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University of Nebraska Medical Center

Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases

Metformin’s Prospective Role in Preventing Long COVID

ContagionLive Findings from a growing body of randomized trials and real-world analyses show that starting metformin during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is safe and significantly reduces the risk of developing long COVID. As the global health community continues to grapple with the long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, preventing post–COVID-19 condition—commonly known as long COVID—has become a […]

Feb 11, 2026

A parasitic fly is inching closer to the US border. Colorado livestock leaders are already preparing

Colorado Public Radio Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, headquartered out of Johnstown, touts itself as the largest feedlot company in the U.S., and one of the biggest in the world. Its locations, spread across six states, have capacity for 865,000 head of cattle. Filling those lots has been challenging of late, said the company’s head market […]

Feb 11, 2026

Infectious Disease Expert on Latest Nipah Virus Case: “Be Alert, But Not Alarmed”

Pharmacy Times Bangladesh reports fatal Nipah case linked to raw date palm sap; experts say spread stays limited as vaccines and rapid tests advance. On February 3, 2026, Bangladesh’s International Health Regulations National Focal Point notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of a confirmed case of Nipah virus infection in Rajshahi Division, northwestern Bangladesh. This […]

Feb 11, 2026

Scientists stunned after virus jumps between humans and animals: ‘It was a very unusual situation’

Yahoo News Researchers in Colorado were stunned while analyzing how the COVID-19 virus spread from humans to animals at the Denver Zoo in 2021. What’s happening? A study published in the journal Nature Communications in December looked at an instance of the COVID-19 virus spreading from humans to big cats. According to Westword, after humans initially transmitted the […]

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

‘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