Author: Claudinne Miller
SARS-CoV-2 fragments may cause problems after infection
NIH Most COVID-19 cases are mild, but many still lead to life-threatening complications. Severe cases feature an overactive immune response that causes dangerous inflammation. This inflammation affects many different tissues and cell types, including uninfected ones, and resembles that seen in some autoimmune diseases. It’s not clear why SARS-CoV-2 can cause such inflammation while other […]
Feb 27, 2024
Antarctica was one of the few places without bird flu. Not anymore.
Washington Post A deadly bird flu strain reached mainland Antarctica for the first time, leading scientists to worry about the fate of its penguins and other species, A deadly strain of bird flu has been found on mainland Antarctica for the first time, according to scientists, raising concerns over the risk of mass mortality of […]
Feb 27, 2024
Norwegian Cruise Ship Halted at Mauritius Due to Outbreak
Bloomberg A vessel operated by Norwegian Cruise Line Holding Ltd. has been halted at Mauritius — with passengers temporarily unable to disembark or board — after several people became ill. A “small number” of guests on the Norwegian Dawn’s South Africa voyage had mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness, a spokesperson for the cruise line said in a […]
Feb 27, 2024
A Spike in Heart Disease Deaths Since Covid Is Puzzling Scientists
Bloomberg Mortality data of the past four years show a wave of deadly cardiovascular and metabolic illness. Almost three weeks before Covid-19 was reported to be spreading in the US, Patricia Cabello Dowd dropped dead in the kitchen of her San Jose, California, home. A previously healthy 57-year-old, Dowd had complained of body aches and flu-like symptoms days earlier, but […]
Feb 27, 2024
Measles’ Deadliest Sequelae
MedPageToday How much do you know about its most dire consequences? In the late 1990s, my long-time colleague, Pam Nagami, MD, met a petite, Indian-American student she later called “Manju” when writing a terrific bookopens in a new tab or window about patients with infectious diseases. Some of the stories by Nagami end happily, but Manju’s did […]
Feb 27, 2024
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses from Multispecies Outbreak, Argentina, August 2023
CDC Abstract We report full-genome characterization of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b virus from an outbreak among sea lions (August 2023) in Argentina and possible spillover to fur seals and terns. Mammalian adaptation mutations in virus isolated from marine mammals and a human in Chile were detected in mammalian and avian hosts.
Feb 27, 2024
Deer Are Beta-Testing a Nightmare Disease
The Atlantic Prion diseases are poorly understood, and this one is devastating. Scott Napper, a biochemist and vaccinologist at the University of Saskatchewan, can easily envision humanity’s ultimate doomsday disease. The scourge would spread fast, but the progression of illness would be slow and subtle. With no immunity, treatments, or vaccines to halt its progress, […]
Feb 21, 2024
New Mexico reports first case of hantavirus in 2024
New Mexico Local News The New Mexico Department of Health has announced the year’s first case of hantavirus in New Mexico. According to the department, the first person to get hantavirus was a man in San Juan County. That person was hospitalized due to the virus. He has since been released and is recovering at […]
Feb 21, 2024
Defining Disease X
Johns Hopkins Public health agencies and governments across the globe are always readying their response for the next infectious disease emergency, but how do we prepare for the truly unknown? Enter Disease X. Since 2018, this mysterious—and often misrepresented—hypothetical pathogen has been at the heart of international pandemic preparedness efforts. Planning for the emergence of […]
Feb 20, 2024