Category: Featured Headlines
Two clusters of unknown illness cases kill 50 in Democratic Republic of Congo
NBC News “The outbreaks, which have seen cases rise rapidly within days, pose a significant public health threat. The exact cause remains unknown,” a World Health Organization spokesperson said. More than 50 people have died in recent weeks in two clusters of illness cases with the unknown cause being investigated in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization […]
Feb 26, 2025
Soil bacteria outbreak kills 14 in Australian flood-hit state
Medical Xpress Melioidosis, a rare antibiotic-resistant disease caused by bacteria found in soil or mud, often surfaces in tropical areas after heavy rain or flooding. While cases have occurred in Queensland in previous years, the state’s Tropical Public Health Services director Jacqueline Murdoch said 2025 “absolutely is a record-breaking year.” “Certainly we haven’t seen anything like this,” […]
Feb 26, 2025
An unvaccinated child has died in the Texas measles outbreak
AP A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015. The death was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated” and had been hospitalized last week, the Texas Department of State […]
Feb 26, 2025
‘Unknown disease’ that can kill within days leaves 53 dead in Congo
Washington Post World Health Organization officials said the outbreak appeared to originate from a village where three children died after reportedly eating a bat carcass. An unknown illness has killed 53 people in a northwestern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a significant portion of deaths taking place within 48 hours of the […]
Feb 25, 2025
Uganda New Ebola Outbreak ‘Contained’: Minister
AL 24 News The recent outbreak of Ebola in Uganda has been deemed “contained,” according to the Minister of Health. This statement follows the announcement that eight patients who contracted the often deadly hemorrhagic fever have fully recovered. “Currently, the spread of Ebola is under control thanks to the robust measures implemented by the government […]
Feb 19, 2025
The Next Pandemic May Come From Bats
Reuters Humanity is ramping up the risk of global health disasters by intruding deep into the world’s bat habitats, breeding grounds for deadly viruses. In this five-part series, Reuters pinpoints the places where the next outbreaks are likeliest. PART ONE: WEST AFRICA The world’s bat lands are under attack, seeding risk of a new pandemic. […]
Feb 18, 2025
USDA accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is now trying to rehire them
NBC The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday that, over the weekend, it accidentally fired “several” agency employees who are working on the federal government’s response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak. “Although several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and […]
Feb 18, 2025
CBS News For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, more people in the U.S. died of influenza than from COVID-19 in the week ending on Jan. 25, according to weekly figures published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the week ending on Jan. 25, nearly 1.7% of all deaths […]
Feb 18, 2025
As egg prices soar, Trump administration plans new strategy to fight bird flu
MSN With egg prices soaring, the Trump administration is planning a new strategy for fighting bird flu that stresses vaccinations and tighter biosecurity instead of killing off millions of chickens when the disease strikes a flock. The federal government will seek “better ways, with biosecurity and medication and so on” rather than the current standard practice of […]
Feb 18, 2025
How a bird flu pandemic could emerge
CBS News Video The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued conditional approval for a bird flu vaccine for use in chickens. There have been at least 68 confirmed cases of bird flu among humans since 2024, according to the CDC. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Céline Gounder joins to discuss the state of the virus […]
Feb 18, 2025