Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Avian influenza hits California turkey farm
WATT Poultry In the latest flock infection, 22,200 meat turkeys are affected. The latest case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States involved a commercial meat turkey flock in California. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that on February 3, the presence of HPAI was […]
Feb 5, 2025
CDFA Public Notice Regarding H5N9 Strain of Avian Influenza
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) H5N9 Strain Detected for the First Time in California, A Different Strain than H5N1 A commercial duck flock in Merced County, confirmed to have H5N1 bird flu on December 14, 2024, received secondary testing and the final report on January 13, 2025 confirmed the presence of […]
Feb 5, 2025
Africa CDC Strengthens Support to Ebola Response in the Democratic Republic of Congo
African Union The African Union Commission, through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), is reinforcing its support to the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of Africa, following the declaration of the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Immediately after the declaration by WHO on […]
Feb 4, 2025
Push to curb Tanzania’s Marburg outbreak
Nature Treatment centres, mobile laboratories to support national response teams. An effort to curb Tanzania’s second outbreak of Marburg virus disease in almost two years includes enhanced case detection, treatment centres, and a mobile laboratory in the northwestern Kagera region. The virus that causes Marburg, which is similar to Ebola, is highly virulent, with a […]
Feb 4, 2025
Evolving Epidemiology of Mpox in Africa in 2024
NEJM For decades after the identification of mpox in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970, the disease was largely confined to the rural areas of Central and West Africa and thus did not garner broad attention. On August 13, 2024, mpox was declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) […]
Feb 4, 2025
The U.S. Is Having Its Mildest Covid Winter Yet
NYT But there have been plenty of other illnesses to go around. This winter’s Covid wave in the United States has been the gentlest to date, in a welcome reprieve. According to wastewater data aggregated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not only was there less Covid circulating over the holidays than in previous years, […]
Feb 4, 2025
Hundreds of ducks found sick or dead along Lake Michigan as outbreak of H5N1 bird flu hits Chicago area
WGN9 Hundreds of ducks infected with avian influenza — H5N1 bird flu — have been found along the shores of Lake Michigan in the Chicago area, prompting warnings from area health officials. The Chicago Bird Collision Monitors (CBCM), a volunteer conservation project dedicated to the protection of migratory birds, said in a post on its Facebook page Sunday that […]
Feb 4, 2025
Tuberculosis cases on the rise in NC after more than 30 years of decline
WRAL North Carolina faces an alarming resurgence of tuberculosis (TB) cases after enjoying over three decades of declining numbers. Health officials are urgently investigating the causes behind this spike. Continue reading
Feb 4, 2025
Kansas tuberculosis outbreak reminds us of long battle for public health — and importance of trust
Kansas Reflector “Don’t spit on sidewalk.” That’s some of the best advice ever, and I first read it on a paving brick in my hometown of Baxter Springs. I have since found the message repeated on sidewalks across Kansas, as the bricks were produced by the thousands. Artifacts of an early 20th century public health […]
Feb 4, 2025
Tuberculosis Outbreak, Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Strain and Polar Bear Hair
Scientific American Rachel Feltman: Happy Monday, listeners! For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman. Hope your February is off to a great start. Let’s kick off the week by catching up on all the science news you might have missed. First, a quick note on some presidential moves that might impact health and science. Robert F. Kennedy […]
Feb 4, 2025