Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Inside the Bird-Flu Vaccine Trial for Monk Seals
NYT After the virus returned to Hawaii this fall, testing the shots in the endangered seal species became urgent. Two wild Hawaiian monk seals, an endangered species, have become the first of their kind to receive vaccines for bird flu, part of a new effort to protect the animals from a virus that has been ravaging […]
Dec 3, 2025
Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Significantly Lowers Risk for COVID-19-Related Hospitalization
Infectious Disease Advisor Real-world use of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir was associated with substantially lower rates of COVID-19-related hospitalization among high-risk outpatients during the Omicron BA.2 and BA.4/BA.5 surges, according to study findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. With earlier evidence for nirmatrelvir-ritonavir largely generated in unvaccinated populations infected with the Delta variant, updated data have been needed to evaluate its […]
Dec 3, 2025
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller Responds to New World Screwworm Detection in Northern Mexico (12/3/2025)
Texas Dept of Ag AUSTIN — Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today issued the following statement after being notified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of a new detection of the New World screwworm (NWS) in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico, approximately 120 miles south of the Texas border. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection […]
Dec 3, 2025
Increase in Mpox cases reported in Baltimore
CBS News Baltimore health officials reported a “notable increase” in Mpox cases so far this year. However, the risk to the general public is low, officials said. Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 20, the health department recorded 24 Mpox cases in the city, with more than half occurring since Sept. 1. In 2024, there were […]
Dec 3, 2025
Worcester confirms two cases of mpox
Mass.live Two cases of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, were confirmed in Worcester, a spokesperson for the city confirmed Tuesday. The individuals involved were admitted to UMass Memorial facilities, according to a statement from UMass Memorial Health. “Clinical leadership from UMass Memorial Infection Prevention and Control and Employee Health Services is closely monitoring the situation […]
Dec 3, 2025
Flesh-eating worm in Mexico is upending cross-border cattle trade
Washington Post The New World screwworm in Mexico has prompted an almost year-long blockade on imported cattle and disrupted domestic feedlots and long-standing business relationships. Juan Manuel Fleischer’s ancestors ranched on the borderlands before the United States existed, and the Arizona resident’s business importing Mexican cattle across the modern-day frontier has survived decades of immigration […]
Dec 3, 2025
Japan’s flu season comes early as new variant spreads
Japan Times A new influenza variant spreading across Japan may be behind the increase in early outbreaks this year, the Japan Institute for Health Security (JIHS) has said. The new strain, called “Subclade K” is a variant of the type A flu virus, which typically spreads around the beginning of the flu season, while type […]
Dec 3, 2025
14 confirmed cases of Legionnaire’s disease in Central Florida from ‘gym exposure’
WFTV Florida health officials have confirmed 14 cases of Legionnaire’s disease in Central Florida, all linked to gym exposure. The Florida Health Department released this information to State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith via an email obtained by Channel 9. The email did not specify which gym is involved. However, last week, Channel 9 broke the story that […]
Dec 3, 2025
Mosquito-borne viruses kill 33 people, including 21 children, in Cuba
CBS News Twenty-one children are among 33 people who have died in Cuba of the mosquito-borne chikungunya and dengue viruses since July, authorities said Monday. Most of the deaths were attributed to chikungunya — characterized by fever and joint pain that can be debilitating but rarely fatal — while the flu-like dengue claimed 12 lives, the country’s […]
Dec 3, 2025
Climate, Vectors and Virus Keep Chikungunya a Global Focus
ASM The activity of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a mosquito-borne RNA virus that causes fever and joint pain (among other symptoms), increased worldwide in 2025, with cases reported from 40 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. The majority of the cases have been reported from the Americas, with Brazil experiencing the greatest impact. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued Level 2 Travel Health Notices, recommending enhanced precautions for travelers planning […]
Nov 26, 2025