Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
H5N1 bird flu cases spike in Europe. How worried should we be?
The Conversation On November 13, Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food imposed the confinement of all free-range poultry farms to curb the spread of avian influenza – more commonly known as “bird flu” – caused by the H5N1 virus. This drastic, though not unprecedented, measure was justified by climbing numbers of outbreaks in Europe, as well […]
Nov 19, 2025
Bird Flu Wiped Out Nearly Half of the Females in the World’s Largest Elephant Seal Population, Drone Images Suggest
Smithsonian Magazine Scientists recorded a 47 percent drop in breeding females in South Georgia’s three largest elephant seal colonies after bird flu hit. Scaled to the whole island, that’s a potential loss of more than 50,000 of the animals. In 2023, bird flu reached a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Now, South Georgia—home to […]
Nov 19, 2025
First measles cases found in central Utah; state’s total infections surpass 80
KSL.com More Utahns are being diagnosed with the highly contagious measles virus. The Central Utah Health Department announced in a news release Monday that two measles cases have been confirmed in residents. The infections mark the first in the central Utah district. The department said both cases were in people who are unvaccinated, “who had […]
Nov 19, 2025
Whooping cough outbreaks surge, fueled by waning immunity and falling vaccination rates
CBS News Rates of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, are surging in Texas, Florida, California, Oregon, and other states and localities across the country. The outbreaks are fueled by falling vaccination rates, fading immunity, and delays in public health tracking systems, according to interviews with state and federal health officials. Babies too young to be fully vaccinated are […]
Nov 19, 2025
Ethiopia reports first outbreak of Marburg, Ebola cousin with no vaccine
Washington Post At least nine people in southern Ethiopia have been infected with the deadly Marburg virus, a clinically similar cousin to Ebola, in the East African country’s first outbreak of the highly contagious disease, the World Health Organization said Friday. Ethiopia’s Health Ministry also confirmed the outbreak. The WHO “is actively supporting Ethiopia to contain the […]
Nov 19, 2025
Ethiopia confirms 3 Marburg virus deaths in new outbreak
ABC News Ethiopia has confirmed three deaths from the Marburg hemorrhagic virus that has been detected in an area neighboring South Sudan. Ethiopia on Monday confirmed three deaths from the Marburg hemorrhagic virus that has been detected in an area neighboring South Sudan. Health Minister Mekdes Daba said Ethiopia’s government, which declared a Marburg outbreak on Friday, had conducted […]
Nov 19, 2025
C.D.C. Links Measles Outbreaks in Multiple States for the First Time
NYT If the outbreaks cannot be extinguished by January, the anniversary of the first cases in Texas, the United States will lose what is known as “elimination status” as determined by the World Health Organization. Health officials on Monday linked for the first time the measles outbreak that began in Texas with another in Utah […]
Nov 19, 2025
H5N5 Avian influenza confirmed in Grays Harbor County resident
Washington DoH A Grays Harbor resident who was hospitalized with influenza symptoms in early November has been confirmed to have influenza A H5, a type of avian influenza. Additional testing shows the virus to be H5N5, an avian influenza virus that has previously been reported in animals but never before in humans. The Centers for […]
Nov 19, 2025
South Carolina: DPH Confirms 8 new Measles Cases in Upstate Outbreak, Bringing Outbreak Total to 43
SC DPH The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is reporting eight new cases of measles in the state since Friday. The total number of cases in South Carolina now related to the Upstate outbreak is 43, and the total number reported to DPH this year is 46. Six of the eight cases are household members […]
Nov 12, 2025
COVID-19 Vaccination Reduces Risk for Multiple Infections in Children With Atopic Dermatitis
Infectious Disease Advisor For children with atopic dermatitis (AD), COVID-19 mRNA vaccination is associated with a reduced incidence of multiple infections and allergic complications, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, held from Nov. 6 to 10 in Orlando, Florida. Tristan Nguyen, from the […]
Nov 12, 2025