Category: Featured
Australia’s having an intense flu season, and it could be a signal of what’s to come in the US
CNN It’s only June, but scientists in the US are already thinking about flu season. As always at this time of year, they’re keeping a close eye on Australia, which saw an early start to its flu season. Some parts of the country are seeing a spike in illness, and the highest number of cases are […]
Jun 13, 2023
Fungal meningitis outbreak death toll rises as officials rush to find patients at risk
NBC News Nearly 200 people in the U.S. may have been exposed to the deadly illness at two medical clinics in Mexico. A fungal meningitis outbreak linked to cosmetic procedures performed at clinics in Mexico has killed four patients from the U.S. and infected over two dozen others. Nearly 200 in the U.S. may have been exposed to the deadly […]
Jun 13, 2023
Social media fueling risky bushmeat sales, study finds
Phys.org The use of social media by West African vendors to promote the illegal sale of bushmeat should be regulated to help prevent the emergence of diseases transmitted from animals to humans, a new study suggests. “Due to the widespread impacts of social media and evidence of the bushmeat trade in other countries such as in Europe, […]
Jun 13, 2023
Viruses and other bugs could make a summer comeback
NBC Doctors are on the lookout for worrisome upticks in Covid, human metapneumovirus and enteroviruses. Covid threw the infectious diseases playbook out the window this past winter. Instead of the typical flu season, the U.S. endured a record mix of invasive strep infections, flu, RSV, enteroviruses and other respiratory illnesses that competed with Covid to make most Americans sick […]
Jun 6, 2023
The deadliest viruses in human history, from COVID to smallpox
PopSci Deadly viral pathogens include rabies, which is fatal without swift treatment, and the flu, which has a huge global toll. Over the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the coronavirus directly or indirectly killed about 15 million people worldwide, according to estimates from the World Health Organization. In the United States, more people died […]
Jun 6, 2023
The Medieval Black Death Made You Healthier—If You Survived
Time Game of Thrones doesn’t tell you the half of it. Life during the medieval ages was nasty, brutish and short. That was especially true during what became known as the Black Death. The widespread outbreak of plague struck between 1347 and 1351, killing tens of millions of people, resulting in the loss of 30 to […]
Jun 6, 2023
Kyrgyzstan registers 559 cases of measles
AKI Express Event International health officials have reported elevated measles activity across multiple regions in Kyrgyzstan, with an additional 207 measles cases reported May 20-31, bringing the total case count to 559 cases since Jan. 1. This is compared to the 23 cases of measles reported in the country for 2022. The Osh region (386 […]
Jun 6, 2023
Lessons From the Tuberculosis Patient on the Lam
MedPage Today We can learn from the case now that she’s receiving treatment. Over the last few months, a woman from Tacoma, Washington has been widely featured in local and national media including the New York Times, for refusing to take medication for active tuberculosis (TB). In February 2023, a judge issued a civil warrant for her arrest. In […]
Jun 6, 2023
2 Are Dead in Suspected Meningitis Outbreak Linked to Surgeries in Mexico
NYT More than 200 others could be at risk from a fungal meningitis outbreak that has been traced to two clinics in Matamoros, Mexico, where people traveled for cosmetic surgeries, health officials said. Two people in the United States have died with probable cases of fungal meningitis and more than 200 others are at risk after an […]
May 30, 2023
Top Chinese scientist says don’t rule out lab leak
BBC The possibility the Covid virus leaked from a laboratory should not be ruled out, a former top Chinese government scientist has told BBC News. As head of China’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Prof George Gao played a key role in the pandemic response and efforts to trace its origins. China’s government dismisses any […]
May 30, 2023
