Author: Claudinne Miller
Using Math to Poke and Prod at Our Models for Infectious Disease
Univ of Nevada oes limiting population movement during a pandemic really help to minimize the spread of disease? Ph.D. candidate Keoni Castellano is using math to tackle that question. His research under mentor Rachidi Salako, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, explores epidemic models through analysis using mathematical, statistical, and computational tools to study the spread […]
Feb 6, 2024
8 diseases that could lead to the next pandemic
Interesting Engineering These diseases are on epidemiologists’ radar as potential sources of the next pandemic. At this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, held 14-19 January, a panel of health industry leaders took a break from economics to discuss preplanning for the outbreak of a hypothetical “Disease X.” Disease X is the World Health Organization’s […]
Feb 6, 2024
More Americans Could Benefit from Paxlovid for COVID Infection
Johns Hopkins One of the best tools for preventing severe complications from COVID infection is the prescription antiviral drug Paxlovid. But not nearly as many people who could benefit from it are being prescribed it, says Amesh Adalja, MD, FIDSA, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who specializes in infectious diseases and pandemic […]
Feb 6, 2024
Influenza A outbreak puts Bogotá Military Academy under strict quarantine
The City Paper Bogata The Military Academy of Cadets General José María Córdova in Bogotá is grappling with a potentially dangerous outbreak of the AH3N2 influenza virus, resulting in the quarantine of cadets, officers and staff. The outbreak was confirmed after 18-year-old Cadet Cristopher Blanco Vásquez died from the influenza type A virus. The surge […]
Feb 6, 2024
Your appendix is not, in fact, useless. This anatomy professor explains
NPR It was the first day of spring break in 1992 in Phoenix, and 12-year-old Heather Smith was excited for her family’s upcoming ski trip. But before Smith and her family had even packed their snow pants, she realized she didn’t feel good. “I woke up feeling just a little bit nauseous, and I wasn’t […]
Feb 6, 2024
Rio de Janeiro Declares Health Emergency After Massive Dengue Outbreak Just Before Carnival
Latin Post February means it is already Carnival season in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, the Carnival may get a bit complicated as a dengue outbreak is gripping the city. It got so bad that a state of emergency has been declared. Over 10,000 cases of dengue fever have been registered since the year began, sparking a […]
Feb 6, 2024
How the anti-vaccine movement is downplaying the danger of measles
NBC News As outbreaks of measles spread throughout the world, anti-vaccine activists aren’t just urging people not to get vaccinated — they’re taking a page from a well-worn playbook, falsely downplaying the dangers from the highly contagious respiratory disease. “The truth is, measles is not a super severe serious illness when you’re a child,” Mary Holland, […]
Feb 6, 2024
What is monkey fever, that has claimed 2 lives in Karnataka
IndianExpress A total of 31 cases of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, have been detected in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. Transmission to humans may occur after a tick bite or contact with an infected animal, most importantly a sick or recently dead monkey. The estimated case-fatality rate for KFD is […]
Feb 6, 2024
Supreme Court to weigh whether Covid misinformation is protected speech
STAT As social media sites were flooded with misleading posts about vaccine safety, mask effectiveness, Covid-19’s origins and federal shutdowns at the height of the pandemic, Biden officials urged platforms to pull down posts, delete accounts, and amplify correct information. Now the Supreme Court could decide whether the government violated Americans’ First Amendment rights with […]
Feb 6, 2024
COVID variant JN.1 now more than 90% of cases in U.S., CDC estimates
CBS News Close to all new COVID-19 cases in the United States are now being caused by the JN.1 variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, with an estimated 93.1% of infections now blamed on the highly mutated strain. The CDC’s latest biweekly estimate of the variant’s spread was published Friday. It comes as key trends reflecting COVID-19’s spread […]
Feb 6, 2024