Category: Featured Headlines
New COVID Variant NB.1.8.1 Spreads in the U.S., Foreshadowing a Likely Summer Surge
Discover A new COVID variant known as NB.1.8.1 is on the rise in the U.S. and beyond, landing on the radar of health officials. The variant, first identified in January 2025, is now being closely monitored, with cases already popping up across several states. A report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory […]
Jun 10, 2025
Here’s What to Know About NB.1.8.1, the COVID Variant Surging in Asia
MedPageToday It will probably become dominant in the U.S. this summer, experts say. A new COVID variant driving a surge of infections in China and other parts of Asia has been detected by U.S. airport screening programsopens in a new tab or window, and experts say it may drive a summer wave in the U.S. NB.1.8.1 […]
Jun 4, 2025
Thailand’s Covid-19 cases surpass 250,000 as new variant spreads
VN News Thailand warns of rising Covid-19 cases driven by new variant NB.1.8.1, urging the public to stay cautious and follow health measures. Data from May 30 showed 41,283 new cases, bringing the total so far this year to 257,280 cases, with two new deaths, raising the total fatalities to 52. The Bangkok metropolitan area […]
Jun 4, 2025
Public Health Preparedness:HHS Needs a Coordinated National Approach for Diagnostic Testing for Pandemic Threats
GAO During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services struggled to lead the nation’s testing efforts, which required close coordination with public and private stakeholders. This was one reason we added HHS’s leadership of public health emergencies to our High Risk List. We convened a roundtable of 19 experts to discuss ways HHS […]
Jun 4, 2025
Arizona: Third commercial farm tests positive for bird flu
12 News A third commercial farm in Arizona has tested positive for avian flu, according to the Arizona Department of Agriculture. A third Maricopa County commercial farm has tested positive for Avian Influenza, according to the Arizona Department of Agriculture. Poultry at the latest farm to test positive started showing signs of the bird flu […]
Jun 4, 2025
Tracking the Threat: How a New H5N1 Virus Variant Took Hold Across Europe
Global Biodefense New genomic analyses trace the origins and spread of the EA-2023-DG H5N1 reassortant, highlighting evolving zoonotic risks and urgent surveillance needs. A new scientific study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases has mapped the emergence and spread of a novel highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus genotype—EA-2023-DG—across Europe. Conducted by an international team of researchers led by the […]
Jun 4, 2025
China reports a new H5N1 case
China Center for Health Protection Since the previous issue of Avian Influenza Report (AIR), there was one new human caseof avian influenza A(H5N1) from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China reportedby the World Health Organization (WHO) on 23 May 2025. From 2015 to 2024, 0 to145 confirmed human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) were reported to […]
May 28, 2025
A New Covid Variant Is Rising Fast. Here’s What We Know About NB.1.8.1
Gizmodo A new Omicron offshoot is spreading fast across Australia and Asia, prompting renewed concerns about the covid-19 pandemic. As we enter the colder months in Australia, covid is making headlines again, this time due to the emergence of a new variant: NB.1.8.1. Last week, the World Health Organization designated NB.1.8.1 as a “variant under monitoring”, owing to its […]
May 28, 2025
Cambodia reports 11-year-old boy is country’s fourth bird flu death this year
WFMJ An 11-year-old boy in Cambodia died from bird flu, the country’s fourth victim of four confirmed cases of the infection this year, the Health Ministry announced Wednesday. The ministry issued a statement saying laboratory tests from the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia confirmed the boy, who lived in a village in the western province of Kampong […]
May 28, 2025
The C.D.C. Now Says Healthy Kids Don’t Need Covid Shots. Is That True?
NYT The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer advise that healthy children receive routine Covid shots, a significant departure from its previous approach of suggesting annual shots for everyone age 6 months and older. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the change on X on Tuesday, citing a lack of data to support shots for […]
May 28, 2025