Infectious Disease Quick-takes
Infectious Disease Quick-takes
California's 2nd local dengue case, Measles in Wales and more
Local dengue in California
The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed a case of dengue in a resident who has not traveled outside of the U.S.
This is the first case of dengue in Long Beach not related to travel and only the second in California, the first of which was identified in late October in Pasadena.
The person who was infected has recovered at home and no other suspected cases have been identified.
Health officials say the risk of local exposure remains low.
Dengue cases in Florida near 100
Measles outbreak in Wales
Public Health Wales is urging parents to ensure their children are up to date with the MMR vaccine as it investigates an outbreak of measles in young children in Cardiff.
Seven children across Cardiff have been confirmed as having measles over the past six weeks. Public Health Wales is working with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Cardiff Council to ensure contact tracing has taken place and appropriate advice given to those who may be susceptible to infection.
Sion Lingard, Consultant in Health Protection for Public Health Wales, said: “Links have been found between all seven cases so while there is currently no evidence of wider community transmission, measles is an extremely contagious infection and we are concerned that people who are not protected by vaccination could be at risk. It can be expected that more cases may be identified over the coming weeks.
“Measles is highly infectious and the only way to prevent outbreaks is through vaccination. We urge parents whose children have not received two doses of MMR as offered to ensure that they speak to their GP surgery to arrange this quick, safe and effective vaccine. If children are not yet old enough to receive their second dose, they don’t need to have this earlier than scheduled.”
Taiwan dengue outbreak update
Taiwan health officials have now reported that the dengue outbreak has eclipsed the 20,000 case mark.
As of October 30 this year, there have been a total of 20,363 local cases, with Tainan City accounting for 17,962 cases.
Overall, 44 deaths have been recorded nationally.
The good news is Taiwan officials report that the number of new local cases in the country in the past seven days has dropped compared with the previous seven days.
New antibiotic for gonorrhea
This week, The Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) announced that zoliflodacin, a first-in-class antibiotic, met its primary endpoint in an unprecedented global pivotal phase 3 clinical trial.
Study investigators found that oral zoliflodacin demonstrated statistical non-inferiority of microbiological cure at the urogenital site when compared to treatment with intramuscular (IM) injection of ceftriaxone and oral azithromycin, a current global standard of care regimen.
In the study, zoliflodacin was found to be generally well tolerated and there were no serious adverse events or deaths recorded in the trial.
These positive preliminary findings offer hope for patients with this condition, particularly in the face of rising antibiotic resistance to current regimens. It also paves the way for a new research and development model in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). If approved, zoliflodacin will be the first new antibiotic for treating gonorrhoea in decades.
Plague in domestic animal in Colorado
In Colorado, the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment (LCDHE) was notified that a domestic animal in the Red Feather Lakes area tested positive for plague.
LCDHE infectious disease experts conducted an investigation to determine possible human exposures and evaluate the general area for additional plague cases. People known to have been exposed to the animal have been recommended antibiotic treatment to prevent the development of plague. A NextDoor notification and 'plague health alert' signs will be placed in the general area to raise awareness and ask people to take precautions to prevent plague. LCDHE will continue to monitor plague activity in the area and communicate as appropriate.