Browsing by Author "Martins, J.V."
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- Ongoing monkeypox virus outbreak, Portugal, 29 April to 23 May 2022Publication . Duque, M.P.; Ribeiro, S.; Martins, J.V.; Casaca, P.; Leite, P. P.; Tavares, M.; Mansinho, K.; Duque, L.M.; Fernandes, C.; Cordeiro, R.; Borrego, M.J.; Pelerito, A.; Lopes de Carvalho, I.; Núncio, S.; Manageiro, V.; Minetti, C; Machado, J.; Haussig, J.M.; Croci, R.; Spiteri, G.; Casal, A.S.; Mendes, D.; Souto, T.; Pocinho, S.; Fernandes, T.; Firme, A.; Vasconcelos, P.; Freitas, G.Up to 27 May 2022, Portugal has detected 96 confirmed cases of monkeypox. We describe 27 confirmed cases (median age: 33 years (range: 22–51); all males), with an earliest symptom onset date of 29 April. Almost all cases (n = 25) live in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley health region. Most cases were neither part of identified transmission chains, nor linked to travel or had contact with symptomatic persons or with animals, suggesting the possible previously undetected spread of monkeypox.
- Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak associated with cantaloupe consumption, the United Kingdom and Portugal, September to November 2023Publication . McGeoch, L.J.; Hoban, A.; Sawyer, C.; Rabie, H.; Incident Team; Painset, A.; Browning, L.; Brown, D.; McCarthy, C.; Nelson, A.; Firme, A.; Pista, A.; Moreno, J.; Martins, J.V.; Silveira, L.; Machado, J.; Vasconcelos, P.; Olufon, O.; Inzoungou-Massanga, C.; Douglas, A.; McCormick, J.; Larkin, L.; Balasegaram, S.; , ,In September 2023, the UK Health Security Agency identified cases of Salmonella Saintpaul distributed across England, Scotland, and Wales, all with very low genetic diversity. Additional cases were identified in Portugal following an alert raised by the United Kingdom. Ninety-eight cases with a similar genetic sequence were identified, 93 in the United Kingdom and 5 in Portugal, of which 46% were aged under 10 years. Cases formed a phylogenetic cluster with a maximum distance of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and average of less than one SNP between isolates. An outbreak investigation was undertaken, including a case-control study. Among the 25 UK cases included in this study, 13 reported blood in stool and 5 were hospitalized. One hundred controls were recruited via a market research panel using frequency matching for age. Multivariable logistic regression analysis of food exposures in cases and controls identified a strong association with cantaloupe consumption (adjusted odds ratio: 14.22; 95% confidence interval: 2.83-71.43; p-value: 0.001). This outbreak, together with other recent national and international incidents, points to an increase in identifications of large outbreaks of Salmonella linked to melon consumption. We recommend detailed questioning and triangulation of information sources to delineate consumption of specific fruit varieties during Salmonella outbreaks.