Category: Featured Headlines
Prion Disease Rising in the U.S.
MedPage Today Incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease increased, especially among women. The incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a universally fatal prion disease that progresses rapidly, rose consistently from 2007 to 2020, a study of death certificates showed. CJD codes on death certificates totaled 5,882 during that period, with 51.2% of cases occurring among women, according to […]
Dec 12, 2023
Antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections spreading in Ukraine amid war with Russia, CDC says
ABC News Dangerous antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are spreading among patients in Ukraine amid the country’s war with Russia, new federal data shows. High rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, along with a rise in traumatic wounds and overwhelmed health care systems, has led to increased detection of multi-drug resistant infections in […]
Dec 12, 2023
China’s Children Battling Pneumonia Shows the Dangers of Drug Resistance
Bloomberg The harm caused by antibiotic drug resistance was clear to see in China’s packed pediatric hospitals. An outbreak of walking pneumonia, normally a mild infection, struck millions of children in the second half of 2023, creating Covid flashbacks and raising fears about another novel pathogen. But doctors say another real danger is the rise of superbugs, […]
Dec 12, 2023
Your questions answered about staying safe from COVID, RSV and flu this winter
PBS Video at the link – As we head into the winter holidays, John Yang speaks with epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina about the current state of affairs with COVID, RSV and flu infections, lagging vaccination rates and how to stay healthy this season. It’s almost become a holiday tradition. Temperatures go down, decorations go up and […]
Dec 12, 2023
Covid and flu rising ahead of holidays, increasing ER visits
Washington Post Respiratory viruses are rebounding in the United States on the precipice of the end-of-year holidays, with emergency room visits for covid-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus collectively reaching their highest levels since February. Among the three viruses, covid continues to be the biggest driver of hospitalizations, settling into a familiar rhythm of causing periodic waves […]
Dec 12, 2023
How common are unexplained outbreaks of disease?
BBC Amid reports of a mysterious respiratory illness spreading among children in China, an expert explains how regularly unexplained outbreaks turn up. It began one spring morning in 1993, when a Navajo family pulled into a service station in New Mexico and dialled 911. Their son, a 19-year-old marathon runner, had suddenly developed breathing problems. He […]
Dec 5, 2023
RSV in winter 2023: Everything you need to know about symptoms, treatments, shots
ABC News As the United States heads into the colder weather months, cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have been ticking up across the country. For the week ending Nov. 25, there were 8,863 positive RSV tests recorded, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is typical for this time of year. This is […]
Dec 5, 2023
What’s causing severe respiratory illnesses in dogs?
NBC News Veterinarians say there could be a number of reasons for the uptick in cases of atypical canine respiratory disease, including declines in vaccination rates. Veterinarians across the country are scrambling to treat the rising number of dogs sick with a severe type of respiratory illness. At the same time, scientists are trying to figure […]
Dec 5, 2023
Get Your Updated COVID Vaccine!
by James Lawler, MD, MPH, FIDSA According to CDC survey data, over 80% of US adults have not received an updated (XBB) COVID-19 vaccine this year. While I believe the proportion of abstainers is likely much smaller in our highly intelligent and educated population of Transmission consumers, I would be willing to bet that many […]
Dec 5, 2023
Why You Are More Likely to Get Sick This Winter, in Charts
WSJ With Covid-19 here to stay alongside flu and RSV, wintertime illnesses have become harder to dodge. Covid-19 is settling in as a wintertime fixture, and infections are expected to rise again as the weather cools and holiday gatherings pile up. The virus is on a collision course with the seasonal scourges of flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, […]
Nov 29, 2023