Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Whooping cough cases soar as vaccination rates drop
NBC News In an NBC News data investigation of 31 states, about 70% of counties and jurisdictions fell below the target vaccination rate needed for community protection. At just 2 weeks old, Feleena Owens was struggling to breathe. The newborn was coughing so badly, her skin turned a sickly gray-blue color. Her face contorted as […]
Dec 17, 2025
Recent Florida Cases of Chikungunya Linked to Cuba Travelers, Reminder Vector-Borne Illness is Still Circulating
Contagion Live During this time of year, much of the US becomes too cold for mosquitos to transmit vector-borne diseases. However, Chikungunya is still be transmitted in tropical environments. For example, 29 countries in the Caribbean region have documented cases of this disease as of December. One particularly hard hit country has been Cuba. Over […]
Dec 17, 2025
Bird flu found in Wisconsin dairy herd for first time
WPR Dodge County farm is first in state to have a positive test in cows for the highly contagious disease. Officials said they have found bird flu in a Wisconsin dairy herd for the first time. Tests of cow’s milk from a Dodge County farm were positive for the highly contagious virus, officials with the […]
Dec 17, 2025
The quest to hatch a bird-flu vaccine
Nature Although development of a jab for the H5N1 strain of avian flu is well under way, other strains are receiving less attention — and political obstacles to research could hamper progress. During the summer of 2023, fur farms in Finland that raise mink, foxes and raccoon dogs were hit by an outbreak of H5N1 […]
Dec 17, 2025
Fever-Proof Bird Flu Variant Could Fuel the Next Pandemic
Science Daily Bird flu viruses present a significant risk to humans because they can continue replicating at temperatures higher than a typical fever. Fever is one of the body’s main tools for slowing or stopping viral infections, yet research led by the universities of Cambridge and Glasgow shows that avian flu strains can keep multiplying […]
Dec 17, 2025
New clues about long covid’s cause could unlock treatments
Washington Post The latest research signals progress in understanding a condition that is afflicting millions of people. Why some people experience long-lasting physical and mental effects from covid-19 could be linked to chronic inflammation, according to new research that experts say could help develop new treatments for the confounding condition that continues to afflict millions. […]
Dec 17, 2025
Getting a COVID Vaccine while Pregnant Slashes Risk of Premature Birth, Major New Study Finds
American Scientific Pregnant people who receive a COVID vaccine are 60 percent less likely to experience severe disease and around 30 percent less likely to give birth prematurely, according to new research. Pregnant people who get a COVID vaccine are dramatically less likely to experience severe symptoms of the disease or to give birth prematurely, […]
Dec 17, 2025
Is there much COVID around? Do I need the new booster shot LP.8.1?
The Conversation COVID rarely rates a mention in the news these days, yet it hasn’t gone away. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, is still with us. It continues to infect thousands of Australians each month, still puts vulnerable people into hospital, sadly still causes deaths and leaves a steady stream of people living with disability […]
Dec 17, 2025
Warning issued after new mpox strain identified in England
The Independant Symptoms include skin rash with blisters, spots or ulcers that can appear anywhere on the body, as well as fever, headache, backache and muscle aches. A new strain of mpox – the virus formerly known as monkeypox – has been found in England, scientists have said. The disease, which is transmitted by close contact with sufferers, including […]
Dec 17, 2025
El Paso reports first Mpox case of 2025, health officials launch contact tracing efforts
Kfox14 The City of El Paso Public Health Department is reporting the first Mpox case of 2025. A male in his 50’s is currently recovering at home. Public Health officials have initiated contact tracing and the City’s DPH epidemiology team is actively working to identify close contacts and offer the vaccine to those individuals. We […]
Dec 17, 2025