#infectious-disease
#infectious-disease

RSV vaccine protecting newborns could be approved this summer

The first-ever vaccine protecting babies from RSV, a respiratory virus that can cause severe symptoms among young children, is now up for federal approval, the manufacturer Pfizer said Tuesday.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to make a decision this August after agreeing to review Pfizer's maternal vaccine, which would be administered to pregnant patients in order to immunize their fetuses before birth, according to the announcement.

www.hamhigh.co.uk

Mpox expert warns cases are under control but a new outbreak could happen

Mpox symptoms include lesions on the body (Image: PA Media) Mpox (previously known as monkeypox) cases in London are under control, but an outbreak could occur again, an expert in infectious disease has warned.Dr Jake Dunning, a leading consultant in infectious disease at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, encouraged everyone who is eligible to get an Mpox vaccine to prevent future outbreaks.

www.standard.co.uk

Small number' of diphtheria cases reported at hotel housing asylum seekers

A small number of diphtheria cases have been confirmed among a group of asylum seekers, officials have said.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the cases had been located at a hotel in the Humber region.Officials from the UKHSA told the BBC, however, that the risk to the wider public remains very low due to high vaccination rates in the UK.

www.theguardian.com

Beijing drops some Covid tests as capital readies itself for life again'

Beijing has dropped the need for people to show negative Covid tests to enter supermarkets and offices, the latest in an easing of curbs across China after historic protests.Beijing readies itself for life again, read a headline in the government-owned China Daily newspaper, adding that people were gradually embracing the slow return to normality.

Metro

Man held at crowded migrant centre 'died of rare highly contagious disease'

A man held at the Manston processing centre may have died of a highly infectious disease.The Home Office initially said there was 'no evidence' that was the case but tests have revealed he may have had diphtheria.The potentially deadly and contagious infection, which spreads via coughs and sneezes, is extremely rare in the UK.

Los Angeles Times

L.A. County has its first measles case since 2020: What to do if you're exposed

A recently arrived traveler at Los Angeles International Airport is the source of the first case of measles in L.A. County since 2020.

Measles is spread by air and by direct contact, and those who have not been immunized are at risk of developing the disease. [ more ]

HuffPost

4 months ago

7 Early Warning Signs Of An HIV Infection

During the first few weeks of being infected with HIV, most people experience flu-like symptoms that indicate their body is reacting to the virus.

These early signs of HIV infection, known as acute retroviral syndrome, can be mild and mistaken for the flu, mononucleosis, or tonsillitis. [ more ]

www.cnn.com

Change in monkeypox vaccine injection method could mean more doses but may not be easy, experts say

(CNN)The US government is considering a change to how physicians give monkeypox vaccines so it can make the most of the supply on hand, US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said Thursday.

Advocate

First Heart Transplant Performed Between HIV-Positive Donor, Recipient

A hospital in New York City has performed the first heart transplant in which the donor and recipient were both HIV-positive.

moreHealth

www.independent.co.uk

Two people test positive for bird flu after infection at farm in England

Bird flu has been detected in two people in in the UK, the UK Health Security Agency (UKSA) has said.The cases are believed to be linked to exposure to sick birds on a single poultry farm where the two people were known to have recently worked.Neither worker suffered symptoms of infection and both cases were found during screening.

www.independent.co.uk

Bird flu detected in two poultry workers in the UK

Bird flu has been detected in two poultry workers in England, though there are no signs of human-to-human transmission, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.The cases are believed to be linked to exposure to sick birds on a single poultry farm where the two people were known to have recently worked.

www.independent.co.uk

Two people test positive for bird flu after infection at farm in England

The Independent

New monkeypox strain linked with travel to West Africa identified in UK

A new monkeypox strain has been identified in the UK, linked with travel to West Africa.

Chicago Tribune

Chicago

Cory Franklin and Robert A. Weinstein: Monkeypox is not our next pandemic, but it has lessons for us

Monkeypox is a viral disease, distantly related to its far more deadly cousin, smallpox.

The Independent

Fourth case of monkeypox confirmed in Scotland

A fourth case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Scotland, public health officials said.

www.nytimes.com

US politics

A Cancer Surgeon and Patient Is Biden's Pick to Lead N.I.H.

WASHINGTON President Biden will announce on Monday that he will nominate Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli, a cancer surgeon who became the director of the National Cancer Institute in October, to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health, filling a position that has been vacant for more than a year.

Boston.com

Four charts showing COVID-19 trends in Massachusetts as the public health emergency ends

COVID A visualization of historic pandemic trends in Massachusetts.As of Thursday, the statewide and national COVID-19 public health emergency has ended.With the change, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health will no longer report data to the federal government on a daily basis, and the frequency of updates to the state's COVID-19 dashboard will decrease.

www.theguardian.com

Covid is weakening, China state media claims, as major cities lift lockdowns

Coronavirus is weakening and management protocols could be downgraded, an expert on China's state media has claimed, after unprecedented protests last week.Since January 2020, China has classified Covid-19 as a Category B infectious disease but has managed it under Category A protocols, which give local authorities the power to put patients and their close contacts into quarantine and lock down affected regions.

www.dw.com

For children, serious respiratory infections are on the rise DW 12/02/2022

Doctors' offices across Germany are full of coughing, sniffing patients who don't just look miserable but probably feel that way, too.According to the Robert Koch Institute, the country's public health agency, more than 7 million people have come down with various respiratory illnesses within a month.

www.cnn.com

Fauci shares lessons from pandemic, criticism of China's zero-Covid policy ahead of his departure from government

The Covid-19 pandemic has carried a key lesson for public health officials, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday: When talking to Americans, be clear that science is often a moving target.What we knew [about Covid-19] in January was very different from what we knew at the end of January, the beginning of February, and then very different from March, Fauci, who is stepping down next month after 38 years at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told CNN's Jake Tapper.

Independent

Thailand's government to relax pandemic rules as emergency decree lifts

Thailand's government is to lift an emergency decree imposed in March 2020 in the battle against coronavirus as it relaxes most pandemic restrictions.

Washington Post

Thailand downgrades COVID-19 threat, lifts emergency decree

BANGKOK - Thailand's government will lift an emergency decree it imposed in March 2020 to battle the coronavirus, officials said Friday, as it relaxes most pandemic restrictions.

Chicago Tribune

Chicago

Advocate Health Care shifting to optional masking policies as COVID-19 cases remain low in Illinois

With COVID-19 cases declining statewide, Advocate Health Care is shifting to optional masking policies and lifting visitor restrictions at all of its Illinois facilities beginning Monday.The new policy, announced Friday, will apply to patients, visitors and staff at Advocate Health's 10 hospitals and 250 care sites in the Chicago area.

www.cnn.com

An elite Bronze Age man had brain surgery more than 3,000 years ago | CNN

Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter.Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.When archaeologists uncovered the burial site of two brothers who lived during the 15th century BC in Israel, they were surprised to discover that one of them had brain surgery shortly before he died.

Eater LA

LA food

Why LA Stopped Worrying About Juice and Started Loving Cheese-Covered Carbs

Maybe you haven't heard, but carbs are back in Los Angeles.Not only carbs: Sugar is back, fat is back, frying is back, meat is back.Wings are the new kale and the trendiest grain bowl is loaded baked potato pasta.Hot new restaurants serve pan pizza and cake.Whatever detoxing celebrities are selling, Los Angeles is no longer buying.

www.independent.co.uk

Strep A five times more penicillin prescribed compared with three weeks ago

Five times more prescriptions for penicillin are being dished out compared with three weeks ago amid the strep A outbreak, experts have said.They stressed that there are plenty of antibiotics in the country but said some forms of antibiotics could be put on a shortage protocol to allow pharmacists to give worried parents alternatives instead of forcing them to traipse to various pharmacies or return to the GP to ask for a new prescription.

time.com

Researchers Are Studying Whether Paxlovid Can Treat Long COVID

Months after catching COVID-19 in December 2021, Lavanya Visvabharathy was still testing positive on antigen tests and suffering from symptoms including headaches and intense fatigue.So Visvabharathy, a research assistant professor of neurology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine who has studied Long COVID since 2020, decided to conduct an experiment on herself.

Inverse

Should you let your dog sniff other dogs' butts? There may be a hidden risk

Normally we don't think of cancer as an infectious disease - but what if we told you there is contagious cancer, thousands of years old?

The Independent

Experts baffled after 8,000 frog and toad bones found at ancient Iron Age site

Thousands of frog and toad bones have been unearthed by archaeologists at an Iron Age village site in rural Cambridgeshire.

www.independent.co.uk

DWP can pay 4,800 a year for anyone with these 21 health conditions

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email The latest data from the Department for Work and Pensions has revealed that 3.16 million people in the UK now receive Personal Independence Payments.Since September alone there have been 34,962 new claimants for PIP, a state benefit designed to improve living standards for those suffering from long-term physical disabilities or mental health conditions.

www.independent.co.uk

The 21 health conditions that could entitle you to a PIP payment of 4,800 a year

The latest data from the Department for Work and Pensions has revealed that 3.16 million people in the UK now receive Personal Independence Payments.Since September alone there have been 34,962 new claimants for PIP, a state benefit designed to improve living standards for those suffering from long-term physical disabilities or mental health conditions.

www.independent.co.uk

The 21 health conditions that could entitle you to a PIP payment of 4,800 a year

www.independent.co.uk

The 21 health conditions that could entitle you to a PIP payment of 4,800 a year

www.independent.co.uk

The 21 health conditions that could entitle you to a PIP payment of 4,800 a year

www.dw.com

Japan to require COVID-19 tests for visitors from China DW 12/27/2022

Japan has now joined India in requiring travelers from China to show a negative coronavirus test on arrival.It comes after China announced the relaxation of COVID-19 rules for foreign visitors.Japan would require negative COVID-19 tests for travelers from China, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.His government would also reduce a planned increase in flights between Japan and China "just to be safe.''

www.npr.org

Science

Clues to Bronze Age cranial surgery revealed in ancient bones

This hole was made in a Bronze Age man's skull shortly before he died, archaeologists say, based on several clues.It's the result of a surgical procedure called a trephination.Kalisher et al., 2023/PLOS ONE During the Bronze Age some 3,500 years ago, the town of Megiddo, currently in northern Israel, was a thriving center of trade.

www.independent.co.uk

Berlin

EU court: Tourists may get refunds over COVID measures

Travelers whose package tours were ruined by the imposition of restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may be entitled to at least a partial refund, the European Union's highest court said Thursday.The European Court of Justice weighed in after being asked for its opinion by a court in Germany.

Washington Post

Study: Non-infectious diseases cause early death in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has considerable control over infectious diseases but now struggles against cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer as causes of early deaths, according to a new study published Thursday.Are you on Telegram?Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine.

Ars Technica

OMG science

Thawing permafrost exposes old pathogens-and new hosts

The Arctic-that remote, largely undisturbed, 5.5 million square miles of frozen terrain-is heating up fast.In fact, it's warming nearly four times quicker than the rest of the world, with disastrous consequences for the region and its inhabitants.Many of these impacts you probably know from nature documentaries: ice caps melting, sea levels rising, and polar bears losing their homes.

Ars Technica

OMG science

Fauci plans to retire by 2025, wants to heal partisan divide before he goes

Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US, says "you can guarantee" he'll step down from his position by January 2025, ending a more than five-decade career as a federal scientist.

the Guardian

World news

Monkeypox outbreak was waiting to happen, say scientists

The unprecedented surge in monkeypox cases in the UK and beyond was an outbreak waiting to happen after the end of global smallpox vaccination more than 40 years ago, scientists say.

www.nytimes.com

NYC real estate

My Boss Told My Co-workers That I Had Covid. Isn't That Illegal?

Q: I'm an employee in a New York City co-op building, and a member of the Local 32BJ union.Recently, one of my co-workers was out sick and some residents learned that he had Covid-19.I asked the superintendent how they knew, telling him that this was private information.Then a few weeks later, the same thing happened to me: I returned to work after having been out with Covid, and some tenants asked me about it.

www.independent.co.uk

London

More cases of diphtheria recorded among asylum seekers

More cases of diphtheria among asylum seekers have been reported in England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.The total number of cases for the year so far now stands at 67, figures published on Tuesday show.The UKHSA said five cases of diphtheria among asylum seekers were reported between December 12 and 18.

www.standard.co.uk

London

Recorded cases of diphtheria increase among asylum seekers

M ore cases of diphtheria among asylum seekers have been reported in England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.The total number of cases for the year so far now stands at 67, figures published on Tuesday show.The UKHSA said five cases of diphtheria among asylum seekers were reported between December 12 and 18.

www.independent.co.uk

More cases of diphtheria recorded among asylum seekers

www.independent.co.uk

More asylum seekers hospitalised with diphtheria as infections rise by 50%

Two asylum seekers have been hospitalised with diphtheria amid a 50 per cent rise in cases of the infectious disease in the past month, new data has revealed.It comes after the Home Office confirmed that a man who died after staying at the Manston processing centre did have diphtheria.Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection that is very rare in the UK - due to high levels of vaccination in the general population.

www.independent.co.uk

Death at Manston may have been diphtheria, Home Office says

A man's death at the Manston migrant processing centre may have been caused by diphtheria after an outbreak of the highly contagious bacterial infection, the Home Office has said.Initial tests at a hospital near the centre in Kent, which has struggled with overcrowding and outbreaks of disease, came back negative but a follow-up PCR was positive.

www.independent.co.uk

Death at Manston migrant facility may have been diphtheria, Home Office says

A man's death at the Manston migrant processing centre may have been caused by a diphtheria infection, the Home Office has said.Initial tests at a hospital near the centre in Kent, which has struggled with overcrowding and outbreaks of disease, came back negative but a follow-up PCR was positive.The result indicates that diphtheria may be the cause of the illness, a statement said.

www.independent.co.uk

Minister declines to give details of migrant who died after Manston stay

The immigration minister has refused to be drawn on the circumstances of a man who died in hospital following a stay at the Manston migrant processing centre, saying it is important to treat his case with respect.Robert Jenrick said it is known when the man arrived in the country, but insisted he could not go into specifics because efforts are ongoing to contact the individual's next of kin.

www.independent.co.uk

Manston refugee takes legal action against government over egregious' conditions

A female asylum seeker who was held at Manston immigration centre in Kent is taking legal action against the home secretary Suella Braverman.The woman, who is a non-European national, is being supported in her legal claim by the charity Detention Action.A pre-action letter has been sent to the office of Ms Braverman on behalf of the woman.

www.standard.co.uk

Manston: Death at facility may have been due to diphtheria, Home Office says

Initial tests at a hospital near the centre in Kent, which has struggled with overcrowding and outbreaks of disease, came back negative but a follow-up PCR was positive.The result indicates that diphtheria may be the cause of the illness, a statement said.The man died in hospital on November 19 after being believed to have entered the UK on a small boat seven days earlier.

www.independent.co.uk

France news

Man dies at UK migrant center criticized over conditions

A man being held at a much-criticized center for migrants in Britain has died after falling sick, bringing renewed criticism to the Conservative government over its treatment of asylum-seekers.The Home Office said a man who was staying at the Manston migrant center in southeast England died in a hospital on Saturday after becoming unwell.

Washington Post

Europe news

Man dies at UK migrant center criticized over conditions

FILE - A person thought to be a migrant stands at the window at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility near Thanet, Kent, England, Nov. 6, 2022.A man being held at the much-criticized center for migrants in Britain has died after becoming sick, bringing renewed criticism to the Conservative government over its treatment of asylum-seekers.

www.cbc.ca

Toronto

The kids aren't alright: triple the usual numbers arriving at Ontario ERs with respiratory illnesses | CBC News

Respiratory illnesses are running rampant among children, resulting in hospital visits and admissions at far higher rates than normal for this time of year, according to fresh data from hospitals across Ontario.Similar surges are being reported at hospitals across Canada.Although no other province makes public as much data on respiratory illnesses, experts say Ontario's figures help give a clearer picture of the extent of the problem nationwide.

www.cbc.ca

Toronto

'Unusual' summer surge of hand-foot-and-mouth disease hitting kids and parents, Toronto-area doctors warn | CBC News

Two weeks ago, Melanie Paradis got a call from her son's Belleville, Ont., daycare that there was a case of hand-foot-and-mouth disease an illness she had never heard of but one that would have her son in agony for days.

time.com

Wellness

How to Stay Safe from COVID-19 During the 2022 Holiday Season

After COVID-19 vaccines rolled out, many families said good riddance to Zoom and resumed in-person holiday gatheringsand with increasing numbers of people embracing pre-pandemic lifestyles, it's safe to assume that will be the norm this year in the U.S.But the virus still infects tens of thousands of Americans each day, and experts fear another winter surge may be coming, just in time for the holidays.

Nytimes

Wellness

When You Can't Stand the Sound of Chewing (or Crunching, or Sniffling)

I'm a fairly calm person, but one thing that launches me into a fit of rage is the sound of my husband chewing.

time.com

Wellness

Dr. Anthony Fauci Expected to Retire By the End of Biden's Current Term

WASHINGTON Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said Monday he plans to retire by the end of President Joe Biden's term in January 2025.

Fatherly

Fathers

Colin Jost's Fears About His 13-Month-Old Are Weird, But Relatable

For most parents, the moment your kid comes into the world, the fear sets in.Babies are just so fragile and helpless - it seems that everything is out to get them.Colin Jost knows this all too well.

the Guardian

Australia's new Covid rules: isolation recommended but not required

"If they're still infectious, it's still much smarter, it's wiser, to have them work from home if they can," she says."If you work in a local bakery[and] say you've tested positive and you're not sick, you have to tell the owner 'I'm going to wear a mask for seven days'," he says.However, people who work in high-risk settings will not be able to return to work for five days after testing positive, and the official health advice for all workers is still for people to work from home or avoid going to work if they test positive and have symptoms.

Advocate

Monkeypox Gay Sex Stigma Falsely Pushed by Rightwing Columnist

A conservative columnist is being taken to task for a stigmatizing tweet about monkeypox vaccines.

www.aljazeera.com

Dr Fauci, renowned pandemic adviser, tests positive for COVID

Dr Anthony Fauci became a household name for his reassuring and professional presence early in the coronavirus pandemic.

Towleroad Gay News

WHO Says No Evidence Monkeypox Virus Has Mutated - Towleroad Gay News

(Reuters) - The World Health Organization does not have evidence that the monkeypox virus has mutated, a senior executive at the U.N. agency said on Monday, noting the infectious disease that is endemic in west and central Africa has tended not to change.

The Independent

Smallpox vaccines brought in as first Scottish monkeypox case is confirmed

A "small number" of smallpox vaccine shots, effective against monkeypox, have been stockpiled in Scotland, public health officials have confirmed.

Towleroad Gay News

WHO Working On More Monkeypox Guidance As Cases Rise - Senior Adviser - Towleroad Gay News

By Jennifer Rigby

The Independent

Two more monkeypox cases confirmed in England

Two more cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in England, health bosses said.

Nytimes