Author: Claudinne Miller
Rise of anti-science rhetoric has fundamentally changed the relationship between doctors and patients
STAT I have spent my career caring for people facing some of the world’s most dangerous infectious diseases — Ebola, mpox, Covid-19. I have worked in outbreak zones, in understaffed hospitals, in field units built out of necessity. I’ve seen firsthand how vaccines transform the trajectory of a disease, a community, and a country. But […]
Dec 10, 2025
Experts predict this year’s flu season to be worse than usual—here’s why
National Geographic Every year, flu season in North America starts to peak around the holiday season. But this year, doctors and researchers are especially worried. “We will have a significant flu season this year, and we have a lot of concern that it’s going to be more severe than typical,” says Richard Martinello, an infectious diseases […]
Dec 10, 2025
Can bird flu infect dairy animals beyond cows? ISU research seeks answer
Des Moines Register When the current outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was detected in dairy cattle in March 2024, a group of researchers at Iowa State University started to ask questions. “If this virus can show up in cow milk, can it show up in other types of milk?” Todd Bell, a professor of […]
Dec 10, 2025
Dead vultures in Rocky Mount mark 14th bird flu case in Virginia since July
WDBJ Fifteen vultures were found dead in a creek last week in the area of Franklin and Dent Street. Based on results from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the black Vultures tested positive for avian influenza, or bird flu. Alexandra Lombard with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources says the H5 strain they tested positive for was introduced […]
Dec 10, 2025
Rare Temporary Flu Complication Can Leave Some Kids Unable to Walk
MedPageToday A 9-year-old girl in Michigan recently made the news after suddenly finding herself unable to walk during a bout with the flu. Before that, she experienced typical flu symptoms like fever, chills, and fatigue, and had plenty of rest and hydration. “When the fever broke after a few days, I thought she was turning […]
Dec 10, 2025
Bats might be the next bird flu wild card
Science News Bats have become the latest mammals susceptible to H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus responsible for bird flu. In Peru, over a dozen vampire bats have been found carrying H5N1 antibodies, indicating exposure to the virus, researchers report November 11 at bioRxiv.org. The finding is “very worrisome,” says Vincent Munster, a virus ecologist […]
Dec 10, 2025
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in Multiple Areas Throughout Texas
Focus Daily News Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) urges caution as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is circulating among wild birds across the state as waterbirds and waterfowl migrate and congregate on their wintering grounds. Detected in all 50 states across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, HPAI is a highly contagious zoonotic virus that […]
Dec 10, 2025
Researchers find mammary glands of people, sheep and other livestock could harbor bird flu
Iowa Public Radio When bird flu spilled over into dairy cattle last year, researchers discovered high concentrations of the H5N1 virus in the raw milk and udders of infected cows. A new study shows the mammary glands of other livestock and humans could also be suitable hosts for the virus. Millions of wild birds, chickens […]
Dec 10, 2025
Panel Votes to Stop Recommending Hepatitis B Shots at Birth for Most Newborns
NYT In a move toward Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s goal of upending vaccine policy, the committee recommended delaying the shots for infants whose mothers test negative for the virus. A federal vaccine committee took a major step toward Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s goal of remaking the childhood vaccine schedule on Friday, […]
Dec 10, 2025
A Drunk Raccoon Passed Out in the Bathroom of a Virginia Liquor Store
NYT A raccoon entered a liquor store the other day and drank his fill: rum, moonshine, even peanut butter whiskey. Then it passed out on the floor of the bathroom. The raccoon entered the ABC liquor store in Ashland, Va., through the ceiling early Saturday morning. “It wreaked havoc,” said Carol Mawyer, the public relations […]
Dec 3, 2025
