Category: Featured
Was It Really a Hot Zone Summer?
NY Times From Covid to dengue, viral outbreaks seemed to be popping up all over. But maybe Americans are just more attuned to threats now. Bird flu. Mpox, formerly monkeypox. Eastern equine encephalitis. West Nile. Listeria. Dengue. Oropouche. And, of course, Covid. Have the past few months felt like an unending parade of infectious disease? […]
Sep 25, 2024
40 million deaths by 2050: toll of drug-resistant infections to rise by 70%
Nature By 2050, around 2 million people — the majority aged over 70 — could die from drug-resistant infections each year. More than 39 million people will die from antibiotic-resistant infections between now and 2050, according to an in-depth global analysis of antimicrobial resistance. The report, published on 16 September in The Lancet1, found that between […]
Sep 18, 2024
Late-Summer Travel Plans? You Might Want to Put On a Mask.
New York Times With U.S. Covid-19 cases at very high levels and new vaccines still several weeks away, we asked experts for their advice on when and where to wear a mask. It is the height of the summer travel season: Airplanes and cruises are packed, hotels are booked, and travelers are crowding theme parks […]
Aug 14, 2024
UN health agency convening experts meeting to decide if mpox outbreak in Africa is global emergency
Washington Post The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday he will convene an expert group to determine if the increasing spread of the mpox virus in Africa warrants being declared a global emergency. At a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that given the increasing spread of mpox cases […]
Aug 7, 2024
These Pathogens Could Spark the Next Pandemic, Scientists Warn
Scientific American Scientists have identified more than 30 different pathogens that they fear could cause the next big pandemic in humans. The number of pathogens that could trigger the next pandemic has grown to more than 30, and now includes influenza A virus, dengue virus and monkeypox virus, according to an updated list published by the […]
Aug 6, 2024
US to spend $10 million to curb bird flu in farm workers, including vaccine push
Reuters The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday it plans to spend $10 million to curb farm worker bird flu infections, including $5 million for seasonal flu vaccines, as part of its efforts to avoid further spread and mutation of the virus. The ongoing outbreak of bird flu has infected poultry flocks in […]
Jul 31, 2024
Bird flu that infected 6 Colorado poultry workers is closely related to the virus in cows
Public health experts are closely watching Colorado after five workers at an H5N1-infected egg farm tested positive. The virus infecting these workers is related to a strain found in cattle.
Jul 23, 2024
Daily Mail A never-before-seen fungus that can infect humans has been detected in China. Two men, in their 60s and 80s, have already died while infected with the pathogen, called R. fluvialis, though it’s unclear if the fungus contributed to their deaths. Researchers at Nanjing Medical Center who made the discovery fear others may also have contracted […]
Jul 23, 2024
Six Colorado workers contracted bird flu, the most human cases in a state
Washington Post Excessive heat made it hard for poultry workers to wear goggles and masks while culling chickens on a farm with an H5N1 outbreak. Bird flu has infected six farmworkers in Colorado this month — the most in any state — as health officials stressed the importance of preparedness to contain the H5N1 virus spreading in […]
Jul 17, 2024
More human avian flu cases have been confirmed in Colorado
Colorado News Four cases of avian flu have been confirmed in poultry workers at a farm in northeast Colorado, with an additional presumed case pending confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment described the facility as a commercial egg layer operation. According to a recent release by the […]
Jul 16, 2024