Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
A Surprising Finding Leads to an RSV Vaccine Breakthrough
(Bloomberg) While the world is still focused on fighting Covid, another nasty respiratory virus is on the march. It’s called RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus, and it sends thousands of young children and elderly adults to the hospital every year. There isn’t yet a vaccine for RSV, but that could soon change. RSV shots from Pfizer and GSK have shown promising […]
Nov 18, 2022
(Preprint Server) A nationwide prospective study showed year-round RSV transmission in the Netherlands after an initial 2021 summer outbreak. The pattern was unprecedented and distinct from neighboring countries. Our dynamic simulation model suggests that this transmission pattern could be associated with waning immunity because of low RSV circulation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nov 18, 2022
What to know about RSV vaccine candidates and monoclonal antibodies
(The Hill) There are currently no vaccines for the surging virus and only one limited treatment option, but several products aiming to prevent severe disease are in development. RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus, is surging in number of cases and hospitalizations in young patients across the country. RSV can cause severe clinical problems in infants, particularly […]
Nov 18, 2022
As global COVID cases rise, multiple viruses stress health systems
(CIDRAP) Global COVID-19 cases showed a small rise last week, with infection increasing in three world regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its weekly update. In some countries in the Americas—one region where cases are rising—brisk flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity is also straining hospitals, prompting a warning today from the […]
Nov 17, 2022
(NBC News) The two coronavirus subvariants, BQ.1.1 and BQ.1, seem to be better at evading immune defenses and together make up 44% of new Covid cases. Two new omicron subvariants have overtaken BA.5 as the prevailing versions of the coronavirus in the U.S. BA.5 became dominant in July, then consistently accounted for the majority of new […]
Nov 17, 2022
Variant-specific symptoms of COVID-19 in a study of 1,542,510 adults in England
(Nature) Infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus is associated with a wide range of symptoms. The REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission −1 (REACT-1) study monitored the spread and clinical manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 among random samples of the population in England from 1 May 2020 to 31 March 2022. We show changing symptom profiles associated with the different variants […]
Nov 15, 2022
Omicron BA.2 tied to more symptoms and, rarely, brain swelling in kids
(CIDRAP) A UK study suggests that Omicron BA.2 is tied to more symptoms and greater disruption in daily activities than BA.1, and Taiwanese researchers describe fatal cerebral edema in six children hospitalized for BA.2. Imperial College London researchers tracked SARS-CoV-2 transmission and symptoms among 1,542,510 randomly selected English adults, including 17,448 COVID-19 patients, from May 1, 2020, […]
Nov 15, 2022
Jinja registers two more Ebola cases
(Monitor) Two more Ebola cases have been confirmed in Jinja District, according to the Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Mr Mohammed Kigongo. Mr Kigongo said the victims include the daughter of Dan Waiswa, who succumbed to Ebola last week, and her 18-month-old daughter, both residents of Kayalwe B village in Buyengo Town Council.
Nov 15, 2022
Soaring Infant Lung Illnesses Spur Race for Prevention
(Bloomberg) Doctors and parents are looking to new drugs and vaccines on the horizon to prevent a lung virus that’s been filling pediatric emergency rooms earlier than usual this season. Trial results this month from Pfizer Inc.’s maternal vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and a European regulatory win for Sanofi and AstraZeneca Plc’s antibody that prevents the disease for a […]
Nov 15, 2022
Two people, both over 65, die of RSV in NY State
(Local News) Health leaders said there have been more than 2,200 lab-confirmed RSV cases in the county, mostly babies and toddlers. The virus puts about 80,000 children in the hospital in the U.S. every year but it can also harm older people. “For three years, all these babies being born, none of them get infected […]
Nov 15, 2022