Category: Featured Headlines
COVID variant NB.1.8.1 hits U.S. What to know about symptoms, new booster vaccine restrictions
CBS News Cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, linked to a large surge in China, have been detected in multiple locations across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The earliest cases in the U.S. date back to late March and early April, and were detected through a screening program at airports […]
May 28, 2025
F.D.A. Poised to Restrict Access to Covid Vaccines
New York Times Agency leaders said there was evidence to justify approval only for older people and those with medical conditions. Many others may not be able to get the shots. The Food and Drug Administration will permit use of Covid vaccines by adults over 65 and those with certain medical conditions in the fall, […]
May 21, 2025
Costa Rica: U.S. Family Infected With Airborne Fungal Disease After Touring Bat-Filled Caves
Gizmodo A family vacation to Costa Rica turned sour after 12 of 13 relatives developed symptoms of a fungal lung infection following an excursion through bat-filled caves. In season two of The Last of Us, the cordyceps fungus—spoiler alert—becomes airborne, meaning the fungal infection can spread not just through bites but also when humans inhale its […]
May 21, 2025
MAHA has a new think tank.
STAT The Make America Healthy Again movement is coalescing around a new effort to turn its goals into federal policy. The Trump administration is listening. The Make America Healthy Again movement is coalescing around a new effort to turn its goals into federal policy. The Trump administration is listening. The MAHA Institute, a policy center […]
May 21, 2025
Measles Updates: Texas Cases Pass 700 As Illness Reported In 30 States
Forbes Texas has reported over 700 measles cases since January, according to the latest numbers from the state’s health department, representing the bulk of measles cases that have been reported in the U.S. this year. There have been 1,024 confirmed cases of measles across 30 states so far this year, according to the latest update from the […]
May 21, 2025
In El Paso, measles is infecting more adults than children
Texas Tribune As soon as measles started spreading in West Texas, El Paso health officials began preparing schools and day care facilities for the day the virus would inevitably arrive. But now that it’s here, it’s not kids who are making up the brunt of the cases — it’s adults. Two-thirds of El Paso’s cases […]
May 21, 2025
Panel Discussion: ‘What turns spillovers into epidemics?’
University of Oxford How do we move from tracking disease emergence to predicting the next epidemic? This talk brings together experts in pathogen genomics, virology, ecology, climate science, and data science to explore how AI, genomic surveillance, and new environmental data streams can enhance predictive models of emerging infectious diseases —bridging the gap between spillover […]
May 20, 2025
WHO signs international pandemic response treaty without the U.S.
Washington Post As countries overwhelmingly passed a WHO global pandemic agreement, top U.S. health official Robert F. Kennedy Jr. invited states to reject the “moribund WHO.” After three years of intensive negotiations, the World Health Organization on Tuesday adopted the world’s first agreement on how to cooperate and respond to future pandemics — without the support […]
May 20, 2025
FDA Officials Detail Plan to Limit COVID Shots
MedPageToday FDA officials have outlined their new approach to COVID-19 vaccine approvals, allowing immunogenicity endpoints for high-risk groups, while calling for randomized controlled trials for those at lower risk. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, and Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH, detailed the new framework in a “Sounding Board” […]
May 20, 2025
What to Know About the Hepatitis A Outbreak in L.A. County
NYT A highly contagious liver infection is surging among groups who are not typically at risk. At least seven people have died. Public health officials in Los Angeles County have declared an outbreak of hepatitis A, a highly contagious liver infection driven by a virus that can, in rare cases, cause severe illness. The condition, […]
May 14, 2025