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Though the nation’s respiratory disease levels remain low overall, with COVID levels declining and little sign of a flu uptick, illnesses caused by Mycobacterium pneumoniae are increasing, especially in children, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) levels are also on the rise, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in it weekly respiratory virus update. (Schnirring, 10/18)

Yellow fever, dengue Fever, Zika, those are serious diseases that usually occur in far-away tropical environments, but Contra Costa County officials sounded the alarm that the mosquitoes that transmit these viruses have been found in the area. Now, they're preparing a major offensive to try to kill them before they begin hibernating for the winter. "We have found invasive mosquitoes in Antioch, and it's the species aedes aegypti, which is the yellow fever mosquito," said Contra Costa Vector Control District G.M. Paula Macedo. "This is not a mosquito that we've had here before." (Ramos, 10/20)

Days after the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency visited a Los Angeles public housing project with lead-contaminated water, the agency ordered drinking water systems nationwide to replace every lead pipe within 10 years. ... But in Los Angeles — where the discovery of contaminated water in public housing in Watts has shocked officials — the EPA mandate is unlikely to result in immediate change. (Briscoe, James and Plevin, 10/19)

Treehouse Foods, an Illinois-based manufacturer, is recalling a flurry of its frozen waffles that were sold at major supermarket chains due to listeria contamination concerns. ... On Friday, TreeHouse Foods said it was voluntarily recalling some of its frozen waffle products after routine testing at one of its manufacturing facilities identified a potential listeria contamination. There have been no confirmed reports of illness linked to the frozen waffle items so far, the company added. (Kim, 10/19)

The World Health Organization said on Sunday it had certified Egypt as malaria free, marking the elimination of a disease that had been present in the country since ancient times. The WHO grants certification to countries that have proven beyond reasonable doubt that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted for at least the previous three consecutive years. (10/20)

Nine monkeys who died in Hong Kong’s oldest zoo in two days this week had been infected with an endemic disease, possibly after some digging work near their cages, officials said on Friday. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said in a press briefing that the animals in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens contracted melioidosis and the disease later caused them to develop sepsis. Yeung stressed that such infections typically occur through contact with contaminated soil and water and that there is generally no danger to humans from contact with infected animals or people. (Leung, 10/18)