Author: Claudinne Miller
A new COVID variant is on the rise. Here’s what to know about LP.8.1
The Conversation More than five years since COVID was declared a pandemic, we’re still facing the regular emergence of new variants of the virus, SARS-CoV-2. The latest variant on the rise is LP.8.1. It’s increasing in Australia, making up close to one in five COVID cases in New South Wales. Elsewhere it’s become even more dominant, comprising at least […]
Apr 16, 2025
New Yorkers reflect on COVID-19 impact: reporting anger, isolation, and unexpected growth
6 News Five years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest poll by the Siena College Research Institute reveals that 67% of New Yorkers report either they or a family member contracted the virus, with 37% experiencing it more than once. The results were gathered from 618 NY residents from March 17 to […]
Apr 16, 2025
Why cats are so vulnerable to H5N1 bird flu
STAT In 2024, as zoos were hit hard by H5N1 bird flu, big cats were particularly affected: tigers, lions, a cheetah, and a panther all died after being infected with the same virus that has caused egg prices to skyrocket. House cats are vulnerable to H5N1, too, as Meghan F. Davis, a veterinarian and epidemiologist with […]
Apr 16, 2025
Anti-vaccine advocates battle over narrative in West Texas, downplaying role of measles in deaths
Texas Tribune After Daisy Hildebrand died of measles, her death was made public first by Dr. Robert Malone, a vaccine skeptic who blamed the hospital for fumbling her care. Daisy’s father told The Texas Tribune he never to spoke to Malone. When Daisy Hildebrand became the second Texas child to die of measles on April […]
Apr 16, 2025
Measles cases linked to Texas outbreak reach 561, with 20 new infections confirmed
USA Today Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the measles vaccine is “leaky” because its effectiveness wanes over time, something medical experts dispute. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who now oversees the nation’s federal health agencies, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doing a “very good job” of controlling the measles outbreak that has […]
Apr 16, 2025
Key vaccine committee meets for the first time under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
AP A key vaccine advisory committee met for the first time under new U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading voice in the U.S. anti-vaccine movement. Tuesday’s meeting was, to some extent, business as usual, though with a major question looming: Who would evaluate the committee’s recommendations? The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ two-day […]
Apr 16, 2025
A mysterious pathogen: Oropouche virus more common in Latin America than previously thought
Charite Like the dengue and Zika viruses, Oropouche virus causes a febrile illness. There are recent indications that infections during pregnancy can cause damage to unborn babies. Researchers at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now determined that the virus is much more widespread in Latin America than previously assumed. Their study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases,* […]
Apr 16, 2025
H5N1: 70 Human Cases in the US as of April 2025
Contagion Live As of April 2025, the CDC has reported 70 confirmed and probable human cases of H5N1 avian influenza since the outbreak began in 2024 in the United States. The majority of these cases have been linked to exposure through commercial agricultural settings, with 41 individuals exposed through infected dairy herds and 24 associated with poultry […]
Apr 15, 2025
Texas says measles cases rise further, CDC sends more help
Reuters The Texas health department reported 561 cases of measles in the state on Tuesday, an increase of 20 from April 11, as the U.S. government said it was sending seven people to the state to help battle the outbreak of the childhood disease. Cases in Gaines County, the center of the outbreak, rose to […]
Apr 15, 2025
Lassa fever outbreak worsens, death toll rises to 127
Daily Post The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a continued rise in Lassa fever cases, with 15 new confirmed infections and five additional deaths recorded in Week 14 of 2025 (March 31 – April 6). The latest figures show that 674 cases have been confirmed from a total of 4,025 […]
Apr 15, 2025