Author: Claudinne Miller
US participating in influenza vaccine meeting: WHO
The Hill The U.S. will participate in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) upcoming meeting on the composition of the influenza vaccine despite officially withdrawing from the global group last month. The WHO will meet on Feb. 26 in Turkey to discuss the composition of the 2026-2027 flu vaccine for the northern hemisphere. “The vaccine composition […]
Feb 11, 2026
How a Bacterial Infection in Mosquitoes Could Cut Dengue Infections in People
MedPageToday People living in areas with infected male mosquitoes saw their dengue risk drop 71%. Releasing male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into the wild that were infected with the sterility-inducing bacteria Wolbachia pipientis cut dengue infection risk more than 70% in people, according to a cluster-randomized trial in Singapore. In urban locations where wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes were introduced, the percentage […]
Feb 11, 2026
7 states back in CDC’s worst tier for flu as influenza B spreads
The Hill As one variant of the flu virus starts to decline, another is rising to take its place. At the end of last year, when flu activity spiked amid the holidays, influenza A – specifically the subclade K variant of H3N2 – was dominant. It was making so many people sick, the variant was nicknamed “super flu.” Influenza A […]
Feb 11, 2026
California reports largest measles outbreak in 5 years
SF Gate Seventeen cases of measles have been reported across California since the start of 2026, including the state’s first outbreak of the highly contagious virus since 2020. The California Department of Public Health issued a health alert on Monday, warning residents of the ongoing transmission as cases emerge across multiple counties. Eight of those cases are part of […]
Feb 11, 2026
In Mexico, at least 28 have died from measles outbreak that started 2025
Reuters Mexican Health Minister David Kershenobich said on Wednesday that at least 28 people in the country have died from the measles outbreak that began in 2025. Authorities have registered 9,074 cases so far, official data given during the president’s morning press conference showed. Mexico has 28 million measles vaccines to distribute, which President Claudia […]
Feb 11, 2026
Fire-footed rope squirrels identified as a natural reservoir for monkeypox virus
Phys.org Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH), a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), together with an interdisciplinary team of partners, have identified the fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus) as a likely natural reservoir of the monkeypox virus (MPXV). Their study was published today in Nature. The discovery was based on the […]
Feb 11, 2026
Encephalitis Lethargica: The Strange Disease That Killed 500,000 People, And Then Abruptly Disappeared
IFL Science The disease affected millions, but to this day has not been satisfactorily explained. The symptoms were pretty distressing. Around a century ago, and around the same time the 1918 influenza pandemic killed between 50 and 100 million people worldwide, humanity was met with a new and unusual disease. The disease, known as encephalitis lethargica […]
Feb 11, 2026
‘Concerning’ bird flu study findings prompt ‘essential’ surveillance call
Vet Times A study examined the B3.13 genotype of H5N1, which has been circulating in US dairy herds since 2024. One study, published in Nature Communications, examined the B3.13 genotype of H5N1, which has been circulating in US dairy herds since 2024. Researchers discovered several mammalian adaptations in cattle, enhancing replication in bovine and human cells. […]
Feb 11, 2026
Uganda confirms Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever case in central region
Xinhua Uganda’s Ministry of Health on Wednesday confirmed a case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Kyankwanzi District in central Uganda. In a statement issued here, the ministry said laboratory tests on samples taken from a 21-year-old male nurse from Kagalama Village in Butemba Town Council returned positive for the virus. The ministry said the […]
Feb 11, 2026
Pediatricians Should Be Alert for This Deadly Infection in Kids
Medical Page Today Two U.S. cases of Paenibacillus dendritiformis infection in infants that led to severe meningitis should raise clinicians’ awareness of the rare but potentially lethal emerging threat, researchers said. The cases involved P. dendritiformis infections in a female infant in Pennsylvania and a male infant in Minnesota, one of whom died. Both infants were born preterm and […]
Feb 11, 2026