Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
USDA accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is now trying to rehire them
NBC The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday that, over the weekend, it accidentally fired “several” agency employees who are working on the federal government’s response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak. “Although several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and […]
Feb 18, 2025
Flu deaths may have surpassed COVID deaths nationwide for first time since start of pandemic, early CDC data suggests
CBS News For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, more people in the U.S. died of influenza than from COVID-19 in the week ending on Jan. 25, according to weekly figures published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the week ending on Jan. 25, nearly 1.7% of all deaths […]
Feb 18, 2025
As egg prices soar, Trump administration plans new strategy to fight bird flu
MSN With egg prices soaring, the Trump administration is planning a new strategy for fighting bird flu that stresses vaccinations and tighter biosecurity instead of killing off millions of chickens when the disease strikes a flock. The federal government will seek “better ways, with biosecurity and medication and so on” rather than the current standard practice of […]
Feb 18, 2025
Texas Measles Cases Are Up, and Now an Outbreak in New Mexico: What You Need to Know
MedPageToday State health officials say this is Texas’ largest outbreak in nearly 30 years. The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 58 cases as of Tuesday, and eight people in neighboring eastern New Mexico also have been diagnosed with measles. Public health officials in New Mexico have said they suspect some of the state’s […]
Feb 18, 2025
Texas measles cases are up, and New Mexico now has an outbreak. Here’s what you need to know
AP The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 58 cases as of Tuesday, and eight people in neighboring eastern New Mexico also have been diagnosed with measles. New Mexico health department spokesman Robert Nott said Tuesday that the agency hadn’t “identified any direct contact” between cases in its state and cases in Texas. Measles […]
Feb 18, 2025
How a bird flu pandemic could emerge
CBS News Video The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued conditional approval for a bird flu vaccine for use in chickens. There have been at least 68 confirmed cases of bird flu among humans since 2024, according to the CDC. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Céline Gounder joins to discuss the state of the virus […]
Feb 18, 2025
First Cows, Now Cats. Is Bird Flu Coming for Humans Next?
WSJ With so much H5N1 virus circulating across the U.S., scientists worry we are a few mutations away from a potential human pandemic. Bird flu is here to stay. The H5N1 avian influenza is proliferating among U.S. cows and there are now two strains circulating among mammals and birds. Though there are only 68 confirmed cases in […]
Feb 18, 2025
HPAI vaccine receives conditional approval from USDA
WATT Poultry Whether to implement a vaccination strategy against avian influenza in commercial poultry is a contentious issue in the U.S. An avian influenza killed vaccine for chickens manufactured by Zoetis received conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) on February 14. A conditional license is valid for a finite […]
Feb 18, 2025
Ebola Virus Strikes Again
MedPage Today On the first day of President Trump’s second term, he signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO). In an ironic twist of fate just 10 days later, a 32-year-old Ugandan nurse had a positive post-mortem test for a deadly filovirus. But unlike Ebola Zaire virus, its close viral kin, this man’s killer […]
Feb 18, 2025
12 Die in Ondo as Lassa Fever Cases Climb, Health Officials React
Nigerian Bulletin A Lassa fever outbreak in Ondo State has claimed 12 lives, with 112 confirmed cases and 353 suspected infections. Authorities have launched a diagnostic centre to improve detection and treatment. The government urges sanitation efforts to curb the spread of the virus, emphasizing public awareness and preventive measures. At least 12 people have […]
Feb 12, 2025