Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
12 swans found dead at Florida park. Bird flu is suspected
Tampa News Prior to the recent deaths, the swan population at the park was estimated to be between 50 and 60. A dozen swans have died at Lake Eola in the past week, leaving Orlando officials fearing another outbreak of bird flu at the city’s signature park. City Commissioner Patty Sheehan posted on Facebook that […]
Dec 30, 2025
Measles’ Most Deceptive Trait
The Atlantic Most cases are mild, obscuring the disease’s worst outcomes. In the early 1960s, American childhood was not what it is today. Many children spent hours playing unsupervised in the streets; they rode around in cars without seat belts, then came home to frozen dinners, served in front of TVs blaring cigarette ads. And […]
Dec 30, 2025
Whooping Cough Deaths Rise in U.S. as Surge in Infections Continues
Scientific American The brutal respiratory infection has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 13 people in the U.S. in 2025 Whooping cough cases are sweeping in the U.S., with tens of thousands infected and at least 13 people dead from the bacterial infection this year. While the infection rate is lower than last year, […]
Dec 30, 2025
US measles cases surpass 2,000, highest in 30 years: CDC
ABC News The U.S. has surpassed 2,000 measles cases for the first time in more than 30 years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Dec. 23, a total of 2,012 cases have been reported in the U.S. Of those cases, 24 were reported among international visitors to the […]
Dec 30, 2025
Flu cases are surging and rates will likely get worse, new CDC data shows
NPR Flu season is off to a rough start this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the virus arrived as expected, cases are rising faster, compared with previous years. Last week, more than 19,000 patients with influenza were admitted to hospitals, up about 10,000 from the previous week, according to new […]
Dec 30, 2025
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