Author: Claudinne Miller
H5N1 communication has been strictly for the birds. Didn’t the federal government learn anything from Covid?
STAT When it comes to federal agencies communicating to the public about H5N1 bird flu, it feels like a classic case of Yogi Berra’s déjà vu all over again. In the wake of pointed criticism about its failure to release new information about the growing H5N1 outbreak in livestock, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of […]
May 15, 2024
How fast is bird flu spreading in US cows? ‘We have no idea’
The Hill Avian flu is spreading rapidly among cattle, but public health and infectious disease experts are concerned the United States is too limited in its testing, leaving an incomplete picture of the virus’s spread. The threat to the general public is currently low, health officials say, and the country’s milk supply is safe. Just […]
May 15, 2024
Locks of Beethoven’s Hair Are Unraveling the Mysteries of His Deafness and Illnesses
Smithsonian Magazine Researchers found high levels of lead, mercury and arsenic in the German composer’s hair, which may help explain some of his many ailments. German composer Ludwig van Beethoven began losing his hearing in his 20s, a fact that deeply upset and embarrassed him. Over the years, his hearing loss worsened, and by the time he […]
May 15, 2024
Despite Bird Flu Risk, Raw-Milk Drinkers Are Undaunted
Wired As H5N1 continues its spread among US cow herds, raw milk enthusiasts remain utterly unfazed. To drink raw milk at any time is to flirt with dangerous germs. But, amid an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in US dairy cows, the risks have ratcheted up considerably. Health experts have stepped up warnings against drinking raw […]
May 15, 2024
What do we know about covid-19’s effects on the brain?
BMJ What are the neurological symptoms of covid-19? Covid may be primarily a respiratory infection, but a common symptom is “brain fog”—problems with memory or concentration—which can persist for weeks or months as part of long covid.1 And it’s not the only neurological effect. Giovanni Schifitto, professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical School […]
May 15, 2024
WEBINAR: Long-Term Health Effects of COVID-19: Disability and Function Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection
National Academies Jun 5, 2024 11:00AM – 12:00PM ET Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in early 2020, many individuals infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), have continued to experience lingering symptoms for months or even years following infection. Some symptoms can affect […]
May 15, 2024
TB-COVID co-infections increasingly common, tied to worse outcomes, data show
CIDRAP A new meta-analysis of 17 studies reveals that tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 co-infection are becoming increasingly prevalent around the world, with death rates gradually declining but remaining higher than COVID-19 infection alone. The study was published yesterday in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. The 17 studies were conducted in 38 countries or regions, spanning both high- and low-TB […]
May 15, 2024
How CDC is monitoring influenza data to better understand the current avian influenza A (H5N1) situation in people
CDC This page provides information on how CDC systems that monitor national, state, and local level influenza data are being used during the current avian influenza A(H5N1) situation
May 14, 2024
Bird flu keeps rewriting the textbooks. It’s why scientists are unsettled by the U.S. dairy cattle outbreak
STAT wenty-seven years ago today, a 3-year-old boy in Hong Kong developed a sore throat, spiked a fever, and started to cough. Six days later, he was hospitalized; six days after that, he died of acute respiratory distress caused by viral pneumonia. Testing showed the toddler, who’d had contact with sick chickens before becoming ill, had […]
May 14, 2024