Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Deadly tick-borne disease confirmed in Mass. town
MASS Live A rare deadly tick-borne disease was confirmed in a Massachusetts town. Powassan virus, according to a release. And they are warning residents to take precautions. Powassan virus, like Lyme, is transmitted through infected ticks. The virus is considered rare, but the health department said the number of reported cases of people sick from […]
May 1, 2024
More than half of cats died after drinking raw milk from bird flu-infected cows
CBS News Video
May 1, 2024
The jump in measles cases in 2023 is ‘very concerning’ says WHO official
NPR Over the past 20 years, there’s been a lot of progress when it comes to combating measles. But the World Health Organization’s latest global numbers, released this past weekend, are “very concerning,” says Dr. Patrick O’Connor, the WHO’s medical officer for measles and rubella. Measles cases increased worldwide from more than 170,000 cases in 2022 to […]
Apr 30, 2024
Epidemiologic Survey of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Suids, Spain
CDC We conducted a cross-sectional study in wild boar and extensively managed Iberian pig populations in a hotspot area of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in Spain. We tested for antibodies against CCHFV by using 2 ELISAs in parallel. We assessed the presence of CCHFV RNA by means of reverse transcription quantitative PCR protocol, which […]
Apr 30, 2024
Could bird flu cause a human pandemic?
Vox Here’s what’s worrying experts right now about H5N1’s spread among dairy cows — and what isn’t. Last year, when an H5N1 avian flu virus — commonly known as bird flu — was spilling over from bird populations into a variety of wild mammals, Seema Lakdawala, a virologist and influenza A transmission specialist at Emory […]
Apr 30, 2024
4 more cats test positive for H5N1 bird flu in the U.S.
BNO News Four more cats have tested positive for H5N1 bird flu in connection with a growing outbreak in dairy cows in the United States, according to state and federal officials, raising the number of cases in the current outbreak to seven. Sonja Olsen, the Associate Director of Preparedness and Response at CDC’s Influenza Division, […]
Apr 30, 2024
Svalbard, Norway: Walrus dies from bird flu on Arctic island
Straights Times The first case of a walrus dying from bird flu has been detected on one of Norway’s Arctic islands, a researcher said April 29. The walrus was found last year on Hopen island in the Svalbard archipelago, Mr Christian Lydersen, of the Norwegian Polar Institute, told AFP. Tests carried out by a German […]
Apr 30, 2024
After steady decline, TB has increased every year since 2020 in U.S.
Washington Post After decreasing for 27 years, the number of U.S. residents with tuberculosis has increased every year since 2020, with 9,615 cases recorded last year in the 50 states and D.C., according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The finding was based on data from the agency’s National Tuberculosis Surveillance […]
Apr 30, 2024
Technical Report: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses
CDC A small number of sporadic human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) have been identified worldwide since 2022, amidst a panzootic of these viruses in wild birds and poultry. Nearly all human cases reported globally since 2022 were associated with poultry exposures, and no cases of human-to-human transmission of HPAI A(H5N1) virus have been identified. […]
Apr 26, 2024
How bird flu virus fragments get into milk sold in stores, and what the spread of H5N1 in cows means for the dairy industry and milk drinkers
The Conversation The discovery of fragments of avian flu virus in milk sold in U.S. stores, including in about 20% of samples in initial testing across the country, suggests that the H5N1 virus may be more widespread in dairy cattle than previously realized. The Food and Drug Administration, which announced the early results from its nationally representative sampling on […]
Apr 25, 2024