Florida issues malaria alert as 2 more cases discovered, first locally acquired US cases in 20 years



Florida issued a malaria alert in several counties after two more cases of the mosquito-borne disease were recently discovered. This is the first time in 20 years that there have been locally acquired cases in the United States.

For the week ending on July 1, the Florida Department of Health reported two more locally acquired cases of malaria in Sarasota County. There are currently six total cases in the state, all of which are in Sarasota County, the Miami Herald reported.

The Florida Department of Health issued a mosquito-borne illness advisory for Orange, Polk, and Walton counties, plus a mosquito-borne illness alert for Manatee, Miami-Dade, and Sarasota counties.

Texas recently reported a case of locally acquired malaria.

"The Texas Department of State Health Services said on Friday that it is still aware of only one case of malaria there, but they are still on the lookout for other cases," according to CNN.

Health officials in Texas are monitoring the region's mosquito population for malaria.

These are the first locally acquired malaria cases in the U.S. in the last 20 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"CDC is collaborating with two U.S. state health departments with ongoing investigations of locally acquired mosquito-transmitted Plasmodium vivax malaria cases. There is no evidence to suggest the cases in the two states (Florida and Texas) are related," the CDC stated.

There are roughly 2,000 cases of malaria diagnosed in the U.S. each year, but those cases are almost always cases of Americans or immigrants returning from a country where malaria exists. Approximately 300 American experience severe malaria annually, and up to 10 people die in the United States from the mosquito-borne disease.

Malaria is a disease spread to humans by certain types of mosquitoes in mostly tropical regions. The disease is potentially life-threatening, but it is preventable and curable. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headaches, fever, sweating, and chills.

The World Health Organization notes:

Malaria mostly spreads to people through the bites of some infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Blood transfusion and contaminated needles may also transmit malaria. The first symptoms may be mild, similar to many febrile illnesses, and difficulty to recognize as malaria. Left untreated, P. falciparum malaria can progress to severe illness and death within 24 hours.

On July 5, the World Health Organization announced that the first malaria vaccine was to be rolled out in Africa.

"Twelve countries across different regions in Africa are set to receive 18 million doses of the first-ever malaria vaccine over the next two years. The roll out is a critical step forward in the fight against one of the leading causes of death on the continent," read the statement from the WHO, UNICEF, and global vaccine alliance Gavi.

Gavi is a "public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases."

"The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners," the press release stated.

The news release added, "The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine has been administered to more than 1.7 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi since 2019 and has been shown to be safe and effective, resulting in both a substantial reduction in severe malaria and a fall in child deaths. At least 28 African countries have expressed interest in receiving the malaria vaccine."

The WHO estimated, "Annual global demand for malaria vaccines is estimated at 40–60 million doses by 2026 alone, growing to 80–100 million doses each year by 2030."

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WHO issues alert about 'unusual' cluster of deadly infant myocarditis cases in the UK



The United Kingdom has been rocked by a cluster of deadly cases of myocarditis in babies.

The World Health Organization issued an alert Wednesday, indicating that there was an "increase in severe myocarditis in neonates associated with enterovirus infection in Wales" between June 2022 and March 2023.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed the report, noting that a "higher than average number of cases" of enterovirus had been seen in "very young babies" in the fall and winter months, reported the Telegraph.

The biggest spike in myocarditis cases occurred in November.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses noted that enteroviruses, a genus of single-stranded RNA viruses, "multiply primarily in the gastrointestinal tract or the upper respiratory tract or sometimes both, but they can also multiply in other tissues, e.g., nerve, muscle, etc. Infection may frequently be asymptomatic. Clinical manifestations include common cold, mild meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis, myocarditis and conjunctivitis."

While enterovirus infection in babies is reportedly common, the WHO acknowledged that the "increase in myocarditis with severe outcomes in neonates and infants associated with enterovirus infection is unusual."

Fifteen babies have been afflicted under these "unusual" circumstances. Nine babies are known to have been admitted to the hospital. One child has died. All were less than 28 days old. As of May 5, one patient remains hospitalized.

Several of the babies rushed to intensive care presented features of sepsis and cardiorespiratory arrest extra to having inflamed hearts.

Since there are no specific antiviral therapies available for enteroviruses, treatment focuses on prevention of complications, said the WHO.

Dr. Christopher Williams, consultant epidemiologist for Public Health Wales, said in a statement, "This cluster is unusual due to the number of cases reported in a relatively short time frame, and so investigations are now ongoing in collaboration with the paediatric team in the children’s hospital of Wales to understand the reasons why and to investigate any further cases that may be reported in the coming weeks and months."

Williams added, "Parents should be reassured that although there has been an increase in cases, this is still an extremely rare occurrence."

The Daily Mail detailed the case of one newborn, just a few weeks old, who died on March 9 in southwest England. While the boy, Elijah Edwards, tested positive for enterovirus, his case was not included in the official tally, suggestive that the problem may have affected more than the officially reported 15 babies.

Elijah's mother, Joann Edwards, said her family has been ignored and that she was "gobsmacked" to learn that other children were affected, especially after her family was "led to believe that we were a one-off."

"To be left in the dark made us feel then like as if there's something to hide," Joann Edwards told the BBC.

Dr. Shamez Ladhani, a consultant pediatrician at UKHSA, indicated that officials were looking into whether England had suffered similar cases and "whether there are any factors driving the increase in cases."

While some scientists reckon the cluster was an anomaly — perhaps the result of testing or diagnostic quirks — not all are convinced.

The Telegraph reported that some reckon "it could have been brought about due to changes in epidemiology as a result of Covid pandemic lockdowns."

Dr. Liz Whitakker, a consultant in pediatric infectious diseases at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said, "What I think is slightly unusual about this one, like with everything else, is there weren’t many in 2021. ... It may be that the epidemiology of everything has shifted a bit so they have occurred in a slightly different time period," noting various other contagions, such as group A strep, have undergone changes in infection patterns following the lockdowns.

A 2021 study in the infectious disease journal Eurosurveillance indicated there was a "rapid increase" in enterovirus infections following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Babies under 3 months accounted for 5% of enterovirus D68 infection cases; 4- to 12-month-olds represented 11% of the total number of cases detailed in the study.

An April 2022 study published in the journal Infection revealed "an extraordinary increase in the number of viral respiratory infections, predominantly caused by human Rhino-/Enterovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), was observed after relaxation of preventive measures," adding that enterovirus infections increased 16-fold after reopening.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the unusual cluster, health officials continue to reassure parents that there is no need to be worried, reported the Telegraph.

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Mysterious outbreak causes 'projectile vomiting' for 130 elementary students, teacher says scene 'like Armageddon'



An outbreak at an elementary school in Nevada caused "projectile vomiting" for approximately 130 students. Despite the mass vomiting event happening more than a week ago, parents are still searching for answers as to what exactly made their children be so violently sick.

On Jan. 27, there was an illness that caused nausea for 130 students at the Wayne N. Tanaka Elementary School in Las Vegas.

One parent, Danielle Farrow, said, "A teacher said it was 'like Armageddon.' Our daughter said there were trash cans lined up and kids just throwing up everywhere."

Another parent, who did not want to be identified, said her 9-year-old daughter had a stomach ache and threw up "five or six times" last Thursday night.

"It wasn’t until overnight when she was sleeping that she started having a stomach ache, and then she threw up about five to six times overnight," the anonymous mother said of her daughter in the fourth grade.

The Clark County School District and Southern Nevada Health District have not specifically identified the cause of the outbreak, but suspect it is a gastrointestinal illness.

A Southern Nevada Health District spokesperson told KLAS-TV, "During a foodborne illness outbreak, people are interviewed about what they ate before they got sick when possible food contamination is confirmed using epidemiological and laboratory information."

The spokesperson added, "Gastrointestinal illnesses can have many causes."

The school district sent an email to parents on Monday, "The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) is investigating the cause of the gastrointestinal illnesses reported by several of the students at Tanaka. Sick people should not prepare food or care for others."

"Gastrointestinal viruses are common and easily spread from person-to-person. Symptoms usually develop 12 to 48 hours after being exposed to the virus," the email read. "Most people will get better within one to three days without medical treatment. Young children, older adults, and people with other medical conditions may be at higher risk for complications, such as dehydration. The most common symptoms include nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Additional symptoms may include fever, headache, and body aches."

The email stated, "We are currently working with the Clark County School District Health Services Department and SNHD on implementing measures to prevent further illness."

One parent said her sick daughter ate food at the school cafeteria on Thursday. Another parent said their child was not sick and did not eat food served at the school.

The anonymous mother said she feels as though parents have been left in the dark about the mysterious outbreak.

"I don’t know if they have all the information present as to what happened, but I wish that we did have more constant updates as to what’s going on," the mother said. "At the end of the day, we don’t know what’s going on. We don’t know how to help them. I mean, if kids are a priority, then we need to know what’s going on so we can help our children."

The school district said Wayne N. Tanaka Elementary School underwent a "thorough cleaning" and that the "staff continue to reinforce good hygiene practices on campus."

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Joe Biden says 'everybody should be concerned' about the recent spread of monkeypox that is leaving experts clueless



On Sunday, President Joe Biden said the recent outbreak of monkeypox should concern “everybody,” as it continues to confuse medical experts around the world.

Fox News reported that while speaking with a group of reporters in South Korea before boarding Air Force One for Japan, Biden said, “Everybody should be concerned about [it].”

Biden’s remarks come as large monkeypox outbreaks were reported in Africa, with some cases also being reported in Europe and the U.S.

Biden said, “We’re working on it, hard to figure out what we do.”

There are currently 80 confirmed cases of the disease worldwide and at least 50 suspected cases. The U.S. has only currently confirmed two cases after a man in Massachusetts was diagnosed with the disease and a second man in New York City tested positive for it.

The man from Massachusetts is reported to have traveled to Canada before coming down with the disease.

Monkeypox cases have also been reported in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, and Australia. Reportedly, none of the people coming down with the disease have any travel history to Africa, where the virus is most present.

Oyewale Tomori, a virologist and World Health Organization (WHO) advisory board member, said, “I’m stunned by this. Every day I wake up, and there are more countries infected.”

The virologist noted that the seemingly large presence of monkeypox in Western countries among people who have not traveled to Africa is perplexing.

Tomori added, “This is not the kind of spread we’ve seen in West Africa, so there may be something new happening in the West.”

Christian Happi, the director of the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, agreed with Tomori that monkeypox’s seemingly spontaneous emergence in the West is perplexing. He said he has “never seen anything like what’s happening in Europe.”

Although it is unlikely someone will die from the disease, WHO data estimates that monkeypox could be fatal for up to one-in-ten people. However, monkeypox’s similarity to smallpox may enable recipients of smallpox vaccines to receive some protection from the virus.

Reportedly, symptoms of monkeypox appear one to two weeks after the initial infection occurs and invovle flu-like symptoms including fever, headaches, and shortness of breath. After about five days of infection, a “skin eruption phase” begins when a rash starts to appear and often spreads to different areas of the infected person’s body.

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