Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Bird flu: Brazil declares animal health emergency after several cases found
BBC Seven cases have been reported in Espirito Santo state, with another discovered in Rio de Janeiro state. The emergency declaration makes it easier for the government to now bring in measures to stop the highly infectious H5N1 virus from spreading. Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of chicken meat, with annual sales of nearly […]
May 23, 2023
Covid update by Dr. Chang
Today’s biweekly update is presented by Arthur Chang, MD. Dr. Chang provides an update about the drastic decrease in MIS-C cases post-Omicron and the persistence of PASC (aka “Long Covid”) in children.
May 23, 2023
Brazil declares 180-day animal health emergency amid avian flu cases in wild birds
Reuters Brazil on Monday declared a state of animal health emergency for 180 days in response to the country’s first ever detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in wild birds, in a document signed by Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro. Infection by the H5N1 subtype of avian flu in wild birds does not trigger […]
May 23, 2023
An exercise trial for long covid is being criticized by some patients
Washington Post A proposed exercise trial for long covid is being criticized by some of the patients the government-funded researchers want to study. The trial is part of the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative, funded by the government for $1.15 billion over four years. It aims to study long covid and help find treatments for […]
May 22, 2023
China’s New Covid Wave Set to See 65 Million Cases a Week
Bloomberg China is likely to see its Covid-19 wave peaking at about 65 million infections a week toward the end of June, according to a senior health adviser, while authorities rush to bolster their vaccine arsenal to target the latest omicron variants. XBB has been fueling a resurgence in cases across China since late April […]
May 22, 2023
Animal health body urges bird flu vaccination to avoid pandemic
KSL Governments should consider vaccinating poultry against bird flu, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds and infected mammals worldwide, to prevent the virus from turning into a new pandemic, the head of the World Organization for Animal Health said. The severity of the current outbreak of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, and […]
May 22, 2023
Congo: a positive Ebola recorded in the Butembo health zone
Local News A positive case of Covid-19 was listed on the 4 samples tested from the Butembo health zone in North Kivu. This revelation was made on Monday, May 8, 2023 by the communicator of the provincial health division of Butembo, Dps-Butembo, Damulo Luhavo, during a press briefing he hosted at the permanence of this […]
May 16, 2023
How Concerned Should We Be About Bird Flu? Big Take Podcast
Bloomberg Podcast Cases of avian flu in birds have hit record levels globally—but so far, there’s no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Bloomberg reporters Suzi Ring and Michelle Fay Cortez discuss how scientists are tracking the virus after lessons learned from Covid-19. Then, the World Health Organization’s Dr. Richard Webby talks about how communities can respond to and prevent bird […]
May 16, 2023
The before and after of avian influenza in Brazil
Watt Poultry The news of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian flu virus detected in wild birds in Brazil will change the world forever. Once upon a time there was a country with no reported avian flu cases. This country happens to be the largest chicken exporter in the world. In fact, many other countries depend […]
May 16, 2023
Equatorial Guinea declares end of Marburg outbreak
LaPresensa Equatorial Guinea’s vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, declared late Monday an end to a Marburg virus outbreak, which caused 17 confirmed cases in the country, including 12 deaths. “After not registering Marburg infections during the 21 days stipulated by the WHO, and after the excellent work and results obtained in the fight and […]
May 16, 2023