Author: Claudinne Miller
US to test ground beef in states with bird-flu outbreaks in dairy cows
Reuters The U.S. government said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing, but remains confident the meat supply is safe. Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in […]
May 1, 2024
Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab
AP The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility — a sign of Beijing’s continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post Monday that he and his team had […]
May 1, 2024
What to Know About the ‘FLiRT’ Variants of COVID-19
Time The COVID-19 lull in the U.S. may soon come to an end, as a new family of SARS-CoV-2 variants—nicknamed “FLiRT” variants—begins to spread nationwide. These variants are distant Omicron relatives that spun out from JN.1, the variant behind the surge in cases this past winter. They’ve been dubbed “FLiRT” variants based on the technical names for their […]
May 1, 2024
The Bird Flu Outbreak Has More Questions Than Answers
Bloomberg Opinion As the magnitude of the bird flu outbreak in cattle becomes clearer, so does the need to quickly get a firmer grip on some basic facts. Namely, how far this H5N1 virus has spread, how it is spreading, and where this situation is likely to go next. The Covid-weary public also wants to […]
May 1, 2024
Deadly tick-borne disease confirmed in Mass. town
MASS Live A rare deadly tick-borne disease was confirmed in a Massachusetts town. Powassan virus, according to a release. And they are warning residents to take precautions. Powassan virus, like Lyme, is transmitted through infected ticks. The virus is considered rare, but the health department said the number of reported cases of people sick from […]
May 1, 2024
More than half of cats died after drinking raw milk from bird flu-infected cows
CBS News Video
May 1, 2024
If Bird Flu Spreads, These Workers Will See It First
NYT H5N1 is in a better position than ever to move between species and spill over aggressively into humans: This bird flu virus is now thought to have been spreading among dairy cows for many months, and federal regulators have found viral fragments circulating widely in the commercial milk supply chain across the United States (though live virus […]
May 1, 2024
A Rare Double Brood Emergence Of Cicadas Has Begun
Science Friday Two cicada broods on 13- and 17-year cycles coincide this spring, meaning trillions of buzzing insects across the South and Midwest. It has begun. Legions of cheese-puff-sized insects have started to climb out of the dirt after spending more than a decade underground sucking sap from tree roots. Over the next month and […]
May 1, 2024
Scientists tried to give people COVID — and failed
Nature Researchers deliberately infect participants with SARS-CoV-2 in ‘challenge’ trials — but high levels of immunity complicate efforts to test vaccines and treatments. When Paul Zimmer-Harwood volunteered to be intentionally infected with SARS-CoV-2, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He was ready for a repeat of his first brush with COVID-19, through a naturally acquired […]
May 1, 2024
What do we know about covid-19’s effects on the gut?
BMJ What gastrointestinal symptoms can covid-19 cause? Lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. These may not be the symptoms people expect with covid, but around 50% of people experience them after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in some people they’re the only symptoms.1 Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms may be the first sign of infection or may […]
May 1, 2024