Author: Claudinne Miller
Long a dream, it’s now real: a fast and accurate TB test that doesn’t need phlegm
NPR That has been the question for nearly 150 years, when Dr. Robert Koch first identified the rod-shaped bacterium that causes tuberculosis. This serious respiratory illness is currently the world’s deadliest infectious disease, killing more than a million people a year. The most common test to determine if someone has tuberculosis hasn’t really changed since the […]
Apr 29, 2026
Mystery illness in Burundi kills five
Medical Brief At least five people have died in Burundi, and another three dozen become ill from unexplained causes. The case-fatality rate of 14% has alarmed officials, who say symptoms have included fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache and dark urine, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). In severe cases, people may display […]
Apr 29, 2026
Influenza at the human-animal interface summary and assessment, 31 March 2026
WHO From 23 January to 31 March 2026, based on reporting date, detections of influenza A(H5N1) in four humans, influenza A(H9N2) in five humans, influenza A(H10N3) in one human, an influenza A(H1N1) variant ((H1N1)v) virus in one human, an influenza A(H1N2)v virus in one human, and influenza A(H3N2)v virus in one human were reported officially. […]
Apr 29, 2026
Backyard Chickens Are Spreading Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella Across the US, CDC Warns
Gizmodo Backyard chicken lovers beware: an outbreak of drug-resistant Salmonella bacteria linked to these birds is spreading across the country. Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first reported on the outbreak late last week. There have been over 30 reported cases in multiple states, along with several hospitalizations. In some of the cases, the […]
Apr 29, 2026
CDC delay of infant hepatitis B shot likely to raise infections, studies show
Washington Post Federal vaccine advisers to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted in December to recommend delaying the first shot until at least two months of age for infants born to mothers who test negative for the virus. The Trump administration’s decision to drop the long-standing recommendation that newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine […]
Apr 29, 2026
The Misinformation Crisis: Parents, Physicians, and the Changing Landscape of Vaccine Trust
AMWA Being a parent in medicine today can feel profoundly vulnerable. Recommendations evolve rapidly, headlines shift, and studies can trend on social media before most clinicians have fully reviewed the methodology. The effects are trickling down into exam rooms across the country, where parents are trying to do what they have always tried to do: […]
Apr 15, 2026
Mpox Can Infect and Replicate in the Brain, NIH Researchers Say in Fatal HIV Case
Bloomberg A man with advanced HIV died with drug-resistant mpox replicating in his brain, US scientists found, in a case that shows how the virus can persist and evolve just as global health programs to check such infections are being scaled back. The findings, based on a detailed autopsy by researchers at the National Institutes […]
Apr 15, 2026
COVID-19 in mink farm reveals early lung damage
Phys.org What happens inside the lungs before COVID-19 symptoms appear? Research in mink offers a rare window into the early stages of the disease. These insights matter for both animal and human health. Researchers and veterinary pathologists from Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR, part of Wageningen University & Research), together with Royal GD and Utrecht University, […]
Apr 15, 2026
Study finds long COVID leaves a distinct immune signature in the blood
Medical News In a recent study published in the journal Communications Medicine, researchers in Australia and Norway examined how inflammatory and neurological protein levels differ between long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and recovery, and how they respond to vaccination and reinfection. According to research, an estimated 5% to 30% of people infected with Severe Acute Respiratory […]
Apr 15, 2026
New mutations help the H5N1 bird flu virus infect cows but not people
Science News H5N1 bird flu viruses have acquired a molecular trick that makes them more easily infect mammary glands in cattle, but this adaptation does not appear to affect humans. To infect cells, influenza viruses latch on to certain sugars decorating cell surfaces. Some H5N1 viruses have picked up mutations that allow them to grab […]
Apr 15, 2026