Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
The Deaths Doctors Never Thought They’d See in the U.S.
The Atlantic For years, the worst outcomes of measles were all but unknown in America. Now they look inevitable. Of every 1,000 people the measles virus infects, it may kill as few as one to three. In a way, this can seem merciful. But the mathematics of measles is also unforgiving. The virus is estimated […]
Feb 25, 2026
Washington State: High School confirms active tuberculosis case, 130 people possibly exposed
KOMO News More than 100 people associated with Rainier Beach High School are being tested for Tuberculosis (TB) after one person was diagnosed and is now getting treatment for the serious, airborne disease. As a precaution, Public Health is recommending that about 130 people associated with the south Seattle school be evaluated, based on the amount of […]
Feb 25, 2026
Third, fourth cases of bird flu detected in Iowa
Iowa News Officials confirmed the third and fourth cases of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, in Iowa this year. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) announced Wednesday that cases of avian influenza were detected in multi-species backyard flocks in Van Buren and Keokuk Counties. These are the third and fourth […]
Feb 25, 2026
As measles cases climb, these 9 diseases threaten comebacks
Washington Post When it comes to infectious diseases, measles is “the canary in the coal mine,” one expert said. There are more than 900 confirmed measles cases in the United States, as of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent weekly count. It’s less than two months into the year, “and we already have over […]
Feb 25, 2026
Hospitals Fighting Measles Confront a Challenge: Few Doctors Have Seen It Before
KFF At around 2 a.m., 7-year-old twin brothers arrived at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Both had a fever, a cough, a rash, pink eye, and cold symptoms. The boys sat in one waiting room and then another. Two hours and 20 minutes passed before the two were isolated, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]
Feb 25, 2026
Why are Avian Flu cases so much higher in Midstate Pennsylvania?
ABC 27 The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has recorded more than 7 million avian flu cases this year, which accounts for 80% of the cases nationwide. Why is the virus so much worse here? Governor Shapiro and Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding met with poultry producers and other industry leaders on Tuesday at a roundtable in Lancaster County, one […]
Feb 25, 2026
Deadly bird flu found in California elephant seals for the first time
LA Times The H5N1 bird flu virus that devastated South American elephant seal populations has been confirmed in seals at California’s Año Nuevo State Park, researchers from UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz announced Wednesday. The virus has ravaged wild, commercial and domestic animals across the globe and was found in seven weaned pups. The […]
Feb 25, 2026
As Measles Cases Pass 1,000 for the Year, Experts Urge Vaccination
MedPageToday There are already “more than half the number of cases seen in all of 2025,” one pediatrician said. U.S. measles cases have topped 1,000 just 2 months into 2026, and outbreaks persist in a number of states, namely South Carolina and Arizona/Utah. “It is very concerning to see more than 1,000 cases in the U.S. this […]
Feb 25, 2026
‘Unbelievably contagious’: Measles cases soar nationwide: What you need to know
WTOP The United States is seeing nearly 1,000 cases of measles in the first two months of 2026, a record surge that has alarmed health care providers. More than 980 have been reported across 26 states as of Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s more than four times the total number of […]
Feb 25, 2026
US catches case of New World screwworm. What can be done to stop its spread?
The Hill Agricultural inspectors in Florida have stopped a case of the parasitic New World screwworm from entering the U.S., the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced at the start of February. The screwworm was spotted on an imported horse from Argentina as it went through routine examination entering the U.S. Inspectors were able […]
Feb 18, 2026