Author: Claudinne Miller
WHO declares new JN.1 COVID strain a “variant of interest.” Here’s what that means.
CBS News The World Health Organization announced Tuesday it would step up its classification of the new COVID-19 variant JN.1 to a standalone “variant of interest,” after tracking the strain’s rapid ascent around the world. Health officials have been careful to say that JN.1 has so far not been found to lead to different or more severe symptoms compared […]
Dec 19, 2023
Avian flu blamed for deaths of more than 1,000 snow geese at Cheyenne Bottoms
12 News Testing revealed more than 1,000 migrating snow geese have died of avian influenza at wetlands in central Kansas. Wildlife officials want to bring awareness to protect other birds at Cheyenne Bottoms where dead geese line the shores of its pools. While the avian flu impact raises alarm, compared with the overall population at […]
Dec 19, 2023
HPAI detected in commercial poultry flock in Michigan
Meat and Poultry The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced the second detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial flock in Michigan and in Muskegon County since the disease first reached the state in 2022. The Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed an HPAI case at a commercial […]
Dec 19, 2023
Nigeria confirms 13 fresh cases of dengue fever
Gazette The dengue virus (DENV) is a leading mosquito-borne virus with a wide geographical spread and a major public health concern. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported 13 cases of dengue fever in Sokoto State, sparking concerns about the low level of awareness among Nigerians regarding this mosquito-borne illness. Despite […]
Dec 19, 2023
Winter Illness This Year Is a Different Kind of Ugly
The Atlantic Facing down simultaneous surges of flu, COVID, and RSV, most Americans still aren’t getting the vaccines that could temper the worst effects. Earlier this month, Taison Bell walked into the intensive-care unit at UVA Health and discovered that half of the patients under his care could no longer breathe on their own. All […]
Dec 19, 2023
Marburg vaccine tested at Texas Biomed moves to Phase 2 clinical trials
Street Insider A Marburg virus vaccine tested at Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) is progressing in clinical trials, moving a step closer towards becoming the world’s first vaccine against the deadly virus. The Sabin Vaccine Institute recently announced it launched Phase 2 clinical trials of its Marburg virus vaccine, which will initially enroll 125 healthy volunteers in Uganda and Kenya. Early tests […]
Dec 19, 2023
South Korea reports eight bird flu outbreaks on farms
Herald South Korea has reported eight cases of H5N6 bird flu on farms, prompting the culling of more than 500,000 poultry, the World Organisation for Animal Health says. The outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, were detected between December 5 and December 11, in villages in the western part of the […]
Dec 19, 2023
Mystery Amid an Anthrax Outbreak in Africa
NYT Only a fraction of the presumed cases in five countries have led to positive tests for anthrax. Some scientists say other causes cannot yet be ruled out. Five African countries are battling outbreaks of anthrax, with nearly 1,200 people affected so far and 20 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. But the official […]
Dec 19, 2023
What to Know About the New Covid Variants
NYT HV.1 has overtaken EG.5 as the leading variant in the U.S. Scientists are also watching two other variants, BA.2.86 and JN.1. Two closely related variants, EG.5 and HV.1, currently comprise nearly half of the Covid-19 cases in the United States. EG.5 became the dominant variant nationwide in August. At that time, the World Health Organization classified […]
Dec 19, 2023
Prion Disease Rising in the U.S.
MedPage Today Incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease increased, especially among women. The incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a universally fatal prion disease that progresses rapidly, rose consistently from 2007 to 2020, a study of death certificates showed. CJD codes on death certificates totaled 5,882 during that period, with 51.2% of cases occurring among women, according to […]
Dec 12, 2023
