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University of Nebraska Medical Center

Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases

What Is the Oropouche Virus Found in US Travelers to Cuba?

VOA American health officials have identified a virus spread by insects in more than 20 people who visited Cuba. The virus is officially called Oropouche. It is also known as sloth fever. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said August 27 it had received reports of 21 cases in the United States. […]

Sep 3, 2024

What to know about the mosquito-borne virus circulating in the Northeast

Washington Post Eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, is a rare but serious disease that can cause brain inflammation. There is so far no vaccine against it for humans. One person has died and some communities are restricting activities as eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, circulates in the northeastern United States. The mosquito-borne disease is rare but serious, […]

Sep 3, 2024

How avian influenza has spread to Antarctic islands

Cosmos Discovery of how the deadly avian influenza virus spread to the Antarctic has raised concerns about how vulnerable the region will be during seabird breeding season. In October 2023, British researchers confirmed for the first time the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions. The strain detected in […]

Sep 3, 2024

Mpox is back: What to know and do

Harvard Ever heard of mpox? Wondering why it’s back in the news? Many of us first learned about mpox (formerly called monkeypox) in 2022, when the largest known outbreak spread to nearly 100,000 people in more than 100 countries. While mpox often circulates in central and western Africa, the 2022 outbreak quickly spread from the […]

Sep 3, 2024

Why has COVID been so much worse this summer? The health belief model has the answer

The Conversation If you think COVID-19 was suddenly in the news a lot over the summer, you’re probably right. Throughout August, outlets in both Canada and the United States ran headlines about high COVID levels, the summer surge of cases, timing of booster shots and reviving the use of face masks. As numerous athletes tested positive for COVID at the Olympics in Paris, […]

Sep 3, 2024

Avian Influenza A(H5N1) – Cambodia

WHO On 20 August 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified by the country’s International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) of a laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus (clade 2.3.2.1c) in a 15-year-old child in the Kingdom of Cambodia. This case is one of 10 human cases of […]

Sep 3, 2024

Iowa: Mpox detected at Fort Dodge Correctional Facility

KCRG The Iowa Department of Corrections says mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been detected at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. Mpox is an infectious viral disease that can spread between humans and animals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it spreads primarily through skin-to-skin contact. The Iowa DOC’s chief of staff sent […]

Sep 3, 2024

Measles cases are up and childhood vaccinations are down

NPR For about three weeks in 2000, there were zero measles cases in the United States. It was declared eradicated. Fast forward to 2024, and measles cases are surging, especially in Oregon where the state is facing the worst outbreak since the early 1990s. This is happening as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]

Sep 3, 2024

Mpox patients lack medicine, food, in east DR Congo hospital

Reuters Dozens of feverish patients lay on thin mattresses on the floor of a makeshift mpox isolation ward in east Democratic Republic of Congo, as overstretched hospital workers grappled with drug shortages and lack of space to accommodate the influx. Congo is the epicentre of an mpox outbreak that the World Health Organization declared to […]

Sep 3, 2024

Drought fueling spread of fungus that’s making people sick across California: Study

The HIll Climate changed-induced drought conditions have been driving the dispersal of a dangerous airborne fungus across California in recent years, a new study has found. Cases of the flu-like disease coccidioidomycosis — also known as “Valley fever” — have risen dramatically over the past two decades, tripling from 2014 to 2018 and again from […]

Sep 3, 2024