Category: Featured Headlines
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
COVID infection can damage the brains of dogs, study suggests
CIDRAP Dogs experimentally infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant but not showing neurologic or respiratory signs of COVID-19 had evidence of degenerative brain disease on necropsy. The study, led by Konkuk University researchers in South Korea, was published late last week in Emerging Infectious Diseases. The research team intranasally infected six female beagle dogs with the SARS-CoV-2 […]
Oct 17, 2023
What Went Wrong with a Highly Publicized COVID Mask Analysis?
Scientific American The Cochrane Library, a trusted source of health information, misled the public by prioritizing rigor over reality. The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, but in May officials ended its designation as a public health emergency. So it’s now fair to ask if all our efforts to slow the spread of the disease—from masking, to hand washing, to […]
Oct 17, 2023