Author: Claudinne Miller
H5N1 Bird Flu Cases Have Slowed in Animals and People
Medpage Today Detections of H5N1 avian influenza have slowed in both animals and humans, but continued surveillance is warranted, CDC researchers said. In dairy cattle, cases surged over the fall and early winter but eased in January, while cases in poultry flocks fell after February, and came down last month in backyard flocks, according to data […]
May 7, 2025
Texas measles total tops 700 cases amid rises in other states
CIDRAP The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported 19 more cases since its last update on May 2, lifting the state’s total to 702 cases. As the country’s biggest measles hot spot, the state has reported outbreak-linked cases from 29 counties, mainly in west Texas. So far 91 people have been hospitalized, […]
May 7, 2025
USDA Invests in Poultry Vaccine for Bird Flu
Farms The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has allocated $100 million toward researching and developing a vaccine to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The disease has affected flocks across the country, but current infection rates are decreasing due to the slower migration season. Introducing a poultry vaccine could significantly reduce outbreaks and support the […]
May 7, 2025
The MMR vaccine doesn’t contain ‘aborted fetus debris’, as RFK Jr has claimed. Here’s the science
The Conversation Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the United States’ top public health official, recently claimed some religious groups avoid the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine because it contains “aborted fetus debris” and “DNA particles”. The US is facing its worst measles outbreaks in years with nearly 900 cases across the country and active outbreaks in several states. At […]
May 6, 2025
Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the US. Here’s what you need to know
ABC News Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the United States more than a year after the first human case was detected. Since then, at least 70 people have fallen ill and at least one death was recorded in Louisiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of confirmed […]
May 6, 2025
Fungus Presents a Growing Threat to Health and Crops as Globe Warms
Discover Magazine Climate change could fuel the spread of a fungus that can sicken and even kill people, as well as threaten crops, according to a study posted on the preprint server Research Square. Fungal infections already kill about 1.5 million a year. There are now few effective antifungal agents available, with many fungi developing resistance to […]
May 6, 2025
Hepatitis A outbreak declared in L.A. County. ‘We really have to get ahead of this’
Los Angeles Times Los Angeles County has declared a communitywide outbreak of hepatitis A, a highly contagious viral disease that can lead to lasting liver damage or even death. Although cases of hepatitis A are nothing new in the region, health officials are expressing alarm at the prevalence of the disease and who is becoming […]
May 6, 2025
$500 Million Bet on Old Vaccine Technology Puzzles Scientists
MedPageToday The candidate vaccine uses technology that was largely abandoned in the 1970s. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shifted the money from a pandemic preparedness fund to a vaccine development program led by two scientists whom the administration recently named to senior positions at the NIH. While some experts were pleased that Kennedy had […]
May 6, 2025
Stockpiling for mpox emergencies
Gavi Recent outbreaks of mpox have highlighted the global threat posed by this virus. Historically an infection that circulated in animals and only occasionally affected humans, mpox is increasingly spreading from person to person through close contact, causing a painful rash, fever, headache, muscle ache, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. Depending on the strain, it […]
Apr 30, 2025
5 Places to Turn for Accurate Health Information
NY Times Changes to federal health websites have raised concerns about their reliability. These independent sources offer an alternative. Soon after President Donald J. Trump took office for his second term, thousands of health websites run by the federal government that kept the public informed about infectious diseases, mental health, vaccines and more were taken […]
Apr 30, 2025