Author: Claudinne Miller
How scientists are protecting themselves from COVID-19
(The Age) I spent the past couple of days reporting on federal parliament’s long COVID inquiry. Amid the discussion of science and policy and just how we are going to care for all these sick people, one small detail caught my eye: a box sitting on the desk in front of Burnet Institute director Professor Brendan […]
Feb 21, 2023
Why a bird flu outbreak at a mink farm is reigniting public health concerns
(PBS Newshour) A recent bird flu outbreak at a mink farm in Spain has reignited worries about the virus spreading more broadly to people. Scientists have been keeping tabs on this bird flu virus since the 1950s, though it wasn’t deemed a threat to people until a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong among visitors to […]
Feb 19, 2023
An ICU Doctor on How This COVID Wave Is Different
(The Atlantic) It’s hard to tell from the data who’s still getting hospitalized with COVID. One frontline worker shares her observations. Last week, 3,171 COVID deaths were reported in the United States. In the past seven days, an average of 13 COVID deaths were reported each day in Los Angeles County, California, the country’s most populous county. […]
Feb 19, 2023
When Is a Pandemic No Longer a Pandemic?
(Bloomberg Prognosis) What makes a pandemic a pandemic? When will the Covid pandemic no longer be considered a pandemic? Does it get downgraded to epidemic at some point? JB, Fullerton, California Today’s Q&A is a lesson in the vocabulary of epidemiology, with some assistance from our regular expert on the subject, Katrine Wallace at University of Illinois at […]
Feb 19, 2023
What is Marburg virus and should we be worried?
(The Conversation) An epidemic outbreak of Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa, was confirmed this week, the first time the virus has occurred there. At least 16 cases have been detected, and nine deaths. There are no approved treatments for Marburg virus, which is closely related to Ebola virus, but vaccines are in development. Following an unprecedented […]
Feb 17, 2023
Bird flu vaccination policies by country
(Reuters) A growing number of countries are turning to vaccinations against avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, to stem one of the world’s worst outbreaks of the deadly virus. More than 30 countries have resorted to the use of vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) since 2005, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said, […]
Feb 17, 2023
What Bird Flu Reminds Us About Influenza Pandemics
(MedPageToday) Amesh Adalja, MD It is inevitable that there will be a next influenza pandemic in humanity’s future. When it will occur and the identity of the culprit influenza strain are not fully answerable questions. There are myriad different avian influenza viruses constantly circulating, mutating, and regrouping in their natural waterfowl hosts. As such, the prolific […]
Feb 17, 2023
Bird flu continues to spread in mammals – what this means for humans and wildlife
(The Conversation) As bird flu continues to decimate poultry and wild bird populations around the world, the virus – a deadly strain called H5N1 – appears to be spreading to mammals. The virus has already been confirmed in foxes and otters in the UK, and more recently in four dead seals. Bird flu refers to influenza A […]
Feb 17, 2023
(PLoS Biology) Although ACE2 is the primary receptor for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, a systematic assessment of host factors that regulate binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has not been described. Here, we use whole-genome CRISPR activation to identify host factors controlling cellular interactions with SARS-CoV-2. Our top hit was a TLR-related cell […]
Feb 17, 2023
How Deadly Was China’s Covid Wave?
(New York Times) Two months after China ended “zero Covid,” rough estimates suggest that between 1 and 1.5 million people died — far more than the official count. After China relaxed the world’s most stringent Covid-19 restrictions in December, the virus exploded. Hints of the surge were everywhere: Hospitals turned away patients. Crematories were overwhelmed with […]
Feb 16, 2023