Author: Claudinne Miller
COVID-19 has left the world less prepared for an influenza pandemic
Nature Prior to 2020, most pandemic preparedness efforts centered on influenza. Some countries, such as Aotearoa (New Zealand)1, were able to successfully adapt national pandemic influenza plans to the response to COVID-19, and global influenza surveillance systems were harnessed for SARS-CoV-2 (ref. 2). It is now critical that nations and the international community implement lessons learned […]
Apr 25, 2023
Q&A: Chronicling the failures of the U.S. response to Covid
Helen Branswell A new book on the U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic paints a picture of a country ill-prepared to cope with a dangerous biological foe, riven by partisan politics, and led by people who saw little political gain in taking ownership of managing the crisis. It also describes a country that remains ill-equipped […]
Apr 25, 2023
Get ready for the newest omicron COVID variant — Arcturus
(CBS News) The World Health Organization has elevated the fast-growing Omicron sublineage XBB.1.16 as a new variant of interest, and says it is outcompeting the previously dominant XBB.1.5 in many regions. XBB.1.16 is a descendant of the recombinant XBB, which is a mashup of two BA.2 sublineages. On social media, the variant has been nicknamed […]
Apr 25, 2023
Mpox outbreak was wake-up call for smallpox preparation, vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic says
CNBC The maker of the mpox vaccine is looking at ways to dramatically scale up its production capacity to prepare for a potential threat from smallpox. Bavarian Nordic CEO Paul Chaplin said the rapid spread of mpox last year was a wake-up call for the company, which is based in Denmark. “If it wasn’t mpox but it was smallpox, we are completely at […]
Apr 25, 2023
Measles outbreak in American Samoa declared public health emergency
ABC News American Samoa has issued a public health emergency after an outbreak of measles has spread across the U.S. territory. As of Tuesday, there has been one laboratory-confirmed case among an 8-year-old and 31 suspected and/or probable cases of the highly infectious disease, according to the Department of Health. During a press briefing, Dr. Scott Anesi, the department’s […]
Apr 25, 2023
A rare and lethal virus is spreading in Europe, prompting hunt for tests and cures
European Commission As a deadly disease that people can catch from ticks moves across the continent, the EU is seeking new tests and a vaccine for the infection. A 62-year-old man was bitten by a tick while hiking through fields in Spain. Two days later he began to feel ill and was taken to a […]
Apr 25, 2023
More than 3,300 sea lions in Chile die of H5N1 bird flu
BNO News More than 3,300 sea lions in Chile have died of H5N1 bird flu, a six-fold increase in just 4 weeks, according to government estimates released on Wednesday. The outbreak is also affecting other marine animals, including dolphins, porpoises, sea otters and penguins. The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (SERNAPESCA) said at least 3,347 […]
Apr 25, 2023
How misinformation became the leading cause of death in the U.S. and what can be done about it
Texas Public Radio – Audio Report Medical misinformation is killing people, according to the head of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Robert Califf blames misinformation and disinformation about public health for the fact that life expectancy in the U.S. is between three and five years lower than it is in other high-income countries. Experts […]
Apr 25, 2023
The Pandemic’s Surprising Effect on Suicide Rates
The Atlantic Suicide rates typically go down in times of crisis. Why? In March 2020, my partner, Amie; our 2-year-old son, Ratna; and I, who usually live in Kansas City, Missouri, were visiting Kerala, India, about to be in the throes of the country’s first COVID outbreak. When it became clear that Kerala was going […]
Apr 25, 2023