Author: Claudinne Miller
COVID Viral Load Peaks Later Now Than Early in Pandemic
MedPageToday Peak on day 4 of symptoms, rather than day 1, has implications for rapid tests, experts say. Viral load in COVID-19 infection peaks later now than in the early days of the pandemic, driving implications for rapid testing, researchers say. A paper published in Clinical Infectious Diseases has been generating discussion among experts, who say high […]
Oct 24, 2023
Anti-COVID drug accelerates viral evolution
Nature Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19, induces numerous mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome that can increase the rate at which the virus evolves — yielding viral variants that might survive and be passed on. Drugs are potent weapons against viral pathogens. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were intensive […]
Oct 24, 2023
How SARS-CoV-2 contributes to heart attacks and strokes
NIH COVID-19 is known to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. The intense inflammation that occurs throughout the body in severe cases likely contributes to this increased risk. But it’s not clear whether SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, also affects blood vessels directly. To find out, an NIH-funded research team, led […]
Oct 24, 2023
New deadly bird flu cases reported in Iowa, joining 3 other states as disease resurfaces
CBS News Two commercial turkey farms in Iowa have been hit by the reemerging highly pathogenic bird flu, causing about 100,000 birds to be killed to prevent the disease from spreading. The Iowa Department of Agriculture reported the infected commercial poultry flocks within weeks of a turkey farm in South Dakota and one in Utah […]
Oct 24, 2023
Long-term health impacts of COVID-19 among 242,712 adults in England
Nature The COVID-19 pandemic is having a lasting impact on health and well-being. We compare current self-reported health, quality of life and symptom profiles for people with ongoing symptoms following COVID-19 to those who have never tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection and those who have recovered from COVID-19. Overall, 276,840/800,000 (34·6%) of invited participants took […]
Oct 24, 2023
Bird Island Records First Influenza Case Following Unexplained Mortality Of Birds
Nature World News Experts said that a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in the brown skua populations that were found in Bird Island, South Georgia. They said that this is the first known case of the avian influenza in the Antarctic region. First Case The reported case of avian influenza came after reports of […]
Oct 24, 2023
Bird flu has reached Antarctica and could have a devastating effect
New Scientist A lethal form of bird flu has been discovered in the Antarctic region for the first time and it could kill many seals and whales as well as millions of birds. The lethal form of bird flu that has been killing millions of wild birds around the world has spread south to the Antarctic region, […]
Oct 24, 2023
RSV is America’s leading cause of hospitalization for children under 5
Washington Post Each year in the United States, 2.1 million children younger than 5 receive outpatient treatment for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But for up to 80,000 youngsters, the infection becomes severe and leads to hospitalization, making RSV the country’s leading cause of infant hospitalization. In a report released […]
Oct 24, 2023
Memory in action: what the UK’s official COVID commemoration should look like
The Conversation Whether an actual bereavement or a loss of experience, everyone has lost something to COVID. From early on in the pandemic, grassroots memorials sought to acknowledge this collective experience, including the national COVID memorial wall in London and the annual national day of reflection organised by the Marie Curie charity. In September 2023, the UK Commission on COVID Commemoration released its final […]
Oct 17, 2023
This Is How the FDA Plans to Fight Health Misinformation
Bloomberg Another challenge for the FDA is to get the public to trust what they’re saying in the first place. Hi, it’s Fiona in New York. A much-anticipated report on how the FDA can combat misinformation was published earlier this month. More on that later… Pre-bunking vs. de-bunking Health misinformation is as old as medicine […]
Oct 17, 2023