Cambodia reports fatal H5N1 avian flu case (2024)

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The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) yesterday reported a measles infection in an Atlanta resident who wasn't fully vaccinated, marking the state's fifth case of the year, according to a statement.

The DPH said the patient was exposed to the virus during international travel, adding that it is working to identify people who had contact with the patient during the infectious period.

Oregon outbreak worst since 1991

In other developments, the Oregon Health Authority reported 4 more measles cases in its outbreak, raising the total to 30 in three counties. The outbreak is the state's largest since 1991.

According to the latest data, all patients were unvaccinated and 2 were hospitalized. Twelve of the patients are younger than 10 years old, and 11 are ages 11 to 19.

Measles activity in the United States is at its highest level since 2019, part of a global rise in cases. In its latest update, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has received reports of 219 cases from 27 jurisdictions. Thirteen outbreaks have been reported, and 68% of cases this year were linked to outbreaks.

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Nearly a third of gram-negative bacterial infections in newborns with suspected sepsis in Africa are resistant to carbapenem antibiotics, researchers reported late last week in BMC Infectious Diseases.

Thefindings are from a review and meta-analysis conducted by researchers from Woldia University in Ethiopia who hoped to fill in knowledge gaps in the population-based epidemiology of neonatal sepsis in Africa and estimate carbapenem resistance in the gram-negative bacteria that can cause sepsis in newborns. They defined carbapenem resistance as resistance to meropenem, imipenem, or ertapenem.

Pooled prevalence of carbapenem resistance was 30%

Among the 36 studies that assessed carbapenem resistance in gram-negative bacteria isolated from newborns with suspected sepsis in Africa, there were 7,116 isolates. The most frequently isolated pathogen was Klebsiella pneumoniae, which accounted for 38.2% of all isolates.

The pooled prevalence of carbapenem resistance in all isolates was 30.34% (95% confidence interval [CI], 22.03% to 38.64%). The pooled estimate of gram-negative bacteria resistant to imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem was 35.57% (95% CI, 0.67% to 70.54%), 34.35% (95% CI, 20.04% to 48.67%), and 26.11% (95% CI, 15.82% to 36.40%), respectively.

The highest prevalence of carbapenem resistance was found in Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonasspp., which had pooled prevalence of 45.9% (95% CI, 33.1% to 58.7%) and 43.0% (95% CI, 23.0% to 62.4%), respectively.

The percentage of carbapenem-resistant isolates varied widely between countries, ranging from 0.5% in Sudan to 57.9% in Egypt.

Neonatal sepsis is a primary cause of neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and elsewhere. The study authors say stronger microbiology laboratory capacity to diagnose drug resistance is needed in countries with a high burden of neonatal sepsis.

To address this global health threat, it is essential to implement robust infection prevention measures, antimicrobial stewardship, and strict surveillance.

"To address this global health threat, it is essential to implement robust infection prevention measures, antimicrobial stewardship, and strict surveillance of infections and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)," the authors wrote. "This is particularly crucial as third-line medications and carbapenems are increasingly losing their effectiveness."