Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Ebola Outbreak in the DRC: Current Situation
CDC On September 4, 2025, the DRC Ministry of Public Health officially declared an outbreak of Ebola in Bulape and Mweka health zones in Kasai Province. This is the 16th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was discovered there in 1976. As of September 10, 2025, there are 58 people with suspected or confirmed […]
Sep 10, 2025
H1N1 Flu Pandemic of 2009 May Be Protecting Against Bird Flu
JAMA New animal research suggests that the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009 may have provided the public some protection against illness during the ongoing bird flu outbreak, which has affected wild birds, poultry, dairy cattle, and other mammals. Between March 2024 and July 2025, there have been 70 confirmed bird flu cases among people in the US and 1 death. But most […]
Sep 10, 2025
Why some influenza viruses are more dangerous than others
Medical Express Serious infections with influenza A viruses are characterized by an excessive immune response, known as cytokine storm. It was previously unclear why some virus strains trigger these storms, while others do not. Researchers at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut investigated 11 different influenza A virus strains and their effect on different human immune cells. The results, published […]
Sep 10, 2025
Vermont confirms state’s 1st case of Jamestown Canyon virus in humans
VT Digger The state advises protecting against mosquito bites as summer comes to a close. Vermont’s Department of Health confirmed the state’s first-known human case of the mosquito-borne Jamestown Canyon virus. The disease has relatively mild symptoms, especially for young people who do not have underlying health conditions. The state began monitoring mosquitoes for Jamestown Canyon […]
Sep 10, 2025
Covid-19 falls off list of top 10 causes of death in U.S.
STAT Death rates declined overall, but not for leading killers heart disease and cancer. Covid-19 fell out of the top 10 causes of death in the United States in 2024, according to new data released Wednesday, and the estimated overall mortality rate declined to its lowest level since 2020. Suicide took Covid’s place on the list. Heart […]
Sep 10, 2025
‘Kissing bug’ disease is now endemic in the U.S., researchers say. What is it?
Washington Post The U.S. is seeing a rise in Chagas disease, a life-threatening illness transmitted through “kissing bugs” known to bite human faces. Pets can be carriers. “Kissing bug” disease, also known as Chagas disease, is now considered an endemic illness in the United States, according to research in an infectious-disease journal published by the Centers for Disease […]
Sep 10, 2025
Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals
NYT If the results are promising, veterinarians hope to give the shots to wild Hawaiian monk seals, which are endangered. Wildlife veterinarians have begun testing bird flu vaccines in marine mammals, which have suffered enormous losses in the ongoing global outbreak. The first trial, which began in July, is tiny, enrolling just six northern elephant seals that were already […]
Sep 10, 2025
Health Officials Hunt for Cases Connecting Covid Shot and Harm in Pregnant Women
MSN op health officials under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are compiling examples of harmful effects of Covid shots on pregnant women to share with the public, people familiar with the matter said, furthering the administration’s scrutiny of vaccines and a debate with GOP lawmakers over their efficacy. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and […]
Sep 10, 2025
Are You Ready for Measles’ Wrath?
Med Page Today Going forward, expect the unexpected. Not all patients will be children. Paul Natterson, MD, was very sick — and scared. One day, the 26-year-old intern was seeing patients at a county hospital and attending a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The next morning, he was so fatigued he could barely walk. High […]
Sep 10, 2025
Why is it so hard to find the source of a legionnaires’ outbreak?
CBC From sampling to testing, the bacteria behind the illness presents many challenges. It took months of mapping cases, dozens of locations sampled and weeks of lab sequencing to determine the likely culprit behind a recent outbreak of legionnaires’ disease in London, Ont. — one that killed four people and infected about 100 others. It’s just the latest example […]
Sep 3, 2025