Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Flu vaccine appears to be a very good match to circulating strains, CDC says
(KSL Utah) This year’s flu shot appears to be “a very good match” to the circulating strains, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a news briefing Monday. However, she noted that flu vaccinations are lagging behind the pace of previous years. Through the end of October, CDC data shows that […]
Dec 9, 2022
Feeling forgetful after COVID? Study shows the virus can affect short-term memory
(The Conversation) Although it’s well known that COVID affects the respiratory system, it’s perhaps less well known that the virus can also affect cognitive function. Many people with COVID experience a phenomenon commonly called “brain fog”, which can include problems remembering, concentrating and performing daily tasks. Brain fog can also be a symptom of long COVID, […]
Dec 6, 2022
Where Did All the Monkeypox Go?
(MedPageToday) Testing, vaccination (Jynneos), treatment (tecovirimat, Tpoxx), community cooperation, and a mass targeted communications campaign that was particularly aimed towards LGBTQ+ communities slowed the virus such that the mpox epidemiology (epi) curve has returned to where it was in June. The Biden administration announced last week that mpox will no longer have health emergency status after January.
Dec 6, 2022
Why the Now-Dominant BQ COVID Strains Are Cause for Concern
(MedPageToday) The latest circulating COVID-19 variants have shown greater immune escape, which will likely lead to increasing cases over the coming months, experts said. New Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 together now make up more than half of all COVID cases in the U.S. (30.9% and 31.9%, respectively), according to the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, representing […]
Dec 6, 2022
CDC Sounds the Alarm on Rising Flu Hospitalizations
(MedPageToday)Influenza hospitalizations this early in the season are higher than they have been in a decade, according to the CDC, with 14 pediatric deaths reported so far. “Since October 1, there have already been at least 8.7 million illnesses, 78,000 hospitalizations, and 4,500 deaths from flu,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, on a […]
Dec 6, 2022
Models predict massive wave of disease and death if China lifts ‘zero COVID’ policy
(Science) Surprised and stung by protests against draconian “zero-COVID” policies, Chinese authorities are gingerly moving to ease the burden of lockdowns, quarantines, and constant testing. But 3 years into the pandemic, China shows no sign of planning a major course change. Mathematical models suggest why: The country is still ill-prepared for living with SARS-CoV-2. Easing […]
Dec 6, 2022
US flu activity soars; hospital cases nearly double
(CIDRAP) The early brisk flu season in the United States intensified last week, with hospitalizations almost doubling and most states in the red and purple high or very high zones, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest update. The United States and many countries in Europe are grappling with rising flu […]
Dec 5, 2022
Drop in COVID alertness could create deadly new variant, WHO says
(Reuters) Lapses in strategies to tackle COVID-19 this year continue to create the perfect conditions for a deadly new variant to emerge, as parts of China witness a rise in infections, the head of the World Health Organization said on Friday. The comments by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mark a change in tone just […]
Dec 5, 2022
11% of COVID-19 survivors have residual lung damage, study finds
(CIDRAP) A new study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reveals about an 11% incidence of residual lung damage—known as interstitial lung disease—after COVID-19 hospitalization. Interstitial lung disease is a broad category of lung damage and disease defined by fibrotic scarring. The damage is often irreversible. Link to Study
Dec 5, 2022
So You Say You Haven’t Had Covid. You’re Probably Mistaken, Study Finds
(KFF) Researchers tested 1,574 people from August 2021 to May 2022, and 44% of them said they had never had covid. But serologic testing found that 42% of them had antibodies that indicated a previous infection. Meanwhile, new research shows that SARS-CoV-2 can live on some groceries for days.
Dec 5, 2022