Contagious Disease

On Tuesday, January 31, the US public health emergency declaration for mpox came to an end. The virus hasn't completely gone away, but the average number of new cases per day reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in the single digits, as opposed to the August 2022 peak…

Monkeypox is a virus of the DNA that has caused brief outbreaks and are transferred through sexual interactions. In May of 2022, Portugal announced that they found the first strand of the resurge of this virus. Phylogenetic analysis reports have linked the MPXV genomes in the 2022 virus outbreak to…

Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans, but there are limited licensed therapeutics and vaccines available. In January 2023, the Ministry of Health of Uganda declared the end of the Ebola disease, 42 days after the last confirmed case tested negative. The outbreak was declared in…

Since the height of monkeypox at the beginning of August, cases in the United States have seen an 85% decrease. With infectious diseases being at the forefront of our world's health landscape, it is important to consider why monkeypox only lasted as long as it did. One possible reason is that the…

Low rates of Polio vaccination in young children are alarming New York State health officials, who worry about the disease resurging in modern America. The variant that is currently circulating has the ability to cause paralysis in many unvaccinated people. However, due to vaccine fatigue and…

The FDA approved Omicron-specific vaccines recommended for everyone ages 12 and up with a minimum of two doses of the original vaccine. However, with the public’s unfamiliarity with the vaccine, there have been a series of concerns about the effectiveness of these new vaccines. Along with the…

In China’s Shandong and Henan provinces, Chinese scientists have announced 35 infected cases of the new Langya henipavirus. With symptoms found in both humans and animals, this pathogen causes fever, cough, and fatigue – possibly related to the early days of COVID-19. However, there are no reports…

As a national health emergency, more preventative measures are in place to contain this crisis, while also providing more funds towards developing and evaluating vaccines and drugs. With increasing pressure, the Biden administration had been criticized for moving too slowly with the distribution of…

Monkeypox, a far less deadly relative of smallpox, is spreading over the world. According to the World Health Organization, more than 250 cases have been documented in at least 16 countries. According to the WHO, monkeypox is an endemic in tropical rainforests in central and western Africa, where…

A new study from Ontario, Canada has linked poor air quality to severe COVID-19 infection. The research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that individuals who lived in areas of Ontario with high concentrations of pollutants such as fine particulate matter, nitrogen…

Pfizer announced on Monday that their long-awaited vaccine for young children was found to elicit a strong immune response with no significant adverse effects. The dose given to the children was one-tenth the dose given to adults which were found to be well tolerated by their immune systems.…

For the third time, Americans can order free at-home COVID-19 tests at COVIDtests.gov. Through the U.S postal service, up to 8 tests will be sent per household. This comes as a result of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increasing by 60% in the past 2 weeks due to highly contagious Omicron…

According to the White House, the United States has reached 1 million COVID-19 deaths. However, it is believed by experts that the death toll is much higher. There was a decrease in people with non-Covid related cases going to the hospital because of fear of going to the hospital during Covid and…

As COVID-19 cases rise some cases are returning after usage of Pfizer’s antiviral pill, putting the efficacy of the medication into question. The drug was first authorized in December 2021 for adults with preconditions based on a study where 1,000 adults took the pill. Since then the United States…