Author: Claudinne Miller
2020 Ebola virus disease outbreak in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a retrospective genomic characterization
The Lancet Microbe The Democratic Republic of the Congo has had 15 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks, from 1976 to 2023. On June 1, 2020, the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared an outbreak of EVD in the western Équateur Province (11th outbreak), proximal to the 2018 Tumba and Bikoro outbreak and concurrent with an outbreak […]
Jan 23, 2024
Changes to Blood Proteins May Offer Further Insights Into Diagnosing Long COVID
Contagion The confounding mystery behind what causes Long COVID as well as developing definitive tests to identify and diagnose the condition has been an ongoing frustration for public health officials, clinicians, and patients. New research, however, looks to shed some light into characteristics of Long COVID. Specifically, blood serum proteins might offer a key to […]
Jan 23, 2024
Why does COVID-19 make you sneeze?
Science Viral protein stimulates nerves in respiratory passages, could be target for treatment SARS-CoV-2 has many ways of making people miserable, including by causing them to sneeze. Now, researchers have discovered the basis for this nose-tickling effect. One of the virus’ proteins stimulates neurons in respiratory passages, triggering the sneeze reflex. The results could spawn […]
Jan 23, 2024
The Minefields Ahead in Long COVID Treatment Development
MedPageToday Video at the link – “For the people hurting and suffering, they need treatment yesterday,” says long COVID expert. Faust: Somebody asked a question about how do you advise doctors who are treating long COVID? I think that’s really difficult, because people want to do something and they want to acknowledge that something’s happening. Then […]
Jan 23, 2024
Measles Cases On The Rise In England As Vaccination Rates Fall
Forbes Measles cases are rising fast in England after years of falling vaccination rates, official figures show. More than 1,600 suspected cases were recorded last year, up from 735 in 2022 and 360 in 2021, the U.K. Health Security Agency reports. Back in 2016, the World Health Organization had called the country “measles-free.” Waning vaccination levels are […]
Jan 23, 2024
Measles and Misinformation Are Two Huge Public-Health Threats
Time Measles would be gone if we wanted it to be. We’ve had a highly effective, safe vaccine for it for 60 years. But because of rising anti-vaccine sentiments, measles is back, with recent cases in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Virginia. Unless we tackle the misinformation that is at the root of vaccine hesitancy, more children will get sick from this […]
Jan 23, 2024
CDC says JN.1 variant accounts for about 86% of COVID cases in US
Reuters The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday estimated COVID subvariant JN.1 to account for about 85.7% of cases in the United States, as of Jan. 19. The agency said JN.1 remains the most widely circulating variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country and globally. There is no evidence at present that […]
Jan 23, 2024
Bird Flu Has Made a Terrifying Leap That’s Devastated Argentina’s Seal Populations
ScienceAlert Almost 96 percent of Southern elephant seal pups across Argentina born in 2023 have met a tragic end as a highly contagious strain of avian influenza continues to wreak havoc on wildlife. The scale of mortality sparks concerns that the H5N1 strain is now capable of mammal-to-mammal infection. “The sight of elephant seals found dead or dying along […]
Jan 23, 2024
You can still be contagious with COVID if you have a negative test — here’s why
NBC News As the nation experiences what many experts believe is the second-largest wave of COVID infections since the pandemic started, many Americans will be checking to make sure they don’t have the respiratory illness. COVID testing guidelines and what we know about how long you’re contagious have changed since the start of the pandemic. So we […]
Jan 23, 2024
Paxlovid helps prevent severe illness from COVID. Why don’t more people take it?
Yahoo News With the current COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. at more than 1.1 million and new evidence that COVID infections can damage the brain, heart and lungs, it’s clear that the disease is more than “just a bad cold.” Paxlovid, which is a combination of two drugs (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir), can lower the risk of severe symptoms […]
Jan 23, 2024