Contagious Disease

A federal court appeal in New Jersey found that individuals refusing to wear a mask during board meetings in the school district was not protected by the first amendment of free speech in the constitution. The suit was caused by the plaintiff's claims that their free speech rights were being…

Washington State faces its first outbreak of a rare deadly fungal infection caused by Candida auris. 90% of Candida auris strains are resistant to common antifungal medications. The fungus has been reported in 36 states and is mostly detected in hospitals, with health officials predicting it will…

Quaker Oats, the company known for its numerous snack products, is facing potential Salmonella contamination in its items. In December of 2023, 43 items, including cereals and granola bars, were recalled from public use because of this concern. Since then, 24 items have been added to the recall…

Malaria is the leading killer in Africa, with 95% of the disease burden lying on the continent. However, a new vaccine is currently being rolled out across the continent, with Cameroon launching the program Monday. The vaccine will start to be administered in 19 countries in addition to Cameroon…

Researchers from the Histology, BioElectron Microscopy, Gene Expression, and BioImaging and Optics Platform Core Facilities at EPFL found that the formation of snake-like cords after being infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) exert crucial mechanical forces on host cells, compressing cell…

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 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 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.…

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.…

As COVID-19 cases decline in the US, call centers and testing sites are closing. In Rockland County, New York, a call center set up in March 2020 to handle COVID-19 queries closed on Tuesday, having taken more than 19,000 calls. Massachusetts is closing its free PCR testing sites, known as "Stop…

The WHO has updated a number of its COVID-19 guidelines including those related to masking, isolation procedures, and treatments. Masks continue to be an important tool in preventing the spread of COVID-19, especially when worn by those who suspect they may have COVID-19, when they are around those…

Source: CNN

The North Korean government has imposed a 5-day lockdown on its capital city as it fights the "recurrent flu and other respiratory diseases". In August, North Korea claimed that it had eradicated the coronavirus without vaccines after reporting its first outbreak of Covid-19 in May of last year.…

BBC/TIM NICHOLSON