#infectious-diseases

#infectious-diseases

In 1954, doctors recognized the problem of resistance to antibiotics due to natural selection. The concern was that effective treatments could quickly become ineffective.

H5N1 avian influenza, discovered in 1996, has started infecting cattle, an unexpected development that presents significant concerns for both animal health and public safety.

Pathogens have been a constant threat to human health throughout our evolutionary history. Infectious diseases are estimated to have been responsible for more than half of all children deaths before age 15.

Nearly 500,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in the U.S. For about 75% of them, the first sign will be a skin lesion that appears one to four weeks after being bitten by an infected deer tick.

A lethal fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus, is rapidly spreading across the US, posing severe health risks, particularly for individuals with weakened immune systems.

"For decades, public-health experts have warned about the risks of infectious diseases jumping from animals to humans in markets such as Jatinegara, which are part of a global industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually."

Reacting to the findings, virus experts have called for 'vigilance and investment in long-term preparedness' for potential outbreaks. 'This is a moment to recognise that the UK is no longer immune to some diseases once considered tropical,' said Professor James Logan, mosquito-borne disease specialist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

The sacrifice to research is immense, says Gigi Kwik Gronvall, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, emphasizing the critical impact of halting these studies.

This study reveals that the fox tapeworm infection is rare yet increasing, with significant implications for health, lifespan, and treatment approaches.

In 2024, the U.S. saw 35,435 cases of whooping cough, revealing a concerning surge that highlights decreasing vaccination rates amid ongoing fears from the COVID-19 pandemic.