Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
The improbable victory over smallpox holds lessons for health threats in 2024
NPR Smallpox was certified eradicated in 1980, but I first learned about the disease’s twisty, storied history in 1996 while interning at the World Health Organization. I was a college student fascinated by the sheer magnitude of what it took to wipe a human disease from the earth for the first time. Over the years, […]
Mar 19, 2024
As Covid Spread, a Strain of Flu Disappeared. Now Scientists Say a Second Could Go Too
Bloomberg Stay-at-home orders, border closures, mask-wearing and other measures aimed at stemming Covid-19’s spread led to the global disappearance of a notorious winter germ. Now, scientists say it might be feasible with better vaccines to rid the world of a second one. For decades, flu epidemics were driven by four strains. One of them, the so-called Yamagata-lineage […]
Mar 13, 2024
What we know about long COVID — from brain fog to physical fatigue
NPR At a recent Senate hearing on long COVID, Rachel Beale took to the stage and shared her experience managing her symptoms for the past three years. “Long COVID has affected every part of my life,” said the Virginia resident. “I wake up every day feeling tired, nauseous and dizzy. I immediately start planning when I […]
Mar 13, 2024
NIH opens long COVID trials to evaluate treatments for autonomic nervous system dysfunction
NIH Two phase 2 clinical trials to test the safety and effectiveness of three treatments for adults with autonomic nervous system dysfunction from long COVID have begun. The autonomic nervous system acts largely unconsciously and regulates bodily functions, such as heart rate, digestion and respiratory rate. Symptoms associated with autonomic nervous system dysfunction have been […]
Mar 12, 2024
No parent who has seen the children I’ve treated for measles would refuse a vaccine
STAT News Over the past year, I have watched many children die of measles. In the final stages, little lungs, filled with fluid and racked with inflammation, struggle for oxygen. The victims breathe faster and faster, gasping for air until, exhausted, they stop. Where I live, in one of the poorest places on earth, measles […]
Mar 12, 2024
South Georgia Island: Bird flu infects penguins at famous wildlife haven
BBC Bird flu has been confirmed in 10 penguins on South Georgia, one of the world’s great wildlife havens. Avian influenza had already infected other seabirds and mammals on the British Overseas Territory, but scientists report gentoo and king penguins have now fallen victim, too. The breeding season is closing on the sub-Antarctic island so […]
Mar 12, 2024
The next pandemic? It’s already here for Earth’s wildlife
The Conversation I am a conservation biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases. When people ask me what I think the next pandemic will be I often say that we are in the midst of one – it’s just afflicting a great many species more than ours. I am referring to the highly pathogenic strain of […]
Mar 12, 2024
A look at the Avian Influenza situation in Alberta
Alberta City View Since Jan. 1, there have been two confirmed cases of Avian influenza, one in a commercial flock in Mountain View County and the second in a backyard flock in Vermilion River County. Avian influenza hit the Province of Alberta for the first time in 2022 and outbreaks are still popping up two […]
Mar 12, 2024
4 things you should know about measles amid an uptick in cases
The Hill The U.S. is seeing a rash of measles cases, with more than three dozen cases reported across 17 states already this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This comes two months after the agency warned clinicians to remain alert for measles cases. So far this year, 45 cases have been reported […]
Mar 12, 2024
4 cases of measles now confirmed at Chicago migrant shelter, including CPS student
CBS News Four cases of measles have now been reported at the migrant shelter for new arrivals in Pilsen, the Chicago Department of Public Health confirmed Monday. This marks a total of five cases of the highly contagious disease in Chicago in just four days. Chicago Public Schools said one patient was a CPS student. […]
Mar 12, 2024