Disease

Summary: Brazil has confirmed its first cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in wild birds, which should not lead to a ban on imports of Brazilian poultry products according to the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). Although the virus can kill entire flocks…

The number of diphtheria cases in the UK have risen in the past year, with 3 people having died from the disease. According to the UK Health Security Agency, the increase could have been caused by an increase in the number of asylum seekers in the UK as well as people catching diphtheria from their…

On April 5, 2023, the National IHR Focal Point for the United Kingdom informed WHO of an increase in severe myocarditis in neonates associated with enterovirus infection in Wales. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, and the most common cause is viral infection, but it can also be…

The FDA voted to approve Pfizer's recent RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) vaccine that would protect against neonates by vaccinating their mothers while pregnant. GSK has also recently approved an RSV vaccine (but for older adults). Pfizer states the shot should be administered from 24 to 36 weeks…

The WHO has ended the monkeypox global emergency, declaring it to no longer be a public health emergency. The number of monkeypox cases have fallen by 90% in the last 3 months.  To read the full article on the New York Times by Apoorva Mandavilli, click here

According to the CDC, 13 people have been infected with salmonella as a result of  consuming Gold Medal flour, resulting in General Mills recalling various flour products as of last week. General Mills spokesperson Mollie Wulf states that baking or cooking the foods that used this flour would have…

The FDA approved Arexvy, an RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine made by GSK approved for adults 60 years or older, which is the first RSV vaccine after 60 years. Dr. Peter Marks of the FDA states that this vaccine is especially important for older RSV patients because of underlying health…

The virus known as the “dog flu” descended from a type of bird flu. While bird flus do not spread easily among humans, there is concern that a virus could establish itself in a mammal species, such as dogs, and then be more easily transmitted to humans. Professor James Wood, head of the veterinary…

Delaware Governor John Carney has announced that the state's Public Health Emergency order, which has been in place since March 13, 2020, will end on May 11, the same day that the federal Public Health Emergency is set to end. The order ensures access to federal emergency assistance and enforces…

The norovirus in the United States is on the rise. There has been a 17% increase in positive norovirus tests in the past few weeks. The virus is also referred to as the stomach flu. It is highly contagious and causes gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain.…

A woman who was infected with H3N8 passed away after falling ill a few weeks prior, and she is the first recorded human death from the bird flu. None of the close contacts of the woman got the disease, and both she and the other two known human cases of the bird flu were exposed to infected…

Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania had Marburg outbreaks in January and March of this year, respectively. As a hemorrhagic fever, Marburg is a relatively rare disease with a very high death rate. Like Ebola, it is transmitted through bodily fluids and symptoms include high fever and capillary leakage.…

Sanofi has joined Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk as the last of the 3 biggest suppliers of insulin in the US to announce price cuts and caps for out-of-pocket costs in insulin. The French drugmaker announced Thursday that it will be capping the out-of-pocket costs of its most popular insulin, Lantus to…