Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Jeremy Farrar leaves top job at Wellcome Trust to become chief scientist at WHO
(Science) Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, one of the largest nongovernmental science funders, will step down early next year to become the chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO). He will replace Soumya Swaminathan, the first person to hold the post. Swaminathan, a pediatrician, announced last month that she would be leaving to focus […]
Dec 13, 2022
Scientists’ understanding of long covid is improving
(Economist) PODCAST Our podcast on science and technology. This week, we examine the latest research into what may be causing long covid, and ask whether the hunt for answers could shed light on other chronic conditions. SOON AFTER the pandemic began, another health crisis started to emerge. Long covid now affects millions of people around the world. […]
Dec 13, 2022
Suffering Endures on the Other Side of the Mpox Curve
(MedPageToday) OPINION At the height of the outbreak, many of the patients we saw with mpox at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue — the city’s main public hospital where I lead our group of infectious disease physicians — came from similar backgrounds. They were undocumented, gig economy workers who were uninsured or underinsured, non-English speaking, with […]
Dec 13, 2022
It’s Time to Wear a Mask Again, Health Experts Say
(NYT) A high-quality, well-fitting mask is your best protection against infection from the coronavirus, influenza and R.S.V. Masks are back, and, this time, they’re not just for Covid-19. A “tripledemic” of the coronavirus, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, known as R.S.V., sweeping through the United States has prompted several cities and counties, including New York City and Los […]
Dec 13, 2022
(STAT) A clinical trial of vaccines targeting the Ebola Sudan virus is starting this week in Uganda, with first doses going into arms potentially on Tuesday. Already, though, this effort has taught the World Health Organization and partners two important lessons. They’ve learned they can get clinical trials to test countermeasures for rare but dangerous […]
Dec 13, 2022
China’s Rapid Covid Reversal Sparks Whiplash as Cases Surge
(Bloomberg) Covid is rapidly spreading through Chinese households and offices after the country’s pandemic rules were unexpectedly unwound last week, sparking confusion on the ground as ill-prepared hospitals struggle to deal with a surge in cases.
Dec 12, 2022
Omicron subvariants that more easily dodge immunity are causing more than 70% of U.S. infections
(CNBC) The BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 Covid subvariants are now responsible for 68% of new cases, while the XBB subvariant is causing 4.7% of new infections. Covid infections and hospitalizations are rising after Thanksgiving, with Christmas and the New Year holidays still around the corner. These subvariants are resistant to key antibody treatments, and studies indicate […]
Dec 12, 2022
The childhood diseases making a post-lockdown comeback
(BBC) RSV, Strep A, the flu: a range of familiar bugs are worrying doctors and parents with strange new patterns. What’s behind the outbreaks? As child after child gasping for air was admitted to the hospital, Rabia Agha gritted her teeth. In her role as director of the paediatric infectious diseases division at Maimonides Children’s […]
Dec 12, 2022
Authorities are urging indoor masking in major cities as the ‘tripledemic’ rages
(NPR) Public health officials are revisiting the topic of indoor masking, as three highly contagious respiratory viruses take hold during the holiday season. Over the past few weeks, a surge in cases of COVID, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus — known as RSV — has been sickening millions of Americans, overwhelming emergency rooms and […]
Dec 12, 2022
How to Help Prevent Flu and RSV? You Might Not Like the Answer.
(WSJ) As respiratory viruses surge across the country, a number of public-health officials and doctors are encouraging masking to protect against flu and RSV, in addition to Covid-19. Whether masks are enough—and whether people are willing to wear them after the country has largely moved on from pandemic precautions—is another matter.
Dec 9, 2022