Scientists are warning of a new tick-borne disease called Wetland virus (WELV) that was recently discovered in China. A member of the orthonairovirus genus of viruses, WELV previously infected a man in Inner Mongolia, China, in 2019, but it was not identified until this new study, which was published in the New England Journal of...
A patient in Missouri was hospitalized with bird flu despite having no known contact with animals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the positive case of avian influenza A (H5) on Friday. The patient, who had underlying medical conditions, was successfully treated with antiviral medications at the hospital and has since been...
Another town in Vermont has been designated “high risk” for eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV). Sudbury, a tiny town of only a few hundred residents in Rutland County, Vermont, was added to the state’s warning list on Wednesday — joining Burlington, Alburgh, Colchester and Swanton, according to local outlet WCAX3. Health officials have asked state...
Three senior citizens have died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease — a form of pneumonia that can spread via water — at an assisted living facility in Albany, New York, according to reports. The Albany CountyDepartment of Health was first notified of a “cluster of cases” at Peregrine Senior Living on Aug. 30, according to a...
Several people have contracted Valley fever following an outdoor music festival near Bakersfield, California, according to a statement from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a lung infection caused by breathing in a soil-borne fungus found in California and some parts of the southwestern U.S. So far, five patients who...
A rare, potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease has sparked concern in the Northeastern U.S. Last week, a man from Hampstead, New Hampshire, died after testing positive for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). The man “was hospitalized due to severe central nervous system disease, and has passed away due to [the] illness,” according to a statement from the...
A growing number of Americans are skeptical of vaccines for COVID and other infectious diseases, according to the most recent national health survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. More than a quarter of respondents (28%) said they believe the COVID vaccines have contributed to thousands of deaths, according to...
Obesity has often been described as a “gateway disease” leading to other conditions — and one of those is COVID-19, according to a new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Patients with obesity were found to have a 34% higher risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 compared to non-obese people, researchers found. The...
A disease transmitted by mosquitoes — the Oropouche virus, also known as sloth fever — has been detected in the United States. Travelers returning to the U.S. from Cuba contracted the virus in recent months, as reported by The Associated Press. No fatalities have been reported. The Oropouche virus is endemic in the Amazon basin...
Getting shingles just once could increase the risk of long-term confusion and memory loss, a new study has found. The study, led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, linked the virus to greater chances of “subjective cognitive decline,” according to a Harvard press release. The findings were published in the journal Alzheimer’s...
