Author: Claudinne Miller
A Rare Double Brood Emergence Of Cicadas Has Begun
Science Friday Two cicada broods on 13- and 17-year cycles coincide this spring, meaning trillions of buzzing insects across the South and Midwest. It has begun. Legions of cheese-puff-sized insects have started to climb out of the dirt after spending more than a decade underground sucking sap from tree roots. Over the next month and […]
May 1, 2024
Scientists tried to give people COVID — and failed
Nature Researchers deliberately infect participants with SARS-CoV-2 in ‘challenge’ trials — but high levels of immunity complicate efforts to test vaccines and treatments. When Paul Zimmer-Harwood volunteered to be intentionally infected with SARS-CoV-2, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He was ready for a repeat of his first brush with COVID-19, through a naturally acquired […]
May 1, 2024
What do we know about covid-19’s effects on the gut?
BMJ What gastrointestinal symptoms can covid-19 cause? Lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. These may not be the symptoms people expect with covid, but around 50% of people experience them after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in some people they’re the only symptoms.1 Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms may be the first sign of infection or may […]
May 1, 2024
Bird Flu Virus Has Been Spreading in U.S. Cows for Months
Scientific American A strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been silently spreading in US cattle for months, according to preliminary analysis of genomic data. The outbreak is likely to have begun when the virus jumped from an infected bird into a cow, probably around late December or early January. This implies a protracted, undetected spread of the virus — suggesting […]
Apr 30, 2024
The jump in measles cases in 2023 is ‘very concerning’ says WHO official
NPR Over the past 20 years, there’s been a lot of progress when it comes to combating measles. But the World Health Organization’s latest global numbers, released this past weekend, are “very concerning,” says Dr. Patrick O’Connor, the WHO’s medical officer for measles and rubella. Measles cases increased worldwide from more than 170,000 cases in 2022 to […]
Apr 30, 2024
Patch to protect against measles in children shows promise
BBC The device – the size of a sticking plaster – is easier to transport and store than standard injections, especially in remote areas. Measles is a very contagious disease which is common in children, and can kill. Protecting vulnerable children worldwide is a priority, experts say. Microscopic needles Despite the existence of a very […]
Apr 30, 2024
Is Chicken Feces Behind The Bird Flu Outbreaks In Cows? Here’s What To Know.
Forbes Bird flu outbreaks have affected 34 dairy cow herds across nine states, causing some to question whether the use of contaminated poultry litter as cow feed may be the source of transmission, though experts say not enough is known to draw this conclusion. Poultry litter (also known as chicken or broiler litter) is a mixture […]
Apr 30, 2024
Epidemiologic Survey of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Suids, Spain
CDC We conducted a cross-sectional study in wild boar and extensively managed Iberian pig populations in a hotspot area of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in Spain. We tested for antibodies against CCHFV by using 2 ELISAs in parallel. We assessed the presence of CCHFV RNA by means of reverse transcription quantitative PCR protocol, which […]
Apr 30, 2024
Could bird flu cause a human pandemic?
Vox Here’s what’s worrying experts right now about H5N1’s spread among dairy cows — and what isn’t. Last year, when an H5N1 avian flu virus — commonly known as bird flu — was spilling over from bird populations into a variety of wild mammals, Seema Lakdawala, a virologist and influenza A transmission specialist at Emory […]
Apr 30, 2024
4 more cats test positive for H5N1 bird flu in the U.S.
BNO News Four more cats have tested positive for H5N1 bird flu in connection with a growing outbreak in dairy cows in the United States, according to state and federal officials, raising the number of cases in the current outbreak to seven. Sonja Olsen, the Associate Director of Preparedness and Response at CDC’s Influenza Division, […]
Apr 30, 2024