Only posting this because it is currently #1 most popular story over there! By Alexandra Kelley @ TheHill.com, Aug. 10

• Four cases of melioidosis have been reported in the U.S., with two being fatal.
• Human-to-human transmission is rare.

Alongside the rampant delta variant outbreaks, public health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now contending with new incidents of a rare tropical disease that has emerged in parts of the continental U.S. 

Melioidosis, also known as Whitmore’s disease, is a bacterial infection usually found in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. The bacteria causing the infection is usually found in contaminated waters and soils and spread within both animals and humans through contact with the contaminated source. Ingestion and contact with skin abrasions are the most common vehicles of infection.

Recent genome sequencing at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta confirms that four cases of melioidosis are in the U.S., with two being fatal.

No other information on the patients has been released by the CDC. One case was confirmed in Georgia and was traced to three prior cases in different states, namely Kansas, Texas and Minnesota.

After testing more than 100 soil and water samples near the patients’ homes, none came back positive for the bacteria that causes melioidosis [.....]