Chrono list of posts

Mainichi A veterinarian in Mie Prefecture who treated cats infected with an ixodid tick-borne disease has died from the same illness, the local veterinarians’ association told the Mainichi Shimbun on June 13. The veterinarian is believed to have contracted “severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS)” from one of the cats, prompting the Japan Veterinary Medical… Read more: Veterinarian dies from tick-borne disease after treating infected cats in west Japan

Washington Post Health officials in the D.C. region have issued warnings about a person infected with measles who landed at Dulles International Airport and traveled throughout the area during the past week. The D.C. health department listed in a statement posted to its website Saturday the various places the person visited. The international traveler landed at Dulles… Read more: Health officials warn of measles case from traveler at Dulles Airport

Contagion Since H5N1, more commonly known as avian or bird flu, first appeared in commercial poultry and backyard flocks in the US in February 2022, the threat of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus has wreaked havoc among the poultry and livestock industry for producers, veterinarians and government agencies.1 As of May 2025, the… Read more: Nationwide Avian Flu Response Gains Momentum, Yet Urgent Action Remains Essential

The Lancet The avian influenza virus is a pathogen that has been well known to the scientific community ever since its first detection in 1996. Avian influenza is caused by a single-stranded RNA influenza A virus, and the current outbreak in North America is caused by the subtype H5N1, with waterfowl serving as its natural reservoir.… Read more: On the brink: H5N1 and the risk to human health

KHMER Times The Ministry of Health on the night of June 13, 2025, confirmed a new case of bird flu in a 65-year-old Cambodian woman. The woman resides in Kraing Ampil village, Taing Yap commune, Prey Kabbas district, Takeo province. The Ministry of Health said that the woman confirmed positive for the H5N1 avian influenza… Read more: Another Bird Flu case confirmed in Cambodia

CBS At least 3% of measles cases confirmed so far this year have been in people who received two doses of the measles vaccine, meaning they were fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.  About three dozen of the nearly 1,200 measles infections in 2025 have been in people with two vaccine doses, the… Read more: At least 3% of measles cases this year were in people who were fully vaccinated, CDC says

NYT As temperatures rise, ticks of several kinds are flourishing in ways that threaten people’s health. Lately, Shannon LaDeau and her colleagues have had unwelcome visitors at their office in New York’s Hudson Valley: ticks, crawling up the building and trying to get through doors. “Which is kind of alarming,” said Dr. LaDeau, a disease… Read more: The Tick Situation Is Getting Worse. Here’s How to Protect Yourself.

CBS News A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official who led the agency’s network to study hospitalization trends from infectious diseases like COVID-19 has resigned in protest following Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s orders to change the agency’s vaccine recommendations and the committee that makes them. Dr. Fiona Havers’ last day at the… Read more: CDC official overseeing COVID hospitalization data resigns in protest

Times of India The country’s death toll due to Covid-19 has crossed the 100-mark, reaching 108 after as many as 11 deaths were reported on Monday – the highest in a day in the current wave. Kerala reported seven deaths, while a death each occurred in Delhi, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.The seven victims from… Read more: India: With 11 deaths, current wave toll in country past 100-mark

BBC The stress and isolation of the pandemic have left social and emotional scars that are already being seen in children, but scientists also predict there could be huge economic costs due to disrupted education. For US pre-school teacher Rebekah Underwood, there is something different about the class of 2025. She’s noticed that the children… Read more: The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on children

NPR A document the Department of Health and Human Services sent to lawmakers to support Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to change U.S. policy on COVID vaccines cites scientific studies that are unpublished or under dispute and mischaracterizes others. One health expert called the document “willful medical disinformation” about the safety of COVID vaccines… Read more: RFK Jr. sent Congress ‘medical disinformation’ to defend COVID vaccine schedule change

NYT Officials drastically understated outbreaks and deaths, depriving citizens of help, two U.S. research groups report, citing interviews with people inside North Korea. North Korea has long claimed that it defeated the Covid-19 pandemic without vaccines, losing only 74 lives in what it called “a miracle unprecedented in the world’s public health history.” But a report released… Read more: North Korea’s Pandemic ‘Miracle’ Was a Deadly Lie, Report Says

Reuters A U.S. government scientist who oversees the team responsible for collecting data on COVID-19 and RSV hospitalizations used to shape national vaccine policy has resigned, citing concerns over how such data would be used by the Trump administration. The scientist, Dr. Fiona Havers, told colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on… Read more: US CDC official in charge of COVID, RSV data resigns ahead of vaccine meeting

Gavi The NB.1.8.1 and XFG sub-variants are rapidly spreading and competing for global dominance. COVID-19 may have faded from news headlines, but it hasn’t gone away – or stopped evolving. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently lists six ‘variants under monitoring’ — meaning they may require prioritised attention and tracking by health authorities due to their increased… Read more: Eight things you need to know about the new “Nimbus” and “Stratus” COVID-19 variants

Science Tech Daily Fungicides used in agriculture have been linked to an increase in resistance to antifungal drugs in both humans and animals. Fungal infections are on the rise, and two UC Davis infectious disease experts, Dr. George Thompson and Dr. Angel Desai, are sounding the alarm. In a recent commentary published in the New England Journal of… Read more: Are Pesticides Breeding the Next Pandemic? Experts Warn of Fungal Superbugs

NYT Video from a national park in Uganda depicted a parade of predatory species feeding on and dispersing fruit bats that are known natural reservoirs of infectious diseases. Bats carry an assortment of viruses, including infectious diseases that have jumped into humans in a process known as zoonotic spillover. In some cases, the aerial mammals… Read more: Bat Cave Footage Offers Clues to How Viruses Leap Between Species

Science Alert Scientists have just discovered hundreds of new giant viruses, in a comprehensive study covering oceans across the globe. The team behind the study, marine biologist Benjamin Minch and virologist Mohammad Moniruzzaman from the University of Miami, used bespoke computer software to identify the genomes of microbes in seawater samples – including 230 giant viruses previously unknown… Read more: Hundreds of Mysterious Giant Viruses Discovered Lurking in The Ocean

ABC News Climate change may be putting millions more people at risk from an infection-causing fungi, which is likely spreading due to warming global temperatures, scientists say. There will likely be an increased risk of infection due to harmful fungi in the coming years due to climate change, according to researchers from the University of Manchester. The… Read more: Climate change leads to spread of infection-causing fungi, scientists say

NYT Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overhaul of an influential committee, including the appointment of new members, has created concern about vaccine access. The U.S. health secretary’s dismissal of an influential vaccine advisory committee this week sowed uncertainty about the future of vaccine recommendations nationwide. On Wednesday, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced eight new members of the Advisory Committee… Read more: What Happens to Vaccines Now?

NYT Newer formulations are even more effective at preventing illnesses that commonly afflict seniors — perhaps even dementia.Kim Beckham, an insurance agent in Victoria, Texas, had seen friends suffer so badly from shingles that she wanted to receive the first approved shingles vaccine as soon as it became available, even if she had to pay… Read more: Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.

OPR The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said the state’s first case of Theileria orientalis Ikeda was confirmed in a cattle herd in Van Buren County in the southeast corner of the state. The protozoan parasite infects the red and white blood cells of cattle, causing anemia and sometimes death. It’s carried by the Asian longhorned tick,… Read more: A cattle disease and the tick carrying it are confirmed in Iowa for the first time

WTOP As measles cases near record levels in isolated areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging summer camps to check for documentation of immunity through vaccination or prior infection for all children. “I think there has been increased concerns about potential for additional outbreaks and spread, especially in the setting of waning or lowering… Read more: DC-area pediatrician on CDC urging summer camp operators to screen for measles immunity

SF Gate A new COVID-19 variant, nicknamed Nimbus, is rising around the world — including in California — and known for giving “razor blade throat” symptoms. Officially called NB.1.8.1, the variant was labeled a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization on May 23, according to a recent report. That means it’s not currently a major threat;… Read more: New ‘razor blade throat’ COVID subvariant quickly gains ground in California

PBS Newshour The abrupt removal of all of the members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has sparked outrage and worry among many public health experts. That includes the American Medical Association, which called for a Senate investigation into Kennedy today. Geoff Bennett has reaction from Dr. Tom… Read more: Former CDC director reacts to RFK Jr.’s firing of entire vaccine advisory panel

Johns Hopkins The new tool is the first to use large language modeling to predict infectious disease risk. A new AI tool to predict the spread of infectious disease outperforms existing state-of-the-art forecasting methods. The tool, created with federal support by researchers at Johns Hopkins and Duke universities, could revolutionize how public health officials predict,… Read more: Artificial intelligence reimagines infectious disease forecasting

WATT Poultry In the Asia-Pacific region, recent outbreaks of HPAI in poultry are reported in Cambodia, the Philippines and South Korea. During the latter half of May, two highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks affecting village poultry were confirmed by the animal health authority in Cambodia. Presence of the H5N1 virus serotype was confirmed in a… Read more: Cambodian human avian flu infection linked to poultry outbreak

Nature Hesitancy about vaccinations is on the rise, but studies show there are specific ways to address people’s questions. In her professional life, Sophia Newcomer analyses vaccination trends and safety in the United States. The epidemiologist, at the University of Montana, Missoula, has investigated the factors that stop some people from completing their children’s recommended… Read more: How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works

The Conversation When outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles occur despite highly effective vaccines being available, it’s easy to conclude that parents who don’t vaccinate their children are misguided, selfish or have fallen prey to misinformation. As professors with expertise in vaccine policy and health economics, we argue that the decision not to vaccinate isn’t simply about misinformation or hesitancy.… Read more: Game theory explains why reasonable parents make vaccine choices that fuel outbreaks

Science New study of a pathogen’s Bronze Age spread challenges longstanding links between disease and early agriculture. A now-obscure cousin of Lyme disease called recurring fever was a scourge of early civilization. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia recurrentis, it results in crippling headaches and repeated bouts of high fever; if left untreated, it damages organs and… Read more: Clothing—not agriculture—helped spread a tick disease 5000 years ago

WHRO The illness is caused by a parasite, which makes it different from many well-known tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme. A rare disease spread by ticks has slowly established a foothold in Virginia. Babesiosis, a parasitic infection similar to malaria, was traditionally limited to the U.S. Northeast and Midwest. But over the past decade, officials… Read more: A rare tick-borne disease has started spreading into Virginia

AZ Central Chickens at a fourth commercial farm in Maricopa County tested positive for bird flu, the Arizona Department of Agriculture said. The virus was detected through “routine surveillance sampling” on June 4 at a facility named “Maricopa 05” before any birds had exhibited obvious symptoms. Samples were sent to the Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Lab… Read more: Bird flu detected at 4th commercial farm in Maricopa County

Guardian Outside the emergency room of the St Thomas Elgin general hospital, about 200km (125 miles) south-west of Toronto, a large sign with bright yellow block letters issues an urgent warning: “NO MEASLES VAX & FEVER COUGH RASH – STOP – DO NOT ENTER!” To see such an imperative in the 21st century might have… Read more: A huge outbreak has made Ontario the measles centre of the western hemisphere

Africa News Ghana has reported 34 new cases of Mpox, raising the total number of confirmed infections to 79. Four patients are currently hospitalised, and contact tracing is ongoing. The Ghana Health Service says more than ten regions have been affected, prompting nationwide surveillance. Authorities are urging the public to seek medical attention if they… Read more: Ghana confirms 34 new Mpox cases, total rises to 79

Time Magazine A dangerous mpox outbreak is unfolding in Sierra Leone. In just the first week of May, cases rose by 61%, and suspected cases surged by 71%. Roughly half of all confirmed mpox cases in Africa now come from this small West African nation. The virus is moving widely, across geographies, genders, and age… Read more: Sierra Leone Is Battling an Mpox Outbreak. What Happens Next Affects Us All

Retuers Novavax’s (NVAX.O), opens new tab experimental COVID-19-influenza combination and standalone influenza vaccines generated a strong immune response in adults aged 65 and older, similar to already approved shots against the viruses in a late-stage trial. Both the vaccine candidates were well tolerated with no new safety concerns, the biotech said on Wednesday. The study, which involved… Read more: Novavax’s COVID-flu combo vaccine shows strong immune response in trial

Newsweek It’s been more than five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, although millions of Americans, including children, are still affected by it today. More than one million Americans died due to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while many were floored by the infection for weeks or… Read more: Why Are So Many Children Getting Long COVID?

Politico The Department of Health and Human Services is circulating a document on Capitol Hill to explain its decision to remove the Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for pregnant women — citing studies that largely found the shot is safe. The document, which HHS sent to lawmakers days before Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his plan… Read more: HHS justifies decision to stop recommending Covid shots during pregnancy with studies supporting the shots’ safety

CNN As measles cases in the United States continue to mount, neighboring countries Canada and Mexico are also experiencing significant outbreaks – all of which have been linked to at least one death. On Thursday, the chief medical officer of health of the Canadian province Ontario announced that an infant who was born prematurely with… Read more: As measles spreads across the Americas, outbreaks in Mexico and Canada have also turned deadly

Reuters The mpox outbreak is still a public health emergency, the World Health Organization said on Monday, with the health body’s director-general issuing a revised set of temporary recommendations. The WHO first declared the emergency in August last year, when an outbreak of a new form of mpox spread from the badly-hit Democratic Republic of… Read more: Mpox is still a health emergency, WHO says

Denver News Two new measles cases have been announced in Colorado, this time in El Paso and Arapahoe counties. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in the El Paso County case, a child under the age of 5 years old has a confirmed case of measles after traveling with family to Ontario, Canada, where… Read more: 2 new measles cases announced in Colorado: Exposure locations, current number of cases

AP Health officials in Arizona say there are four linked measles cases in Navajo County, marking the state’s first outbreak this year. The U.S. logged 122 more cases of measles last week — but only four of them in Texas — while the outbreaks in Pennsylvania and Michigan officially ended. There were 1,168 confirmed measles cases in… Read more: Arizona officials confirm measles outbreak in Navajo County

BBC The stress and isolation of the pandemic have left social and emotional scars that are already being seen in children, but scientists also predict there could be huge economic costs due to disrupted education. For US pre-school teacher Rebekah Underwood, there is something different about the class of 2025. She’s noticed that the children… Read more: The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on children

STAT Q&A with Helen Chu on the termination of ACIP members and future vaccine policy. Helen Chu went through a multi-year process to finally gain a seat on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccines experts panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. There was a lengthy application process, and extensive conflict-of-interest vetting, followed… Read more: Ousted CDC vaccine adviser says RFK Jr.’s message is clear: ‘Scientific expertise is no longer of use’

Medical Express A team led by the University of Sydney has identified red blood cell rupture at dying endothelial sites as a primary driver of microvascular obstruction in COVID-19, bypassing the expected role of fibrin and platelet clots. Cases of severe injury to the body’s smallest blood vessels emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, implicated in… Read more: Red blood cell rupture, not clotting, drives vessel blockage in COVID-19, study finds

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… Read more: New COVID Variant NB.1.8.1 Spreads in the U.S., Foreshadowing a Likely Summer Surge

CIDRAP A meta-analysis of 11 studies suggests that 20% of patients, most with severe COVID-19, had at least one symptom 3 years after infection, primarily fatigue, sleep disturbances, and shortness of breath. Researchers in Europe, Asia, and Australia assessed the pooled prevalence of persistent COVID-19 symptoms 3 years after infection in observational studies published in 2023 and… Read more: 1 in 5 COVID survivors still have symptoms 3 years after severe infection, analysis estimates

Washington Post The adorable salamanders are helping scientists investigate a serious question: Could the human body be coaxed to regrow a lost arm or leg? With a silly smile and frilly gills, the axolotl has wriggled its way into the hearts of millions, becoming a popular aquarium pet and pop culture icon in video games, children’s books… Read more: These glowing axolotls may hold the secret to human limb regeneration

The Guardian Ontario’s chief medical officer of health says infections could have been prevented through routine vaccination. Six babies with unvaccinated mothers have been born with congenital measles in the Canadian province of Ontario since the start of the largest outbreak of the disease in the western hemisphere late last year. Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Kieran Moore,… Read more: Six babies with unvaccinated mothers born with measles in Canada

Wired NB.1.8.1 has mutations that could increase the virus’s transmissibility and decrease the efficacy of certain neutralizing antibodies against it. A new Covid variant is being kept under surveillance by the World Health Organization (WHO) as its emergence has led to an increase in infections in several regions of the world. First identified at the end… Read more: WHO Monitors New Covid Variant Spreading in America and Europe

Scientific American In recent years COVID shots joined flu shots as an annual offering at most neighborhood pharmacies. But the current administration has thrown that into uncertainty. For the first time since the COVID vaccines became available in pharmacies in 2021, the average person in the U.S. can’t count on getting a free annual shot against a… Read more: Can You Still Get a COVID Vaccine This Fall? Here’s What to Know

TED Podcast Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: “Where do I go to get vaccinated?” The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the middle of a heated debate about vaccination and, ultimately, in front of a US Senate committee. Less than… Read more: Information Inoculation: Defending Against Medical Myths: Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines | Ethan Lindenberger

The Poultry Site Bangladesh reported a first outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu on a farm since 2018, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Tuesday, citing local authorities. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has spread around the globe in the past years, including in the United States, leading to the… Read more: Bangladesh reports first bird flu outbreak since 2018

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… Read more: Here’s What to Know About NB.1.8.1, the COVID Variant Surging in Asia

Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut How did the devastating epidemics of plague and tuberculosis come about – and what can we learn from them today? Renowned paleogeneticist Prof. Dr. Johannes Krause, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, will give the 13th Loeffler Lecture at the Alfried Krupp Wissenschaftskolleg in Greifswald, providing exciting insights into his research… Read more: Searching for clues in the genome: What ancient DNA reveals about the history of epidemics

University of Chicago Medicine Since COVID-19 first appeared, different variants of the virus that causes the illness have emerged, including Omicron, which was first identified in 2021. A new form of the Omicron variant has recently appeared in the United States, with the potential to cause an increase in infections in the coming months. While… Read more: What do we know about the new Omicron subvariant of COVID, NB.1.8.1?

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… Read more: Thailand’s Covid-19 cases surpass 250,000 as new variant spreads

Cornell University Laura Goodman was close to finalizing a prototype of a new test that can detect any tick-borne disease. Unlike some current tests, it could provide results even before symptoms occur – and even for unknown diseases. That’s important, because ticks around the world can potentially transmit hundreds of disease agents, some of them… Read more: Research at risk: Better testing for tick-borne diseases

Harvard Health Seven things to know about the recent measles outbreaks. Has the recent news about measles outbreaks in the US surprised you? Didn’t it seem like we were done with measles? In the US, widespread vaccination halted the ongoing spread of measles more than 20 years ago, a major public health achievement. Before an effective vaccine… Read more: Measles is making a comeback: Can we stop it?

Time Magazine Measles cases in the U.S. have been rare in recent decades, thanks to a strong childhood vaccination program. But a few cases inevitably pop up each year as travelers bring the virus in from other countries and infect unvaccinated people, primarily children. Those cases are no longer blips. Now that the measles vaccination rate… Read more: Measles Is Now Showing Up in Wastewater

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… Read more: Public Health Preparedness:HHS Needs a Coordinated National Approach for Diagnostic Testing for Pandemic Threats

Medical Express Moderna’s new vaccine (mNexspike [COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA]) represents a significant step forward in the development of next-generation coronavirus vaccines, the Associated Press reported. The innovative design of mNexspike allows for a much lower dose, about one-fifth of the dosage used in the current vaccine (Spikevax), a reduction achieved by refining the vaccine’s target to elicit a more… Read more: Moderna’s new lower-dose COVID-19 vaccine approved by FDA