Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Sierra Leone Fights Mpox
Africa CDC Sierra Leone is the latest addition to the Incident Management Support Team (IMST) list of the most mpox-hit nations. Skyrocketing cases are triggering concern across Africa. Sierra Leone recorded its first case on January 10, 2025. Immediately after, Minister of Health Dr Austin Demby declared a Public Health Emergency, saying at the time […]
May 21, 2025
An Apocalypse of Toxic Fungi Could Threaten Millions of Lives Within 15 Years
Popular Mechanics A new study analyzing different climate scenarios discovered that toxic fungi will likely spread into new areas in the future, possibly threatening millions. Life-sustaining fungi that break down plant and animal matter could also be at risk of extinction in some of the warmest regions of the Earth—particularly on the African continent. It’s […]
May 21, 2025
Costa Rica: U.S. Family Infected With Airborne Fungal Disease After Touring Bat-Filled Caves
Gizmodo A family vacation to Costa Rica turned sour after 12 of 13 relatives developed symptoms of a fungal lung infection following an excursion through bat-filled caves. In season two of The Last of Us, the cordyceps fungus—spoiler alert—becomes airborne, meaning the fungal infection can spread not just through bites but also when humans inhale its […]
May 21, 2025
As Bird Flu Spreads, Vaccine Shows Promise for Protecting Cattle
Yale Environment 360 Since bird flu was first discovered in U.S. cattle last year, the virus has spread to more than 1,000 herds across the country. A new vaccine for cattle has performed well in early tests, raising hopes that it could protect livestock and help prevent an outbreak in humans. New research, which has not […]
May 21, 2025
World Crazy for Chicken Is Losing Its Biggest Supplier
Bloomberg The detection of bird flu in a single poultry farm in southern Brazil is reverberating around the world, cutting supplies to voracious consumers from China to Europe. Shipments to top destinations, which also include Mexico and South Korea, have been suspended as the world’s largest chicken exporter seeks to stop the deadly H5N1 strain […]
May 21, 2025
Person may have spread measles at Shakira’s New Jersey concert, health officials warn
USA Today A person who attended a Shakira concert at MetLife Stadium was infected with measles and may have spread the highly contagious virus at the event, New Jersey health officials said. The person, who lives out of state, attended the concert in East Rutherford on May 15 while infectious, according to a statement released by the New […]
May 21, 2025
Measles Updates: Texas Cases Pass 700 As Illness Reported In 30 States
Forbes Texas has reported over 700 measles cases since January, according to the latest numbers from the state’s health department, representing the bulk of measles cases that have been reported in the U.S. this year. There have been 1,024 confirmed cases of measles across 30 states so far this year, according to the latest update from the […]
May 21, 2025
In El Paso, measles is infecting more adults than children
Texas Tribune As soon as measles started spreading in West Texas, El Paso health officials began preparing schools and day care facilities for the day the virus would inevitably arrive. But now that it’s here, it’s not kids who are making up the brunt of the cases — it’s adults. Two-thirds of El Paso’s cases […]
May 21, 2025
Yellow Fever Resurgence Could Make COVID Look ‘Pale’ by Comparison
Science Alert Yellow fever is a dangerous mosquito-borne virus that, for hundreds of years, has caused sporadic, deadly outbreaks in the tropics of South America, Central America, and Africa. According to a new perspective from infectious disease specialists and the Yellow Fever Advisory Group, the chances of the virus going global have only increased with each passing decade. A recent resurgence in yellow fever […]
May 21, 2025
WHO declares polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea
BBC The World Health Organisation has declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea and called for an “immediate” vaccination campaign. Samples of the highly infectious virus were found in two healthy children during a routine screening in Lae, a coastal city in the country’s north east. Less than half of the country’s population are […]
May 21, 2025