Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Tracking the U.S. bird flu outbreak has been hard. It’s about to get harder
STAT Health systems will likely struggle to differentiate the virus from flu-like illnesses If one can point to anything good about the H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle — to be honest, there’s nothing good about this situation — it’s the timing. Transmission of the virus through U.S. dairy herds took off when last winter’s […]
Oct 29, 2024
Deadly bat disease spreads across California, raising wildlife concerns
KRCR The fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome, a lethal disease that has decimated bat populations across North America, has been detected in several California counties. White-nose syndrome, caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is particularly deadly to hibernating bats such as the little brown myotis, Yuma myotis and cave myotis. The disease damages bats’ wing membranes […]
Oct 29, 2024
A human isolate of bovine H5N1 is transmissible and lethal in animal models
Nature The outbreak of clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of the H5N1 subtype (HPAI H5N1) in dairy cows in the US has so far resulted in spillover infections of at least thirteen farm workers1-3, who presented with mild respiratory symptoms or conjunctivitis, and one individual with no known animal exposure who was hospitalized […]
Oct 29, 2024
Lassa Fever Suspected in Death of U.S. Traveler Returning from West Africa
CDC The CDC and the Iowa Department of Health are investigating a suspected case of Lassa fever, which was diagnosed today in an Iowa resident who returned to the United States from West Africa early this month. The patient was not sick while traveling so the risk to fellow airline passengers is extremely low. The […]
Oct 29, 2024
Rwanda sees no new infections or deaths due to Marburg virus for nearly a week
EuroNews The country’s health minister cited the absence of new infections and deaths in the past six days. There is no “community transmission” in the Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda, the country’s health minister said on Sunday. All positive cases have come from the list of known contacts of people with the virus, health minister Sabin Nsanzimana […]
Oct 23, 2024
Bird flu infects four in Washington state; CDC deploys team
The Hill Bird flu has possibly infected four agricultural workers in Washington state, according to the Washington State Department of Health. In a press release Sunday, the Washington State Department of Health said the “workers tested presumptively positive for avian influenza after working with infected poultry at a commercial egg farm in Franklin County.” Franklin County is […]
Oct 23, 2024
Bird flu infects flock of 800,000 poultry in southeast Washington
Washington State Standard Bird flu has infected a commercial flock of about 800,000 fowl at an egg farm in southeast Washington, the state’s Department of Agriculture said this week. It’s the first detection in Washington this year of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial poultry operation and is one of about four dozen known […]
Oct 22, 2024
Main zoo in North Macedonian capital shut down after avian flu case detected
ABC News The main zoo in North Macedonia’s capital Skopje was closed Saturday after authorities confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu. According to a press statement, the flu was detected in a goose that died in a pond. “Laboratory results confirmed a case of the presence of a pathogenic strain […]
Oct 22, 2024
New Study Reveals Hidden COVID Proteins in Blood of Long Haulers
Sci Tech Daily A recent study indicates that long COVID sufferers with symptoms impacting multiple body systems might have persistent SARS-CoV-2 proteins in their blood, pointing to an ongoing viral infection that could be treated with antivirals. Persistent Viral Proteins in Long COVID Patients A study conducted by Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital revealed that individuals experiencing […]
Oct 22, 2024
Norway reports two mpox case of clade 2 variant
Reuters Two patients in Norway has been diagnosed with the mpox virus of the clade 2 variety, the Oslo municipality said on Tuesday. Clade 2 is a less severe form of mpox than the clade 1b strain that has recently caused global concerns. Authorities are currently investigating whether there is a connection between the two cases, […]
Oct 22, 2024