Author: Claudinne Miller
Swiss genome of the 1918 influenza virus reconstructed
Medical Express Researchers from the universities of Basel and Zurich have used a historical specimen from UZH’s Medical Collection to decode the genome of the virus responsible for the 1918–1920 influenza pandemic in Switzerland. The genetic material of the virus reveals that it had already developed key adaptations to humans at the outset of what […]
Jul 16, 2025
Scientists discover compounds that help cells fight a wide range of viruses
MIT News The molecules trigger a built-in cellular stress response and show promise as broad-spectrum antivirals against Zika, herpes, RSV, and more. Researchers at MIT and other institutions have identified compounds that can fight off viral infection by activating a defense pathway inside host cells. These compounds, they believe, could be used as antiviral drugs […]
Jul 16, 2025
Mozambique sees surge in mpox cases
aa.com Mozambique has confirmed a surge in cases of the mpox virus during the past 48 hours in parts of the country. According to a report by the National Directorate of Public Health made available Tuesday, the country has recorded 11 cases, but no deaths have been reported so far. Niassa is said to be […]
Jul 16, 2025
Measles isn’t just dangerous – it may erase your immune system
The Conversation Blindness, pneumonia, severe diarrhoea and even death – measles virus infections, especially in children, can have devastating consequences. Fortunately, we have a safe and effective defence. Measles vaccines are estimated to have averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023. Yet despite this success, measles cases are rising sharply in the UK and around the […]
Jul 16, 2025
Measles cases are surging in Europe and the US. This is what the anti-vax conspiracy theory has brought us
The Guardian Nearly 30 years after Andrew Wakefield’s discredited study linking the MMR vaccine and autism, we badly need an injection of rationality. It’s easy to say in hindsight, but also true, that even when the anti-vax movement was in its infancy in the late 90s before I had kids, let alone knew what you […]
Jul 16, 2025
Measles, rubella and polio: The return of preventable diseases
The Hill With outbreaks of previously eradicated measles leading the news for months, more epidemics may be in store for the U.S. As vaccination rates among children continue to plummet, concerns are rising over the potential for infectious diseases to spread rampantly in the coming years and decades. Research published in the medical journal JAMA suggests a continued decline could lead to […]
Jul 16, 2025
Alberta’s measles outbreaks surpass case counts reported for entire U.S.
CBC Alberta has now confirmed more measles cases than the entire United States has reported this year. The province has been battling outbreaks since March and as of noon Monday, total case counts in the province had ballooned to 1,314. The latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that country has amassed […]
Jul 16, 2025
What You Should Know About the Plague After an Arizona Death
Bloomberg Last week, local health authorities in northern Arizona confirmed a person died of the plague. It’s the county’s first death from pneumonic plague, a type of bacteria that infects the lungs, since 2007. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the victim, like the person’s age and gender, how the disease was contracted or […]
Jul 16, 2025
A person in the US has died from pneumonic plague. It’s not just a disease of history
The Conversation A person in Arizona has died from the plague, local health officials reported on Friday. This marks the first such death in this region in 18 years. But it’s a stark reminder that this historic disease, though rare nowadays, is not just a disease of the past. So what actually is “plague”? And is it […]
Jul 16, 2025