Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
There Are No Good Options Left With Bird Flu
The Atlantic reports a significant bird flu outbreak in the U.S. Six people on a Colorado chicken farm have tested positive for H5N1, highlighting the virus’s widespread impact on animals and potential pandemic risk.
Jul 23, 2024
Map Shows 17 States With ‘Very High’ Covid Rates
Newsweek Some 17 US states have detected “very high” levels of Covid in their wastewater, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A rise in levels of Covid found in wastewater can signal that more people are getting infected. Newsweek has analysed official figures to create a map illustrating the highest rates of Covid […]
Jul 23, 2024
Dengue fever is — unfortunately — having a banner year. Can it be quelled?
NPR In the Americas alone, almost 10.4 million suspected cases of dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, were reported to the World Health Organization in 2024 as of the first week of July, an increase of 232% compared with the same period the year before. Peru is a case in point. When torrential rains started to fall there […]
Jul 23, 2024
Daily Mail A never-before-seen fungus that can infect humans has been detected in China. Two men, in their 60s and 80s, have already died while infected with the pathogen, called R. fluvialis, though it’s unclear if the fungus contributed to their deaths. Researchers at Nanjing Medical Center who made the discovery fear others may also have contracted […]
Jul 23, 2024
Are Doctors Missing Cases of H5N1 Bird Flu in People Who Drink Raw Milk?
MedPageToday Raw milk from cows infected with the H5N1 bird flu has been shown to contain very high levels of the virus, making it quite risky for people to consume. With FDA data showing some 4.4% of Americans drank raw milk at least once a year, and 1% drank it once a week or more, millions of Americans may […]
Jul 23, 2024
WTOP The extreme heat that’s been making its way across the D.C. region in the last few weeks is causing many people to remain indoors, which one virus expert said is a factor facilitating the spread of respiratory viruses like COVID-19. Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said […]
Jul 17, 2024
Six Colorado workers contracted bird flu, the most human cases in a state
Washington Post Excessive heat made it hard for poultry workers to wear goggles and masks while culling chickens on a farm with an H5N1 outbreak. Bird flu has infected six farmworkers in Colorado this month — the most in any state — as health officials stressed the importance of preparedness to contain the H5N1 virus spreading in […]
Jul 17, 2024
How nations are preparing for a possible H5N1 bird flu pandemic
Nature Bird flu could become a human pandemic. How are countries preparing? As cases of avian influenza continue to rise in cattle in the United States, countries are preparing for the possibility that the virus could start spreading in people. Many nations are ramping up surveillance, as well as purchasing vaccines or developing new ones. […]
Jul 16, 2024
Measles breaks out at massive NYC migrant shelter
Fox At least two people staying at a sprawling migrant shelter in New York City have contracted measles and health officials in the Big Apple are working to stop the spread of the disease, according to reports. The outbreak took place at a migrant shelter on Hall Street in Clinton Hill, a huge taxpayer-run facility which opened […]
Jul 16, 2024
COVID Rates Are Rising Again. Why Does It Spread So Well in the Summer?
Scientific American A combination of human behavior and immunity, the environment, and SARS-CoV-2 itself explains why the virus surges during both hotter and colder months. It’s that time of year: a thick, oppressive heat blankets everything, people huddle inside air-conditioned homes, offices, shops and cafes for respite—and COVID is surging again. Levels of SARS-CoV-2, the […]
Jul 16, 2024