Category: Featured Headlines
Nearly 1M chickens will be killed on a Minnesota farm because of bird flu
AP Nearly 1 million chickens on a Minnesota egg farm will be slaughtered to help limit the spread of the highly contagious bird flu after it was confirmed there, officials said Monday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the virus was found at a farm in Wright County, Minnesota, as well as in three smaller flocks in South […]
Nov 7, 2023
CDC to expand testing for respiratory viruses at airports
CIDRAP The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday that it will expand testing of international air travelers beyond COVID-19 to provide early detection of other respiratory viruses. The Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program, which covers flights from more than 135 countries and has been implemented at seven airports nationwide, collects and analyzes […]
Nov 7, 2023
What to Know About the JN.1 Variant
MedPageToday While the BA.2.86 or “Pirola” variant of SARS-CoV-2 never took off in the U.S., some researchers are now eyeing its descendant, JN.1, which may be more immune-evasive. JN.1 has yet to appear on the CDC’s variant proportions tracker, but it has started cropping up in samples in France, the U.K., and Portugal. The CDC warned in Augusto that […]
Nov 1, 2023
Children’s hospitals prepare for surge in admissions amid shortage of RSV drug
The Hill A supply shortage means a drug that can prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants won’t have a major immediate impact, children’s hospitals said, and they are preparing for a surge in admissions this respiratory disease season. “Widespread access [to the new antibody drug] will take time across many sectors of the pediatric […]
Nov 1, 2023
The Early Verdict on Flu Season Is Here. What to Expect.
WSJ There’s some good news about flu season this year. Doctors and scientists don’t expect the worst. The flu season in the Southern Hemisphere, where the cold-weather illness period wraps up as we head into ours, often serves as a harbinger of what’s to come for us. There, cases picked up a little earlier than usual in […]
Nov 1, 2023
Everything I Thought I Knew About Nasal Congestion Is Wrong
The Atlantic Having caught a cold every month since my kid started day care, I’ve devoted a lot of time recently to the indignity of unclogging my nose. I’m blowing, always. I have also struck up an intimate acquaintance with neti pots and a great variety of decongestants. (Ask for the stuff that actually works, squirreled […]
Nov 1, 2023
FDA warns of infection risk from certain over-the-counter eye drops
FDA FDA is updating the list of over-the-counter eye drop products consumers should not purchase or use to include Equate Hydration PF Lubricant Eye Drop 10 mL sold by Walmart in stores and online. Walmart is removing the product from their store shelves and website. [10/27/2023] FDA is warning consumers not to purchase and to immediately stop using 26 […]
Oct 31, 2023
CDC says skin-disfiguring parasite may be endemic in Texas, present in other states
NBC News A parasite capable of causing a disfiguring skin disease may be endemic in Texas and present in other southern states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2005 to 2019, the CDC identified 1,222 cases in the U.S. that were positive for Leishmania, a parasite transmitted through the bites of infected female […]
Oct 25, 2023
Scientists Discuss Prototype Pathogens for Pandemic Preparedness
NIH A special Oct. 19 supplement to the Journal of Infectious Diseases contains nine articles intended as a summary of a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-hosted pandemic preparedness workshop that featured scientific experts on viral families of pandemic concern. Sponsored by NIAID, the supplement features articles on 10 viral families with high pandemic potential […]
Oct 24, 2023
Bird flu has reached Antarctica and could have a devastating effect
New Scientist A lethal form of bird flu has been discovered in the Antarctic region for the first time and it could kill many seals and whales as well as millions of birds. The lethal form of bird flu that has been killing millions of wild birds around the world has spread south to the Antarctic region, […]
Oct 24, 2023
