Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Mpox Declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Now What?
Harvard Medical Making sense of the latest developments with HMS infectious disease specialist Daniel Kuritzkes. On Aug. 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the latest mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern. While the virus is not new, its behavior warrants vigilance and raises critical questions about infectivity, transmissibility, and the optimal […]
Aug 20, 2024
CDC warns clinicians about Oropouche virus disease that has turned deadly
Washington Post The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning clinicians to be on the lookout for a viral disease that is spread by small flies and some types of mosquitoes and that causes sudden fever, severe headaches and chills. Cases of Oropouche virus disease have been climbing in South America and the Caribbean […]
Aug 20, 2024
Mpox virus detected in Pakistan, health authorities say
Reuters Pakistan’s health ministry has confirmed at least one case of the mpox virus in a patient who had returned from a Gulf country, it said on Friday, though they did not yet know the strain of the virus. A health ministry spokesperson said the sequencing of the confirmed case was underway, and that it […]
Aug 20, 2024
Massachusetts man diagnosed with first human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in state since 2020
CBS News A man in his 80s from Worcester County is the first person in Massachusetts diagnosed with EEE since 2020. State officials have not released the man’s name or hometown, but the state is raising the EEE risk level to critical in Douglas, Oxford, Sutton and Webster. The risk level for Auburn, Charlton, Grafton, Leicester, […]
Aug 20, 2024
What to know about the ‘slapped cheek’ virus uptick in the U.S.
NPR Federal health officials are warning doctors to keep watch for a respiratory virus, known as parvovirus B19, as infection rates tick up in the United States. Parvovirus B19 has existed for decades, and its symptoms are typically mild or nonexistent among children and healthy adults. But it can also lead to serious complications for […]
Aug 20, 2024
Cambodian girl dies of H5N1 bird flu: health ministry
Xinua A 15-year-old girl from southeast Cambodia’s Prey Veng province died of H5N1 avian influenza on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health said in a press statement. The patient lived in Kanhchriech district’s Por Marinh village. Health experts were looking into the source of the infection and examining any suspected cases or people who have been […]
Aug 20, 2024
The mpox strain spreading now is different from the one in 2022: Here’s what to know
NBC News This strain of the virus is known to be more severe, but it’s behaving differently from its usual patterns. The World Health Organization’s decision to declare mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years may seem like déjà vu — but there are key differences between the strain that’s causing international […]
Aug 20, 2024
Measles’ Deadliest Sequelae
MedPageToday In the late 1990s, my long-time colleague, Pam Nagami, MD, met a petite, Indian-American student she later called “Manju” when writing a terrific book about patients with infectious diseases. Some of the stories by Nagami end happily, but Manju’s did not — and all because of a case of measles she contracted early in life. So, […]
Aug 20, 2024
Updated joint FAO/WHO/WOAH assessment of recent influenza A(H5N1) virus events in animals and people
WHO At the present time, based on available information, FAO-WHO-WOAH assess the global public health risk of influenza A(H5N1) viruses to be low, while the risk of infection for occupationally exposed persons is low to moderate depending on the risk mitigation measures in place. Transmission between animals continues to occur and, to date, a limited […]
Aug 14, 2024
What You Need to Know About Oropouche Virus Disease
Medscape The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has issued a warning to travelers in areas in South and Central America and the Caribbean affected by a current outbreak of Oropouche virus (OROV) disease. The ECDC said that there had been more than 8000 cases reported in these areas since January, with 19 […]
Aug 14, 2024