Author: Claudinne Miller
The Origins of 6 Unique Christmas Traditions
History Facts bserved on December 25, Christmas is both a religious holiday, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, and a secular holiday that includes cultural customs and traditions, many of which have their roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, honoring the agricultural god, Saturn. For more than 2 billion people in over 160 countries, […]
Dec 30, 2025
What to Know About Norovirus
NYT The virus, sometimes called the stomach bug, is incredibly contagious. Here’s how to stay safe this season. Every year, there’s a surge in norovirus cases between November and April, and this holiday season is no different. Sometimes known as the stomach bug, norovirus is incredibly contagious, infecting about one in 15 people in the United States annually. Norovirus […]
Dec 30, 2025
How RFK Jr. upended the public health system
Washington Post Interviews with almost 100 people reveal how Kennedy, as health secretary, has reshaped the vaccine and broader public health infrastructure in less than a year. On his way to being confirmed as the nation’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised lawmakers he would do nothing that “makes it difficult or discourages people from […]
Dec 30, 2025
In 2026, Kennedy’s MAHA vision gets put to the test. Here are 3 issues to watch
STAT In many ways, it’s been a banner year for chronic disease. America’s enduring ailments became a central theme of the Trump administration, with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wielding his influence over the president. Trump created a commission focused on childhood chronic illnesses, which issued two reports on the matter. Statehouses across the country passed Make America […]
Dec 30, 2025
Indian scientists predict how bird flu could spread to humans
BBC For years, scientists have warned that bird flu – better known as H5N1 – could one day make the dangerous leap from birds to humans and trigger a global health crisis. Avian flu – a type of influenza – is entrenched across South and South-East Asia and has occasionally infected humans since emerging in […]
Dec 30, 2025
Europe ends 2025 with more than 700 avian flu outbreaks
Watt Poultry To date in 2025, a total of 699 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been recorded in commercial poultry farms in 23 European countries. This is according to the Animal Disease Information System from the European Commission (EC; as of December 24). This database monitors outbreaks of listed animal diseases in European Union member states […]
Dec 30, 2025
A dozen swans have died at Lake Eola in the past week, leaving Orlando officials fearing another outbreak of bird flu at the city’s signature park.
Ohio News City Commissioner Patty Sheehan posted on Facebook that two dead swans were found on Dec. 23, with the number growing to 12 by Sunday. Due to the holidays the city’s specialized veterinarians weren’t available, Sheehan said, but the deceased swans are being stored in a secure area so necropsies can be performed. Prior […]
Dec 30, 2025
12 swans found dead at Florida park. Bird flu is suspected
Tampa News Prior to the recent deaths, the swan population at the park was estimated to be between 50 and 60. A dozen swans have died at Lake Eola in the past week, leaving Orlando officials fearing another outbreak of bird flu at the city’s signature park. City Commissioner Patty Sheehan posted on Facebook that […]
Dec 30, 2025
Measles’ Most Deceptive Trait
The Atlantic Most cases are mild, obscuring the disease’s worst outcomes. In the early 1960s, American childhood was not what it is today. Many children spent hours playing unsupervised in the streets; they rode around in cars without seat belts, then came home to frozen dinners, served in front of TVs blaring cigarette ads. And […]
Dec 30, 2025
Experts Question Denmark’s Vaccine Program as a Model for the U.S.
NYT The United States is expected to adopt the vaccine schedule used by Denmark, a much smaller country with universal health care. The United States, a nation of 343 million people with a complex and overburdened health care system, is poised to adopt the childhood vaccine recommendations used in Denmark, a country of six million […]
Dec 30, 2025