Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
What is behind the UK’s meningitis outbreak and how serious is it?
The Guardian Cases of MenB linked to Canterbury nightclub have risen to 20, with two deaths, as experts warn of ‘explosive’ outbreak. Meningitis infections in a county in the south-east of England continue to increase, with five new cases confirmed on Wednesday in what experts have said is one of the fastest-growing outbreaks of the […]
Mar 18, 2026
Using mosquitoes to vaccinate bats could curb the spread of deadly diseases
Nature But scientists say there are practical and ethical challenges to overcome before the strategy could be deployed in real-world settings. Mosquitoes that have been designed to carry vaccines in their saliva were used to inoculate bats against the rabies and Nipah viruses1. Scientists are investigating whether this technique could stop such viruses from ‘spilling […]
Mar 11, 2026
A little-known respiratory virus, human metapneumovirus, surging in Northern California
Univ of California, Davis Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risk of serious illness (SACRAMENTO) If you came down with a respiratory infection this spring that wasn’t the flu or COVID-19, it may have been a virus you’ve never heard of: Human metapneumovirus or HMPV. The virus was first […]
Mar 11, 2026
Madagascar: Dozens more mpox cases reported
Outbreak News Today The Madagascar Ministry of Health reported an additional 55 laboratory confirmed mpox cases since late February, bringing the the outbreak total to 387 lab confirmed cases and no deaths since the outbreak began in December 2025. Cases have been reported in 27 of Madagascar’s 114 health districts. Clade 1b was isolated from […]
Mar 11, 2026
Warning to stay away from elephant seals after bird flu detected at Año Nuevo State Park
Fox Health officials are warning beachgoers to stay away from marine life after confirming the state’s first cases of bird flu in elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park in San Mateo County. Infected seal pups are displaying symptoms including tremors and seizures, according to wildlife experts. The virus is considered highly contagious among animals. […]
Mar 11, 2026
College of Ag Sciences, Penn State Extension, at forefront of avian flu response
Penn State Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) once again is threatening Pennsylvania’s poultry industry, but researchers, diagnosticians and extension educators in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences are at the forefront of efforts to slow the virus, support producers and provide science-based guidance. The United States Department of Agriculture reported that 27 flocks in Pennsylvania have tested […]
Mar 11, 2026
Recent pandemic viruses, including SAR-CoV-2, spread directly to people without adaptation, researchers say
CIDRAP Contrary to prevailing belief, an evolutionary analysis finds no evidence that most viruses with epidemic or pandemic potential that jumped from animals to people were shaped by selection in a lab or prolonged evolution in an intermediate host—challenging claims that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was engineered in a lab. A University of California (UC) […]
Mar 11, 2026
Severe COVID-19 and flu can facilitate lung cancer months or years later
Medical Express Severe COVID-19 and influenza infections prime the lungs for cancer and can accelerate the disease’s development, but vaccination heads off those harmful effects, new research from UVA Health’s Beirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research and UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center indicates. UVA School of Medicine researcher Jie Sun, Ph.D., and colleagues found that […]
Mar 11, 2026
The Mystery of Losing Your Taste From Long COVID May Finally Have an Answer
Discover Learn how researchers may have finally uncovered why some people experience long-lasting taste loss after COVID-19. A common symptom that many experienced during a COVID-19 infection was a loss of taste. While most affected individuals regained their sense of taste within a few weeks, some experienced a persistent loss over several months. If a […]
Mar 11, 2026
8 children have now died from flu in Mass. this season
Boston.com The child died between the week of Feb. 21 and Feb. 28, the state’s Department of Public Health reported. An eighth Massachusetts child has died from the flu this flu season, state data shows. As of Feb. 28, eight Massachusetts children have died from the influenza, as well as 298 adults, the state’s influenza data […]
Mar 11, 2026