Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in South Korea

After learning of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in a province of Vietnam yesterday, another has been reported today. South Korea has now experienced a similar situation, requiring the slaughter of thousands of animals in an effort to eradicate the illness from farms.

[Link:www.philstar.com]

Vietnamese Province Experiences Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak

Another sign of the times.  In the Vietnamese province of Lai Chau, around 141 cows and buffalo have been infected with foot-and-mouth disease in four villages.  The areas are being sterilized to help prevent further spread of the disease.

[Link:english.vovnews.vn/Home/Outbreak-of-foot-and-mouth-disease-in-Lai-Chau/20101/111494.vov]

Ukraine Swine Flu Death Toll Rises

Deaths are mounting in the Ukraine due to swine flu-related illnesses. The official death toll has risen to 155, according to the country’s health minister. All places of education remain closed and the public is being advised to wear masks when going out in public. A proposal to declare a state of emergency in the country is being considered and the outbreak has the potential of delaying the January 17th presidential election.

[Link:sify.com]

Ukraine Residents Dying of Mystery Illness

Elizabeth Prata has picked up on a story out of the Ukraine, where a mysterious illness is taking the lives of its residents.  Schools have been closed, public meetings banned and travel restricted as the illness, suspected to be pneumatic flu, spreads throughout the region.  Think swine flu is bad?  Click on over to Elizabeth’s post at the link below to read how bad pneumatic flu can be and, if this is truly what is killing people in the Ukraine, it could be worse than the bubonic plague.  The number of confirmed deaths in the nation nearly doubled from Saturday to Monday with 15,000 hospitalized harboring cases of flu and respiratory illness.

[Link:the-end-time.blogspot.com]

2 Dead from E. Coli Outbreak

An outbreak of E. coli suspected to have originated in a distribution center in the United States has killed two and sickened 28 others.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that potentially-contaminated beef from Ashville, New York, was being recalled.  The recalled beef was from a distribution center that supplied it to eight states, although some of the beef may have made its way to additional states.  Those affected by the illness reside in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, California, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Vermont.

[Link:www.cnn.com]

Dengue Fever Expands in Cape Verde

Not only has there been an outbreak of the swine flu in Cape Verde since June 2009, but now the area has a serious outbreak of dengue fever. As of October 28th, the Ministry of Health has reported 3,367 suspected cases of the disease on four islands: Brava, Maio, Santiago and Fogo. The virus has been confirmed by the first samples taken to the laboratory. This is the first outbreak of dengue fever in Cape Verde.

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_10_30a/en/index.html

Schools Continue to Close in Minnesota for H1N1

The swine flu continues to take its toll on schools in Minnesota, where three schools have now closed for the remainder of the week.  St. Paul Academy and Summit Academy high schools in the Twin Cities have closed as has the Salem Lutheran School in Stillwater.  Thirty percent of the students at St. Paul Academy and Summit Academy are already absent, suffering from the effects of the flu.

[Link:wcco.com]

H1N1 Outbreak in Toronto Hospital

The Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto has been confirmed by the city’s health department.  Dr. Barbara Yaffe, directory of communicable disease control, said, “it’s the only outbreak in a hospital that has been reported to us.”  While the outbreak has been confined to one ward in the hospital, according to reports, a potential outbreak at a long-term care facility is also under investigation.

[Link:network.nationalpost.com]

Plague Hits Uganda

A bacterial disease, locally known as zukpa, has spread wide across eight sub-counties in the Nebbi district of Uganda. The bacteria first attacks rodents, then is transmitted to humans through inflected fleas that bite the human skin. In addition to rats, dogs, cats and guinea pigs are also potential carriers. Once infected, the time until death is relatively short and there is a 20% mortality rate in the region, which is high considering the illness is preventable and curable.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200910261069.html

Obama Declares Swine Flu Emergency

While the decision by President Barack Obama to declare a national emergency over the swine flu doesn’t seem to have been initiated due to a particular event, the illness is placing a toll of those in the United States. Over 200,000 people have been hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed cases since April with over 1,000 deaths due to swine flu. 46 states have declared widespread incidence. Obama’s declaration allows medical providers to act more swiftly and obtain waivers for federal rules governing routine medical operations, according to the article.

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-national-flu-emergency25-2009oct25,0,7907031.story

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