Recent Outbreaks

United States

• November 2016- Chikungunya (alpha virus) – Puerto Rico (In humans).
  • Same-time outbreaks: Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America, Fiji
  • A declared outbreak in the Philippines also with 400 cases
  • Viral transmission through mosquito bite and has no current vaccine or drug
  • Most common symptoms are fever and joint pain

• January 2016-Present – Zika Virus – mostly in the Americas (In humans).
  • 3,625 cases in the U.S. via mosquito bites derived locally or while traveling out of country.
    • States with highest incidence: California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland with over 101 cases each as of Sept. 28, 2016.
    • 22,069 additional cases reported in U.S. territories.
  • Read more about active Zika transmission locations.
  • Read more about Zika Virus.

• November 2015- Chipotle Mexican Grill – E. coli O26 (In humans).
  • 52 cases in 9 states.
    • Out of the 52 cases there were 20 hospitalizations.
    • California, Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland.
  • Read more about E. coli.

• October 2015- Rabies in New Jersey, USA (In humans).
  • Three people were bitten by a cat that was later confirmed to have rabies.
  • One of the three bitten was able to get control of the cat.
    • It was turned over to Animal Control.
  • Read more about the Rabies incident.
  • Read more about rabies.

• October 2015- E. coli in Maine, USA (In humans).

  

  • 20-month old boy died from an illness that was caused by E. coli bacteria.
    • Maine state officials won’t confirm the death of the toddler.
  • Two children were hospitalized within 6 hours of each other.
  • Both visited the same county fair petting zoo.
  • Read more about the E. coli incident.
  • Read more about E. coli.

• October 2015- Rabies in Wyoming, USA (In humans).
  • A 77 year old woman was bitten by a bat, and contracted rabies.
  • This was the first human case in the state.
  • Read more about the Rabies case.
  • Read more about rabies.

• September 2015- Salmonella Outbreak in Minnesota, USA Chipotle restaurants (In humans).
  • 45 people were reported sick, ranging from the of 15-67.
    • Of the 45 people, five were hospitalized.
  • Read more about Salmonella.
  • This is unrelated to the cucumber salmonella outbreak.

• September 2015- Listeriosis outbreak across multiple states linked to Soft Cheeses that are distributed by  Karoun Dairies inc (In humans).

  

  • There were 15 types of soft cheeses recalled on September 16th:
  • There have been 24 cases.
    • 9 states
    • 1 death.
    • 22 people were hospitalized.
  • Read more about the Listeriosis outbreak.
  • Read more about Listeria.

• September 2015- Cucumbers linked to Salmonella outbreak across the United States (In humans).
  • Since the recall of the cucumbers on September 4th and September 11th:
    • 732 Cases
    • 35 States involved
    • 4 deaths
    • 150 hospitalizations.
  • Read more about Salmonella.

• April 2015- Present- Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) across the United States (in animals).
  • Classified as rhabdovirus.
  • As of September 29th, there have been 527 affected premises.
  • There have been confirmed cases in eight states.
    • Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
    • Colorado has seen the most cases so far.
  • Last year there there was a total of 435 premises in only four states.
  • Rarely affects humans.
  • Read more about Vesicular Stomatitis Virus.

Global

• 2020-present – SARS-CoV-2 viral outbreak that spread globally within 1 year.
  • Caused COVID-19 disease, a respiratory illness
  • Spread quickly via respiratory droplets from infected individuals
  • Vaccine developed in 2021
  • Learn more about the COVID-19 outbreak.

• March 2014-present- Ebola in West Africa (in humans).
  • • The amount of Ebola cases as of October 8th, 2015
      • Total (includes suspected probable, and confirmed): 28,463
      • Laboratory-Confirmed Cases- 15,239
      • Total deaths- 11,312
    • There were 4 cases in the US
      • Two of the cases were imported
        • This includes 1 death
      • Two of the cases were acquired in healthcare workers
    • Read more about the Ebola virus.

• 2012- present- Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) (in humans).
  • There have been 1589 globally confirmed cases.
    • There have been 567 deaths (approximately 36%)
  • Most cases are in the Middle East, but there have been a few cases in the United States, Europe, North Africa, and Eastern Asian countries.
  • MERS is a viral respiratory disease that was caused by a novel corona virus.
  • First identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012
  • Check out the WHO fact sheet on the MERS-CoV outbreak.
  • Learn more about MERS-CoV.