Timely and relevant global health security news curated by GCHS
Note that some links may require registration or subscription.
Featured Headlines
- What You Should Know About the Plague After an Arizona DeathBloomberg Last week, local health authorities in northern Arizona confirmed a person died of the plague. It’s the county’s first death from pneumonic plague, a type of bacteria that infects the lungs, since 2007. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the victim, like the person’s age and gender, how the disease was contracted or… Read more: What You Should Know About the Plague After an Arizona Death
- Arizona Resident Dies From PlagueNew York Times The resident died from pneumonic plague, the first such death in Coconino County, Ariz., since 2007, the county said. A resident of Coconino County, Ariz., died from pneumonic plague, the first such death in the county in almost two decades, officials announced on Friday. The resident went to Flagstaff Medical Center recently… Read more: Arizona Resident Dies From Plague
- COVID cases likely rising in half of states, CDC estimatesCBS News Video Cases of COVID-19 are now likely growing in 25 states, according to estimates published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, as this year’s summer wave of the virus appears to be getting underway. The agency’s modeling suggests that the uptick is in “many” Southeast, Southern and West Coast states, the CDC said… Read more: COVID cases likely rising in half of states, CDC estimates
- More than 14M children globally have not received a dose of any vaccine: WHOABC News More than 14 million children around the world have not received a single dose of any vaccine, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. This is 4 million more children than the 2024 target set by the WHO and 1.4 million more children than in 2019, which is the… Read more: More than 14M children globally have not received a dose of any vaccine: WHO
- Measles Cases Have Hit a Record High. What Went Wrong?NYT Video There have now been more measles cases in 2025 than in any other year since the contagious virus was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts fear that with no clear end to the current outbreak, the U.S. may… Read more: Measles Cases Have Hit a Record High. What Went Wrong?
Updates on ongoing disease outbreaks
- The impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus infection on dairy cowsNature Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus has been associated with severe mastitis in dairy cows, leading to decreased milk production. Here we investigated the impact of H5N1 virus infection in health and production parameters in an affected dairy herd in Ohio. Clinical disease, which lasted for about three weeks, was recorded in 20.0%… Read more: The impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus infection on dairy cows
- ‘Milk-stealing’ calves spread deadly bird flu virus among US cows, China study revealsInteresting Engineering A recent study has unraveled the mystery of how the H5N1 avian influenza virus infects the mammary glands of dairy cows, despite typically being a respiratory pathogen. Researchers, led by Professor Hualan Chen of the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China, have also presented a roadmap for managing the disease in cattle. “This… Read more: ‘Milk-stealing’ calves spread deadly bird flu virus among US cows, China study reveals
- Bangladesh and India alert WHO about new H5N1 infectionsCIDRAP Bangladesh and India alert WHO about new H5N1 infections. In a monthly zoonotic flu update, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Bangladesh and India have reported new H5N1 avian flu cases that were previously unreported. Bangladesh’s patient is a child from Chittagong division in the country’s southeast who was admitted to the hospital on May… Read more: Bangladesh and India alert WHO about new H5N1 infections
- Pennsylvania commercial gamebirds struck by avian fluWatt Poultry Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in a flock of commercial upland gamebirds in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. According to information from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the presence of HPAI was confirmed on July 2. The gamebirds were being raised for release, and the flock… Read more: Pennsylvania commercial gamebirds struck by avian flu
- Cambodia Reports Surge in Human Infections with Avian Influenza A(H5N1)Global Biodefense Unusual spike in human infections highlights ongoing risks at the human-animal interface and the need for cross-sectoral public health action. Between January and July 2025, Cambodian health authorities reported 11 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1), including six fatalities. Notably, seven of these cases occurred in June alone—an unusual monthly spike. These… Read more: Cambodia Reports Surge in Human Infections with Avian Influenza A(H5N1)
- COVID cases likely rising in half of states, CDC estimatesCBS News Video Cases of COVID-19 are now likely growing in 25 states, according to estimates published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, as this year’s summer wave of the virus appears to be getting underway. The agency’s modeling suggests that the uptick is in “many”… Read more: COVID cases likely rising in half of states, CDC estimates
- What long covid can teach us about future pandemicsWashington Post Experts are worried that despite the hard-won lessons of covid, we are not fully prepared for the next pandemic. Outbreaks of new types of infections and, yes, even pandemics are becoming increasingly likely, and we need to prepare for not only the next one… Read more: What long covid can teach us about future pandemics
- Measles isn’t just dangerous – it may erase your immune systemThe Conversation Blindness, pneumonia, severe diarrhoea and even death – measles virus infections, especially in children, can have devastating consequences. Fortunately, we have a safe and effective defence. Measles vaccines are estimated to have averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023. Yet despite this success, measles cases are rising sharply in the UK and around the… Read more: Measles isn’t just dangerous – it may erase your immune system
- Measles cases are surging in Europe and the US. This is what the anti-vax conspiracy theory has brought usThe Guardian Nearly 30 years after Andrew Wakefield’s discredited study linking the MMR vaccine and autism, we badly need an injection of rationality. It’s easy to say in hindsight, but also true, that even when the anti-vax movement was in its infancy in the late 90s before I had kids, let alone knew what you… Read more: Measles cases are surging in Europe and the US. This is what the anti-vax conspiracy theory has brought us
- Measles, rubella and polio: The return of preventable diseasesThe Hill With outbreaks of previously eradicated measles leading the news for months, more epidemics may be in store for the U.S. As vaccination rates among children continue to plummet, concerns are rising over the potential for infectious diseases to spread rampantly in the coming years and decades. Research published in the medical journal JAMA suggests a continued decline could lead to… Read more: Measles, rubella and polio: The return of preventable diseases
- Mozambique sees surge in mpox casesaa.com Mozambique has confirmed a surge in cases of the mpox virus during the past 48 hours in parts of the country. According to a report by the National Directorate of Public Health made… Read more: Mozambique sees surge in mpox cases
- Increased testing is needed for Mpox in DR Congo to urgently curb disease spreadNature The low testing rates of Mpox suspected cases remain a key factor in the continued spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries. Here, we highlight the… Read more: Increased testing is needed for Mpox in DR Congo to urgently curb disease spread
- ‘Ticks EVERYWHERE?’: Sightings and bites in the D.C. region heighten worriesWashington Post Tick-related emergency room visits are at the highest since 2019, CDC data shows. The Northeast region has seen the most this summer. Michael Raupp is used to pulling bugs off his body. As an entomology professor and author of a blog that introduces readers to a bug a week, the 73-year-old spends a… Read more: ‘Ticks EVERYWHERE?’: Sightings and bites in the D.C. region heighten worries
- ER visits for tick bites near record levels this summer across USABC News Emergency rooms across the country are seeing a spike in tick bite cases, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July has already seen the highest number of tick-related ER visits since 2017, with the Northeast region reporting the most cases, the CDC said. Young children and elderly… Read more: ER visits for tick bites near record levels this summer across US
- ‘Explosive increase’ of ticks that cause meat allergy in US due to climate crisisThe Guardian Unusually aggressive lone star ticks, common in the south-east, are spreading to areas previously too cold for them. Blood-sucking ticks that trigger a bizarre allergy to meat in the people they bite are exploding in number and spreading across the US, to the extent that they could cover the entire eastern half of… Read more: ‘Explosive increase’ of ticks that cause meat allergy in US due to climate crisis
- Rare tick-borne virus kills 1, hospitalizes 2 in WisconsinMichigan Live Powassan virus is rare, but incidents of it are on an upswing, health officials said. That could be due to more people being infected, better testing, or a combination of the two. Black-legged (deer) ticks contract the disease from infected animals and then can pass it to humans when they latch on, the… Read more: Rare tick-borne virus kills 1, hospitalizes 2 in Wisconsin
Emerging Infectious Disease Headlines
- Ancient Killer Is Rapidly Becoming Resistant to Antibiotics, Warns StudyScience Alert In spite of having plagued humans for millennia, typhoid fever is rarely considered in developed countries today. But this ancient threat is still very much a danger in our modern world.… Read more: Ancient Killer Is Rapidly Becoming Resistant to Antibiotics, Warns Study
- Flesh-eating bacteria kills 4; what is Vibrio vulnificusWHIO TV Four people in Florida have died after they contracted flesh-eating bacteria this year, according to the state’s health department. The agency said there was one fatal case in each… Read more: Flesh-eating bacteria kills 4; what is Vibrio vulnificus
- New Details Revealed About Father-of-2 Who Died After Catching Fatal Bat VirusPeople A man in his 50s died after contracting the first confirmed case of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) in New South Wales, Australia. Craig Nolte died on July 3 after falling critically… Read more: New Details Revealed About Father-of-2 Who Died After Catching Fatal Bat Virus
- Swiss genome of the 1918 influenza virus reconstructedMedical Express Researchers from the universities of Basel and Zurich have used a historical specimen from UZH’s Medical Collection to decode the genome of the virus responsible for the 1918–1920… Read more: Swiss genome of the 1918 influenza virus reconstructed
- ‘Ticks EVERYWHERE?’: Sightings and bites in the D.C. region heighten worriesWashington Post Tick-related emergency room visits are at the highest since 2019, CDC data shows. The Northeast region has seen the most this summer. Michael Raupp is used to pulling… Read more: ‘Ticks EVERYWHERE?’: Sightings and bites in the D.C. region heighten worries
- AI is joining the fight against mosquito-borne diseasesWorld Economic Forum This is a new kind of mosquito trap. It was developed by scientists at the University of South Florida who say it can track the spread of… Read more: AI is joining the fight against mosquito-borne diseases
Read more Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Scientists discover compounds that help cells fight a wide range of virusesMIT News The molecules trigger a built-in cellular stress response and show promise as broad-spectrum antivirals against Zika, herpes, RSV, and more. Researchers at MIT and other institutions have identified compounds that can fight off… Read more: Scientists discover compounds that help cells fight a wide range of viruses
- Confronting the AI-Accelerated Threat of BioterrorismGlobal Biodefense How artificial intelligence is changing the risk landscape for bioterrorism—and what global health security stakeholders must do next. As artificial intelligence (AI) systems rapidly integrate into everyday life and scientific enterprise, a new… Read more: Confronting the AI-Accelerated Threat of Bioterrorism
- Chikungunya Virus Found to Infect Cartilage Cells, Offering Clues to Long-Term Joint PainGlobal Biodefense A new study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases provides the first in vivo evidence that chikungunya virus (CHIKV) directly infects cartilage-producing cells known as chondrocytes. Using a genetically engineered virus that glows in infected tissues,… Read more: Chikungunya Virus Found to Infect Cartilage Cells, Offering Clues to Long-Term Joint Pain
- Study finds no link between aluminum in vaccines and autism, asthmaNBC News The study included more than 1.2 million people in Denmark who got childhood vaccines. Aluminum in childhood vaccines is a target of vaccine skeptics, who blame the ingredient on myriad health concerns.… Read more: Study finds no link between aluminum in vaccines and autism, asthma
- More than 14M children globally have not received a dose of any vaccine: WHOABC News More than 14 million children around the world have not received a single dose of any vaccine, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. This is 4 million… Read more: More than 14M children globally have not received a dose of any vaccine: WHO
- The Rise of Misinformation and Distrust in ScienceHarvard Global Health As part of our ongoing event series, this session is dedicated to navigating the complexities of health information, misinformation, and trust. We’ll explore how to distinguish between misinformation, disinformation, and legitimate differences in opinion. Participants will gain… Read more: The Rise of Misinformation and Distrust in Science
- RFK Jr. sent Congress ‘medical disinformation’ to defend COVID vaccine schedule changeNPR A document the Department of Health and Human Services sent to lawmakers to support Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to change U.S. policy on COVID vaccines cites scientific studies that are unpublished or under dispute and mischaracterizes others.… Read more: RFK Jr. sent Congress ‘medical disinformation’ to defend COVID vaccine schedule change
- The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on childrenBBC The stress and isolation of the pandemic have left social and emotional scars that are already being seen in children, but scientists also predict there could be huge economic costs due to disrupted education. For US pre-school teacher Rebekah… Read more: The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on children
- The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on childrenBBC The stress and isolation of the pandemic have left social and emotional scars that are already being seen in children, but scientists also predict there could be huge economic costs due to disrupted education. For US pre-school teacher Rebekah… Read more: The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on children