Author: Claudinne Miller
What we do — and don’t yet — know about the malaria cases in the U.S.
NPR In the 1950s, the U.S. declared that it had wiped out malaria. As NPR reported a few years ago, this public health milestone was achieved “through the use of insecticides, drainage ditches and the incredible power of window screens.” This week, headlines trumpeted the “return” of malaria: four cases in Florida and one in Texas. So […]
Jul 5, 2023
20 Cats Confirmed with Bird Flu in Poland
Precision Vaccinations Poland’s Chief Veterinary Office recently confirmed 29 samples of avian influenza A(H5N1) were tested, 20 of which came from cats from Gdańsk, Gdynia, Poznań, Lublin, Pruszcz Gdański, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Bydgoszcz, Wrocław, the Rzeszów district and the vicinity of Zamość. As of June 30, 2023, Poland’s State Veterinary Institute in Puławy reported these infections. Previously, a team of scientists […]
Jul 5, 2023
Raw meat linked to H5N1 bird flu outbreak among cats
BNO News Raw meat consumed by one of the infected cats in Poland has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, according to researchers, adding to growing signs that a food product is behind the unusual outbreak. At least 16 cats across Poland have died and tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza, but health officials are […]
Jul 5, 2023
Brazil confirms bird flu in main poultry-producing state
Poultry World According to Brazil’s Official Veterinary Service, 2 new outbreaks have been confirmed in the country, this time in the state of Paraná, a state that accounts for 35% of Brazil’s poultry production. The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply updated the number of cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild […]
Jul 5, 2023
The doctor who warned the world of the mpox outbreak of 2022 is still worried
NPR A little over a year ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still a public health emergency, a little-known virus came seemingly out of nowhere to add to the world’s worries – a virus known at the time as monkeypox. Monkeypox – since renamed mpox following criticisms that the name held misleading and racist connotations – went […]
Jul 5, 2023
National Guardsman identified as individual who tested positive for malaria
Texas Local News Christopher Shingler said he was among the troops stationed in Brownsville in May on a border security assignment prior to the end of Title 42. He was heavily bitten by bugs, including mosquitoes, and started experiencing symptoms within two weeks, Shingler said. “I started having fevers and vomiting, and that was the […]
Jul 5, 2023
Rare link between coronavirus vaccines and Long Covid–like illness starts to gain acceptance
Studies probe unusual cases of neurologic complications, blood pressure swings, and other side effects. COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives, and the world is gearing up for a new round of boosters. But like all vaccines, those targeting the coronavirus can cause side effects in some people, including rare cases of abnormal blood clotting […]
Jul 5, 2023
Statement from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on CDC’s Historic Recommendation Allowing Older and Immunocompromised Adults to Receive the RSV Vaccine
HHS CDC Recommendation Follows the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) Recommendations for the Use of New GSK and Pfizer RSV Vaccines for People Ages 60 Years and Older Today, in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine for seniors over 60, U.S. Department of […]
Jul 5, 2023
This Fall’s COVID-19 Vaccines Will Target Omicron XBB Subvariants, but Who Needs Them Remains to Be Seen
JAMA On June 15, members of the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted unanimously to recommend updating the COVID-19 vaccine composition to a monovalent XBB lineage. On June 16, the FDA announced that it had advised manufacturers planning to update their COVID-19 vaccines that they should specifically target XBB.1.5. Scientists […]
Jul 5, 2023
Detrimental effects of COVID-19 in the brain and therapeutic options for long COVID: The role of Epstein–Barr virus and the gut–brain axis
Nature The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has resulted in a serious public health burden worldwide. In addition to respiratory, heart, and gastrointestinal symptoms, patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 experience a number of persistent neurological and psychiatric symptoms, known as long COVID or “brain fog”. Studies […]
Jul 5, 2023