Category: Featured Headlines
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
China says a surge in respiratory illnesses is caused by flu and other known pathogens
AP A surge in respiratory illnesses across China that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus, the country’s health ministry said Sunday. Recent clusters of respiratory infections are caused by an overlap of common viruses such as the […]
Nov 28, 2023
Two more in Cambodia infected with H5N1 avian flu
Khmer Times Health officials in Cambodia are investigating two new severe human H5N1 avian flu infections, pushing the country’s total for the year to six cases. The four earlier cases involved an older H5N1 clade that has been circulating in the country’s poultry for at least 10 years. Scientists quickly posted sequences to the GISAID […]
Nov 28, 2023
Multiple pathogens causing China illnesses: CDC
Taipei Times The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a surge in respiratory illnesses in China has been caused by at least seven types of pathogens, and small children, elderly people and immunocompromised people should temporarily avoid unnecessary visits to China. The recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China is mainly in the […]
Nov 28, 2023
U.K. Reports First Case Of New Swine Flu Strain In Humans: Here’s What To Know
Forbes The U.K. detected its first human case of the flu strain A(H1N2)v, which is similar to flu viruses circulating in pigs, though the case was “mild” and the patient recovered, according to an alert released by the U.K. on Monday, as experts remain alert to another possible swine flu pandemic. Influenza A(H1) viruses are found in […]
Nov 28, 2023
UKHSA detects human case of influenza A(H1N2)v
gov.uk The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected a single confirmed human case of influenza A(H1N2)v. Influenza A(H1N2)v is similar to flu viruses currently circulating in pigs in the UK. This is the first detection of this strain of flu in a human in the UK. As is usual early in emerging infection events, UKHSA is […]
Nov 28, 2023