Flu activity in the Northern Hemisphere is rising, with levels up sharply over the past few weeks in North America, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its latest global flu update, which roughly covers the last half of October.
Flu activity is starting to rise in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe and North America, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest global flu update, which covers data through Oct 16.
Nearly one third of 158 untreated COVID-19 patients experienced symptom rebound after being symptom-free for at least 2 consecutive days, finds a study of US adults published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.
An analysis of patients in a California health system found relatively high rates of flu-associated prescribing of select antibiotics in certain age-groups, researchers reported today in Epidemiology & Infection.
Late last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a further rise in US flu activity, particularly in the southeast and south central regions, along with another variant H3N2 (H3N2v) flu case, this time in a Michigan resident who had indirect exposure to swine at an agricultural fair.
A study of antibiotic consumption in European hospitals found increasing use of antibiotics reserved for the most difficult-to-treat infections, researchers reported yesterday in Eurosurveillance.
Children who had an underlying illness were at greatest risk for severe COVID-19 and death, but those who were vaccinated were fairly well protected, according to an observational study presented this week at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition in Anaheim, California.
A randomized clinical trial and meta-analysis of previous trials found that topical antibiotics were associated with significantly shorter symptom duration in children with acute infective conjunctivitis, researchers reported today in JAMA Network Open.
Uganda's health ministry on Twitter today reported four more lab-confirmed Ebola Sudan cases, as well as one more death in a patient with a confirmed infection. The developments push the country's overall total to 54 cases, 35 of them confirmed and 19 listed as probable. The latest death brings Uganda's fatality count to 25, 7 in confirmed patients and 18 in people who had probable infections.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically worsened disparities in all-cause death rates for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN), Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander (NHOPI), and Black Americans and eroded mortality advantages for Asian and Hispanic groups, finds a study published yesterday in PNAS.
Boston public schools (BPS) yesterday announced the first monkeypox case in an "adult member of the BPS community," according to a letter sent to parents. The school district said the person was isolating at home, and the district was working to identify exposed individuals.
Researchers in Taiwan have discovered a new mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.3.7 subvariant that they suggest may be responsible for severe neurologic complications observed in young children on the island. Their study was published yesterday in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday urged health providers to ask patients with suspected flu infections outside of the regular flu season to ask about any recent exposure to pigs.
A study published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that long COVID is uncommon in children and teens and that risk factors include severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, younger age, and complex underlying chronic diseases.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines long COVID as continuous, relapsing, or new symptoms or conditions persisting at least 1 month after the initial infection.
Following the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine last month for the primary vaccine series, the company announced today that it has applied for an EUA for the vaccine to also be used as a booster in adults ages 18 and older.
Maine, which has confirmed only four monkeypox cases, today reported a case of the virus in a resident under the age of 18. No further details were released by the Maine Centers for Disease Control. Maine now joins California and Florida as states with pediatric cases.
Also, researchers in Spain detail a possible human-to-dog case.
One day after the United States said it would allow intradermal, fractional dosing of Bavarian Nordic's monkeypox vaccine, Jynneos, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for more trials on the practice.
A systematic review and meta-analysis published yesterday in BMJ estimates that 5.6% of COVID-19 survivors may face long-lasting changes to their sense of smell or taste, adding to concerns about the overall burden of long COVID.
High estimated blood viscosity (eBV) is significantly associated with greater risk of death from complications among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, suggests a retrospective study published yesterday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
A study yesterday in the Journal of Virology suggests that, while co-infection with influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 does not change the trajectory of influenza A, contracting influenza A first could suppress any COVID-19 infection caused by SARS-CoV-2.
Flu activity is rising in some of the Southern Hemisphere's temperate countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and southern Africa. At the global level, however, levels are declining following a March peak, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a global flu update that roughly covers the first half of June.
Other areas seeing rises are Chile and southern China, where H3N2 is the dominant strain.
In a global flu update that covers the last half of May, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week that overall activity has declined since a March peak, but levels are rising in some temperate Southern Hemisphere countries, including Australia.
Flu levels are up sharply in some Australian states, putting pressure on healthcare systems that are also coping with ongoing COVID-19 activity and prompting more efforts to get more people vaccinated against flu.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported one more Ebola case in its latest outbreak in Equateur province in the country's northwest, raising the total to three, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office.
Adults hospitalized early in the pandemic with COVID-19 were at more than triple the risk of death than those with influenza, despite the flu patients being older and having more chronic illnesses, according to new data from Spain to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), which starts tomorrow.