E. coli: Ontario
The public is not considered at risk following an outbreak of E. coli O157 at a Day Away program at the Hanover and District Hospital. The outbreak was contained to a single incident. Two new laboratory confirmed cases have developed as a result of secondary exposure. There are eight laboratory confirmed cases with four people hospitalized. The symptoms first appeared on 26 June 2007. There have been no new cases since 1 July 2007. Grey Bruce Health Unit is working to identify the source of the outbreak. There were 32 people including staff, volunteers and participants attending the Day Away program.
Source: News Release, Grey Bruce Health Unit, 5 and 12 July 2007

Syphilis: New York
After leveling off for more than two years, and declining in 2006, new syphilis cases spiked in New York City during the first three months of 2007. The Health Department announced that doctors reported 260 new cases of primary and secondary syphilis during January, February and March, compared with 128 cases during the same period last year. Interviews with patients suggest that the increase is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. As in past years, half of those newly diagnosed with syphilis also report being infected with HIV. While men account for the vast majority (96%) of new syphilis cases, the infection may also be increasing among women. Ten cases were reported among women during the first quarter of 2007, compared to just three in the same period of 2006. Since the numbers are very small, it is not clear if the increase among women is significant, but if it were, it would be the first of such increase in 10 years. These increases are the latest in an ongoing outbreak among men who have sex with men in New York City.
Source: Press Release, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 9 July 2007

Turtle-Associated Salmonellosis in Humans: United States
Turtles and other reptiles are reservoirs of Salmonella and have long been a recognized source of Salmonella infection in humans. Small turtles have posed a particular danger to young children because these turtles might not be perceived as health hazards and can be handled like toys. Salmonella infections in children can be severe and can result in hospitalization and occasionally in death. The association between Salmonella infection in children and exposure to turtles led to a 1975 law prohibiting the sale or distribution of small turtles (i.e., those with a carapace of <4 inches in length) in the United States. That prohibition led to a substantial decline in human salmonellosis cases associated with turtles. However, because the prohibition is not fully enforced and contains exceptions (e.g., sales for educational purposes), human turtle-associated cases continue to occur. This report describes several recent cases of turtle-associated salmonellosis reported to CDC by state and local health departments since September 2006, including a fatal case in an infant. These cases illustrate that small turtles remain a source of human Salmonella infections. Although ongoing public education measures aimed at preventing reptile-acquired Salmonella infections are helpful, prohibiting the sale of small turtles likely remains the most effective public health action to prevent turtle-associated salmonellosis.
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Volume 56, No. 26, 6 July 2007

Influenza: Western Australia
The Department of Health is advising parents to seek early medical attention for young children who are showing signs of a respiratory illness. The call follows the death of three children under five years of age in the Perth metropolitan area over the past few days from what is yet to be confirmed as influenza A. Director of Communicable Disease Control said that the speed at which the illness had progressed in these children had caused concern among health professionals. The Department of Health is also advising parents of young children to see their GP for a flu vaccination if they had not already done so.
Source: Press Release, Western Australia Department of Health, 6 July 2007

The details given are for information only and may be very provisional. Where incidents are considered of national importance and are ongoing, the initial report will be updated as new information becomes available.