Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
I survived bird flu – this is what it’s like: My whole skull was THROBBING
Daily Mail A middle-aged man who survived bird flu has revealed the horrific infection—which killed his brother—left him feeling as if his ‘whole skull was throbbing’. The virus, also known as H5N1, is currently spreading across the US and has reached the UK triggering global health chiefs today to warn of an impending pandemic. At present the […]
Apr 30, 2025
Poland culls 11.5 million poultry in response to avian influenza outbreak
TVP Poland has culled 11.5 million poultry as a countermeasure against avian influenza outbreaks, the Agriculture Ministry reported on Sunday. Avian influenza (bird flu) is a serious, contagious viral disease primarily affecting birds, especially poultry. It can be highly deadly and occasionally infect humans. Newcastle Disease, another viral illness affecting birds, is also often fatal, […]
Apr 30, 2025
Colorado State University studies increased threat of avian flu amid rise in household cat infections, deaths
CBS News The threat of the avian flu continues to increase as household cats are experiencing increased levels of infections and deaths. Researchers at Colorado State University are helping Colorado and other states study the virus, also known as bird flu, in animals. “We are doing the testing in our bio safety level three laboratory,” said […]
Apr 30, 2025
Scientists say global conditions are ripe for a yellow fever pandemic
Medical News A recent study published in the journal npj Viruses proposed that global trends, including unprecedented urbanization, increased international travel, and the expansion of mosquito habitats, increase the odds of the geographic spread of the yellow fever (YF) virus (YFV). YF, caused by YFV, is an acute viral illness in humans and several nonhuman primates. Unlike […]
Apr 30, 2025
US CDC cancels science group workshop on preventing human bird flu infections
Reuters The National Academy of Sciences has canceled a workshop on preventing human bird flu infections after being told to stop work on the event by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an email sent to one of the workshop presenters and seen by Reuters. Bird flu has infected 70 people, […]
Apr 30, 2025
Measles Outbreaks in Canada and Mexico Bring Grim Prognosis
NYT Surges in Mennonite communities near the U.S. border may complicate containment efforts, experts say. As the United States struggles to contain a resurgence of measles that has swept through swaths of the Southwest, neighboring countries are responding to their own outbreaks. Canada has reported more than 730 cases this year, making this one of the worst […]
Apr 30, 2025
Hidden transmission of avian influenza virus H5N1 found in Texas dairy cattle
Medical Express Scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Disease Center, with multiple academic, state and federal collaborators, identified the emergence and interstate spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) in dairy cattle. Genetic analysis confirms that a reassortment event in wild birds preceded a single transmission to cattle, after which asymptomatic or […]
Apr 30, 2025
Even a small uptick in vaccination could prevent millions of US measles cases.
ABC News Measles cases are continuing to spread throughout the U.S. with outbreaks in at least six states. Public health experts have previously said lagging vaccination rates are to blame for the rise in cases, at least partly due to vaccine hesitancy and vaccine fatigue left over from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even a small […]
Apr 30, 2025
New antiviral compounds show broad protection against COVID-19 variants
Medical News Since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, numerous novel antiviral therapeutic agents have been developed to target key proteases involved in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication. Nirmatrelvir and ensitrelvir, for example, are main protease (Mpro) inhibitors that are currently approved for the clinical treatment of COVID-19. The […]
Apr 30, 2025