Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Almost 30,000 suspected mpox cases in Africa this year, WHO says
Reuters Nearly 30,000 suspected mpox cases have been reported in Africa so far this year, most of them in Democratic Republic of Congo where tests have run out, the World Health Organization said on Monday. More than 800 people died of suspected mpox across the continent in that time, the U.N. health body said in […]
Sep 24, 2024
Thousands of turkeys killed in Merced County as officials battle avian flu outbreak
Fresno Bee More than 64,000 turkeys at a Merced County poultry operation are being killed after agriculture officials recently discovered they were infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza. The highly contagious and deadly virus has become the scourge of the poultry industry since an outbreak began in 2022. More than 92 million poultry and […]
Sep 24, 2024
New York Resident Dies of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Infection
New York Times The first person to be diagnosed with Eastern equine encephalitis in New York in nearly a decade has died, prompting Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare the rare, mosquito-borne viral illness an imminent public health threat on Monday. Ms. Hochul announced the death, in Ulster County, in a news release outlining the steps that state officials are […]
Sep 24, 2024
A history of mpox so far
STAT In August, the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and several other African countries a public health emergency of international concern. This is the second time in two years that mpox, formerly called monkeypox, has been listed as a PHEIC. In 2022, mpox spread through multiple […]
Sep 18, 2024
NIH releases mpox research agenda
NIH Plan will advance knowledge of virus biology to improve detection, treatment and prevention.As part of the U.S. government response to the current mpox outbreak(link is external), the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has released an update on its priorities for mpox research. The NIAID mpox research agenda focuses […]
Sep 18, 2024
Locally Acquired Dengue Case Confirmed in California
Medscape A case of locally acquired dengue fever has been confirmed in a resident of Baldwin Park, California, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. This locally acquired case of dengue is the third to be reported in California and the first to be reported by the Los Angeles County […]
Sep 18, 2024
What Is Wetland Virus, China’s Newly-Discovered Tick-Borne Illness That Can Infect the Brain?
Prevention Tick-borne infections are on the rise, causing about half a million new illnesses in America each year. But while most people are familiar on some level with infections like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, there’s a new tick-borne infection to have on your radar. It’s called Wetland virus, and it’s a newly-discovered illness spotted in China […]
Sep 18, 2024
Mosquito-borne diseases are surging in Europe — how worried are scientists?
Nature Diseases such as West Nile virus and dengue are becoming increasingly common as the insects that spread them move north. Climate change is turning Europe into a breeding ground for mosquito-borne diseases, researchers warn. Longer summers, hotter temperatures and heavy rainfall are creating favourable conditions for mosquitos in places where they couldn’t previously thrive. […]
Sep 18, 2024
NH confirms second case of mosquito-borne illness EEE
NH News A second case of the mosquito-borne illness eastern equine encephalitis has been confirmed in New Hampshire, according to state health officials. The infection was in an adult from Kensington who began experiencing symptoms on Aug. 8. The person was hospitalized and is now recovering at a rehabilitation facility, according to a spokesperson for the […]
Sep 18, 2024
Gaza is vaccinating against polio. Is the virus a threat to the U.S.?
Washington Post A campaign is ongoing to vaccinate children in Gaza after its first polio case in 25 years. The threat to the United States is only in communities with low vaccination levels. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set about vaccinating hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza in response to the Palestinian enclave’s first polio […]
Sep 18, 2024