Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Understanding endemic Rift Valley Fever (RVF) transmission in distinct African regions
Wellcome.org This research investigates the endemic dynamics of Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) in East (Kenya), West (Senegal), and Southern Africa (South Africa), challenging the view of RVFV as an epidemic disease. We propose that RVF exists along a spectrum from epidemic to endemic transmission, influenced by landscape ecology, climate, and socioeconomic factors. The project […]
Mar 18, 2026
Unvaccinated 17-year-old dies of measles, Health Ministry says
Times of Israel The Health Ministry reports that an unvaccinated 17-year-old boy died of measles last night. The boy suffered from underlying conditions. When hospitalized two and a half weeks ago, he was diagnosed with measles. This is Israel’s 17th death from measles since the current outbreak began last May. Of the other 16 deaths, […]
Mar 18, 2026
Why we don’t talk about COVID anymore
Axios Six years ago this week, COVID-19 dominated daily life. Schools closed, headlines tracked cases, and Ohio reported its first deaths and postponed a primary election. Why it matters: Today, the pandemic that killed over 1 million Americans and reshaped society has largely faded from public conversation. Driving the news: Associate professor Marian Moser Jones and other researchers have interviewed over […]
Mar 18, 2026
More serious mpox strain detected in NYC for first time
CBS News The first case of mpox clade I has been detected in New York City, health officials said Friday. Of the two types of mpox, clade I is known to cause more severe disease and death. It’s the 12th clade I mpox diagnosis in the U.S. The city’s Health Department said the person who tested […]
Mar 18, 2026
The first known case of a severe strain of the mpox virus detected in NYC
Dr. Sharon Nachman, Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, explains the risks and differences from prior mpox outbreaks.
Mar 18, 2026
UK industry welcomes new turkey vaccine trial in bird flu battle
Poultry World In a landmark move for the UK poultry sector, a new field trial to test highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) vaccines in turkeys has begun in England. The launch at the beginning of March marks what many in the industry say is a pivotal moment in the long-running battle against a disease that […]
Mar 18, 2026
COVID probably killed 150,000 more people in its first two years than official U.S. tolls show
Scientific American We have severely undercounted the number of COVID deaths, scientists say. COVID may have killed significantly more people in the U.S. in the first two years of the pandemic than official records indicate, with as many as one overlooked death for every five recorded ones. That brings the total to nearly one million deaths just in 2020 and […]
Mar 18, 2026
30 Countries At-Risk For Poliovirus Transmission
Vax Before Travel The international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in 2026. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated that the international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) following the forty-fourth meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005. […]
Mar 18, 2026
What is behind the UK’s meningitis outbreak and how serious is it?
The Guardian Cases of MenB linked to Canterbury nightclub have risen to 20, with two deaths, as experts warn of ‘explosive’ outbreak. Meningitis infections in a county in the south-east of England continue to increase, with five new cases confirmed on Wednesday in what experts have said is one of the fastest-growing outbreaks of the […]
Mar 18, 2026
Using mosquitoes to vaccinate bats could curb the spread of deadly diseases
Nature But scientists say there are practical and ethical challenges to overcome before the strategy could be deployed in real-world settings. Mosquitoes that have been designed to carry vaccines in their saliva were used to inoculate bats against the rabies and Nipah viruses1. Scientists are investigating whether this technique could stop such viruses from ‘spilling […]
Mar 11, 2026