Author: Claudinne Miller
What an Undervaccinated America Would Look Like
The Atlantic At first, much the same. But inevitably dangerous diseases would resurge in a country that isn’t prepared for them. Becoming a public-health expert means learning how to envision humanity’s worst-case scenarios for infectious disease. For decades, though, no one in the U.S. has had to consider the full danger of some of history’s […]
Jan 29, 2025
Kennedy, in His Own Words: Flu, Diabetes, Autism and More
NYT At Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearings, beginning on Wednesday, senators are expected to question him closely about his controversial views on vaccines. For years Mr. Kennedy has questioned the safety of vaccines, including those for polio and measles, two diseases that continue to harm children. More recently, he has said that he’s not […]
Jan 29, 2025
‘Quad-demic’ Hitting US With Flu, COVID-19, RSV, Norovirus Surging
Forbes This is not how you want to go viral. The U.S. is currently going through surges of not one, not two, not three, but four different viruses. That’s prompted folks to nickname the current situation a “quad-demic.” Here’s what you can do to protect yourself. What Is The ‘Quad-demic’? The Centers for Disease Control […]
Jan 29, 2025
Potential Ebola outbreak reported in DRC at a time of strained U.S.-WHO relations
STAT Tanzania is separately confronting an outbreak of Marburg fever. A potential Ebola outbreak has been reported in a western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in what would be the second viral hemorrhagic fever outbreak in the region at a time when the Trump administration has paused communication with the World Health […]
Jan 29, 2025
Why scientists’ fears about bird flu are intensifying
NPR Bird flu or avian influenza is continuing to spread among livestock and other mammals in the United States, raising fears that another pandemic is in our future. Last month, California declared a state of emergency due to rising cases in dairy cattle, and there have been over 65 human cases in the U.S. during […]
Jan 29, 2025
RFK Jr. Wants to Rethink the Measles Vaccine. Here’s What the Science Shows.
WSJ MMR vaccines are safe and effective, but fewer children are getting them. Measles and mumps are viral diseases so rare that fewer than one in 40,000 Americans catch either of them in a given year. Getting rubella is less likely than getting struck by lightning. But as recently as the 1960s, measles sickened half […]
Jan 29, 2025
Ring vaccination effective in containing Ebola
Nature Success of targeted vaccination in curbing Ebola outbreaks in DRC, paving the way for future strategies against similar infectious diseases. A new study1 in the New England Journal of Medicine has highlighted the effectiveness of ring vaccination in containing Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Ring vaccination is a public health strategy where […]
Jan 29, 2025
Rare bird flu strain found in California raises potential of wider spread
Washington Post First U.S. detection of virulent H5N9 strain, at a California duck farm, draws scrutiny as evidence of genetic reassortment that could trigger human outbreaks. A new strain of avian influenza has been identified for the first time in the United States, raising concerns that the virus is transforming in a way that could eventually cause […]
Jan 28, 2025
The Marburg virus outbreak is a critical moment for Rwanda’s one health policy
Nature The Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak in Rwanda underscores the serious threat posed by zoonotic diseases. These pathogens, which are transmitted between animals and humans through direct contact or environmental factors, result in an estimated 2.4 billion infections and 2.2 million deaths annually1. MVD, which originates from bats, can spread rapidly to humans, with […]
Jan 28, 2025
Georgia DNR officials outline plan intended to contain spread of ‘zombie deer disease’
Georgia Recorder Starting next deer season, hunters in south Georgia will have the option to drop off the heads of deer they take to be tested for a fatal and infectious brain-eating disease sometimes called “zombie deer disease.” “We’re going to set up self-serve freezer drop-off locations, where a hunter, someone like me and you […]
Jan 28, 2025