Tropical Parasite May Be Endemic in Texas
A parasitic disease that can cause skin ulcers and is usually spread by the tiny sandfly may now be endemic to the U.S., preliminary findings from CDC researchers suggested. Genetic sequencing of 2,235 U.S. cutaneous leishmaniasis samples submitted from 2005 to 2019 confirmed the presence of a potentially distinct genotype of the Leishmania mexicana species […]
CDC: Handful of Swine Flu Cases Detected in Humans in Multiple States
Five cases of human infection with flu variants normally spread only in pigs were reported to CDC in August, the agency announced in a Health Alert Network advisory on Tuesday. Cases were detected in West Virginia, Oregon, and Ohio, and all of the individuals have since recovered. According to the CDC, four of the infections […]
New York City Declares Monkeypox A Public Health Emergency
NEW YORK (AP) — Officials in New York City declared a public health emergency due to the spread of the monkeypox virus Saturday, calling the city “the epicenter” of the outbreak. The announcement Saturday by Mayor Eric Adams and health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said as many as 150,000 city residents could be at risk of […]
Fast, efficient COVID-19 biosensor under development: Researchers are improving technology to test for the coronavirus at a ‘population scale’ in order to stay on top of shifting variants
As the BA.5 omicron variant continues to spread, health experts are increasingly preparing for a future in which such COVID-19 variants emerge, surge and recede similar to seasonal flu. An important part of staying on top of these changes will be the ability to quickly monitor the virus at a “population scale,” an effort that […]
Nurses’ Station Epicenter of One Hospital’s COVID Outbreak
Nosocomial spread of COVID-19 throughout a medical unit likely occurred through aerosol transmission from a symptomatic nurse, researchers said. An outbreak in a Boston hospital among 103 healthcare professionals and patients arose on a non-COVID ward after a nurse became symptomatic 4 days after receiving a COVID vaccine in late December 2020, reported Eric Garshick, […]
Experts Predict If And When COVID Will Become A Seasonal Illness
The vast majority of respiratory viruses that spread within our population ebb and flow with the seasons. Influenza spikes in the winter months, as do infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenoviruses and other coronaviruses. Earlier this year, Rochelle Walensky, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, said she expects COVID to also […]
How tumor cells use mitochondria to keep growing
Hormone therapy is often used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, but many patients develop resistance to hormone therapy, causing their disease to become more aggressive and potentially more deadly. “One of the big challenges we have in the field is that the majority of prostate cancer therapies […]
Norovirus: Symptoms, Contagious, Treatment, Causes & How Long Does It Last?
Is Norovirus Contagious? How is norovirus transmitted? Noroviruses are highly contagious. Noroviruses are easily spread to individuals by both direct and indirect contact with infected individuals. Direct contact usually occurs when people are taking care of infected patients (fecal/oral contact by changing diapers and/or bedding, for example). Norovirus can be transmitted or spread indirectly by […]
Is Shingles Contagious? How Long Do Shingles Last?
Shingles rash is not contagious in that a rash from one individual is unable to spread to another individual. Individuals who never have had chickenpox and have not received the vaccine for chickenpox are susceptible to shingles virus infection. Consequently, shingles disease is contagious to chickenpox by the transmission of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) to […]
Is Shingles Contagious? How Long Do Shingles Last?
Shingles rash is not contagious in that a rash from one individual is unable to spread to another individual. Individuals who never have had chickenpox and have not received the vaccine for chickenpox are susceptible to shingles virus infection. Consequently, shingles disease is contagious to chickenpox by the transmission of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) to […]