4 disease outbreaks making people sick this summer - Deseret News

What the report says

Deseret News reported July 24 that four illnesses have drawn major attention this summer: Ebola, hantavirus, measles and cyclosporiasis. The article said Ebola continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo, citing United Nations News figures of 2,423 confirmed cases, 967 deaths and 469 recoveries as of July 19, with Ituri province the center of the outbreak. The report said no cases tied to this outbreak had been confirmed in the United States as of July 23, and U.S. spread was assessed as low, though two U.S. citizens were treated in Germany.

The hantavirus incident linked to the M/V Hondius cruise ship has ended, according to the article, which cited the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services saying the federal response concluded after a final monitoring period ended June 21. Thirteen people were infected and three died, though only two deaths were laboratory-confirmed. Officials believe initial exposure likely occurred before boarding, with possible limited transmission onboard.

Measles remains a live concern. Deseret News cited CIDRAP and Johns Hopkins tracker data showing 2,295 U.S. cases this year as of July 22, already exceeding last year’s total and reaching levels not seen since 1991. Utah has been central to the outbreak, with officials reporting 711 cases over 12 months, including 518 this year, and noting most cases involved unvaccinated people.

The article also identified cyclosporiasis, a parasite-caused intestinal illness likely associated with fresh produce, as still a concern. The supplied text did not include detailed case totals or locations for that outbreak.