Category: Featured Headlines
COVID, Flu, and RSV: Which Virus Has the Worst Outcomes?
MedPageToday COVID-19 still worse, but differences narrowed in 2023-2024 season compared with prior yearSARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with more severe disease outcomes than influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during the 2022-2023 respiratory illness season, while differences were less striking during the 2023-2024 season, according to a retrospective cohort study of veterans. The 30-day risk […]
Jan 28, 2025
Marburg Virus Disease in Rwanda — Centering Both Evidence and Equity
NEJM The final months of 2024 brought several developments that will have far-reaching implications for global health delivery efforts in the years to come. Closest to home for those of us in the United States, the results of our federal elections raise the possibility of reduced investment in shared defenses against epidemics and the weakening […]
Jan 22, 2025
Chapare haemorrhagic fever- the Plurinational State of Bolivia
WHO On 7 January 2025, the International Health Regulations National Focal Point for the Plurinational State of Bolivia notified WHO of a laboratory-confirmed case of Chapare virus infection in an adult male from La Paz Department. Chapare haemorrhagic fever is an acute viral illness caused by Chapare virus. The virus was first identified in 2003 […]
Jan 22, 2025
Tanzania Confirms New Outbreak Of Marburg Virus
NDTV One “confirmed case of Marburg virus marks the second outbreak” in Tanzania since 2023, the president told a press briefing broadcast. Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan confirmed on Monday that there was a new outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the East African country. One “confirmed case of Marburg virus marks the second […]
Jan 22, 2025
Respiratory virus activity remains ‘high’ in US and will ‘continue for several more weeks’: CDC
ABC News Respiratory viruses are continuing to spread across the United States, sickening millions of Americans. Overall respiratory illness activity — including flu, COVID-19 and RSV — continues to be listed as “high” nationwide and is causing people to seek health care “at a high level,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of […]
Jan 22, 2025
Tanzania Declares Marburg Outbreak: Africa CDC Mobilizes Immediate Response
Africa CDC ADDIS ABABA, January 20, 2025 – Tanzania has declared a Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak after confirming one case and identifying 25 suspected cases in the Kagera Region of Northwestern Tanzania. The Marburg virus, a highly infectious and often fatal disease, is similar to Ebola and is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and […]
Jan 22, 2025
New suspected Marburg outbreak in Tanzania kills eight – WHO
BBC The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of a suspected new outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in north-west Tanzania, saying that at least eight people have already been killed by the disease. On Tuesday, the WHO said that nine suspected cases of Marburg were reported in the region of Kagera over the last […]
Jan 15, 2025
Bird Flu Is Raising Red Flags Among Health Officials
Johns Hopkins H5N1 is a dynamic virus that poses an increasing threat in terms of spillover and pandemic potential. On January 6, the Louisiana Department of Health announced that a patient hospitalized last month for H5N1 avian influenza had died, becoming the first U.S. death from the virus. To make matters worse, samples taken from the […]
Jan 14, 2025
Avian influenza confirmed in Puerto Rico
Watt Poultry The virus was detected in a backyard flock in the U.S. territory, as well as in commercial poultry in Maryland and two Canadian provinces. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has made its way to Puerto Rico. The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of HPAI […]
Jan 14, 2025
B.C. doctor reflects on treating teen with H5N1 for 2 months
CBC A British Columbia doctor who treated a 13-year-old avian flu patient says the case has made him concerned about the potential for more human H5N1 infections. While the patient was recently discharged from hospital with her case deemed rare, the two-month ordeal is being examined to better understand the path of avian flu from wild birds and […]
Jan 14, 2025