Despite New Zika Funds, States Might Not Get Any For Months (Washington Post) Newly approved Zika funding isn't likely to reach states and localities for several more months because of the federal goverment's budgeting process, health officials said Monday. Go to article

Texas Enhances Zika Surveillance in the Rio Grande Valley (CIDRAP) Because of concerns about the Zika risk in an area of Texas where dengue outbreaks have occurred before, Texas state health officials urged medical providers to test pregnant women in 6 counties for the virus if they have symptoms, regardless of travel history. Go to article

Rapid Molecular Detection of Zika Virus in Urine Using the Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assay (BioRxiv) In this report, we describe the development of a reverse transcription isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification assay for the identification of ZIKV. Go to article

Generation Zika (Scientific American) US public health officials are bracing for a wave of babies with severe Zika-related birth defects. The latest official numbers suggest 808 pregnant women in the US appear to have been infected with Zika. Go to article

A Comparative Analysis of Chikungunya and Zika Transmission (BioRxiv) The recent global dissemination of Chikungunya and Zika has fostered public health concern worldwide. To better understand the drivers of transmission of these 2 arboviral diseases, we propose a joint analysis of Chikungunya and Zika epidemics in the same territories, taking into account the common epidemiologic features of the epidemics: transmitted by the same vector, in the same environments, and observed by the same surveillance systems. Go to article

North Korea Battling Post-Flood Cholera as Kim Jong Un Avoids Visit (UPI) A cholera epidemic is growing in North Korea after "catastrophic" floods swept though the country's northeast. But Kim Jong Un has yet to visit the devastated region where volunteers have reportedly died while working on recovery projects. Go to article

Flint Hit with Bacterial Illness as Residents Shun City Water (New York Times) Residents of Flint, Mich., affected by the contaminated-water crisis have added a new complication to their lives: an outbreak of shigellosis, a bacterial illness that is easily transmitted when people do not wash their hands. Go to article

Publix: One-Stop Shop for Strep Throat and Flu Testing and Treatment in Florida Pharmacies (Outbreak News Today) Florida Publix pharmacies are offering testing and treatment for strep throat and flu for customers 13 years of age or older. Publix Pharmacists can now evaluate patients, perform a diagnostic test, and dispense treatment in one convenient visit to the Publix Pharmacy. Go to article

New Rule Mandates Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homes (CIDRAP) The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has finalized a new rule that will require nursing homes to have an antibiotic stewardship program. Go to article

NIH Common Fund Announces 2016 High-Risk, High-Reward Research Awards (NIH) The High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, supported by NIH's Common Fund, awarded 88 grants to highly creative and exceptional scientists with bold approaches to major challenges in biomedical research. Go to article

How the US Military is Responding to Hurricane Matthew (Washington Post) The Pentagon is ready to dispatch at least 3 Navy ships and a detachment of military helicopters to assist Caribbean countries hit by Hurricane Matthew, defense officials said Tuesday. Go to article

Technical Handbook for Dengue Surveillance, Dengue Outbreak Prediction/Detection and Outbreak Response (WHO) This handbook was produced by TDR together with WHO's Neglected Tropical Diseases Department and WHO regional offices in the context of a European Union-financed research programme, the International Research Consortium on Dengue Risk Assessment, Management and Surveillance, to develop an evidence-based handbook for the early outbreak detection and management of dengue fever outbreaks. Go to article

Co-Infections with Chikungunya and Dengue Viruses, Guatemala, 2015 (Emerging Infectious Diseases) We screened serum samples referred to the national reference laboratory in Guatemala that were positive for chikungunya or dengue viruses in June 2015. Co-infection with both viruses was detected by reverse transcription PCR in 46 (32%) of 144 samples. Specimens should be tested for both arboviruses to detect co-infections. Go to article

Sanofi's Dengue Vaccine Approved in 11 Countries (Reuters) Sanofi Pasteur, Sanofi's vaccines unit, said on Tuesday that its dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, had received market approval in 11 countries. Go to article

As AZ Works to Assess FluMist Efficacy Woes, CDC Worries Flu Vaccination Rates Could Slip (FiercePharma) About 20 million people and one-third of children in the US received AstraZeneca's FluMist last year to protect against the seasonal virus, health officials told reporters during a press conference. And with the nasal mist no longer an option this year, the CDC is concerned that vaccination rates could suffer. Go to article

NewLink Genetics (NLNK) Receives $25M BARDA Contract (Street Insider) NewLink Genetics Corporation (Nasdaq: NLNK), announced that BARDA of HHS has issued a $24.8 million contract to a subsidiary of NewLink Genetics to support the advanced development of the investigational Ebola Zaire vaccine candidate. Go to article

Medical Startup Aims to Put Your Primary Care Doctor in the Cloud (STAT News) A digital medicine startup that replaces doctor visits with text messages and emails is counting on the annoyances of traditional medicine--plus those pesky copays--to drive more people to alternatives. Go to article

Advances in Next-Generation Sequencing (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News) The next-generation sequencing market has been and continues to be dominated by Illumina, causing many researchers to complain that the lack of competition is causing the rate of NGS advancement to slow, at least in terms of cost for short-read sequencing. Go to article

Hurricane Matthews Pummels Haiti and Moves Towards US (New York Times) Hurricane Matthew assaulted Haiti's southern coast with deadly fury on Tuesday, destroying homes and crops, sweeping away livestock and cutting off transportation as a large part of the Caribbean was pummeled by the storm's 145-mile-per-hour winds and torrential rain. Go to article

UN Urges Sudan to Cooperate in Any Chemical Weapons Probe (ABC News) The UN peacekeeping chief called on the government of Sudan on Tuesday to cooperate with the international chemical weapons watchdog in any investigation of alleged chemical weapons use in the Darfur region. Go to article

Syria: Hospitals Hit Repeatedly by Russian and Syrian Airstrikes, Condemning Hundreds of Wounded to Certain Death (Medecins Sans Frontieres) On 30 September, 2 hospitals in east Aleppo supported by MSF, among others, were damaged by continuous indiscriminate bombing. A blood bank was also damaged. Despite the damage, medical teams at the three facilities managed to continue their work. Go to article