Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Clothing—not agriculture—helped spread a tick disease 5000 years ago
Science New study of a pathogen’s Bronze Age spread challenges longstanding links between disease and early agriculture. A now-obscure cousin of Lyme disease called recurring fever was a scourge of early civilization. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia recurrentis, it results in crippling headaches and repeated bouts of high fever; if left untreated, it damages organs and […]
Jun 11, 2025
A rare tick-borne disease has started spreading into Virginia
WHRO The illness is caused by a parasite, which makes it different from many well-known tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme. A rare disease spread by ticks has slowly established a foothold in Virginia. Babesiosis, a parasitic infection similar to malaria, was traditionally limited to the U.S. Northeast and Midwest. But over the past decade, officials […]
Jun 11, 2025
Bird flu detected at 4th commercial farm in Maricopa County
AZ Central Chickens at a fourth commercial farm in Maricopa County tested positive for bird flu, the Arizona Department of Agriculture said. The virus was detected through “routine surveillance sampling” on June 4 at a facility named “Maricopa 05” before any birds had exhibited obvious symptoms. Samples were sent to the Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Lab […]
Jun 11, 2025
A huge outbreak has made Ontario the measles centre of the western hemisphere
Guardian Outside the emergency room of the St Thomas Elgin general hospital, about 200km (125 miles) south-west of Toronto, a large sign with bright yellow block letters issues an urgent warning: “NO MEASLES VAX & FEVER COUGH RASH – STOP – DO NOT ENTER!” To see such an imperative in the 21st century might have […]
Jun 11, 2025
Ghana confirms 34 new Mpox cases, total rises to 79
Africa News Ghana has reported 34 new cases of Mpox, raising the total number of confirmed infections to 79. Four patients are currently hospitalised, and contact tracing is ongoing. The Ghana Health Service says more than ten regions have been affected, prompting nationwide surveillance. Authorities are urging the public to seek medical attention if they […]
Jun 11, 2025
Sierra Leone Is Battling an Mpox Outbreak. What Happens Next Affects Us All
Time Magazine A dangerous mpox outbreak is unfolding in Sierra Leone. In just the first week of May, cases rose by 61%, and suspected cases surged by 71%. Roughly half of all confirmed mpox cases in Africa now come from this small West African nation. The virus is moving widely, across geographies, genders, and age […]
Jun 11, 2025
Why Are So Many Children Getting Long COVID?
Newsweek It’s been more than five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, although millions of Americans, including children, are still affected by it today. More than one million Americans died due to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while many were floored by the infection for weeks or […]
Jun 11, 2025
As measles spreads across the Americas, outbreaks in Mexico and Canada have also turned deadly
CNN As measles cases in the United States continue to mount, neighboring countries Canada and Mexico are also experiencing significant outbreaks – all of which have been linked to at least one death. On Thursday, the chief medical officer of health of the Canadian province Ontario announced that an infant who was born prematurely with […]
Jun 11, 2025
Mpox is still a health emergency, WHO says
Reuters The mpox outbreak is still a public health emergency, the World Health Organization said on Monday, with the health body’s director-general issuing a revised set of temporary recommendations. The WHO first declared the emergency in August last year, when an outbreak of a new form of mpox spread from the badly-hit Democratic Republic of […]
Jun 11, 2025
2 new measles cases announced in Colorado: Exposure locations, current number of cases
Denver News Two new measles cases have been announced in Colorado, this time in El Paso and Arapahoe counties. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in the El Paso County case, a child under the age of 5 years old has a confirmed case of measles after traveling with family to Ontario, Canada, where […]
Jun 11, 2025