Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
U.S. facing largest outbreak of bird flu in its history, including backyard flocks in Kentucky
NPR The U.S. is facing the largest outbreak of bird flu in its history. As birds migrate this spring, the virus can spread along major flyways through droppings, contaminated water, or direct contact, infecting backyard flocks, pet birds, and commercial poultry. Anyone who raises birds should understand the risks and how to protect their poultry. Dr. Chelsey Shivley, is a […]
Apr 8, 2026
Studying How Bird Flu Spreads Through the Air
Respiratory Therapy University of Michigan researchers are leading a project to discover how the bird flu virus degrades in the air and how engineering solutions can mitigate its spread. The $2 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service aims to answer fundamental questions about how long the virus remains […]
Apr 8, 2026
Experts warn that communities underestimate measles’ danger
Scientific American It feels increasingly difficult to go a day without hearing about yet another outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease. In 2024 pertussis, also known as whooping cough, suddenly seemed to be everywhere. Last year the nation recorded the most measles cases since the illness was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, and of course […]
Apr 8, 2026
Emergency jabs after 100 children die of suspected measles in a month in Bangladesh
BBC Bangladesh is battling its worse measles outbreak in years, with more than 100 children dead amid a rise in unvaccinated infants. The government, in partnership with the United Nations, has begun conducting an emergency measles-rubella vaccination drive for children across the country, after more than 900 cases were confirmed since March. Measles is a […]
Apr 8, 2026
California: Flea-borne typhus surges across LA County with 90% of cases requiring hospitalization
ABC News Los Angeles County is experiencing a record number of flea-borne typhus cases, and nearly 90% of patients have had to be hospitalized. Typhus is a bacterial disease spread by infected fleas. Symptoms range from mild to potentially deadly. Health officials say it’s so widespread, you can be at risk whether you have a […]
Apr 8, 2026
The Hamptons Has a Bird Flu Problem
NYT This winter, hundreds of dead geese fell around Georgica Pond. No one knew how to dispose of the infected bodies, so a local landscaper just winged it. Georgica Pond is the brackish coastal pond in East Hampton, Long Island, around which sit the summer homes of the filmmaker Steven Spielberg and the hip-hop mogul […]
Apr 8, 2026
Johns Hopkins Team Develops Therapeutic, Nasally Delivered DNA Vaccine for Tuberculosis
Newswise In a paper published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a research team at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reports developing a therapeutic intranasal (nose-delivered) DNA vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) that fuses two genes with the goal of directing the immune system to fight drug-tolerant bacterial “persisters” […]
Apr 1, 2026
Travel alert issued for potentially fatal ‘breakbone fever’: What you need to know
AL.com The Centers for Disease Control has issued a travel alert about a “higher-than-usual” number of cases of a potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease. The CDC Level 1 notice mentions 16 countries with cases of dengue, also known as “breakbone fever.” The countries are Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Mail, Mauritania, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Cook Islands, […]
Apr 1, 2026
California: After ‘unprecedented’ health threat, Mammoth Lakes is still cautious
SF Gate There were 3 hantavirus-related deaths in 2025. This year, despite no more infections, officials are still taking it seriously. It’s been nearly a year since three people died in Mammoth Lakes due to hantavirus, and the popular ski region is still taking precautions seriously. Justin Caporusso, the Mono County public information officer, told SFGATE in […]
Apr 1, 2026
There’s a massive measles vaccine campaign in Mexico. Is the public on board?
NPRIn Mexico, a sweeping measles outbreak has triggered a sweeping response — a campaign to vaccinate 2.5 million people a week. In the capital, posters are plastered with QR codes for people to look up the nearest spot for vaccination. Nurses go door-to-door, and there are pop-up vaccine stations in bakeries, bus stations, cinemas, shopping […]
Apr 1, 2026