Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Kent meningitis outbreak: the latest on the bacterial strain at its centre
The Conversation A meningitis outbreak in Kent has been caused by a strain of bacteria that appears to be genetically distinct from anything scientists have seen before. Health officials are working urgently to understand what that means. As of March 23, 23 young people have been confirmed as cases or considered probable cases of invasive meningococcal […]
Mar 25, 2026
UK Meningitis Outbreak May Worsen, Health Security Agency Warns
Bloomberg The UK meningitis outbreak may worsen in coming weeks and months, with further contamination unrelated to the southeastern county of Kent where it first emerged. There is a risk that the epidemic will move from level 1, in which there is one known case cluster and a small number of cases elsewhere derive from […]
Mar 25, 2026
COVID-19’s Stalling Effect on Children’s Executive Function
Neuroscience.com By tracking over 3,100 children in Massachusetts from 2018 to 2023, researchers found that post-pandemic EF growth rates fell below developmentally typical norms across all socioeconomic groups. This “cognitive stalling” helps explain the widespread academic and behavioral challenges observed in classrooms since the pandemic’s onset, suggesting that children now require systemic support to regain […]
Mar 25, 2026
Uncovering the evolutionary limits of the COVID-19 virus
Oxford University Press A new paper in Genome Biology and Evolution, indicates that while the COVID-19 virus has developed rapidly since 2019, it has done so within limited genetic channels. These genetic limits have remained unchanged. Despite scientists’ earlier fears about dramatic, rapid evolution of the COVID-19 virus, it appears recent changes in the virus were relatively […]
Mar 25, 2026
Phase III TB vaccines and MDR-TB treatments
Clinical Trials Arena GlobalData epidemiologists project TB cases across the 16 major markets to reach 4.5 million by 2033. It has been several years since a new tuberculosis (TB) drug advanced into Phase III trials, but momentum in the field is now picking up, with a vaccine and two novel treatments progressing through late-stage studies. […]
Mar 25, 2026
Yep, a mom’s COVID shot during pregnancy protects her baby, a large study finds
NPR Babies under 6 months old still have one of the highest rates of hospitalization from COVID-19 infections compared to other age groups, but no COVID vaccine is available for these infants. That’s one reason the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, recommends COVID vaccination during pregnancy. “There are a number of studies […]
Mar 25, 2026
TB: After Hopes Of Eradication, The World’s Deadliest Infection Is Creeping Back In The US With A Vengeance
IFL Science Cases have been slowly rising in the US, the UK, and much of the world since 2021. The world’s top infectious killer, tuberculosis (TB), has plagued humans for thousands of years, and it isn’t going anywhere just yet. Since being scientifically identified in 1882, the disease has killed over 1 billion people – […]
Mar 25, 2026
San Francisco: Mutated viral variant found in US for first time in traveler
SFGate A mutated strain of the COVID-19 virus, first detected in the U.S. in a traveler to SFO, is increasingly appearing across the country. A March 19 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detailed the rise of the COVID-19 BA.3.2 variant. This mutated version of the COVID-19 virus contains genetic changes on a key protein […]
Mar 25, 2026
5 things you need to know about meningitis
Washington Post Two people died in an outbreak of bacterial meningitis in England. The infection, which is rare, requires prompt medical treatment to avoid severe complications. Two young adults, an 18-year-old and 21-year-old, recently died, and 18 others were hospitalized, in an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, England. People in their teens and early 20s are considered […]
Mar 25, 2026
Cancer drug protein target may also help fight influenza
Medical Express A protein already targeted by FDA-approved cancer drugs may also help the body fight influenza, according to new research from The Jackson Laboratory (JAX). Published in Cell Reports, the study found that Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1), a protein best known for helping tumors evade immune attack, instead helped immunocompromised mice clear flu-infected lung cells […]
Mar 18, 2026