Updates on Outbreaks

  • Lyme Disease in the US: the host “did it”!

    January 27, 2021 Ginsberg and colleagues [Graham Hickling, Jen Tsao, Lauren Maestas, Lorenza Beati] and many others] published a broad evaluation of the factors that drive differences in Lyme disease between northern and southern eastern US states. They… Read More

  • A scientific achievement!

    October 23, 2020 – Entomologists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture have located the first nest of Asian giant hornets in the US by following a worker caught on a new type of trap and fitted with… Read More

  • Update on the Asian giant hornet in Washington State

    8/17/2020 – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has issued a press release (click on the date to get taken to their site) stating that on July 29 they trapped a male Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia…. Read More

  • Yeah, COVID19…

    May 23, 2020 – It has been some time since the last update on an outbreak, so I am making this one a BIG one – yesterday we received word that Rutgers Provosts have approved our request to… Read More

  • Update on African swine fever

    21 October 2018 – The African swine fever outbreak in China is not under control. Domestic pigs in farms in 9 Chinese provinces have been affected and the fear now is that it might “jump” to wild boars, Sus… Read More

  • Arboviruses previously known as “exceedingly rare”

    19 October 2018 – La Crosse virus (LACV) and Eastern Equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) are arthropod borne (arbo-) viruses that can be deadly. LACV is vectored by small mammal biting tree-hole mosquitoes, Aedes triseriatus, but invasive Ae. albopictus and, up in… Read More

  • Myxomatosis has “jumped” to British hares

    17 October 2018 – The myxoma virus, transmitted mechanically by mosquitoes and fleas among rabbits – and also from contact with infected animals – is killing British hares. Besides the ProMed article (click on the date above) and… Read More

  • “Save one’s bacon”

    12 October 2018 – Soft ticks are in the news! What are the odds that the week Dr. Toledo gave a lecture on ticks, hard- and soft-, would coincide with an outbreak of tick-borne African swine flu? Click… Read More

  • Might as well be familiar with RVFV…

    24 January 2018 – An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever virus is ongoing in Uganda. Rift Valley fever (RVF) is caused by Phlebovirus in the family Bunyaviridae. According to the PubMed moderator (click on the date, above) “…the virus affects different… Read More

  • Yellow fever!!

    23 January 2018 – It is peak summer in Brazil and the city of São Paulo has closed its zoo and botanical gardens as confirmed cases of yellow fever continue to rise across the southeastern states (that include the big cities… Read More

  • Bluetongue virus is Baack!

    8 November 2017 –  Infected cattle were detected in England imported from an area in France recently identified as infected <arrgh!> Even as the season draws to a close – we are in November and this virus is… Read More

  • Malaria alert in South Africa – early beginning to the active season

    5 November 2017 – South Africa’s Department of Health issued an urgent malaria alert on 31 October. High rainfall, humidity and ambient temperatures have provided ideal conditions for malaria mosquito breeding and contributed to an increase in malaria cases… Read More

  • Signs that the plague epidemic in Madagascar is slowing down – but still concerning

    4 November 2017 – Since August 2017, 133 people in Madagascar have died of an infection with Yersinia pestis and there are to date 1836 suspected or confirmed cases. Current estimates are that 60% of the cases were pneumonic… Read More

  • West Nile virus epidemic in California associated with dry & hot weather. How can that be?

    30 October 2017 – “At least 230 people in LA county have fallen sick with West Nile [virus, WNV] this year [2017], and 17 of them have died, health officials said [Fri 27 Oct 2017]. The number of people infected… Read More

  • Chikungunya – Europe – 2017 Epidemiological summary (France and Italy)

    24 October 2017 –  The two events in France and in Italy are unrelated. France has reported two related clusters of autochthonous chikungunya cases in the Var department, southern France including 17 cases. The first cluster, in Cannet-des-Maures,… Read More

  • Powassan virus strikes again!

    21 October 2017 – NYSDOH confirmed the human case of Powassan virus (POWV) last week and reported it to the Centers for Disease Control on Friday, October 20. This case in Dutchess is the 4th in NYS in 2017; the other… Read More

  • Plague in Madagascar: summary & background

    21 October 2017 – Fact#1: Madagascar is the World’s hot-spot of plague (see 14 October entry with a link to a 2010-2015 review), annual number of cases average 200-600 there; “plague season” runs from September to April; Fact#2:… Read More

  • Number of plague cases in Madagascar has doubled!

    20 October 2017 – The number of cases of plague in Madagascar has doubled during the past 5 days, according to the UN. As of this Wednesday 1,032 cases have been reported. The most worrisome aspect, and likely the reason behind… Read More

  • Local transmission of Zika virus in Florida 2017?

    19 October 2017 – The Sunshine State News reported on October 13 that Florida health officials had identified the first local transmission of the Zika virus (ZIKV) from a mosquito in the US. If true, this would be… Read More

  • Madagascar Plague (2010-2015)

    14 October 2013 – Cases and deaths of plague reported by the WHO across the World (including the US) Madagascar: Year / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 Cases / 324 / 392   /… Read More

  • Madagascar Yersinia pestis is fully sensitive to antibacterials. yay!

    13 October 2017 – Since the beginning of the season (and the outbreak), the 11 isolated strains from Madagascar have all been sensitive to streptomycin and sulfonamides, which are the antimicrobials recommended and used in the National Program for the Control… Read More

  • Chikungunya transmission in Italy, again!

    12 October 2017 – Italy and France are currently experiencing clusters of autochtonous chikungunya cases. Autochthonous transmission of mosquito-borne infections is not unexpected in areas where Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are established and at a time when environmental conditions support high mosquito abundance and activity…. Read More

  • La Crosse encephalitis (USA – Indiana)

    12 October 2017 – A 6 year old boy and a 11 year old girl from Batesville, Indiana are struggling to recover from infections with La Crosse virus. La Crosse virus (LACV) is a member of the California serogroup… Read More

  • Plague is brewing in Madagascar and cases were detected today in the Seychelles

    11 October 2017 – Health officials in Seychelles have confirmed that 3 people have tested positive for plague, Yersinia pestis. According to “Today in Seychelles”, a Seychellois basketball coach died from the disease in September 2017 in a hospital in… Read More

Center for Vector Biology
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dina.fonseca at rutgers dot edu

Fonseca Lab

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