Tag: outbreaks
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Diphtheria Situational Report: Week 52, 2025 — Trends, Risks, and Public Health Response
Diphtheria continues to be monitored across the southern region, with the Week 52, 2025 situational report highlighting ongoing transmission dynamics, contact tracing outcomes, and the public health response. The period from 1 January 2024 to 28 December 2025 shows a measurable burden of disease and carries important lessons for surveillance, vaccination, and community engagement. This…
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Interior Health Outbreaks in LTC Facilities Declared
Four Outbreaks Declared at Interior Health Long-Term Care Facilities Interior Health (IH) has announced influenza A respiratory infection outbreaks at four long-term care facilities. The initial notice detailed that Bastion Place in Salmon Arm declared an outbreak in Unit 1 on December 31, signaling the start of what IH describes as a period of heightened…
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Outbreaks Declared at Four Interior Health Long-Term Care Facilities
Overview of the Outbreaks Interior Health (IH) has announced outbreak warnings at four long-term care facilities in its region. The declarations come as health officials monitor respiratory illnesses, with one confirmed influenza A outbreak at Bastion Place in Salmon Arm. While IH has not released exhaustive details for every facility, the notices indicate that transmission…
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Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Remains Active Across Seven South African Provinces
Overview: FMD in South Africa Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) continues to threaten livestock health and agricultural livelihoods across South Africa. Official reports indicate active outbreaks in seven provinces for 2024, totaling 455 incidents so far this year. The disease, highly contagious among cloven-hoofed animals, can spread rapidly through contact with infected animals, contaminated equipment, or shared…
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Measles Cases Are Rising: A West Texas Doctor Speaks Out
Measles Returns to West Texas: A Quiet Crisis Emerges When schools began shuttering their doors, Richard Eby, a family medicine physician based in Andrews, West Texas, knew something serious was unfolding. Measles, once contained through routine childhood vaccination, is reappearing in pockets across the country, and his small community has not been spared. The signs…
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Measles Comeback in Canada: Are the numbers signaling trouble?
Rising concerns in a familiar thread When epidemiologists speak of a disease’s “return,” they reference patterns that sound alarms even before a hospital ward fills. In Canada, recent measles activity has reignited debate about vaccination coverage, surveillance gaps, and the social dynamics that allow preventable illnesses to re-emerge. The phrase, “If the numbers are right,…
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If the numbers are right, we’re in trouble: Canada’s measles comeback explained
Why measles is resurging in Canada Measles, once pushed toward near-elimination in Canada, is reappearing in pockets across the country. The warning signs aren’t loud alarms yet, but they are persistent: clusters of cases in communities with low vaccination coverage, gaps in surveillance, and changes in how people access healthcare. The comeback isn’t a single…
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If the numbers are right, we’re in trouble: Behind the comeback of measles in Canada
Introduction: A quiet resurgence with loud alarms When epidemiologists say, “If the numbers are right, we’re in trouble,” they are warning that a familiar disease is re-emerging in a country long protected by vaccines. Measles, once nearing eradication in Canada, has resurfaced in pockets across provinces, prompting renewed urgency among public health officials, clinicians, and…
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Is South Africa Running Out of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine? What Farmers Need to Know
Overview: FMD, Outbreaks, and vaccine supply concerns Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) remains a major threat to South Africa’s cattle industry. With more than 200 reported outbreaks across five provinces, dairy and beef farms face serious economic and production risks. Recent developments have sparked unsettling questions: could South Africa run out of FMD vaccine? If vaccine stocks…
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Vaccine Reminder as Mpox Clade Ib Spreads in Europe: Why Immunization Matters
Mpox Clade Ib Stirs Concern Across Europe Health authorities are sounding the alarm as clues emerge that mpox, specifically the clade Ib strain, is circulating locally in several European nations. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed small numbers of clade Ib cases in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, with additional cases reported…