Author: Claudinne Miller
COVID trend reaches “high” level across western U.S. in latest CDC data
CBS News A key indicator for tracking the spread of COVID-19 has officially reached “high” levels across western U.S. states, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now shows. But the agency says it remains too early to say whether this year’s summer COVID-19 surge has arrived nationwide. Levels of SARS-CoV-2 virus showing up in wastewater samples […]
Jul 2, 2024
Pasteurization Kills Bird Flu Virus in Milk, New Studies Confirm
Scientific American Flash pasteurization destroyed H5N1 viral particles that were highly concentrated in raw milk, confirming that standard techniques can keep dairy products safe from bird flu. Pasteurization—the process of using high heat to eliminate harmful microbes in foods—effectively kills the H5N1 avian influenza virus that is currently circulating in U.S. cattle. In a new […]
Jul 2, 2024
How Does Bird Flu Spread in Cows? Experiment Yields Some ‘Good News.’
New York Times Scientists say that findings from a small experiment lend hope the outbreak among dairy cattle can potentially be contained. Ever since scientists discovered influenza infecting American cows earlier this year, they have been puzzling over how it spreads from one animal to another. An experiment carried out in Kansas and Germany has shed […]
Jul 2, 2024
Health officials in the Florida Keys issue a dengue fever alert
NBC News A dengue fever alert has been issued in the Florida Keys following two confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne illness. The local warning comes a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a national advisory about the increased risk of dengue virus infections in the United States. Even though most of the dengue […]
Jul 2, 2024
$176 Awarded for Another Pandemic Influenza Vaccine
Precision Vaccinations In the past two years, H5 influenza virus subtypes have caused severe disease in birds and mammals in the United States. Because of various media reports, there is concern about the risk of these viruses spreading to humans, which could generate another pandemic. On June 27, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and […]
Jul 2, 2024
Another monolith appeared near Las Vegas. Who’s behind these mysterious objects?
NPR First it was Utah. Then Romania. And California. Spain. Wales. Paraguay. The metallic monoliths began to be found in late 2020 by unsuspecting viewers in seemingly random locations around the world. Often evocative of a science fiction movie prop, the mysterious objects captured the public’s attention and frequently drew crowds hoping to catch a glimpse of […]
Jun 26, 2024
Biweekly Update by Dr. Lawler
Current COVID-19 Epidemic Wave | Recent Studies | H5N1 Updates
Jun 26, 2024
The U.S. strategic drug stockpile is inadequate for a bird flu outbreak
Fortune China reports highly pathogenic H5N6, H7N9 bird flu outbreaks. China reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N6 bird flu at a duck farm in the Guangxi province, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Wednesday, citing a report from the Chinese agriculture ministry. The virus killed 23,950 ducks out of a […]
Jun 26, 2024
FDA shares research plans as it continues to monitor bird flu outbreak
Scripps News Over 100 dairy cattle herds in around a dozen states have reported cases of the highly infectious disease since March. U.S. health agencies maintain that the risk to the public is low. On Tuesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shared its agenda for research into avian influenza in dairy cows as it works to […]
Jun 26, 2024
US health agencies launch new studies of H5N1 bird flu in dairy workers and dairy products
CNN US health agencies are starting new rounds of tests on dairy workers and milk products to better understand the possible impact of H5N1 bird flu. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is partnering with the state of Michigan to begin a highly anticipated study to assess whether workers exposed to infected cattle […]
Jun 26, 2024