Author: Claudinne Miller
COVID’s future: mini-waves rather than seasonal surges
Nature Whether you call it a surge, a spike, a wave or perhaps just a wavelet, there are signs of a rise in SARS-CoV-2 infections — again. A growing proportion of tests in some countries are coming back positive, and new variants, most notably a lineage called XBB.1.16, are pushing aside older strains, fuelling some […]
May 2, 2023
UNMC What have U.S. schools done to improve ventilation to help reduce the risks of COVID transmission? Dr. Lawler provides that report after an update of an Omicron outbreak in South Korea that traced back to one 10-year-old child.
May 2, 2023
Bird flu detectives hunt for clues to stop next global pandemic
Japan Times If you want to know how the world is preparing for the next global pandemic, look at Rolaing, a Cambodian village located on a tributary of the Mekong River. For a few days in February this isolated spot became a hive of public health activity after an 11-year-old girl died of H5N1, the […]
May 2, 2023
Pathogens in Pop Culture: Jack Ryan, the Hot Zone, and Ebola
NETEC Podcast In episode two of the Pathogens in Pop Culture series, hosts Lauren Sauer and Rachel Lookadoo welcome guest Dr. Billy Fischer to discuss the portrayal of Ebola Virus Disease in the 2018 Jack Ryan TV series and Richard Preston’s 1994 novel, The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story. Together, they will explore the science behind the […]
May 2, 2023
UNMC expert part of panel that produced a new book on U.S. COVID-19 response
Omaha.com A year into the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2021, a group calling itself the Covid Crisis Group gathered to lay groundwork for what its 34 members anticipated would eventually be a commission tasked with studying the nation’s response, along the lines of the 9/11 Commission. One of the group’s members, Philip Zelikow, a history […]
May 2, 2023
Bird Flu Continues Culling America’s Largest Bird
Precision Vaccinations Health officials fear America’s largest birds may become extinct because the highly contagious influenza A H5N1 virus (bird flu) continues to spread. Recently, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) confirmed 20 California condors have died. With a total world population of just 561 birds, these 20 deaths represent a significant loss. As of May 2, 2023, […]
May 2, 2023
Senegal: Congo Fever Viral Disease Claims First Victim
Bobr Times A person has died in Senegal from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, known as Congo fever, a viral disease that is transmitted by ticks, AFP learned on Tuesday from the Ministry of Health, which says that the case was circumscribed. A butcher who was on duty at the slaughterhouses in Dakar was declared ill on […]
May 2, 2023
Will COVID’s Spring Lull Last?
The Atlantic By all official counts—at least, the ones still being tallied—the global situation on COVID appears to have essentially flatlined. More than a year has passed since the world last saw daily confirmed deaths tick above 10,000; nearly a year and a half has elapsed since the population was pummeled by a new Greek-lettered variant of concern. […]
May 2, 2023
CDC opens probe after 35 test positive for covid following CDC conference
Washington Post Attendees say many people did not mask, socially distance or take other precautions recommended earlier in the pandemic. Disease detectives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are probing a new outbreak: the roughly three-dozen coronavirus cases linked to their own annual conference last week. “CDC is working with the Georgia Department of Health […]
May 2, 2023
Why Is One Dose Suddenly Enough for the mRNA COVID Vaccines?
MedPageToday The FDA and CDC recently announced that previously unvaccinated Americans can now receive only a single dose of the bivalent Moderna or Pfizer mRNA vaccines. To be clear, this is not saying they can choose to have one or two doses and be considered fully vaccinated either way — only one dose is available to them. […]
May 2, 2023