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The bird flu virus that has beset dairy farms since early last year may be spreading through the air in so-called milking parlors and through contaminated wastewater, as well as from milking equipment, scientists have found. The Department of Agriculture has said that the virus spreads primarily from milking equipment or is carried by dairy workers and vehicles traveling between farms. But in the new study, scientists found live virus in the air of milking facilities, suggesting that cows and farmworkers might have become infected by inhaling the pathogen. (Mandavilli and Anthes, 8/4)

Raw milk has been linked to an ongoing E. coli and campylobacter outbreak in Florida that has already sickened 21 people, including six children under the age of 10, the state department of health said. Seven people have been hospitalized and at least two developed severe infections, which can lead to kidney failure, the Florida Department of Health announced on Monday. The agency urged residents to make informed decisions about consuming raw milk, which can be tainted with the bacteria that causes both potentially deadly infections. (Nix, 8/4)

Wisconsin health officials have confirmed the state's first measles cases this year. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Oconto County Public Health said in a news release last week that nine people in Oconto County, in the northeastern part of the state, were exposed to a common source of infection during out-of-state travel. One case was confirmed through testing at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, and the other eight cases were confirmed based on exposure and symptoms. No public points of exposure have been identified but investigation continues. (Dall, 8/4)

A new report in Open Forum Infectious Diseases details the significant increase of the Babesia season in New England since the 1980s, and the authors said warming trends in the region may lead to accelerating tick life cycles and increasing tick activity outside of the traditional summer months. Babesiosis is parasitic disease primarily spread by blacklegged (deer) ticks, which infects red blood cells. While some have no symptoms, many people will experience flu-like symptoms and in severe cases, the disease can lead to hemolytic anemia if not treated. (Soucheray, 8/4)

For the past decade, Sughra Ayaz has traveled door to door in southeastern Pakistan, pleading with parents to allow children to be vaccinated against polio as part of a global campaign to wipe out the paralytic disease. She hears their demands and fears. Some are practical – families need basics like food and water more than vaccines. Others are simply unfounded – the oral doses are meant to sterilize their kids. (Cheng and Butt, 8/5)