Author: Claudinne Miller
The U.S. confirms its first human case of New World screwworm. What is it?
NPR The U.S. has confirmed its first human case of the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite whose northward creep from South America has put the country’s cattle industry on high alert in recent months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in coordination with the Maryland Department of Health, confirmed the case on Aug. 4 […]
Sep 3, 2025
Sorting Lyme disease fact from fiction
Stanford Report An infectious disease expert explains the tick-borne illness and why it’s so often misunderstood by patients and the practitioners advising them. A significant portion of Jake Scott’s practice involves helping patients who believe they have “chronic Lyme disease” understand what may actually be causing their symptoms. “My role combines patient care with education,” said […]
Sep 3, 2025
Epidemiologist breaks down new restrictions on COVID shots
PBS News Many Americans who want to get the newest COVID vaccines may now have a harder time doing so. The Food and Drug Administration limited approval for the shots to adults 65 and older or those who are “high risk” for severe disease. The vaccine was previously available to individuals six months of age […]
Sep 3, 2025
F.D.A. Official Overruled Scientists on Wide Access to Covid Shots
NYT The agency’s staff scientists pointed out how Covid was still unpredictable and posed a threat to toddlers, but the official decided to restrict shots only to children with risk factors. Memos released in recent days by the Food and Drug Administration show that the agency’s vaccine chief overruled staff scientists who favored widespread access […]
Sep 3, 2025
Trump Wants Proof That Covid Vaccines Work. It’s Easy to Find.
NYT In a post on Truth Social, the president suggested that the C.D.C. was being “ripped apart” over a question that was answered long ago. In a message on social media that baffled many scientists, President Trump questioned the effectiveness of the Covid vaccines and demanded that the makers prove that they work. “Many people […]
Sep 3, 2025
Big shakeups to the childhood vaccination schedule could be nearing
STAT Kennedy’s CDC advisory panel, set to meet this month, has signaled change is likely, alarming advocates. Public health experts are bracing for what could be fundamental changes to childhood vaccine policies that don’t align with scientific consensus, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention undergoes a major leadership shakeup. Last week, health secretary […]
Sep 3, 2025
COVID cases, hospitalizations ticking up in the US but remain lower than last year
ABC News COVID-19 cases are ticking up in the U.S. as children head back to school and the country prepares to enter the colder weather months. For the week ending Aug. 9, the COVID hospitalization rate was 1.7 per 100,000, double the rate from two months ago, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control […]
Sep 3, 2025
Everything You Need to Know About Flu Shots This Fall
NYT It’s that time of year again. School is starting, the days are getting shorter and the familiar “flu shots available” signs are appearing outside pharmacies. Each year, the flu kills tens of thousands of people in the United States, on average, and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized. How can you protect yourself this season? Here’s what […]
Sep 3, 2025
A common nasal spray may block Covid infection, trial results indicate
NBC The over-the-counter antihistamine azelastine works against a range of respiratory infections, including the flu and RSV, according to German researchers. An over-the-counter nasal spray which has been used for years as a safe and effective treatment for seasonal allergies could potentially prevent Covid infections, according to clinical trial results released Tuesday. The antihistamine azelastine works […]
Sep 3, 2025
Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern US
Seattle Times It’s one of the most insidious diseases you’ve never heard of, but Chagas is here in California and 29 other states across the U.S. It kills more people in Latin America than malaria each year, and researchers think roughly 300,000 people in the U.S. currently have it but are unaware. That’s because the illness tends […]
Sep 3, 2025