Author: Claudinne Miller
COVID probably killed 150,000 more people in its first two years than official U.S. tolls show
Scientific American We have severely undercounted the number of COVID deaths, scientists say. COVID may have killed significantly more people in the U.S. in the first two years of the pandemic than official records indicate, with as many as one overlooked death for every five recorded ones. That brings the total to nearly one million deaths just in 2020 and […]
Mar 18, 2026
30 Countries At-Risk For Poliovirus Transmission
Vax Before Travel The international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in 2026. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated that the international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) following the forty-fourth meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005. […]
Mar 18, 2026
What is behind the UK’s meningitis outbreak and how serious is it?
The Guardian Cases of MenB linked to Canterbury nightclub have risen to 20, with two deaths, as experts warn of ‘explosive’ outbreak. Meningitis infections in a county in the south-east of England continue to increase, with five new cases confirmed on Wednesday in what experts have said is one of the fastest-growing outbreaks of the […]
Mar 18, 2026
Why Some Birds Seem to Be Developing a Cigarette Habit
NYT Research from Poland adds to evidence from Latin American countries that compounds in used cigarette butts ward off parasites in bird nests. Darwin’s finches in the Galápagos, house finches in Mexico and song thrushes in New Zealand have all developed a curious habit: They put cigarette butts in their nests. Some songbirds in Britain are even nesting in outdoor […]
Mar 18, 2026
Using mosquitoes to vaccinate bats could curb the spread of deadly diseases
Nature But scientists say there are practical and ethical challenges to overcome before the strategy could be deployed in real-world settings. Mosquitoes that have been designed to carry vaccines in their saliva were used to inoculate bats against the rabies and Nipah viruses1. Scientists are investigating whether this technique could stop such viruses from ‘spilling […]
Mar 11, 2026
A little-known respiratory virus, human metapneumovirus, surging in Northern California
Univ of California, Davis Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risk of serious illness (SACRAMENTO) If you came down with a respiratory infection this spring that wasn’t the flu or COVID-19, it may have been a virus you’ve never heard of: Human metapneumovirus or HMPV. The virus was first […]
Mar 11, 2026
Madagascar: Dozens more mpox cases reported
Outbreak News Today The Madagascar Ministry of Health reported an additional 55 laboratory confirmed mpox cases since late February, bringing the the outbreak total to 387 lab confirmed cases and no deaths since the outbreak began in December 2025. Cases have been reported in 27 of Madagascar’s 114 health districts. Clade 1b was isolated from […]
Mar 11, 2026
Warning to stay away from elephant seals after bird flu detected at Año Nuevo State Park
Fox Health officials are warning beachgoers to stay away from marine life after confirming the state’s first cases of bird flu in elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park in San Mateo County. Infected seal pups are displaying symptoms including tremors and seizures, according to wildlife experts. The virus is considered highly contagious among animals. […]
Mar 11, 2026
New Zealand Covid response among world’s best but ‘scars’ remain, inquiry finds
The Guardian Royal commission says response led by Jacinda Ardern was broadly ‘appropriate’, in a wide-ranging report featuring recommendations for future pandemics. A royal commission into New Zealand’s Covid response has found it was one of the best in the world but acknowledged the period had left “scars”. The second of two inquiry reports on […]
Mar 11, 2026
Why Falling Cats Always Seem to Land on Their Feet
NYT It takes backbone to solve an enigma like the “falling cat” problem. In 1894, the French physiologist Étienne-Jules Marey tried to resolve a particularly vexing question in science: How do cats always seem to land on their feet when they fall? Using the era’s rudimentary videos, Marey was able to definitively illustrate that cats, when […]
Mar 11, 2026
