Author: Claudinne Miller
First U.S. malaria cases diagnosed in decades in Florida and Texas
Reuters Five cases of malaria have been confirmed in Florida and Texas, the first time the potentially fatal mosquito-borne disease has been locally acquired in the United States in 20 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. The four Florida cases, along with one in Texas, have been diagnosed over a period […]
Jun 27, 2023
How a Toilet Plunger Improved CPR
New York Times The conventional method for chest compressions doesn’t have a great success rate. Doctors are pumping it up with a high-tech plunger. In 1988, a 65-year-old man’s heart stopped at home. His wife and son didn’t know CPR, so in desperation they grabbed a toilet plunger to get his heart going until an ambulance showed […]
Jun 20, 2023
What COVID-19 variants are going around in June 2023?
Nebraska Medicine There are currently more than 9,747 patients hospitalized in the United States per week, with 16% of those being ICU patients. The test positivity rate for the week of June 2-8 was 7.2%. When test positivity is above 5%, transmission is considered uncontrolled. Since many are using home tests that are not reported through public […]
Jun 20, 2023
FDA asks drugmakers to update Covid boosters to target XBB.1.5 for the fall
NBC The updated shots are expected to be distributed as early as September as part of a fall booster campaign. The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it was advising drugmakers to update the Covid booster shots to target XBB.1.5, the predominant coronavirus strain in the United States. The announcement came a day after an advisory […]
Jun 20, 2023
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever – why this tick-borne virus could become more common in richer countries
The Conversation Climate change is already having, and will continue to have, a significant effect on global health. This is likely to be greatest in rural poorer populations in sub-Saharan Africa. However, richer countries, such as the UK, will also probably be on the receiving end of emerging infectious disease threats as the country warms. Infections that are […]
Jun 20, 2023
Research explains the role of high cholesterol in SARS-CoV-2 infectivity
Medical Xpress A recent study has unveiled the doorway that SARS-CoV2 uses to slip inside cells undetected. SARS-CoV-2 uses the receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, or ACE2, to infect human cells. However, this receptor alone does not paint a complete picture of how the virus enters cells. ACE2 is like a doorknob; when SARS-CoV-2 grabs it and […]
Jun 20, 2023
H9N2 Bird Flu Cases Confirmed
Precision Vaccinations The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently confirmed sporadic human cases of avian influenza A (H9N2) have been observed in 2023, mainly in young children. As of June 12, 2023, one new human infection with H9N2 was reported in Sichuan province, China. And since 1998, a total of 125 laboratory-confirmed cases, […]
Jun 20, 2023
Unprecedented Avian Flu Outbreak Continues
Science Friday Podcast, link to audio file at the link above. Avian influenza has been circulating for decades among wild birds, but the US is now experiencing the worst outbreak in its history. That’s because of a specific strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has left around 60 millions birds—mostly poultry—dead. This has implications for […]
Jun 20, 2023
AI is already tracking the next pandemic
Harvard Public Health The technology was in development long before COVID-19, but the pandemic spurred a surge of interest. or a motley collection of artificial intelligence researchers and startups, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is just the beginning. The pandemic provided would-be entrepreneurs an opportunity to prove that artificial intelligence technology can help flag emerging illnesses […]
Jun 20, 2023
Researchers Are Working on At-Home Tests for Lyme Disease
Time If there has been one silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been the rise of rapid self-tests, which provide results at home in minutes. Researchers are hard at work at developing similar tests for other diseases—including Lyme. Lyme disease is transmitted by the black-legged (or deer) tick and infects about 476,000 Americans each year. The faster […]
Jun 20, 2023
