Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Rise of mpox cases in Chicago raises concern about possible summer spread
NBC News Diagnosed cases have been “increasing slightly” in eight countries the past three weeks, some in vaccinated people, the World Health Organization said. A recent uptick in mpox diagnoses in Chicago, some of them in people vaccinated against the virus, has raised concerns about a possible increase in cases among gay and bisexual men […]
May 9, 2023
The World’s First RSV Vaccine Just Got Approved in The US
Science Alert For the first time, a vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seems poised to help thousands. The vaccine received approval on May 3 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for people over 60, and it’s a significant moment that’s been decades in the making. Should it receive approval from the US […]
May 9, 2023
COVID’s future: mini-waves rather than seasonal surges
Nature Whether you call it a surge, a spike, a wave or perhaps just a wavelet, there are signs of a rise in SARS-CoV-2 infections — again. A growing proportion of tests in some countries are coming back positive, and new variants, most notably a lineage called XBB.1.16, are pushing aside older strains, fuelling some […]
May 2, 2023
COVID Update by Dr. Lawler
UNMC What have U.S. schools done to improve ventilation to help reduce the risks of COVID transmission? Dr. Lawler provides that report after an update of an Omicron outbreak in South Korea that traced back to one 10-year-old child.
May 2, 2023
Bird flu detectives hunt for clues to stop next global pandemic
Japan Times If you want to know how the world is preparing for the next global pandemic, look at Rolaing, a Cambodian village located on a tributary of the Mekong River. For a few days in February this isolated spot became a hive of public health activity after an 11-year-old girl died of H5N1, the […]
May 2, 2023
Pathogens in Pop Culture: Jack Ryan, the Hot Zone, and Ebola
NETEC Podcast In episode two of the Pathogens in Pop Culture series, hosts Lauren Sauer and Rachel Lookadoo welcome guest Dr. Billy Fischer to discuss the portrayal of Ebola Virus Disease in the 2018 Jack Ryan TV series and Richard Preston’s 1994 novel, The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story. Together, they will explore the science behind the […]
May 2, 2023
UNMC expert part of panel that produced a new book on U.S. COVID-19 response
Omaha.com A year into the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2021, a group calling itself the Covid Crisis Group gathered to lay groundwork for what its 34 members anticipated would eventually be a commission tasked with studying the nation’s response, along the lines of the 9/11 Commission. One of the group’s members, Philip Zelikow, a history […]
May 2, 2023
Bird Flu Continues Culling America’s Largest Bird
Precision Vaccinations Health officials fear America’s largest birds may become extinct because the highly contagious influenza A H5N1 virus (bird flu) continues to spread. Recently, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) confirmed 20 California condors have died. With a total world population of just 561 birds, these 20 deaths represent a significant loss. As of May 2, 2023, […]
May 2, 2023
Senegal: Congo Fever Viral Disease Claims First Victim
Bobr Times A person has died in Senegal from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, known as Congo fever, a viral disease that is transmitted by ticks, AFP learned on Tuesday from the Ministry of Health, which says that the case was circumscribed. A butcher who was on duty at the slaughterhouses in Dakar was declared ill on […]
May 2, 2023