Author: Claudinne Miller
Respiratory virus activity is high and rising across the United States, CDC data shows
CNN As seasonal virus activity surges across the United States, experts stress the importance of preventive measures – such as masking and vaccination – and the value of treatment for those who do get sick. Tens of thousands of people have been admitted to hospitals for respiratory illness each week this season. During the week […]
Jan 2, 2024
Avian influenza death of Alaska polar bear is a global first and a sign of the virus’ persistence
Juneau Empire A polar bear found dead on Alaska’s North Slope is the first of the species known to have been killed by the highly pathogenic avian influenza that is circulating among animal populations around the world. The polar bear was found dead in October near Utqiagvik, the nation’s northernmost community, the Alaska Department of […]
Jan 2, 2024
Every COVID Infection Increases Your Risk of Long COVID, Study Warns
Science Alert Vaccines ensure bouts of COVID are far less deadly than they were at the pandemic‘s start, yet multiple studies now suggest even seemingly mild cases of the coronavirus have a cost. With every single infection, our risk of long COVID increases. While this risk starts (relatively) low for most of us, particularly those vaccinated and in […]
Dec 27, 2023
Mouse Fever: What To Know About The Virus “Mowing Down” Putin’s Soldiers Fighting In Ukraine
Forbes A disease spread by rodents that causes vomiting and bleeding from the eyes called “mouse fever” is tearing through Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian intelligence, illustrating the poor conditions soldiers face as the war edges towards stalemate and nears the two-year mark. “Mouse fever” is reportedly “mowing down” Russian troops “en masse” near […]
Dec 27, 2023
A big shift in collecting COVID data — from case counts to monitoring poop
NPR Earlier this year, the CDC stopped collecting data on new infections (as in positive tests) – relying instead on COVID hospitalizations, deaths and, increasingly, on wastewater surveillance – a network set up during the pandemic to regularly test sewage samples from around the country. The surveillance network has expanded beyond COVID to track flu, RSV, norovirus and other health threats that are […]
Dec 26, 2023
A new COVID vaccine strategy could help — if only people would pay attention
NPR Updated COVID vaccines came to U.S. consumers this fall, promising better protection against recent variants. And there was new messaging too: Get an annual COVID boosters along with your flu shot every fall. But anticipated “high demand” did not materialize. By mid-December, fewer than 20% of US adults had gotten the updated shot, and the CDC warned […]
Dec 26, 2023
Long COVID will take your health, your wealth — then it will come for your marriage
ABC Sarah* fully expected that catching COVID would be a disaster for her health. As a health researcher, she’d followed the science of SARS-CoV-2 more closely than many people — she understood how serious the pandemic was. She also has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that causes her muscles to weaken and […]
Dec 26, 2023
‘Sick Shaming’ at the Office Leads to Overuse of Cold Medicine Among U.S. Workers
Time At the height of the pandemic, Meg McNamara’s employer sent her home with symptoms that looked a lot like Covid, but she knew better. A negative Covid test proved that the 37-year-old’s coughs and red eyes were just her usual allergies. Determined to not be wrongly accused again, the New York-based physician’s assistant turned […]
Dec 26, 2023
Top COVID FAQs of 2023: Staying safe at home, flying tips, shot combos, new variant
NPR This is the year that the COVID-19 pandemic was declared to be no longer a global health emergency. But even though case counts are down in 2023, it’s not as if everything is back to normal. There is, for example, a new omicron variant that was first detected in late summer and has spread […]
Dec 26, 2023
Health workers struggle to prevent an infectious disease ‘disaster in waiting’ in Gaza
NPR In Gaza, the World Health Organization warns that illness may ultimately kill more people than Israel’s offensive. Infectious diseases are “soaring,” says the WHO. Over 100,000 cases of diarrhea have been reported, with rates among children 25 times higher than before the war. War has shattered Gaza’s health-care system, including its disease surveillance capabilities. So […]
Dec 26, 2023