Author: Claudinne Miller
Are you a mosquito magnet? It’s because of how you smell.
Washington Post Your body is a big protein shake that smells like stinky feet for hungry mosquitoes. Some people are magnets for mosquitoes, emitting a tantalizing combination of chemicals that invites the pesky insects to dine on them. Researchers at Rockefeller University in New York found people who have higher levels of certain acids on […]
Jun 3, 2025
We finally may be able to rid the world of mosquitoes. But should we?
Washington Post Gene editing holds the potential of suppressing mosquito species that carry deadly diseases — and raises ethical questions. They buzz, they bite, and they cause some of the deadliest diseases known to humanity. Mosquitoes are perhaps the planet’s most universally reviled animals. If we could zap them off the face of the Earth, […]
Jun 3, 2025
mRNA, once lauded as a scientific marvel, is now a government target
STAT After the success of Covid vaccine, HHS is now sowing doubt in mRNA technology. mRNA, a Nobel-winning technology harnessed by Trump officials to create Covid shots in record time, is becoming a political reject as the nation’s leaders openly embrace vaccine skepticism. Republican lawmakers and federal health officials alike are shunning messenger RNA, a […]
Jun 3, 2025
Measles can be a risk during air travel. Here’s how to stay safe.
Washington Post At least 62 people with measles have traveled on planes this year, and one person became infected. But being fully vaccinated can help protect you. People with measles, a highly contagious disease, are traveling on airplanes, raising concerns about the spread of the respiratory virus as global cases rise and summer travel season gets underway […]
Jun 3, 2025
Two more Colorado measles infections connected to out-of-state traveler
CBS News The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said two more cases of measles have been confirmed in connection with an out-of-state traveler who went through Denver International Airport in May. Officials said the latest cases are two unvaccinated adults who reside in El Paso County. Officials said the adults are not related to each […]
Jun 3, 2025
Measles vaccination rates in children have declined in most U.S. counties, study finds
CBS News Amid a widespread decline in childhood measles vaccination rates since before the COVID-19 pandemic across the United States, a study published Monday found that coverage can vary substantially within a state. Looking at county-level data in 33 states, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination rate decreased from 93.92% in […]
Jun 3, 2025
Increasing Predominance of Norovirus GII.17 over GII.4, United States, 2022–2025
CDC Norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in the United States (1). Genetically, noroviruses are classified into 10 genogroups (GI–GX) and further into 48 genotypes and 60 P-types (2). Most outbreaks are caused by genogroup GI and GII viruses. During 2011–2024, GII.4 viruses have caused >50% of US outbreaks each season (defined […]
Jun 3, 2025
Will norovirus surge early again this year? CDC urges tracking of new strain.
CBS News After years of largely predictable norovirus waves, the emergence of a new strain might have disrupted the seasonal pattern of outbreaks from this notorious stomach bug, suggests a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In previous years, the U.S. usually saw norovirus outbreaks increase around December. That marked the start of the […]
Jun 3, 2025
RFK Jr. says he may bar scientists from publishing in top medical journals
Washington Post Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim at reputed journals such as the Lancet and said his agency will create “in-house” publications instead. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday that he may bar government scientists from publishing in the world’s leading medical journals, instead proposing the creation […]
May 28, 2025
Understanding How a Rare Brain Wasting Disease Hides in Neurons For Decades
Yale Medicine In April of this year, three people in Oregon developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a rare, fatal neurological condition that is similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease. It impacts one or two people per million each year, making the chances of three cases emerging in the same small geographic […]
May 28, 2025