Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Yep, a mom’s COVID shot during pregnancy protects her baby, a large study finds
NPR Babies under 6 months old still have one of the highest rates of hospitalization from COVID-19 infections compared to other age groups, but no COVID vaccine is available for these infants. That’s one reason the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, recommends COVID vaccination during pregnancy. “There are a number of studies […]
Mar 25, 2026
TB: After Hopes Of Eradication, The World’s Deadliest Infection Is Creeping Back In The US With A Vengeance
IFL Science Cases have been slowly rising in the US, the UK, and much of the world since 2021. The world’s top infectious killer, tuberculosis (TB), has plagued humans for thousands of years, and it isn’t going anywhere just yet. Since being scientifically identified in 1882, the disease has killed over 1 billion people – […]
Mar 25, 2026
San Francisco: Mutated viral variant found in US for first time in traveler
SFGate A mutated strain of the COVID-19 virus, first detected in the U.S. in a traveler to SFO, is increasingly appearing across the country. A March 19 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detailed the rise of the COVID-19 BA.3.2 variant. This mutated version of the COVID-19 virus contains genetic changes on a key protein […]
Mar 25, 2026
5 things you need to know about meningitis
Washington Post Two people died in an outbreak of bacterial meningitis in England. The infection, which is rare, requires prompt medical treatment to avoid severe complications. Two young adults, an 18-year-old and 21-year-old, recently died, and 18 others were hospitalized, in an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, England. People in their teens and early 20s are considered […]
Mar 25, 2026
Cancer drug protein target may also help fight influenza
Medical Express A protein already targeted by FDA-approved cancer drugs may also help the body fight influenza, according to new research from The Jackson Laboratory (JAX). Published in Cell Reports, the study found that Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1), a protein best known for helping tumors evade immune attack, instead helped immunocompromised mice clear flu-infected lung cells […]
Mar 18, 2026
Recorded Cases of Meningitis Rise to 20 as UK Outbreak Worsens
EMJ CASES of meningococcal disease in Kent, UK, have risen to 20, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed today. As of 5pm on Tuesday, nine laboratory cases are confirmed and 11 notifications remain under investigation by UKHSA. Six of the confirmed cases have been identified as group B meningococcal disease. One individual who had […]
Mar 18, 2026
Everything you need to know about Ebola, Marburg disease and Lassa Fever
ECDC What do we know about haemorrhagic fevers like the Ebola, Marburg disease or Lassa fever?How does one get infected? In which parts of the world can that happen? What are the symptoms, and what does modern science and public health have in the arsenal to fight with these diseases?
Mar 18, 2026
How does Marburg virus enter cells so efficiently?
BioTechniques Original story from the University of Minnesota (MN, USA). The characteristics of the protein that allows Marburg virus to enter human cells so efficiently – 300 times more efficiently than Ebola – have been identified. University of Minnesota (MN, USA) researchers found that the Marburg virus, one of the world’s deadliest pathogens with an average […]
Mar 18, 2026
California: 27 elephant seals test positive for bird flu in Bay Area outbreak
KRON More than two dozen elephant seals have tested positive for avian influenza since the outbreak at Año Nuevo State Park on the San Mateo County coast began in February, according to an update from UC Davis released Monday. One sea otter and two California sea lions have also tested positive after being found dead […]
Mar 18, 2026
Understanding endemic Rift Valley Fever (RVF) transmission in distinct African regions
Wellcome.org This research investigates the endemic dynamics of Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) in East (Kenya), West (Senegal), and Southern Africa (South Africa), challenging the view of RVFV as an epidemic disease. We propose that RVF exists along a spectrum from epidemic to endemic transmission, influenced by landscape ecology, climate, and socioeconomic factors. The project […]
Mar 18, 2026