US measles outbreak concentrated among unvaccinated children.

Leptospirosis in Fiji

The Fiji Ministry of the Health and Medical Services declared an outbreak of leptospirosis on Jan 28. Since the beginning of the year, 98 cases have been reported, including four deaths. Most patients have been younger than 30 years of age. Those who work with animals are usually more at risk; however, recent heavy rains and flooding have been attributed as the likely route of infection for the patients who do not do animal-related work.

MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia

Since the beginning of the year, 40 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection have been reported in Saudi Arabia. On Feb 7–8, 13 additional cases were reported by the Saudi Ministry of Health. Two were primary cases, one of whom had a history of contact with camels. The remaining 11 cases were secondary. A patient in Al Qasim likely had had contact with another patient whose diagnosis was confirmed on Jan 30. In Wadi Al Dawasir, six secondary cases were identified through screening of contacts of other patients, one was a household contact, and the remaining five were considered to be health-care associated infections.

Pertussis in Panama

An outbreak of Pertussis has been reported in the Ngäbe-Buglé region of Panama. Between mid-December and February 1, 81 confirmed cases of pertussis have been reported including nine deaths in children aged younger than 2 years who died from complications. All the patients who died were from the Loma Yuca part of the region, which is difficult to access, hampering efforts to collect data on the patients and control the outbreak.

Echinococcosis in Russia

31 cadets from a military school in Ulyanovsk, Russia, have been identified with echinococcosis of the lungs. The echinococcus tapeworm is typically found in carnivorous predators, including dogs; the infections have been linked to contact with dogs.

Ebola in DR Congo update

As of Feb 7, 800 cases of Ebola have now been reported in DR Congo since the outbreak began in August 2018. 739 cases are confirmed and the remaining 61 classified as probable. Cases have been reported from 20 health zones in North Kivu and Ituri provinces. Ebola cases have also been reported in the national army in Butembo town: two soldiers posted in Butembo airport were confirmed positive on Jan 12, both of whom have now recovered.