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University of Nebraska Medical Center

Author: Claudinne Miller

What Is JN.1, the Latest COVID Variant?

Prevention Infectious disease experts on what it is, signs, symptoms, and if you should be worried. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is mutating yet again. The latest variant getting buzz is JN.1, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) flagged in a report issued late last week. In the report, CDC officials say that they’re […]

Nov 8, 2023

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cognitive decline

The Lancet The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the general population has been catastrophic. Despite substantial progress in understanding the virology, transmission, and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, many of the long-term consequences of COVID-19 or the restriction measures implemented around the world remain unknown. Evidence for the associated adverse effects of isolation, loneliness, post-traumatic stress, […]

Nov 8, 2023

Research shows mRNA vaccine harnesses T-cell power to combat COVID-19 in lungs

Medical Express The effectiveness of mRNA vaccines in reducing disease severity and hospitalization from COVID-19 is well established. Now, new research from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine advances our understanding of how these vaccines protect the lungs following breakthrough infections from emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Published on […]

Nov 8, 2023

Flu Season Remains Mostly Green

Precision Vaccinations The best news concerning the 2023-2024 flu season in the United States is that most people have yet to be impacted by an influenza virus.  According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), six states reported a moderate level of seasonal flu cases as of November 3, 2023, and two areas […]

Nov 8, 2023

Infants Are Born With Syphilis in Growing Numbers, a Sign of a Wider Epidemic

New York Times Congenital syphilis has become more than ten times as common over the past decade, the C.D.C. reported. “The situation is dire,” said one expert. The rise in sexually transmitted infections in the United States has taken a particularly tragic turn: More than 3,700 cases of congenital syphilis were reported in 2022, roughly […]

Nov 7, 2023

California: Avian flu confirmed among 3 dead geese in Sacramento’s William Land Park

CBS News The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported Tuesday that three birds that were previously found dead around the ponds in Sacramento’s William Land Park in October have tested positive for the avian flu. Fish and Wildlife said in a statement that the Eurasian strain of the avian influenza H5N1, which was first […]

Nov 7, 2023

Animal-To-Human Diseases Could Kill 12 Times More People By 2050

Forbes Most modern epidemics have been caused by pathogens that spread from animals to humans. These zoonotic diseases are predicted to increase as climate change and deforestation worsen. Disease epidemics transmitted from animals to humans could kill at least 12 times more people in 2050 than they did in 2020, according to a recently published […]

Nov 7, 2023

Down With Dengue

Science Today’s post is not exactly chemical per se, but it’s very promising news on the anti-infectives front. Dengue fever is a viral disease whose range has been extending in recent years, very likely as a result of changes in the climate (it was formerly considered more of a tropical disease). It’s yet another mosquito-carried […]

Nov 7, 2023

I Just Got Over Covid but Still Feel Awful

New York Times Symptoms can linger for days or weeks after testing negative, even for those who don’t develop long Covid. Q: It’s been a week since I tested negative for Covid, but I don’t feel totally better. Why am I still sick? The rapid test is finally, blissfully, negative after a week of dark […]

Nov 7, 2023