Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Measles outbreak in North Dakota prompts local health officials to quarantine unvaccinated schoolchildren
CNN Measles cases continue to accumulate in the United States in what is already the second-worst year since the disease was declared eliminated a quarter-century ago. Now, a recent outbreak in one North Dakota county has led local health officials to quarantine nearly 200 unvaccinated students. North Dakota has reported nine measles cases this year, and a […]
May 14, 2025
Texas measles outbreak rises by eight cases to 717, hits three new counties
Houston Chronicle Texas health officials reported eight new measles cases on Tuesday, with the outbreak spreading to three new counties. The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported 717 measles cases amid the largest outbreak in the United States in at least 25 years. But the outbreak has appeared to slow recently; Texas reported 26 cases […]
May 14, 2025
The Rapid Spread of Measles
Reuters (Interactive) How a small drop in vaccination can lead to outbreaks. Continue reading
May 13, 2025
As new Nipah case is reported in Kerala, route of viral transmission still a mystery
Down to Earth Understanding transmission is time-sensitive for developing effective disease prevention strategies, experts stress. Health experts and physicians have raised concerns about the deadly Nipah virus’ transmission from animals to humans in Kerala’s northern districts. In the latest case, a 42-year-old woman from Valanchery in Malappuram district is in a coma and continues to […]
May 13, 2025
The rising threat of Nipah virus: a highly contagious and deadly zoonotic pathogen
Virology Journal The Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly virulent zoonotic infectious agent that poses a significant threat to public health. The virus is characterized by its pleomorphic structure and a single-stranded negative-sense RNA genome. It encodes six structural proteins and three nonstructural proteins. Attachment glycoproteins play a crucial role in allowing the virus to […]
May 13, 2025
The virus that stalks urban neighborhoods
Yale Climate Connections West Nile sickened hundreds in the most affluent residential area in Dallas in 2012. Chicago, Los Angeles, and Sacramento suffer from hot spots, too. What’s helping it thrive in cities? Each summer, as mosquitoes begin to buzz, the risk of West Nile virus quietly rises — and cities aren’t immune. In 2012, […]
May 7, 2025
Critical Breakthrough in Understanding and Possibly Eradicating Lyme Disease
WIBX Researchers at VCU submitted their findings to mBio, claiming they discovered “the Achilles’ heel of Lyme disease bacterium Borreliella burgdorferi.” The weakness is found in the Lyme-causing bacteria itself, which is the lactate dehydrogenase (BbLDH) enzyme. Researchers say it is the crucial ingredient that helps the bacteria grow and spread through an infected host’s body. This unique enzyme […]
May 7, 2025
US government exercises $144m option for smallpox/mpox vaccine contract
Pharmaceutical Technology The options are for the freeze-dried version of Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos, a formulation that allows easier stockpiling. Amid a US measles outbreak the US government has placed a $143.6m order for Bavarian Nordic’s smallpox/mpox jab Jynneos to bolster its infectious disease preparedness. The order is part of a ten-year contract awarded to vaccine-developer […]
May 7, 2025
Genetic Study Retraces the Origins of Coronaviruses in Bats
NYT As China and the United States trade charges of a lab leak, researchers contend in a new paper that the Covid pandemic got its start, like a previous one, in the wildlife trade. In the early 2000s, a coronavirus infecting bats jumped into raccoon dogs and other wild mammals in southwestern China. Some of […]
May 7, 2025
Measles is making a comeback: Can we stop it?
Harvard Health Seven things to know about the recent measles outbreaks. Has the recent news about measles outbreaks in the US surprised you? Didn’t it seem like we were done with measles? In the US, widespread vaccination halted the ongoing spread of measles more than 20 years ago, a major public health achievement. Before an effective vaccine […]
May 7, 2025