre and Hauts Bassins regions which account for account for 86.3% of all cases and 75.6% of all deaths reported from the country.
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Bolivia investigates “atypical” human rabies death
In Bolivia, The Ministry of Health and Sports is investigating the case of human rabies that occurred in a teenager who died in the city of Cochabamba since it is an atypical case because she did not present pathological references or history.
"We from the Ministry of Health and from the Departmental Health Service of the department inform our population that we are facing a case of human rabies, it is a 15-year-old adolescent resident in Cochabamba, she comes from Riberalta in Beni, but Lately he has been living between Cochabamba and Tiquipaya, it refers to his personal pathological history, he did not mention anything at all, we found no personal or pathological history," said the Vice Minister of Promotion, Epidemiological Surveillance and Traditional Medicine, Max Enríquez.
At a press conference, Enríquez stressed that it is an atypical case because it did not present the characteristics established by a pathology referring to aerophobia, hydrophobia, and/or photophobia, there was also no history of any type of injury in the minor that could lead to suspicion. , nor bite features or anything close as a background.