Author: Claudinne Miller
India: Nipah Virus Infection Update
WHO From 12 to 15 September 2023, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, reported six laboratory-confirmed Nipah virus cases, including two deaths, in Kozhikode district, Kerala. Aside from the first case, whose source of infection is unknown, the other cases were family and hospital contacts of the first case. As of […]
Oct 3, 2023
Nigeria: Lassa Fever Kills 181 Persons, Infects 1,068 In 28 States
Daily Trust Lassa fever has killed 181 persons across 28 states since the beginning of the year. The latest situation report released yesterday by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said , “In total for 2023, 28 States have recorded at least one confirmed case across 112 local government areas .” It […]
Oct 3, 2023
Anti-Vaxxers Think an Emergency Phone Alert Will Cause a Zombie Apocalypse
Rolling Stone The latest paranoia to grip online fringe communities is about FEMA supposedly sending harmful 5G signals to your phone. “IS THERE A Zombie Apocalypse activated by 5G towers on the way?!?!” wrote the QAnon influencer behind a Telegram channel called The Patriot Voice, which is followed by more than 50,000 people, in a post shared at […]
Oct 3, 2023
Bangladesh dengue deaths top 1,000 in worst outbreak
NBC News At least 1,017 people have died so far in 2023 and nearly 209,000 have been infected, official data showed, making this the deadliest year since the first recorded epidemic in 2000. The death toll from Bangladesh’s worst dengue outbreak on record has topped 1,000 this year, official data showed, with hospitals struggling to make space for […]
Oct 3, 2023
Why the new COVID shot is a game-changer (and why the term ‘booster’ is obsolete)
National Geographic The latest vaccine formula is available in local pharmacies now. Experts say it will be like the annual flu shot: one and done. Here’s why. Unlike earlier in the pandemic, when the initial vaccines were followed by a seemingly never-ending stream of boosters, the recently updated COVID vaccine is simple: a single shot. […]
Oct 3, 2023
RedHill’s antiviral, once tested for COVID, works in mice with Ebola
Fierce Pharma RedHill Biopharma, in collaboration with the U.S. Army, announced Oct. 3 that twice-daily oral doses of the medication opaganib boosted survival from about six days in controls to 11 days in animals infected with the virus. In the group treated with the highest dose, 30% of the mice survived, compared to none of […]
Oct 3, 2023
SARS-CoV-2 Associated With Increased Incidence of Psoriasis
Dermatology Times A recent matched cohort study1 published in BMC Medicine found that in a cohort of patients in the UK, SARS-CoV-2 was associated with an increased incidence of psoriasis, among several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID). Increased incidence was also associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus and inflammatory bowel disease. Investigators Syed et al sought to explore the […]
Oct 3, 2023
South Africa culls about 7.5 million chickens in an effort to contain bird flu outbreaks
AP South Africa has culled about 7.5 million chickens in an effort to contain dozens of outbreaks of two separate strains of avian influenza that threaten to create a shortage of eggs and poultry for consumers, the government and national poultry association said Tuesday. At least 205,000 chickens have died from bird flu in at least 60 […]
Oct 3, 2023
Research shows “direct mechanistic link” between COVID-19 infection and heart attack, stroke
NeuroNews A new study has shed fresh light on the potential connection between pre-existing heart issues and symptoms of ‘long-COVID’. According to researchers from New York University (NYU) Langone Health in New York City, USA, being infected with the pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2 can trigger a dangerous immune response in plaques lining the heart’s largest blood vessels […]
Oct 3, 2023
FDA Authorizes Updated Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Formulated to Better Protect Against Currently Circulating Variants
FDA Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted for use in individuals 12 years of age and older to include the 2023-2024 formula. Individuals 12 years of age and older previously vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine (and who have not already been vaccinated […]
Oct 3, 2023