Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
A new COVID variant is on the rise. Here’s what to know about LP.8.1
The Conversation More than five years since COVID was declared a pandemic, we’re still facing the regular emergence of new variants of the virus, SARS-CoV-2. The latest variant on the rise is LP.8.1. It’s increasing in Australia, making up close to one in five COVID cases in New South Wales. Elsewhere it’s become even more dominant, comprising at least […]
Apr 16, 2025
Why cats are so vulnerable to H5N1 bird flu
STAT In 2024, as zoos were hit hard by H5N1 bird flu, big cats were particularly affected: tigers, lions, a cheetah, and a panther all died after being infected with the same virus that has caused egg prices to skyrocket. House cats are vulnerable to H5N1, too, as Meghan F. Davis, a veterinarian and epidemiologist with […]
Apr 16, 2025
A mysterious pathogen: Oropouche virus more common in Latin America than previously thought
Charite Like the dengue and Zika viruses, Oropouche virus causes a febrile illness. There are recent indications that infections during pregnancy can cause damage to unborn babies. Researchers at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now determined that the virus is much more widespread in Latin America than previously assumed. Their study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases,* […]
Apr 16, 2025
H5N1: 70 Human Cases in the US as of April 2025
Contagion Live As of April 2025, the CDC has reported 70 confirmed and probable human cases of H5N1 avian influenza since the outbreak began in 2024 in the United States. The majority of these cases have been linked to exposure through commercial agricultural settings, with 41 individuals exposed through infected dairy herds and 24 associated with poultry […]
Apr 15, 2025
Texas says measles cases rise further, CDC sends more help
Reuters The Texas health department reported 561 cases of measles in the state on Tuesday, an increase of 20 from April 11, as the U.S. government said it was sending seven people to the state to help battle the outbreak of the childhood disease. Cases in Gaines County, the center of the outbreak, rose to […]
Apr 15, 2025
Lassa fever outbreak worsens, death toll rises to 127
Daily Post The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a continued rise in Lassa fever cases, with 15 new confirmed infections and five additional deaths recorded in Week 14 of 2025 (March 31 – April 6). The latest figures show that 674 cases have been confirmed from a total of 4,025 […]
Apr 15, 2025
What to Know About Whooping Cough
Time Magazine A bad year for whooping cough In 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2,116 cases of whooping cough. In 2024, it reported 35,435 cases. So far this year, there have been 7,111 reported cases of whooping cough, according to an analysis by ProPublica. That’s more than double the number of cases reported by the […]
Apr 15, 2025
Is Covid Rewriting the Rules of Aging? Brain Decline Alarms Doctors
WSJ Millions of long-Covid patients continue to struggle with cognitive difficulties. Five years after the pandemic’s start, millions of Americans are still struggling with long-lasting symptoms of Covid-19. Cognitive difficulties are among the most troubling and common symptoms in people both old and young. These ailments can be severe enough to leave former professionals like Ken Todd […]
Apr 15, 2025
Measles is spreading. Here’s how to stay safe.
Washington Post As measles spreads in the United States, we unpack how to stay safe – and why public health experts are so concerned by the confusing, contradictory federal response. The United States is experiencing a rise in measles, the most contagious virus in the world. Many of us have questions: Is my child protected? […]
Apr 15, 2025
US measles cases are undercounted, experts say, but real numbers are proving hard to pin down
CNN During a Cabinet meeting last week, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. downplayed what is now the second-worst measles outbreak in the US since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. Kennedy has claimed repeatedly that measles cases have “plateaued,” despite contradictory data from his own agencies. On Tuesday, the […]
Apr 15, 2025