Author: Claudinne Miller
CDC to expand testing for respiratory viruses at airports
CIDRAP The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday that it will expand testing of international air travelers beyond COVID-19 to provide early detection of other respiratory viruses. The Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program, which covers flights from more than 135 countries and has been implemented at seven airports nationwide, collects and analyzes […]
Nov 7, 2023
The Long Journey to Treat the Long Covid Brain
CNN Podcast More than three years after the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many long Covid patients are still experiencing brain fog, extreme fatigue, and myriad other health issues, leaving some unable to complete even the most basic of daily tasks. How should long Covid patients approach treatment, let alone everyday life? In this episode, […]
Nov 7, 2023

Brazil extends avian flu health emergency for 180 days
Reuters Brazil’s agriculture ministry has extended a national health emergency for another 180 days due to more detections of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus in wild birds, according to a statement on Tuesday. The highly infections virus has not yet reached commercial flocks, meaning Brazil’s status as an avian influenza-free country before the […]
Nov 7, 2023
Weekly Update by GCHS Dr. Lawler
GCHS This week Dr. Lawler provides us with information on the new JN.1 COVID-19 strain, along with a quick update on Biobot’s wastewater data.
Nov 1, 2023

Nipah Virus Outbreak Renews Calls to Protect Bat Roosts
Reuters The deadly Nipah bat virus killed two people and put hundreds more in quarantine recently in Kerala, India. The outbreak there — the fourth in five years — shows why many world health leaders want a planned global health treaty to include strong measures to prevent viruses from jumping from animals to humans. MARUTHONKARA, […]
Nov 1, 2023

Dengue rates drop after release of modified mosquitoes in Colombia
Nature Largest-ever deployment of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes yields ‘encouraging’ results in three densely populated cities. Three cities in Colombia saw a dramatic fall in the incidence of dengue in the years following the introduction of mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia, a bacterium that prevents the insect from transmitting viruses. In neighbourhoods where the Wolbachia mosquitoes were well established, dengue incidence dropped by […]
Nov 1, 2023

Moderna joins CEPI’s 100 Days Mission to advance pandemic preparedness
Fierce Biotech Moderna is shifting attention to the next pandemic, whatever it may be, in a new partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to condense vaccine development timelines down to 100 days. The famed biotech is the latest to join CEPI’s 100 Days Mission, which aims to strengthen pandemic preparedness and speed […]
Nov 1, 2023

The Viral Threat Almost No One Is Thinking About
The Atlantic Flu viruses and coronavirus started the last few pandemics. Could the next one be a paramyxovirus? Whether it begins next week, next year, or next decade, another pandemic is on its way. Researchers can’t predict precisely when or how the outbreak might begin. Some 1.6 million viruses are estimated to lurk in the world’s mammalian […]
Nov 1, 2023

What to Know About the JN.1 Variant
MedPageToday While the BA.2.86 or “Pirola” variant of SARS-CoV-2 never took off in the U.S., some researchers are now eyeing its descendant, JN.1, which may be more immune-evasive. JN.1 has yet to appear on the CDC’s variant proportions tracker, but it has started cropping up in samples in France, the U.K., and Portugal. The CDC warned in Augusto that […]
Nov 1, 2023
Children’s hospitals prepare for surge in admissions amid shortage of RSV drug
The Hill A supply shortage means a drug that can prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants won’t have a major immediate impact, children’s hospitals said, and they are preparing for a surge in admissions this respiratory disease season. “Widespread access [to the new antibody drug] will take time across many sectors of the pediatric […]
Nov 1, 2023
