Author: Claudinne Miller
California: TB outbreak at private highschool
SF Chronicle The San Francisco Department of Public Health said Tuesday that it has identified three active cases of tuberculosis at Archbishop Riordan High School since November. Health officials did not disclose whether the three people were students, teachers, staff members or other members of the school community. The department and school leadership have implemented a coordinated […]
Jan 28, 2026
How A Mutation Made This Year’s Flu Season So Bad
Science Friday A rogue strain of flu, subclade K, has sickened more than 19 million people in the US so far this season. And the flu shot hasn’t offered that much protection. What’s going on with this superflustorm? Joining Host Flora Lichtman with some answers is Jennifer Duchon, a pediatric infectious disease specialist. Audio File
Jan 28, 2026
Scientists Inch Closer to Solving ‘Kissing Disease’ Mystery
Bloomberg Scientists have identified 22 genes that increase the risk of conditions like lupus, stroke, and rheumatoid arthritis in patients who’ve caught the virus behind mono, an illness known as the “kissing disease.” The research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, tried to unravel why some people who contract the Epstein-Barr virus go on to […]
Jan 28, 2026
6 European countries lose measles elimination status: What this means
Medical News Today The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the United Kingdom and other European countries have lost their measles elimination status. This status change comes after a rise in infections across the continent. “Outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases are threats to health security in Europe, alongside antimicrobial resistance and other emerging threats,” […]
Jan 28, 2026
UK loses measles elimination status
Guardian The UK has lost its status as a measles-free country after a rise in deaths from the disease and fall in the proportion of children having the MMR jab in recent years. The World Health Organization said it no longer classified Britain as having eliminated measles because the disease had become re-established. The UK is one of six […]
Jan 28, 2026
Defying CDC, Pediatricians Recommend All Kids Get Vaccinations Against 18 Diseases
WSJ The American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for hepatitis B, influenza and other shots buck changes made by Trump administration. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children be vaccinated against 18 diseases, more than the U.S. government directs after it overhauled its schedule. The doctors group, which released its recommendations Monday, kept its guidance largely unchanged […]
Jan 28, 2026
What to know about the deadly Nipah virus, amid outbreak in India
Washington Post Some airports in Asia are on alert after confirmed cases in West Bengal of Nipah virus, which has no cure. South Asia sees outbreaks nearly every year. Airports in Southeast Asia are on alert this week after the confirmation of an outbreak of Nipah virus, which has no known cure, in West Bengal, […]
Jan 28, 2026
ACIP Chair Questions Need for Polio Vaccine, and Draws Swift Rebuke
MedPageToday Moving away from routine vaccines “does not increase freedom — it increases suffering,” says AMA Medical societies and patient advocacy groups slammed recent remarks made by the chair of CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that included questioning whether all children should receive the polio vaccine. In a wide-ranging interview on the Jan. […]
Jan 28, 2026
What’s the prognosis for bird flu in 2026?
LA Times As 2024 came to an end, bird flu dominated headlines. The virus, technically known as avian influenza, was being detected in raw milk, dairy farms and even children, my colleagues Susanne Rust and Melissa Gomez reported. After federal officials confirmed the severe case of a Louisiana patient, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California and pushed […]
Jan 21, 2026
Bird Flu Viruses Raise Mounting Concerns Among Scientists
New York Times Researchers are not just worried about the virus popping up on American farms. Other types are causing trouble around the world. In the United States, the term bird flu has become synonymous with a particular virus that has devastated poultry and dairy farms over the past few years. But that virus, called […]
Jan 21, 2026