Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Is the New Mpox ‘Outbreak’ Deadlier?
Medpage Today Three factors could explain the higher case fatality rate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An outbreak* of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) has been detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the case fatality rate — the percent of detected cases that are fatal […]
Nov 28, 2023
Bird flu kills hundreds of flamingos in Argentina
BBC An outbreak of bird flu has killed 220 flamingos in north-western Argentina, officials have confirmed. The dead birds are of the James’s flamingo species (Phoenicoparrus jamesi), which lives at high altitudes in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The H5N1 strain of the avian flu virus currently spreading through South America can infect an entire […]
Nov 28, 2023
Inside one of the world’s deadliest forests – and the bushmeat hunters risking contagion
Telegraph Ebola, Marburg and never-before-seen infections are spilling over into Guinea’s hunter communities. Scientists fear biological catastrophe. The village of Bouolazou, nestled away in the sprawling bush of southern Guinea, cannot be reached by car. Only motorbikes with deep-grooved tyres can make the journey, navigating an estuary of narrow tracks that wind over rocky hills […]
Nov 22, 2023
Maryland: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in Caroline County
Maryland.gov State laboratory testing has detected a case of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) in Caroline County. Following increased mortality of a broiler operation and investigation by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, it has been preliminarily confirmed that poultry from the affected farm has tested positive for HPAI. State officials have quarantined all affected premises, and birds on the […]
Nov 21, 2023
The Impacts of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza on North American Wildlife
Express Healthcare Management New research has shed light on the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus, specifically the Eurasian lineage H5 clade 2.3.4.4b, in various species of wild terrestrial mammals in the United States. This groundbreaking finding, published in the U.S. CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases Volume 29, reveals that North American wildlife […]
Nov 21, 2023
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) from Wild Birds, Poultry, and Mammals, Peru
CDC We identified highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus clade 2.3.4.4b in wild birds, poultry, and a lion in Peru during November 2022–February 2023 and markers associated with transmission adaptation and antiviral drug resistance. Continuous genomic surveillance is needed to inform public health measures and avoid mass animal deaths. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 […]
Nov 15, 2023
What to Know About the Flu Virus
NYT What’s the difference between influenza A and influenza B, and does it matter which you catch? Each fall, the flu emerges as a formidable force, spreading through the droplets produced when people cough, sneeze or talk, and sometimes hitching a ride to our noses by way of the infected surfaces that we touch. Influenza […]
Nov 15, 2023
Two New RSV Products to Protect Infants
Johns Hopkins A new vaccine for pregnant people and an antibody treatment for babies could substantially lower the rates of severe RSV infections among children, but rollout has been slow ahead of the first RSV season the products are available. Virtually all children get an RSV infection by the time they are 2 years old. […]
Nov 14, 2023
Tuberculosis exposure at daycare prompts ‘urgent’ testing for 500 children
Washington Post Tuberculosis testing for hundreds of children in Omaha began Saturday, after a large group of infants, toddlers and children was potentially exposed to infection through a drop-in day-care program. More than 500 children need to be tested within the next week, local health officials said, and younger ones will be given preventive drugs. […]
Nov 14, 2023
Long COVID Immune Profiles Appear Largely Normal
MedPageToday Brain inflammation may not be a cause of long COVID cognitive problems. Spinal fluid immune profiles were largely normal in people with neurologic long COVID symptoms in a case-control study, suggesting brain inflammation was not a cause of long COVID cognitive symptoms. In 37 people with post-COVID neuropsychiatric conditions — most commonly, brain fog […]
Nov 14, 2023
