MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS (MERS-COV)

MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS (MERS-COV) Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is an illness caused by a coronavirus called Middle

PERTUSSIS (whooping cough)

PERTUSSIS (whooping cough) 77 confirmed pertussis (whooping cough) cases have been reported in South Dakota this year as of 15 August 2014. Counties with cases: Minnehaha 19, Lawrence 17, Edmunds 8, Brown 6, Ziebach 4, and counties with ≤3 cases Brookings, Brule, Butte, Corson, Custer, Davison, Grant, Lake, Lincoln, McPherson, Moody, Pennington, Shannon, Spink, Turner. 70% of pertussis cases were children under the age of 15 years, including 6 infants. Individuals who still need vaccination are encouraged to contact their usual vaccine providers or one of the department’s local Community Health offices. Weekly pertussis surveillance summary (Posted…

SOUTH DAKOTA HEALTH OFFICIALS WATCHING FOR ENTEROVIRUS

SOUTH DAKOTA HEALTH OFFICIALS WATCHING FOR ENTEROVIRUS PIERRE, S.D. – The Department of Health today received specimens from several suspect

ENTEROVIRUS (EV-D68)

ENTEROVIRUS (EV-D68) Many states are seeing cases of an uncommon Enterovirus, D68, which can be serious for infants, children and

INTERNAL REPORT ON H5N1 FLU LAB INCIDENT

INTERNAL REPORT ON H5N1 FLU LAB INCIDENT (15 AUG 2014) The report found that: The incident did not appear to have posed a safety risk since the virus was handled solely under laboratory conditions appropriate for containment of HPAI H5N1 virus (biosafety level 3 with enhancements or BSL-3E), and were shipped with proper permits and packaging. The contamination most likely happened due to the failure of a laboratory scientist to adhere to established best practices and the absence of an approved laboratory team-specific protocol for the work being done. There was a lack of awareness and understanding about…