Timely and relevant global health security news curated by GCHS
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Featured Headlines
- Two clusters of unknown illness cases kill 50 in Democratic Republic of CongoNBC News “The outbreaks, which have seen cases rise rapidly within days, pose a significant public health threat. The exact cause remains unknown,” a World Health Organization spokesperson said. More than 50 people have died in recent weeks in two clusters of illness cases with the unknown cause being investigated in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization… Read more: Two clusters of unknown illness cases kill 50 in Democratic Republic of Congo
- Soil bacteria outbreak kills 14 in Australian flood-hit stateMedical Xpress Melioidosis, a rare antibiotic-resistant disease caused by bacteria found in soil or mud, often surfaces in tropical areas after heavy rain or flooding. While cases have occurred in Queensland in previous years, the state’s Tropical Public Health Services director Jacqueline Murdoch said 2025 “absolutely is a record-breaking year.” “Certainly we haven’t seen anything like this,”… Read more: Soil bacteria outbreak kills 14 in Australian flood-hit state
- An unvaccinated child has died in the Texas measles outbreakAP A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015. The death was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated” and had been hospitalized last week, the Texas Department of State… Read more: An unvaccinated child has died in the Texas measles outbreak
- ‘Unknown disease’ that can kill within days leaves 53 dead in CongoWashington Post World Health Organization officials said the outbreak appeared to originate from a village where three children died after reportedly eating a bat carcass. An unknown illness has killed 53 people in a northwestern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a significant portion of deaths taking place within 48 hours of the… Read more: ‘Unknown disease’ that can kill within days leaves 53 dead in Congo
Updates on ongoing disease outbreaks
- US dodged a bird flu pandemic in 1957 thanks to eggs and dumb luck – with a new strain spreading fast, will Americans get lucky again?Lake County. News In recent months, Americans looking for eggs have faced empty shelves in their grocery stores. The escalating threat of avian flu has forced farmers to kill millions of chickens to prevent its spread. Nearly 70 years ago, Maurice Hilleman, an expert in influenza, also worried about finding eggs. Hilleman, however, needed eggs not for his breakfast, but… Read more: US dodged a bird flu pandemic in 1957 thanks to eggs and dumb luck – with a new strain spreading fast, will Americans get lucky again?
- Exposure and survival of wild raptors during the 2022–2023 highly pathogenic influenza a virus outbreakNature The global outbreak of clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 highly pathogenic influenza A virus (HP H5N1) has had an unprecedented impact on wild birds including raptors, but long-term population impacts have not been addressed. To determine if raptors survive infections with HP H5N1, raptors from the upper Midwest United States were serologically tested for antibodies to… Read more: Exposure and survival of wild raptors during the 2022–2023 highly pathogenic influenza a virus outbreak
- Pennsylvania: Bird flu affecting more than 600 birds at Butler County farmTribLive The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed Butler County’s first case of bird flu. The virus was detected in a backyard flock of 610 birds. The USDA confirmed the infection on Feb. 20. It classified the farm, which was not identified by the USDA, as a kind that does not sell the birds or their eggs… Read more: Pennsylvania: Bird flu affecting more than 600 birds at Butler County farm
- A Veterinarian Who Specializes in Dairy Cows Talks About Avian InfluenzaTufts University How the H5N1 virus is affecting the nation’s cattle, according to an expert at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. In March 2024, for the first time in the United States, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus was recognized as having crossed over from birds into cattle. Experts believe the virus was transmitted… Read more: A Veterinarian Who Specializes in Dairy Cows Talks About Avian Influenza
- USDA Invests Up To $1 Billion to Combat Avian Flu and Reduce Egg PricesUSDA Secretary Rollins rolls out a robust strategy to deliver affordable eggs Washington, D.C., Feb. 26, 2025—U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced a $1 billion-dollar comprehensive strategy to curb highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), protect the U.S. poultry industry, and lower egg prices. This is in addition to funding already being provided to… Read more: USDA Invests Up To $1 Billion to Combat Avian Flu and Reduce Egg Prices
- Women have a higher risk for long covid. Estrogen may play a role.Washington Post A new study shows non-menopausal women between the ages of 40 and 54 had a significantly higher risk of developing long covid than men. Women have a higher risk of developing long covid than men, depending on their stage of life and whether they… Read more: Women have a higher risk for long covid. Estrogen may play a role.
- U.S. weighs destroying $500 million in stockpiled covid testsWashington Post The government is reviewing proposals to shut down the program that ships free covid tests to American households and is considering destroying 160 million tests. The Trump administration has been evaluating the costs of destroying or disposing of tens of millions of coronavirus tests… Read more: U.S. weighs destroying $500 million in stockpiled covid tests
- Natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 weakened significantly after Omicron’s emergenceMedical News Research reveals a sharp decline in both the effectiveness and duration of protection from prior infection post-Omicron, underscoring the need for updated vaccines to sustain immunity A recent Nature study investigated the consequence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) evolution, particularly between the pre-Omicron era… Read more: Natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 weakened significantly after Omicron’s emergence
- Texas Measles Outbreak: UpdateTexas DoH The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting an outbreak of measles in the South Plains region of Texas. At this time, 124 cases have been identified since late January. Eighteen of the patients have been hospitalized. Five of the cases are vaccinated. The rest are unvaccinated, or their vaccination status is… Read more: Texas Measles Outbreak: Update
- An unvaccinated child has died in the Texas measles outbreakAP A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015. The death was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated” and had been hospitalized last week, the Texas Department of State… Read more: An unvaccinated child has died in the Texas measles outbreak
- Measles outbreak grows bigger in rural Texas, and officials expect more casesNBC Out of the 58 new cases over the past three weeks, 13 people have been hospitalized. At least 58 new cases of measles have been reported across northwest Texas in recent weeks, state health officials said Tuesday, in a “highly contagious” outbreak that might be linked to lack of vaccination. A bulk of these new cases in… Read more: Measles outbreak grows bigger in rural Texas, and officials expect more cases
- The research and development landscape for mpox vaccinesThe Lancet On Aug 14, 2024, WHO redeclared the mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). In contrast to the 2022 PHEIC, which was related to the global outbreak of… Read more: The research and development landscape for mpox vaccines
- Why the good news about the mpox outbreak of 2025 isn’t really good after allNPR Dr. Jean Kaseya has a warning for the world: “We are playing with fire.” Kaseya is director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He’s talking about mpox, a virus that… Read more: Why the good news about the mpox outbreak of 2025 isn’t really good after all
- CEEZAD study finds pigs can transmit MpoxNational Hog Farmer Endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, the 2022 outbreak with a clade IIb strain has resulted in ongoing sustained transmission of the virus worldwide. An article co-authored by the Director of the Center… Read more: CEEZAD study finds pigs can transmit Mpox
Emerging Infectious Disease Headlines
- Uganda’s final push to end EbolaWHO Uganda has entered a crucial 42-day countdown in its battle against the Sudan virus disease (SVD) outbreak, which belongs to the same family as Ebola virus disease. This is… Read more: Uganda’s final push to end Ebola
- Red Cross launches an appeal to respond to Uganda’s Eighth Ebola outbreak IFRC The International Federation of the Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched an Emergency Appeal for 6 million Swiss francs to help contain Uganda’s eighth Ebola outbreak since 2000, caused by… Read more: Red Cross launches an appeal to respond to Uganda’s Eighth Ebola outbreak
- Two clusters of unknown illness cases kill 50 in Democratic Republic of CongoNBC News “The outbreaks, which have seen cases rise rapidly within days, pose a significant public health threat. The exact cause remains unknown,” a World Health Organization spokesperson said. More than… Read more: Two clusters of unknown illness cases kill 50 in Democratic Republic of Congo
- Soil bacteria outbreak kills 14 in Australian flood-hit stateMedical Xpress Melioidosis, a rare antibiotic-resistant disease caused by bacteria found in soil or mud, often surfaces in tropical areas after heavy rain or flooding. While cases have occurred in Queensland in… Read more: Soil bacteria outbreak kills 14 in Australian flood-hit state
- ‘Unknown disease’ that can kill within days leaves 53 dead in CongoWashington Post World Health Organization officials said the outbreak appeared to originate from a village where three children died after reportedly eating a bat carcass. An unknown illness has killed… Read more: ‘Unknown disease’ that can kill within days leaves 53 dead in Congo
- Uganda discharges Ebola patientsBBC Uganda has discharged eight patients who have recovered from the Sudan strain of Ebola after they tested negative twice, health officials have said. The disease has killed one person… Read more: Uganda discharges Ebola patients
Read more Emerging Infectious Diseases
- The Next Pandemic May Come From BatsReuters Humanity is ramping up the risk of global health disasters by intruding deep into the world’s bat habitats, breeding grounds for deadly viruses. In this five-part series, Reuters pinpoints the places where the next… Read more: The Next Pandemic May Come From Bats
- AI approach reveals possible fusion of rare diseases in COVID-19 originsMedical News Despite extensive research, the origins of COVID-19 remain elusive. In a new study published in the KeAi journal Advances in Biomarker Sciences and Technology (ABST), an AI-driven approach was adopted to examine DNA methylation patterns at… Read more: AI approach reveals possible fusion of rare diseases in COVID-19 origins
- How Sudan Virus Infects Human Cells With Greater Efficiency Than EbolaTechnology Networks Sudan virus binds to human cells with nine times more affinity than Ebola, revealing key infection mechanisms. The Sudan virus, a close relative of Ebola, has a fatality rate of 50% but remains… Read more: How Sudan Virus Infects Human Cells With Greater Efficiency Than Ebola
- Women have a higher risk for long covid. Estrogen may play a role.Washington Post A new study shows non-menopausal women between the ages of 40 and 54 had a significantly higher risk of developing long covid than men. Women have a higher risk of developing long covid… Read more: Women have a higher risk for long covid. Estrogen may play a role.
- For many in Washington, Long COVID care remains out of reachPBS A UW-Medicine clinic is one of the few that provides treatment and research on the chronic illness, but faces new federal funding challenges. ile many Washingtonians have moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic, it… Read more: For many in Washington, Long COVID care remains out of reach
- SARS-CoV-2 infection linked to rapid plaque growth in coronary arteriesMedical News A new study found severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was associated with the rapid growth of plaque in the coronary arteries and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. The results… Read more: SARS-CoV-2 infection linked to rapid plaque growth in coronary arteries
- The research and development landscape for mpox vaccinesThe Lancet On Aug 14, 2024, WHO redeclared the mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). In contrast to the 2022 PHEIC, which was related to the global outbreak of… Read more: The research and development landscape for mpox vaccines
- Scientists Describe Rare Syndrome Following Covid VaccinationsNYT In a small study, patients with the syndrome were more likely to experience reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus and high levels of a coronavirus protein. The Covid-19 vaccines were powerfully protective, preventing millions of… Read more: Scientists Describe Rare Syndrome Following Covid Vaccinations
- Zoetis Receives Conditional License from USDA for Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus, for ChickensZoetis Zoetis today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) has issued the company a conditional license for its Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus. The vaccine… Read more: Zoetis Receives Conditional License from USDA for Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus, for Chickens
- Indiana: State Veterinarian Kyle Shipman Responds to Bird Flu MisinformationHoosier Ag Today More than a dozen major commercial poultry production facilities all across Indiana have been hit with Bird Flu since the beginning of the year. Not only are State Health Officials trying to battle the virus, but they’re also… Read more: Indiana: State Veterinarian Kyle Shipman Responds to Bird Flu Misinformation
- Influential podcasts fuel ‘harmful’ health misinformationFrance 24 Unfounded cancer cures, dubious anti-vaccine narratives, and false claims that neurological disorders can be “reversed” through diets: influential American and European podcasters are peddling harmful health misinformation while largely escaping scrutiny, researchers say. The problem will come under… Read more: Influential podcasts fuel ‘harmful’ health misinformation
- What did you do during COVID?
- Painting Through the Pandemic: A Lifeline in Linseed OilMedPageToday Working on the frontlines during the pandemic was akin to emotional whiplash. The days on service in the ICU were chaotic and relentless, and I barely had time to meet my most basic physiologic needs, let alone emotionally process… Read more: Painting Through the Pandemic: A Lifeline in Linseed Oil
