Author: Claudinne Miller
Measles cases hit six-year high in South Korea amid outbreaks across south-east Asia
The Guardian South Korea passes annual tally for 2024 already, as Vietnam and Thailand continue to battle outbreaks. South Korea has recorded the highest number of measles cases in six years, adding to concerns that low vaccination rates combined with international travel are contributing to further outbreaks elsewhere in the region. The country has confirmed 52 cases so far this […]
May 7, 2025
States loosen vaccine rules — even as measles outbreak rages
Politico With a longtime vaccine skeptic serving as the country’s top health official, the movement is likely to make further inroads. The U.S. is on track to surpass 1,000 measles cases this year as the viral illness — once so rare that most young doctors don’t recognize the telltale rash — makes an alarming comeback. […]
May 7, 2025
RFK Jr. Hits NIH With More Layoffs, Plans to Bring Others Back
Bloomberg The National of Institutes of Health laid off another 200 employees as part of the health department’s large-scale reduction-in-force carried out last month, with plans to bring back a similar number of employees for other areas. The agency on May 2 sent notices to “less than 250 employees” that they were affected by the […]
May 7, 2025
How dangerous is the H5N1 virus? Experts warn of its pandemic potential
MSN Virologists across the globe are raising alarms over the spread of the H5N1 avian flu virus, which is now infecting not just birds, but cattle and humans. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently considers the risk to the general public low, scientists warn that the virus’s increasing reach could lead to another pandemic. In a […]
May 7, 2025
Measles Misinformation Is on the Rise — And Americans Are Hearing It, Survey Finds
KFF While the most serious measles epidemic in a decade has led to the deaths of two children and spread to 27 states with no signs of letting up, beliefs about the safety of the measles vaccine and the threat of the disease are sharply polarized, fed by the anti-vaccine views of the country’s seniormost […]
May 7, 2025
H5N1 Bird Flu Cases Have Slowed in Animals and People
Medpage Today Detections of H5N1 avian influenza have slowed in both animals and humans, but continued surveillance is warranted, CDC researchers said. In dairy cattle, cases surged over the fall and early winter but eased in January, while cases in poultry flocks fell after February, and came down last month in backyard flocks, according to data […]
May 7, 2025
Texas measles total tops 700 cases amid rises in other states
CIDRAP The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported 19 more cases since its last update on May 2, lifting the state’s total to 702 cases. As the country’s biggest measles hot spot, the state has reported outbreak-linked cases from 29 counties, mainly in west Texas. So far 91 people have been hospitalized, […]
May 7, 2025
USDA Invests in Poultry Vaccine for Bird Flu
Farms The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has allocated $100 million toward researching and developing a vaccine to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The disease has affected flocks across the country, but current infection rates are decreasing due to the slower migration season. Introducing a poultry vaccine could significantly reduce outbreaks and support the […]
May 7, 2025
The MMR vaccine doesn’t contain ‘aborted fetus debris’, as RFK Jr has claimed. Here’s the science
The Conversation Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the United States’ top public health official, recently claimed some religious groups avoid the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine because it contains “aborted fetus debris” and “DNA particles”. The US is facing its worst measles outbreaks in years with nearly 900 cases across the country and active outbreaks in several states. At […]
May 6, 2025
Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the US. Here’s what you need to know
ABC News Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the United States more than a year after the first human case was detected. Since then, at least 70 people have fallen ill and at least one death was recorded in Louisiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of confirmed […]
May 6, 2025