Tag Archives: infectdis

A West Virginia hospital has confirmed the first known case of measles in the state since 2009, health officials said Monday. The Monongalia County Health Department said WVU Medicine alerted officials Sunday that an adult patient living in the county tested positive for the viral infection. Health officials have not pinpointed exactly where and how the patient was exposed but …

As whooping cough cases are surging globally, some may wonder if it’s necessary to get a booster. Cases of the childhood respiratory disease also known as pertussis are surging internationally and in parts of the U.S., according to a recent report. Bordetella pertussis is a type of bacteria that causes a very contagious respiratory infection that spreads from person to …

The World Health Organization has approved a version of a widely used cholera vaccine that could help address a surge in cases that has depleted the global vaccine stockpile and left poorer countries scrambling to contain epidemics. WHO authorized the vaccine, made by EuBiologics, which also makes the formulation now used, last week. The new version, called Euvichol-S, is a …

The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives. The Geneva-based U.N. health agency released a technical document on the topic on Thursday. It said …

Days after a routine injection to ease back pain, Donna Kruzich and a friend drove across the border to Canada in 2012 to see end-of-summer theater in Stratford, Ontario. The 78-year-old Michigan woman suddenly became ill and returned home. By early October, she was dead. “Most of the time she could not communicate with us. She was basically in a …

President Joe Biden’s administration will help 50 countries identify and respond to infectious diseases, with the goal of preventing pandemics like the COVID-19 outbreak that suddenly halted normal life around the globe in 2020. U.S. government officials will work with the countries to develop better testing, surveillance, communication and preparedness for such outbreaks in those countries, according to a senior …

An investigation of five fur farms in China housing foxes, raccoon dogs and mink found a high risk of diseases developing that could jump from animals to humans, said animal protection group Humane Society International who conducted the study at the end of 2023. The farms in China’s northern Hebei and Liaoning provinces each held between 2,000 and 4,000 animals …

The Georgia Department of Public Health on Thursday confirmed a third case of measles in an unvaccinated individual who traveled internationally. The individual was traveling with an international group of students and does not live in the United States, officials said. The individual has been isolated and is receiving treatment at a local hospital, according to the department. “DPH is …

You woke up with an unsightly cold sore — but hiding out at home isn’t an option. What can you do? First, you’re not alone. Up to 80% of American adults have the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), which can cause cold sores (also known as fever blisters), according to Johns Hopkins. The viral infection can cause small, fluid-filled lesions, or …

Simon Harris became Ireland’s youngest-ever prime minister on Tuesday and vowed to bring “new ideas, a new energy and a new empathy to public life.” Harris, 37, succeeds Fine Gael Party colleague Leo Varadkar,who announced his resignation nearly three weeks ago, and takes the reins of a government that is facing sharp criticism for its handling of the country’s housing …