Alerts
After 2 years without any human cases of yellow fever, São Paulo health authorities reported during the weekend that 2 patients had died from the disease in 2023, after 4 people were infected. Although both fatalities took place in the State of São Paulo, one of the victims was a resident of Minas Gerais. The state had had no cases of the disease since 2020 when one record was confirmed.
Authorities in the U.S. and Mexico have asked the WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern over a deadly fungal outbreak.The request comes after recruiters lured hundreds of patients from multiple countries to 2 facilities in Mexico for cosmetic operations that may have exposed them to the fungus. A total of 14 are "suspected" and 11 are "probable" cases of fungal meningitis -- infections of the brain or spinal cord -- based on their symptoms or test results. Two of these patients have died.
South Africa has recorded 2 positive cases of diphtheria disease. The 1st case was an adult in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and the 2nd case was a child in the Western Cape. Diphtheria antitoxin is in short supply globally, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is working towards securing additional supply. The infection is treated with the appropriate antibiotics and supportive care in the absence of the antitoxin
Expansion of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in birds (to date they have been reported in 16 countries of the Region), and confirmation of 3 human infections caused by influenza A(H5N1) in Latin America and the Caribbean. The identified outbreaks are located mainly in the areas of the Pacific flyway.