Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Martha Nelson on the SARS-CoV-2 virus in deer
Penn State “There don’t appear to be evolutionary adaptations required for human SARS-CoV-2 virus to transmit in deer so far,” said Eberly College of Science alumna Martha Nelson, reflecting on her past two years of work as a staff scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She discussed how the same variants of the […]
Jun 6, 2023
Covid Is Coming Back in China; Lockdowns Are Not
NYT In December, China abruptly abandoned its draconian “Zero Covid” policies, battered by a surge of infections and rising public anger against lockdowns. Half a year on, Covid cases again are on the rise, but this time the nation appears to be determined to press on with normal life as the government focuses on reigniting […]
Jun 6, 2023
For These Bird Flu Researchers, Work Is a Day at the Very ‘Icky’ Beach
NYT The H5N1 virus poses “a great unknown threat” to birds and humans alike. Understanding and thwarting it begins with excrement collection. It was a glorious day for field work on the shores of the Delaware Bay. The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the gently sloping beach. The receding tide revealed a […]
Jun 6, 2023
Vaccination and awareness could help keep mpox in check this summer
NPR A dozen people came down with mpox in Chicago around early May, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to warn doctors of a potential mpox resurgence. To those that were watching mpox closely, the increase in U.S. cases wasn’t a surprise. New cases had been recently reported in Europe, and U.S. health officials had been […]
Jun 6, 2023
Bird flu outbreak more virulent than ever recorded – study
JP While the viruses’ risk to humans remains low, the researchers noted only a few amino acid changes are needed for that to change. The ongoing outbreak of avian influenza, which began in late 2021 in Europe and the Americas, has been marked by rapid genetic changes and highly increased virulence in both birds and mammals, […]
Jun 6, 2023
Kyrgyzstan registers 559 cases of measles
AKI Express Event International health officials have reported elevated measles activity across multiple regions in Kyrgyzstan, with an additional 207 measles cases reported May 20-31, bringing the total case count to 559 cases since Jan. 1. This is compared to the 23 cases of measles reported in the country for 2022. The Osh region (386 […]
Jun 6, 2023
Lessons From the Tuberculosis Patient on the Lam
MedPage Today We can learn from the case now that she’s receiving treatment. Over the last few months, a woman from Tacoma, Washington has been widely featured in local and national media including the New York Times, for refusing to take medication for active tuberculosis (TB). In February 2023, a judge issued a civil warrant for her arrest. In […]
Jun 6, 2023
COVID infections in state Senate prompt CT lawmakers to make changes
CT Insider With less than two weeks before the General Assembly’s statutory deadline, a new round of COVID infections in the state Senate has prompted legislative leaders to order mandatory masking for staff, elected officials and the public on the third floor of the State Capitol building as well as the fourth floor Senate galleries. […]
May 30, 2023
Mpox Outbreak Risk Remains in 2023
Precision Vaccinations The U.S. CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Podcast Briefing, published today, offers an overview of the latest scientific information regarding mpox vaccinations. This podcast discusses three MMWR reports as of the week of May 15, 2023. First, although the number of mpox cases has decreased since the peak of the U.S. outbreak in August 2022, the […]
May 30, 2023