Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
‘Ticks EVERYWHERE?’: Sightings and bites in the D.C. region heighten worries
Washington Post Tick-related emergency room visits are at the highest since 2019, CDC data shows. The Northeast region has seen the most this summer. Michael Raupp is used to pulling bugs off his body. As an entomology professor and author of a blog that introduces readers to a bug a week, the 73-year-old spends a […]
Jul 16, 2025
COVID cases likely rising in half of states, CDC estimates
CBS News Video Cases of COVID-19 are now likely growing in 25 states, according to estimates published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, as this year’s summer wave of the virus appears to be getting underway. The agency’s modeling suggests that the uptick is in “many” Southeast, Southern and West Coast states, the CDC said […]
Jul 15, 2025
AI is joining the fight against mosquito-borne diseases
World Economic Forum This is a new kind of mosquito trap. It was developed by scientists at the University of South Florida who say it can track the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Giving public health officials the information they need to monitor and control outbreaks
Jul 9, 2025
Measles Cases Have Hit a Record High. What Went Wrong?
NYT Video There have now been more measles cases in 2025 than in any other year since the contagious virus was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts fear that with no clear end to the current outbreak, the U.S. may […]
Jul 9, 2025
What long covid can teach us about future pandemics
Washington Post Experts are worried that despite the hard-won lessons of covid, we are not fully prepared for the next pandemic. Outbreaks of new types of infections and, yes, even pandemics are becoming increasingly likely, and we need to prepare for not only the next one but also its long-lasting physical and mental effects, experts […]
Jul 9, 2025
Lasting COVID-19 vulnerability in childhood cancer survivors
News Medical.net Childhood cancer survivors have a substantially higher risk of developing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) even many years after their cancer diagnosis, as reported by the first European and nationwide population-based study published in The Lancet Regional Health. Background The prevalence of childhood cancer is rapidly increasing worldwide, with more than 400,000 children aged […]
Jul 9, 2025
Pennsylvania commercial gamebirds struck by avian flu
Watt Poultry Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in a flock of commercial upland gamebirds in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. According to information from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the presence of HPAI was confirmed on July 2. The gamebirds were being raised for release, and the flock […]
Jul 9, 2025
Cambodia Reports Surge in Human Infections with Avian Influenza A(H5N1)
Global Biodefense Unusual spike in human infections highlights ongoing risks at the human-animal interface and the need for cross-sectoral public health action. Between January and July 2025, Cambodian health authorities reported 11 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1), including six fatalities. Notably, seven of these cases occurred in June alone—an unusual monthly spike. These […]
Jul 9, 2025
Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in the United States: recent incursions and spillover to cattle
Nature Since Spring 2024, new genotypes of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b have been identified in the United States (US). These HPAI H5N1 genotypes have caused unprecedented multi-state outbreaks in poultry and dairy farms, and human infections. Here, we discuss the current situation of this outbreak and emphasizes the need for pre-pandemic […]
Jul 9, 2025
Increased testing is needed for Mpox in DR Congo to urgently curb disease spread
Nature The low testing rates of Mpox suspected cases remain a key factor in the continued spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries. Here, we highlight the causes, as well as the challenges and strategies needed to curb the spread of the current uncontrolled Mpox outbreak in the […]
Jul 9, 2025