St. Martin chikungunya outbreak grows to 89 cases
The French side of the Caribbean island of St. Martin now has 89 confirmed and 20 probable cases of chikungunya, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a Jan 4 update.
That number is up from 66 confirmed cases in a Dec 28 ECDC update. In addition, the Dutch side of the island has reported 1 case, and the nearby islands of Saint Barthelemy, Martinique, and Guadaloupe now have 11, 8, and 3 confirmed cases, respectively. Those three islands had 0, 3, and 1 cases, respectively, at the time of the Dec 28 update.
The recent developments support the ECDC's Dec 12 risk assessment that the outbreak poses a high risk of chikungunya spread in the Caribbean, the agency said in its recent update. It called for added vigilance in Europe.
Jan 4 ECDC update
CDC: Three-state Salmonella outbreak involves 14 cases
The multistate outbreak of Salmonella Stanley infections linked to raw cashew cheese has been downgraded from the 15 cases reported last week by California health officials to 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a Jan 3 update.
Twelve of the cases have been in California, with one case each in Nevada and Wyoming. "One ill person identified in Utah likely acquired their infection during international travel and was excluded from the case count," the CDC said.
As reported last week, three of the outbreak patients have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
Investigators have concluded that raw cashew cheese products from The Cultured Kitchen of West Sacramento, Calif., are the likely source of the outbreak, the agency said. The Cultured Kitchen recalled its raw cashew cheese on Dec 31. Cashew cheese is a non-dairy product made from raw cashews and other ingredients, the CDC said.
Jan 3 CDC update
