Category: Featured Headlines
Brazil Is Waging a War Against Rising Dengue Cases
Bloomberg Can a vaccine slow dengue in Brazil? Last year in Brazil, our health regulatory agency approved the Qdenga vaccine for dengue fever. The news excited me — dengue is a painful, common mosquito-borne illness that has no specific treatment and in severe cases can even be fatal. It’s found in tropical and subtropical climates like Brazil, where cases are […]
Feb 20, 2024
What To Know About Alaskapox After Officials Confirm First Death From Recently Discovered Virus
Forbes An elderly man has become the first person to die after contracting Alaskapox, health officials confirmed, urging doctors to stay alert for signs of the recently discovered virus that is closely related to other dangerous human pathogens like smallpox and mpox. The man, who was from Alaska’s remote Kenai Peninsula, is one of only seven […]
Feb 14, 2024
Oregon resident catches rare bubonic plague, likely from their cat
ABC News A pet owner has caught a rare case of the bubonic plague, health officials in central Oregon say, and it’s believed they may have caught it from their cat. The Deschutes County Health Services confirmed the case of the plague in a local resident last week. The resident was likely “infected by their symptomatic pet […]
Feb 13, 2024
Man Dies in First Known Fatal Case of Alaskapox
New York Times Alaska state health officials said that a man died last month of the virus, which occurs mostly in small mammals and causes lesions. There have been seven reported human cases since 2015. An Alaska man died last month of Alaskapox, a rare virus that occurs mostly in small mammals and can cause […]
Feb 13, 2024
The bubonic plague is still around in 2024. How is that possible?
Washington Post The bubonic plague wiped out tens of millions of people in Europe in the 14th century — gaining the grim label the Black Death. In 2024, a handful of cases arise each year in the United States and around the world — though the diseaseis far less common and far more treatable. Last week […]
Feb 13, 2024
Using Math to Poke and Prod at Our Models for Infectious Disease
Univ of Nevada oes limiting population movement during a pandemic really help to minimize the spread of disease? Ph.D. candidate Keoni Castellano is using math to tackle that question. His research under mentor Rachidi Salako, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, explores epidemic models through analysis using mathematical, statistical, and computational tools to study the spread […]
Feb 6, 2024
Influenza A outbreak puts Bogotá Military Academy under strict quarantine
The City Paper Bogata The Military Academy of Cadets General José María Córdova in Bogotá is grappling with a potentially dangerous outbreak of the AH3N2 influenza virus, resulting in the quarantine of cadets, officers and staff. The outbreak was confirmed after 18-year-old Cadet Cristopher Blanco Vásquez died from the influenza type A virus. The surge […]
Feb 6, 2024
Rio de Janeiro Declares Health Emergency After Massive Dengue Outbreak Just Before Carnival
Latin Post February means it is already Carnival season in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, the Carnival may get a bit complicated as a dengue outbreak is gripping the city. It got so bad that a state of emergency has been declared. Over 10,000 cases of dengue fever have been registered since the year began, sparking a […]
Feb 6, 2024
What is monkey fever, that has claimed 2 lives in Karnataka
IndianExpress A total of 31 cases of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, have been detected in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. Transmission to humans may occur after a tick bite or contact with an infected animal, most importantly a sick or recently dead monkey. The estimated case-fatality rate for KFD is […]
Feb 6, 2024
Are You a Novid, or COVID Super-Dodger—Someone Who’s Never Had COVID? Science Has Some Clues Why
Boston University BU infectious diseases expert Sabrina Assoumou says researchers are working to understand why some people have avoided the virus or showed no symptoms when infected. If you haven’t had COVID-19 yet, explain yourself, please. How is that possible? Globally, there have been more than 663 million cases of COVID since the virus first began circulating. […]
Feb 6, 2024