Author: Claudinne Miller
Bat Cave Footage Offers Clues to How Viruses Leap Between Species
NYT Video from a national park in Uganda depicted a parade of predatory species feeding on and dispersing fruit bats that are known natural reservoirs of infectious diseases. Bats carry an assortment of viruses, including infectious diseases that have jumped into humans in a process known as zoonotic spillover. In some cases, the aerial mammals […]
Jun 17, 2025
Hundreds of Mysterious Giant Viruses Discovered Lurking in The Ocean
Science Alert Scientists have just discovered hundreds of new giant viruses, in a comprehensive study covering oceans across the globe. The team behind the study, marine biologist Benjamin Minch and virologist Mohammad Moniruzzaman from the University of Miami, used bespoke computer software to identify the genomes of microbes in seawater samples – including 230 giant viruses previously unknown […]
Jun 17, 2025
Climate change leads to spread of infection-causing fungi, scientists say
ABC News Climate change may be putting millions more people at risk from an infection-causing fungi, which is likely spreading due to warming global temperatures, scientists say. There will likely be an increased risk of infection due to harmful fungi in the coming years due to climate change, according to researchers from the University of Manchester. The […]
Jun 17, 2025
What Happens to Vaccines Now?
NYT Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overhaul of an influential committee, including the appointment of new members, has created concern about vaccine access. The U.S. health secretary’s dismissal of an influential vaccine advisory committee this week sowed uncertainty about the future of vaccine recommendations nationwide. On Wednesday, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced eight new members of the Advisory Committee […]
Jun 17, 2025
Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.
NYT Newer formulations are even more effective at preventing illnesses that commonly afflict seniors — perhaps even dementia.Kim Beckham, an insurance agent in Victoria, Texas, had seen friends suffer so badly from shingles that she wanted to receive the first approved shingles vaccine as soon as it became available, even if she had to pay […]
Jun 17, 2025
A cattle disease and the tick carrying it are confirmed in Iowa for the first time
OPR The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said the state’s first case of Theileria orientalis Ikeda was confirmed in a cattle herd in Van Buren County in the southeast corner of the state. The protozoan parasite infects the red and white blood cells of cattle, causing anemia and sometimes death. It’s carried by the Asian longhorned tick, […]
Jun 17, 2025
DC-area pediatrician on CDC urging summer camp operators to screen for measles immunity
WTOP As measles cases near record levels in isolated areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging summer camps to check for documentation of immunity through vaccination or prior infection for all children. “I think there has been increased concerns about potential for additional outbreaks and spread, especially in the setting of waning or lowering […]
Jun 17, 2025
New ‘razor blade throat’ COVID subvariant quickly gains ground in California
SF Gate A new COVID-19 variant, nicknamed Nimbus, is rising around the world — including in California — and known for giving “razor blade throat” symptoms. Officially called NB.1.8.1, the variant was labeled a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization on May 23, according to a recent report. That means it’s not currently a major threat; […]
Jun 17, 2025
Former CDC director reacts to RFK Jr.’s firing of entire vaccine advisory panel
PBS Newshour The abrupt removal of all of the members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has sparked outrage and worry among many public health experts. That includes the American Medical Association, which called for a Senate investigation into Kennedy today. Geoff Bennett has reaction from Dr. Tom […]
Jun 11, 2025
Artificial intelligence reimagines infectious disease forecasting
Johns Hopkins The new tool is the first to use large language modeling to predict infectious disease risk. A new AI tool to predict the spread of infectious disease outperforms existing state-of-the-art forecasting methods. The tool, created with federal support by researchers at Johns Hopkins and Duke universities, could revolutionize how public health officials predict, […]
Jun 11, 2025