Year: 2024
Heat driving people indoors, transmissible variants causing people to get sick this summer, virologist says
WTOP The extreme heat that’s been making its way across the D.C. region in the last few weeks is causing many people to remain indoors, which one virus expert said is a factor facilitating the spread of respiratory viruses like COVID-19. Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said […]
Jul 17, 2024
Can H5N1 spread through cow sneezes? Experiment offers clues
Nature Study suggests the virus can spread through the respiratory system but infected milk is probably driving the outbreak in the US. Cows can get infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 by breathing in virus-laden aerosols, according to a preprint1 posted on bioRxiv. But scientists say this mode of transmission is probably not driving […]
Jul 17, 2024
Staying one step ahead of pathogen
St. Jude Webster created and grew a globe-spanning influenza research program at St. Jude. The researchers he trained and inspired continue his legacy, staying one step ahead of pathogens for the children of St. Jude — and the world at large. As for the skepticism about why he chose to do his work at St. Jude, […]
Jul 17, 2024
Six Colorado workers contracted bird flu, the most human cases in a state
Washington Post Excessive heat made it hard for poultry workers to wear goggles and masks while culling chickens on a farm with an H5N1 outbreak. Bird flu has infected six farmworkers in Colorado this month — the most in any state — as health officials stressed the importance of preparedness to contain the H5N1 virus spreading in […]
Jul 17, 2024
How nations are preparing for a possible H5N1 bird flu pandemic
Nature Bird flu could become a human pandemic. How are countries preparing? As cases of avian influenza continue to rise in cattle in the United States, countries are preparing for the possibility that the virus could start spreading in people. Many nations are ramping up surveillance, as well as purchasing vaccines or developing new ones. […]
Jul 16, 2024
Study reveals how an anesthesia drug induces unconsciousness
MIT Propofol, a drug commonly used for general anesthesia, derails the brain’s normal balance between stability and excitability. There are many drugs that anesthesiologists can use to induce unconsciousness in patients. Exactly how these drugs cause the brain to lose consciousness has been a longstanding question, but MIT neuroscientists have now answered that question for […]
Jul 16, 2024
Measles breaks out at massive NYC migrant shelter
Fox At least two people staying at a sprawling migrant shelter in New York City have contracted measles and health officials in the Big Apple are working to stop the spread of the disease, according to reports. The outbreak took place at a migrant shelter on Hall Street in Clinton Hill, a huge taxpayer-run facility which opened […]
Jul 16, 2024
COVID Rates Are Rising Again. Why Does It Spread So Well in the Summer?
Scientific American A combination of human behavior and immunity, the environment, and SARS-CoV-2 itself explains why the virus surges during both hotter and colder months. It’s that time of year: a thick, oppressive heat blankets everything, people huddle inside air-conditioned homes, offices, shops and cafes for respite—and COVID is surging again. Levels of SARS-CoV-2, the […]
Jul 16, 2024
Bird flu has been invading the brains of mammals. Here’s why
Science News In spring 2022, a handful of red foxes in Wisconsin were behaving oddly. Veterinary pathologist Betsy Elsmo learned that a local wildlife rehabilitation center was caring for foxes with neurological symptoms like seizures, tremors, uncoordinated movements and lethargy. But tests for common pathogens like canine distemper virus and rabies that typically cause the […]
Jul 16, 2024
U.S. bird flu response builds on lessons learned from COVID
Harvard School of Public Health CDC Director Mandy Cohen explains how country is tackling the H5N1 outbreak July 16, 2024—Avian influenza, or bird flu, has been in the headlines for months now, percolating at a low level but sparking concerns about the risk of broader contagion. In the U.S., bird flu has infected dairy cows in […]
Jul 16, 2024