Author: Claudinne Miller
Science Daily: Scientists discover the brain’s hidden “stop scratching” switch
Science Daily Scientists have uncovered a hidden “stop-scratching” signal in the nervous system that tells your brain when enough scratching is enough. The discovery centers on a molecule called TRPV4, which acts like part of an internal braking system for itch relief. In experiments involving chronic itch similar to eczema, mice missing this signal scratched […]
May 13, 2026
Nature: The outbreak in Argentina in 2018-19 of hantavirus is one that scientists studied carefully, so many researchers are turning to it for information about the virus.
Nature Recurrent Nipah virus infections in India reveal two distinct epidemiological patterns despite a shared bat reservoir. In Kerala, frequent spillover rarely progresses beyond small clusters due to surveillance and one health approaches, while in West Bengal, limited events have enabled healthcare-associated transmission, and enhanced surveillance has detected the recent 2026 outbreak. This contrast underscores […]
May 13, 2026
NPR: Argentina’s 2018-19 hantavirus outbreak is guiding the response to this one
NPR The outbreak in Argentina in 2018-19 of hantavirus is one that scientists studied carefully, so many researchers are turning to it for information about the virus. The outbreak in Argentina in 2018-19 of hantavirus is one that scientists studied carefully, so many researchers are turning to it for information about the virus.
May 13, 2026
MedPage Today: Hantavirus: Anatomy of a Fractured Global Response
MedPage Today The lack of coordination between CDC and WHO holds sobering lessons. Like many of you, I was deeply troubled when, on May 3, news broke that three people had died of a probable hantavirus infection and others had fallen ill on the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged Arctic-expedition vessel with the amenities of a four-star hotel. […]
May 13, 2026
Live Science: Hantavirus outbreaks could become more likely as virus-carrying rodents expand their range, model finds
Live Science New models chart how virus-carrying rodents may spread across Argentina as climate change reshapes weather patterns. New models chart how virus-carrying rodents may spread across Argentina as climate change reshapes weather patterns. Climate change is likely to shift the distribution of virus-carrying rodents, potentially increasing the risk of spillover, when viruses make the […]
May 13, 2026
ABC News: Doctor who helped ship take care of passengers with hantavirus is isolated in Nebraska medical unit
ABC An oncologist traveling on a cruise ship amid a hantavirus outbreak says he’s the lone American isolated at a special biocontainment unit in Nebraska. An oncologist traveling on the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak says he’s the lone American isolated at a special biocontainment unit in Nebraska. Dr. Stephen Kornfeld of Bend, […]
May 13, 2026
Contagion Live: A Glimpse Inside the Facilities Housing the Quarantined Cruise Ship Passengers
Contagion Live The University of Nebraska’s Mark Rupp, MD, weighs in on his institution’s facilities where passengers are being housed during the quarantine protocol, insights on how they are monitored, and their current medical conditions. As of this morning, there are now 11 people infected with the hantavirus (Andes species) from the cruise ship. The […]
May 13, 2026
CDC: Concurrent Detection of Swine-Origin Influenza A(H1N1) Virus in Pigs and Farmer, Switzerland
CDC Since the 2009 swine influenza pandemic, sporadic human infections with swine influenza A viruses (swIAVs) continue to occur, including rare instances of onward human-to-human transmission, highlighting the ongoing pandemic risk (1–4). Pigs are key reservoirs and mixing vessels for influenza A virus (IAV) evolution; transmission between humans and pigs is frequent and bidirectional (5,6). […]
May 13, 2026
AVMA: CDC confirms cat-to-human transmission of avian influenza
AVMA A public health investigation documented the transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI, more specifically avian influenza type A H5N1) from a domestic cat to a human, but health officials maintain that the risk remains low. Last spring, investigators with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) and Centers for Disease […]
May 13, 2026
The Conversation: Hantavirus is very different to COVID. Here’s why the ‘Andes virus’ won’t cause the next pandemic
The Conversation For many people, news of a virus outbreak on a cruise ship immediately brings back memories of COVID spreading when the Ruby Princess docked in Sydney in March 2020. Of the passengers and crew who disembarked, 575 had COVID. The virus then spread to the community. So it’s understandable people are concerned that passengers from […]
May 13, 2026