Communicable Diseases

GHealth News - In a powerful commitment to global health, Novartis has announced it will continue producing life-saving malaria and leprosy medicines, even if orders stop due to global aid funding cuts. Speaking to Reuters, Dr. Lutz Hegemann, President of Global Health at Novartis, stressed that the company will not be the bottleneck in access to essential treatments. Despite the unstable future of key funding sources like the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and broader donor pullbacks, Novartis will maintain its annual output of 28 million malaria treatments at not-for-profit pricing. It will also continue donating leprosy drugs through the WHO. Beyond supply, Novartis is ramping up its R&D investment in neglected tropical diseases, doubling its pledge to $490 million by 202...

GHealth News - The measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico has surged to 294 cases as of Friday, exceeding the total number of infections reported in the U.S. for all of 2024. The outbreak, which began in late January in West Texas, continues to spread. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 285 measles cases nationwide in 2024. Over the past three days, Texas and New Mexico have reported an additional 38 infections, based on data from state health departments. Gaines County, Texas, remains the outbreak’s focal point, with cases rising from 156 on March 11 to 174. So far, 34 patients in Texas have required hospitalization. In New Mexico, infections increased from 33 to 35, with two cases reported in Eddy County and the remainder in Lea County, w...

GHealth News - A school-aged, unvaccinated child in West Texas has died from measles, marking the first U.S. measles death since 2015. The child had been hospitalized in Lubbock, but officials did not disclose further details. The ongoing outbreak in West Texas has reached nearly 150 cases, with most affecting children aged 5 to 17. At a cabinet meeting, President Trump deferred questions about the outbreak to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who stated they are monitoring the situation daily.U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged parents to consult healthcare providers about the MMR vaccine in a Fox News opinion piece. While he did not explicitly recommend vaccination, he called the outbreak a “call to action” for public health and emphasized that vaccines protect bo...

GHealth News - Tanzania’s President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, announced on Monday the confirmation of a Marburg virus outbreak in the country’s northwest, with one case confirmed so far. “Laboratory tests conducted at Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in Kagera, later confirmed in Dar es Salaam, identified one patient as infected with the Marburg virus,” she stated during a press conference in Dodoma, where World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was also present. Last week, Tanzania’s health minister denied any outbreak, asserting that no one had tested positive for the virus. However, the denial followed reports from the WHO indicating that eight suspected deaths from the virus had occurred in the same region on January 10. Victims reportedly exhibited cl...

GHealth News - France has confirmed its first case of a new variant of mpox, as reported by the AFP news agency on Monday, citing a statement from the French Ministry of Health. The patient, who had not traveled to Central Africa—the origin of the new virus strain—had been in contact with two individuals who had recently returned from the region. Authorities are currently investigating the source of the infection and tracing all potential contacts. The patient, a woman, was diagnosed in Rennes, located in the northwestern Brittany region, as reported by the French regional newspaper Ouest France. The new variant, known as the clade 1b variant, is associated with the global health emergency declared by the World Health Organization in August. Germany and Britain also reported their first...

GHealth News - Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is not a cause for panic, according to Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization. In a post on X, Dr. Swaminathan stated, "It's a known virus that causes respiratory infections, mostly mild." She emphasized the importance of following standard precautions for cold symptoms, such as wearing a mask, washing hands, and avoiding crowded places. "Rather than reacting to the detection of every pathogen, we should all take basic precautions when we have a cold: wear a mask, wash hands, avoid crowds, and consult a doctor if symptoms are severe," she advised. #HMPvirus is nothing to panic about. It’s a known virus that causes respiratory infections, mostly mild. Rather than jump at detection of every pathogen...

GHealth News - Since mid-December 2024, China has experienced a rise in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections, sparking public concern about the emergence of a novel virus. However, health experts and officials have assured the public that HMPV is a well-established respiratory illness, often under-recognized but not new. Domestic media have highlighted the increase in HMPV cases, with some patients reporting "flu-like" symptoms, including dizziness, which has fueled speculation about an unfamiliar pathogen. This trend follows a similar surge in HMPV cases in the U.S. around April 2024, when the virus was described as "little-known" in media coverage. HMPV: A Familiar Virus Chinese experts emphasize that HMPV is not a new threat. Zheng Lishu, a virologist at the Chinese Cente...

GHealth News - France has reported bird flu outbreaks on two poultry farms in Normandy on December 27 and 28, shortly after regaining HPAI-free status on December 15. This status, which requires no outbreaks for at least a month, has now been lost, potentially affecting trade restrictions. The outbreaks led to the culling of entire flocks, totaling 25,540 birds. While France credits its year-old vaccination program, particularly for farm ducks, for reducing the virus's spread compared to past seasons, the country remains vigilant due to risks from migrating birds. Meanwhile, Germany also reported a bird flu outbreak on a Bavarian farm with 16,000 birds culled. (Reuters)

GHealth News - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient, who represents the nation’s first severe case of the illness. These mutations may enhance the virus's ability to bind to receptors in human upper airways, a development that scientists find concerning but not immediately alarming. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert, likened the mutation to a "key" that fits a "lock" on human cells but emphasized that it doesn’t yet “open the door” for human-to-human transmission. The patient, over 65 and with underlying health conditions, was hospitalized in critical condition after exposure to sick and dead birds in a backyard flock. The CDC confirmed no evidence of virus transmission to other...

Devastating flooding in South Sudan is affecting around 1.4 million people, with more than 379,000 displaced, according to a United Nations update that warned about an upsurge in malaria. Aid agencies have said that the world's youngest country, highly vulnerable to climate change, is in the grip of its worst flooding in decades, mainly in the north. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said about 1.4 million people were affected by floods in 43 counties and the disputed Abyei region, which is claimed by both South Sudan and Sudan. "Over 379,000 individuals are displaced in 22 counties and Abyei," it added in a statement issued late on Friday. A surge in malaria has been reported in several states, it said, "overwhelming the health syste...