Author: Claudinne Miller
Why getting your flu and COVID-19 vaccines before the holidays is a good idea
PBS Newshour If you missed the early fall push for flu and COVID-19 vaccines, it’s not too late. Health officials say it’s important to get vaccinated ahead of the holidays, when respiratory bugs tend to spread with travel and indoor celebrations. Those viruses haven’t caused much trouble so far this fall. But COVID-19 tends to […]
Nov 13, 2024
A twisted protein sheds light on chronic wasting disease in deer
Science News The misfolded proteins responsible for a fatal neurological illness in deer have a twist. The first detailed structure of an infectious prion that causes chronic wasting disease, or CWD, reveals features that could help guide vaccine development or explain why the illness hasn’t yet made the leap to people, researchers report October 24 in Acta Neuropathologica. […]
Nov 13, 2024
New AI model improves prediction power for genomics related to disease
Phys.org To understand the workings of DNA in relation to disease, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed the first multimodal deep learning model of its kind, EPBDxDNABERT-2, capable of ascertaining the precise relationship between transcription factors, proteins that regulate gene activities, leveraging an aspect of DNA called DNA breathing, in which the double-helix […]
Nov 13, 2024
Take the ‘Death Stairs’ if You Dare
NYT A Facebook page, which began among a few friends, has grown into a popular photo collection of hazardous stairs. Kevin Reid knew the bright green staircase in his childhood home was a bit bizarre: It was made of pipe fittings and looked more like a ladder. The quirky staircase was just a part of […]
Nov 13, 2024
Nigeria NCDC Alerts Public To Risk Of Lassa Fever, Meningitis Outbreaks
Science Nigeria The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a public advisory, urging Nigerians to enhance personal and environmental hygiene as the country faces heightened risks of Lassa fever and cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) outbreaks. NCDC’s director-general, Dr. Jide Idris highlighted that proactive measures are essential to prevent these life-threatening diseases. He […]
Nov 12, 2024
Many human infections with ‘cow flu’ are going undetected
Science Scientists find evidence of past H5N1 infection in 7% of workers exposed at dairy farms—but no signs of human-to-human transmission. The H5N1 bird flu strain circulating in U.S. dairy cattle is likely infecting far more farm workers than scientists realized, a new study published today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
Nov 12, 2024
Multi-country outbreak of mpox, External situation report #42- 9 November 2024
WHO (download pdf )This is the 42nd situation report for the multi-country outbreak of mpox, which provides an update on the epidemiological situation of mpox in Africa (including countries in the WHO African Region and some countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region), with data as of 3 November 2024. On 22 November 2024, WHO […]
Nov 12, 2024
WHO convening emergency mpox meeting
The Hill The World Health Organization (WHO) will convene a meeting later this month to determine whether the mpox outbreak occurring in Africa still constitutes a a public health emergency of international concern. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared in August that the “upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a growing number […]
Nov 12, 2024
Washington state sees ‘sharp increase’ in whooping cough cases, mirroring rise across US
ABC Whooping cough cases are surging in Washington state, mirroring trends seen across the United States, health officials are warning. As of Nov. 2, nearly 1,200 cases have been reported statewide, according to the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH), compared to just 51 cases reported at this time last year. Over the same period, 28 people […]
Nov 12, 2024
New Tick Virus in China Raises Concerns: Could It Pose a Global Threat?
MSN Could the “Wetland virus” be the next global health threat? Transmitted by ticks, this virus is raising concerns. First identified in China in 2019, this pathogen is emerging in wetland areas. Scientists are investigating its potential dangers. The story begins with a 61-year-old man who was bitten by a tick in Inner Mongolia. He […]
Nov 12, 2024