Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
COVID-19 Immunity: Catching a Disease to Prevent a Disease?
(Infection Control Today) Catching COVID-19 to prevent a more severe case is not a good strategy, says Kevin Kavanagh, MD. I had to stop and read the Seattle Times news article “UW study: Catching COVID gives protection from its worst effects.” The title appears to advocate catching a dangerous virus so you will not have to worry […]
Feb 21, 2023
Unprecedented avian flu outbreak continues to wreak havoc in Canadian flocks and around the world
(Globe and Mail) An unprecedented avian flu outbreakthat has wreaked havoc on flocks around the world has forced the cull of millions of birds in Canada, with the federal government paying out tens of millions of dollars in compensation. There have been about 7.2 million domestic birds affected by H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu, […]
Feb 21, 2023
Case studies expose deadly risk of mpox to people with untreated HIV
(Science) Analysis of hundreds of mpox patients suggests it is “a different disease” in those with compromised immune systems In June 2022, a young man in his 30s severely sick with mpox, the viral disease formerly known as monkeypox, was admitted to the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Health Sciences and Nutrition hospital in Mexico […]
Feb 21, 2023
Seventh Ecuador layer flock hit by avian influenza
(Watt Poultry) Four new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Ecuador, including one commercial egg laying operation, are identified in a new report from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). In the hamlet of Zumbalica, a commercial layer flock had been experiencing high mortalities, with 9,050 hens in a flock of nearly 17,000 had […]
Feb 21, 2023
This week, Dr. Joseph Fauver, Assistant Professor at UNMC’s College of Public Health provides us with SARS-CoV-2 updates and informs us of the accelerated evolution of Covid-19 in free-ranging white tailed deer.
Feb 21, 2023
How scientists are protecting themselves from COVID-19
(The Age) I spent the past couple of days reporting on federal parliament’s long COVID inquiry. Amid the discussion of science and policy and just how we are going to care for all these sick people, one small detail caught my eye: a box sitting on the desk in front of Burnet Institute director Professor Brendan […]
Feb 21, 2023
Why a bird flu outbreak at a mink farm is reigniting public health concerns
(PBS Newshour) A recent bird flu outbreak at a mink farm in Spain has reignited worries about the virus spreading more broadly to people. Scientists have been keeping tabs on this bird flu virus since the 1950s, though it wasn’t deemed a threat to people until a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong among visitors to […]
Feb 19, 2023
An ICU Doctor on How This COVID Wave Is Different
(The Atlantic) It’s hard to tell from the data who’s still getting hospitalized with COVID. One frontline worker shares her observations. Last week, 3,171 COVID deaths were reported in the United States. In the past seven days, an average of 13 COVID deaths were reported each day in Los Angeles County, California, the country’s most populous county. […]
Feb 19, 2023
When Is a Pandemic No Longer a Pandemic?
(Bloomberg Prognosis) What makes a pandemic a pandemic? When will the Covid pandemic no longer be considered a pandemic? Does it get downgraded to epidemic at some point? JB, Fullerton, California Today’s Q&A is a lesson in the vocabulary of epidemiology, with some assistance from our regular expert on the subject, Katrine Wallace at University of Illinois at […]
Feb 19, 2023
What is Marburg virus and should we be worried?
(The Conversation) An epidemic outbreak of Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa, was confirmed this week, the first time the virus has occurred there. At least 16 cases have been detected, and nine deaths. There are no approved treatments for Marburg virus, which is closely related to Ebola virus, but vaccines are in development. Following an unprecedented […]
Feb 17, 2023