Author: Claudinne Miller
How the anti-vaccine movement is downplaying the danger of measles
NBC News As outbreaks of measles spread throughout the world, anti-vaccine activists aren’t just urging people not to get vaccinated — they’re taking a page from a well-worn playbook, falsely downplaying the dangers from the highly contagious respiratory disease. “The truth is, measles is not a super severe serious illness when you’re a child,” Mary Holland, […]
Feb 6, 2024
What is monkey fever, that has claimed 2 lives in Karnataka
IndianExpress A total of 31 cases of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, have been detected in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. Transmission to humans may occur after a tick bite or contact with an infected animal, most importantly a sick or recently dead monkey. The estimated case-fatality rate for KFD is […]
Feb 6, 2024
Supreme Court to weigh whether Covid misinformation is protected speech
STAT As social media sites were flooded with misleading posts about vaccine safety, mask effectiveness, Covid-19’s origins and federal shutdowns at the height of the pandemic, Biden officials urged platforms to pull down posts, delete accounts, and amplify correct information. Now the Supreme Court could decide whether the government violated Americans’ First Amendment rights with […]
Feb 6, 2024
COVID variant JN.1 now more than 90% of cases in U.S., CDC estimates
CBS News Close to all new COVID-19 cases in the United States are now being caused by the JN.1 variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, with an estimated 93.1% of infections now blamed on the highly mutated strain. The CDC’s latest biweekly estimate of the variant’s spread was published Friday. It comes as key trends reflecting COVID-19’s spread […]
Feb 6, 2024
Long COVID research goes private
NPR (Audio) Advocates say the federal government is no longer viewing long COVID with the urgency it deserves. Private donors are now funding research bringing an unprecedented level of collaboration.
Feb 6, 2024
Are You a Novid, or COVID Super-Dodger—Someone Who’s Never Had COVID? Science Has Some Clues Why
Boston University BU infectious diseases expert Sabrina Assoumou says researchers are working to understand why some people have avoided the virus or showed no symptoms when infected. If you haven’t had COVID-19 yet, explain yourself, please. How is that possible? Globally, there have been more than 663 million cases of COVID since the virus first began circulating. […]
Feb 6, 2024
Washington state experiencing 1st known outbreak of potentially deadly fungus: Health officials
ABC News Washington state is experiencing its first known outbreak of a potentially deadly fungus, according to public health officials. Four patients in the last month have tested positive for Candida auris, or C. auris, Public Health – Seattle & King County said in a release. The first case occurred in a patient who had recently been […]
Feb 6, 2024
South America Dengue Increase Brings Vaccination Drive
VOA rom VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. During the southern hemisphere summer, South America is experiencing a sharp increase in cases of dengue, a mosquito-borne disease common in much of Latin America. The symptoms, or signs, of dengue are high fever, extreme tiredness, muscle pain, and internal bleeding. In Brazil, dengue is […]
Feb 6, 2024
One arm or two? How you get vaccinated may make a difference
Seattle Times If you’ve presented the same arm for every dose of a particular vaccine, you may want to reconsider. Alternating arms may produce a more powerful immune response, a new study suggests. The researchers studied responses to the first two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Those who alternated arms showed a small increase in immunity […]
Feb 6, 2024
Bird flu outbreak declared in Niger capital
Ghana Online The capital city of Niger, Niamey, has been declared an infected zone after a fresh outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu was detected in local birds. The virus can cause life-threatening sickness in several species of birds including poultry and wild birds. Humans in frequent contact with birds can also become infected. Symptoms […]
Feb 6, 2024