Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Bird Flu Claims Nearly 1,000 Seals and Sea Lions in Southern Brazil
Richmond.com Video at the link – In southern Brazil, an alarming avian influenza outbreak has claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 seals and sea lions, marking the first occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the country. The southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, has reported an unprecedented 942 sea mammal deaths due to […]
Dec 12, 2023
Bird flu kills thousands of Common Cranes in Hungary
Bird Guides Bird flu has ripped through Hungary’s important population of migratory Common Cranes this autumn, killing tens of thousands of birds. The deadly virus was first noted in the country in early November, in the counties of Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. It wasn’t long before it was evident at the world-famous birding destination of the Hortobágy NP – which […]
Dec 12, 2023
What Does A Faint Line On A COVID-19 Rapid Test Mean? Here’s What Experts Say
Women’s Health Nothing puts a damper on your holiday plans like a positive COVID-19 test, am I right? But what if that line is, like, super faint? Do you still have COVID—or can you go ahead and attend your office party like you planned? Well, unfortunately, infectious disease experts stress that a faint line is definitely worth paying […]
Dec 12, 2023
We’re Living the Reality of the Pandemic’s Simplest Math
The Atlantic Sick season will be worse from now on. Last fall, when RSV and flu came roaring back from a prolonged and erratic hiatus, and COVID was still killing thousands of Americans each week, many of the United States’ leading infectious-disease experts offered the nation a glimmer of hope. The overwhelm, they predicted, was probably temporary—viruses making […]
Dec 5, 2023
True prevalence of long-COVID in a nationwide, population cohort study
Nature Long-COVID prevalence estimates vary widely and should take account of symptoms that would have occurred anyway. Here we determine the prevalence of symptoms attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection, taking account of background rates and confounding, in a nationwide population cohort study of 198,096 Scottish adults. 98,666 (49.8%) had symptomatic laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections and 99,430 (50.2%) […]
Dec 5, 2023
Anthony Fauci to testify before Congress about pandemic mandates, COVID-19 origins
USA Today Dr. Anthony Fauci, former chief White House medical advisor, will testify before Congress early next year on the origins of COVID-19 and other preventative steps officials took in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci’s testimony comes as the House’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus continues to investigate the pandemic. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, […]
Dec 5, 2023
Malaria: Big city mosquitoes are a big problem — and now a big target
NPR Goats & Soda About a decade ago, a new kind of mosquito began showing up in African cities. Native to Asia, Anopheles stephensi prefers crowded urban environments over rural ones. That spelled trouble: These mosquitoes transmit malaria. It’s especially bad news for Africa where more than 93% of the world’s quarter-billion malaria cases were identified last year. “The […]
Dec 5, 2023
Avian flu outbreaks hit more commercial farms in 7 states
CIDRAP The steady pace of highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks at commercial poultry farms and in backyard flocks continues, with the virus striking 11 more commercial farms across seven states, according to updates over the past few days from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Affected premises include two broiler […]
Dec 5, 2023
Belgium reports bird flu outbreak on farm near French border
Retuers Belgium has reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, on a poultry farm in the northwestern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Monday. The outbreak, which would be the first this season, was detected in Diksmuide, not far from France. It […]
Dec 5, 2023
Is It Too Late to Get a Flu Shot?
NYT Influenza season goes until spring, so getting the vaccine late can still give you some protection. In the United States, annual flu vaccine campaigns begin in early September, before temperatures start to cool down and the cycle of people catching and spreading virus commences. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that most people get […]
Dec 5, 2023