Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Kansas experiences worst bird flu outbreak in the nation
K State Over 400,000 birds reportedly affected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), with the number currently rising. Kansas is experiencing the worst bird flu outbreak since 2023, affecting more than 10 counties, with three being forced to quarantine commercial and non-commercial backyards. Counties like Pottawatomie County, Greenwood County, Nemaha County and more have relied on […]
Jan 28, 2026
Influenza epidemic declared in Puerto Rico
San Juan Star Island Health Secretary Víctor Ramos Otero announced on Tuesday the declaration of an influenza epidemic in Puerto Rico, after the established criteria for incidence and growth rate of cases were met during the 2025-2026 season. “An influenza epidemic has been declared,” Ramos Otero said at a press conference. “The region with the […]
Jan 28, 2026
Bird flu antibodies detected at Dutch dairy farm, a first in Europe
Poultry World Avian influenza antibodies have been detected in a dairy cow at a dairy farm in Friesland, the Netherlands, marking the first such finding in European cattle. No evidence of active viral circulation of avian influenza among the dairy cows on the farm has been found. According to ‘Rijksoverheid’ the Dutch Ministry of Affairs, […]
Jan 28, 2026
New-Onset Allergies Another Woe for Patients With Long COVID
MedScape If your patients have been coming in with new asthma-like symptoms or sudden allergies to foods or the environment, long COVID could be to blame. In an article published in Nature Immunology last December, researchers examined immunologic and inflammatory profiles in people with long COVID, comparing blood samples from patients who fully recovered from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection with those who developed […]
Jan 28, 2026
South Carolina Measles Outbreak Becomes Largest In U.S. History Since First Elimination
Forbes South Carolina’s growing measles outbreak is now the largest in United States history since the contagious viral disease was declared eliminated more than two decades ago in the wake of widespread vaccinations, according to a report from CNN. Big Number 88%. That’s the proportion of measles cases in South Carolina that have appeared in unvaccinated individuals, according […]
Jan 28, 2026
South Carolina Is America’s New Measles Norm
The Atlantic The state’s measles outbreak could soon be bigger than West Texas’s. Are the two connected? Last year, starting in January, the United States experienced its largest documented measles outbreak in more than three decades, when an epidemic centered on West Texas sickened at least 762 people. Now a fast-moving outbreak in South Carolina […]
Jan 28, 2026
California: TB outbreak at private highschool
SF Chronicle The San Francisco Department of Public Health said Tuesday that it has identified three active cases of tuberculosis at Archbishop Riordan High School since November. Health officials did not disclose whether the three people were students, teachers, staff members or other members of the school community. The department and school leadership have implemented a coordinated […]
Jan 28, 2026
How A Mutation Made This Year’s Flu Season So Bad
Science Friday A rogue strain of flu, subclade K, has sickened more than 19 million people in the US so far this season. And the flu shot hasn’t offered that much protection. What’s going on with this superflustorm? Joining Host Flora Lichtman with some answers is Jennifer Duchon, a pediatric infectious disease specialist. Audio File
Jan 28, 2026
Scientists Inch Closer to Solving ‘Kissing Disease’ Mystery
Bloomberg Scientists have identified 22 genes that increase the risk of conditions like lupus, stroke, and rheumatoid arthritis in patients who’ve caught the virus behind mono, an illness known as the “kissing disease.” The research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, tried to unravel why some people who contract the Epstein-Barr virus go on to […]
Jan 28, 2026
6 European countries lose measles elimination status: What this means
Medical News Today The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the United Kingdom and other European countries have lost their measles elimination status. This status change comes after a rise in infections across the continent. “Outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases are threats to health security in Europe, alongside antimicrobial resistance and other emerging threats,” […]
Jan 28, 2026