Yes, Everyone Is Sick Right Now. So, What Can You Do About It? by Keren Landman
January 8, 2024
Introduction:
(Vox) Does it feel like everyone you know is sick right now? It’s not your imagination: It’s been a particularly fierce season for all kinds of respiratory infections, from mild colds to more serious bugs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health care visits for coughs and sore throats with fever were “above baseline” for the eighth consecutive week by the end of December. Hospital admissions for flu, RSV, and Covid-19 are ticking up ahead of schedule.
The increase isn’t itself atypical. “Pre-Covid, we always saw a surge of hospitalized patients in this winter time period, especially after New Years,” said Dhaval Desai, who oversees hospital medicine at Emory University’s St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta. But compared to five years ago, “we are at a more intense spot from a respiratory illness standpoint,” he said.
It’s not entirely clear why this particular season is so gnarly. Although the CDC focuses its tracking on the viruses most likely to cause severe illness and death — Covid-19, flu, and RSV — lots of other germs with less name recognition are landing people in the hospital.
A broader age group is turning up very sick, too. In addition to the usual severe illness in people with chronic conditions, who are typically more vulnerable to bad outcomes, Desai said, “we’re also seeing those that may be younger or middle-aged who really don’t have any other major contributors to their medical history, but are coming in really sick, from whether it’s the flu, RSV, or some of the other common viruses.”
First penguins die in Antarctic of deadly H5N1 bird flu strain
Mon 29 Jan 2024 15.05 GMT
At least one king penguin is suspected to have died from bird flu in the Antarctic. If confirmed, it will be the first of the species killed by the highly contagious H5N1 virus in the wild.
Researchers have previously raised alarm about “one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times” if bird flu reached remote Antarctic penguin populations. The birds are currently clustering together for breeding season, meaning the disease could rip through entire colonies if it continues to spread through the region.
King penguins are the world’s second-largest penguin, at about 3ft tall, and can live for more than 20 years in the wild. The suspected case was recorded on South Georgia island in the Antarctic region, according to the latest update from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (Scar). A gentoo penguin was also suspected to have died from H5N1 at the same location.
Separately, at least one gentoo penguin has been confirmed to have died from H5N1 on the Falkland Islands – 900 miles (1,500km) west of South Georgia – with more than 20 chicks either dead or also showing symptoms. Since H5N1 arrived in the Antarctic, there have been mass deaths of elephant seals as well as increased deaths of fur seals, kelp gulls and brown skua in the region.
Previous outbreaks in South Africa, Chile and Argentina show penguins are susceptible to the disease. Since it arrived in South America, more than 500,000 seabirds have died of it, with penguins, pelicans and boobies among those most heavily affected.
Measles Cases Soaring Worldwide as WHO Reports Alarming 45-Fold Rise in Europe by Jaya Dantas
February 1, 2024
Introduction:
(Science Alert) In recent weeks a series of measles alerts have been issued around Australia, including in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, after the identification of a small number of cases in travellers returning from overseas.
Meanwhile, places such as the United States and the United Kingdom have been contending with larger measles outbreaks.
In fact, the World Health Organization reported a 45-fold increase in measles cases in Europe last year, with 42,200 cases recorded in 2023 compared to 941 in 2022.
In South Asia, India and Pakistan have also recently reported outbreaks.
So what's the risk of a larger outbreak in Australia? Fortunately it's likely to be quite low – but ensuring we continue to have high rates of vaccination coverage is crucial.
As a Florida elementary school tries to contain a growing measles outbreak, the state’s top health official is giving advice that runs counter to science and may leave unvaccinated children at risk of contracting one of the most contagious pathogens on Earth, clinicians and public health experts said.
Florida surgeon general Joseph A. Ladapo failed to urge parents to vaccinate their children or keep unvaccinated students home from school as a precaution in a letter to parents at the Fort Lauderdale-area school this week following six confirmed measles cases.
Instead of following what he acknowledged was the “normal” recommendation that parents keep unvaccinated children home for up to 21 days — the incubation period for measles — Ladapo said the state health department “is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.”
The controversial move by Ladapo follows a pattern of bucking public health norms, particularly when it comes to vaccines. Last month, he called for halting the use of mRNA coronavirus vaccines, in a move decried by the public health community.
Ben Hoffman, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Florida’s guidance flies in the face of long-standing and widely accepted public health guidance for measles, which can result in severe complications, including death.
