Author: Claudinne Miller
Canadian Probe Into Teen’s Critical H5N1 Case: Implications for Infection Preventionists
Infection Control Today A critical case of H5N1 avian influenza in a British Columbia teenager has renewed focus on the complexities of zoonotic diseases. Despite exhaustive investigations, health officials have been unable to pinpoint how the teenager contracted the virus, underscoring the difficulty of tracing the origins of such infections. H5N1—commonly called bird flu—poses a significant […]
Dec 4, 2024
Sierra Leone: Additional Information on Suspected Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Case in Kono
Sierraloaded In a public notice, the NPHA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) provided additional details following laboratory testing conducted by the 34 Military Hospital Infectious Disease Laboratory. According to the notice, the test results for the suspected case returned as indeterminate. The inconclusive outcome is attributed to the use of formalin for preserving the […]
Dec 4, 2024
Unknown flu-like disease kills at least 79 people in DR Congo
BBC At least 79 people have died from an unknown disease that is causing flu-like symptoms in south-western Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry says. The health ministry says the majority of people who have died are between the ages of 15 and 18. More than 300 people have been infected with patients exhibiting […]
Dec 4, 2024
UK: Confirmed cases of mpox clade Ib
gov.uk This release has been published in response to confirmed cases of clade Ib mpox in the UK. Whilst numbers remain low updates will be released on an ad-hoc basis. As of 29 November 2024, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed 5 cases of clade Ib mpox in the UK. The first case […]
Dec 4, 2024
Biological Mechanisms Underlying Severe COVID-19
Technology Networks Immunology and Microbiology Severe COVID-19 arises in part from the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s impact on mitochondria, tiny oxygen-burning power plants in cells, which can help trigger a cascade of organ- and immune system-damaging events, suggests a study by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the University of […]
Dec 4, 2024
Five years after the first covid-19 cases, there are lessons to learn
New Scientist It is now five years since clinicians in Wuhan, China, first encountered covid-19 cases in December 2019. Hindsight makes it even clearer how the battle against the disease wasn’t just a fight against a virus, but also a struggle against the political suppression of scientific evidence. This isn’t a new phenomenon. During the […]
Dec 4, 2024
Sick animals suggest COVID pandemic started in Wuhan market
Nature A preliminary analysis takes a closer look at genomic data collected at the market. The quest to understand where the COVID-19 pandemic started has revealed fresh clues. Researchers have re-analysed data collected from a market in Wuhan, China, during the early days of the pandemic and found that animals there were infected with a […]
Dec 4, 2024
Colorado sees rise in walking pneumonia, particularly among very young children
Denver Post Colorado has experienced a surge in walking pneumonia this fall, most notably among very young children who aren’t usually as susceptible to the illness, according to health officials. Bacterial infections that cause the mild lung infection reemerged nationwide this year for the first time since the start of the pandemic, peaking in August […]
Dec 4, 2024
New Zealand suspends poultry exports after first case of H7 bird flu
Reuters New Zealand said on Monday that it had suspended all poultry exports after detecting a highly pathogenic variant of avian influenza at a poultry farm on the South Island. Tests confirmed the H7N6 subtype of bird flu at a rural chicken farm in the Otago region, Biosecurity New Zealand said in a statement. It […]
Dec 4, 2024