Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
How A Bird Flu Outbreak Wiped Out A Generation Of Seals In Patagonia—And What It Means For Wildlife Conservation – Analysis
Eurasia Review An unprecedented avian flu outbreak in Argentine Patagonia devastated a stable elephant seal colony, highlighting the rising threat of infectious disease to wildlife in a warming world. In the spring of 2023, we returned to Península Valdés, a rugged coastal region in Argentine Patagonia, expecting to witness the familiar sights and sounds of […]
Jan 7, 2026
Massachusetts officials announce detection of Avian Influenza
WJAR News The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources announced a highly pathogenic Avian Influenza was detected in a domestic flock of chickens. Officials said the agency safely depopulated and disposed of a backyard flock of chickens in Dukes County. According to officials, the birds exhibited signs consistent with Avian Influenza and tested positive for the […]
Jan 7, 2026
US Sees Highest Measles Case Count in Decades as Outbreaks Grow
Pulmonology Advisor The U.S. recorded more than 2,000 measles cases in 2025, the nation’s highest yearly total in decades, health officials report. As of Dec. 30, 2,065 measles cases had been confirmed nationwide, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The last time the United States saw more cases in a […]
Jan 7, 2026
4 child flu deaths reported in Massachusetts: “We are seeing children who are seriously ill”
CBS News Four children have died from the flu in Massachusetts so far this season, public health officials say. The deaths occurred in recent weeks as peak flu season gets underway, according to the Department of Public Health. The Boston Public Health Commission said Tuesday that two of the deaths were children in the city under 2 […]
Jan 7, 2026
Why flu seems to be everywhere — even if ‘super flu’ is not a thing
STAT News Subclade K is making its impact felt. Australia’s 2025 flu season lasted weeks longer than it normally does. Hong Kong’s hit so early that the rollout of seasonal flu shots hadn’t yet started. New York has reported record-breaking flu hospitalizations for the past two weeks. Welcome to the winter of subclade K. Even if you weren’t already aware of […]
Jan 7, 2026
Stanford scientists uncover why mRNA COVID vaccines can trigger heart inflammation
Science Daily Stanford scientists have uncovered how mRNA COVID-19 vaccines can very rarely trigger heart inflammation in young men — and how that risk might be reduced. They found that the vaccines can spark a two-step immune reaction that floods the body with inflammatory signals, drawing aggressive immune cells into the heart and causing temporary […]
Dec 30, 2025
COVID-19 Leaves Lasting Changes in the Brain, Even After Full Recovery
SciTech Daily COVID-19 is widely recognized for its impact on the lungs, but growing evidence shows that the virus can also cause lasting changes in the brain, even in people who have fully recovered. These findings point to potential long-term neurological consequences that extend beyond the acute phase of the illness. In a new study, […]
Dec 30, 2025
DNA Study Reveals Carrier of World’s Earliest-Known Plague
Science Alert A plague that swept through Eurasia for 2,000 years – millennia before the Black Death of the Middle Ages – has only ever been detected in human remains, until now. For decades, it has been unclear how the Bronze Age plague spread so widely, but now we know which animal was a likely carrier. A team […]
Dec 30, 2025
Flu is surging nationwide, and doctors say we’re nowhere near the peak
NBC News The new variant of Influenza A, or H3N2, has been given the nickname ‘super flu.’ The fast-spreading virus has caused hospitalizations to nearly double in a week, the CDC reported. Flu is surging across the U.S., sending thousands more people to the hospital and hitting young children especially hard, as doctors warn the season […]
Dec 30, 2025
Indian scientists predict how bird flu could spread to humans
BBC For years, scientists have warned that bird flu – better known as H5N1 – could one day make the dangerous leap from birds to humans and trigger a global health crisis. Avian flu – a type of influenza – is entrenched across South and South-East Asia and has occasionally infected humans since emerging in […]
Dec 30, 2025