viruses

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Simulated 'Mammothpox' Tests Pandemic Response
WHO Simulates
Our Next Pandemic
Apr 16, 2025 7:11 AM CDT

WHO Simulates Our Next Pandemic

15 countries worked together to contain fictional 'mammothpox' virus in WHO exercise

(Newser) - Five years on from the COVID-19 pandemic, some of us are trying hard to forget all about mask mandates, quarantines, and deadly disease. But not the World Health Organization. Last week, the WHO led an effort to combat a new pandemic—this one, thankfully, hypothetical. Representatives from 15 countries (but...

Amid More Cat Deaths, Another Pet Food Recall

California's Savage Pet is latest company to pull raw meat products as bird flu keeps circulating

(Newser) - A California pet food maker has recalled raw chicken products after they were linked to bird flu infections in two cats and suspected in a third in New York City. Savage Pet of El Cajon, California, this week recalled one lot of large and small chicken boxes because they may...

A New Form of Bird Flu Is Spreading to Cows

Nevada herds infected with D1.1 genotype, the same one tied to a US death

(Newser) - Since it was introduced to cattle in late 2023, a version of the H5N1 bird flu virus known as B3.13 has infected more than 950 herds in 16 states. But now, a new version is spreading, per the Guardian . This one, D1.1—the same genotype that infected the...

Virus Causing Concern in China Is on the Decline, Official Says

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) has been around for decades, unlike COVID

(Newser) - The rate of human metapneumovirus infections in China is going down, according to a health official who gave an updated Sunday. "The human metapneumovirus is not a new virus, and has been with humans for at least several decades," he said, citing better detection methods as the reason...

With Bird Flu, Key 'Sits in the Lock' for Humans

CDC says mutations in Louisiana patient with the virus are 'concerning but not a cause for alarm'

(Newser) - A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation's first severe case of the illness, the CDC said this week. Scientists believe the mutations may allow the virus to better bind to receptors in the upper airways of humans—something they...

Experiment Pays Off as Virologist Treats Her Own Cancer

Beata Halassy, cancer-free for 45 months, injected tumor with oncolytic viruses grown in her lab

(Newser) - A scientist successfully treated her own Stage 3 breast cancer by injecting the tumor with viruses she grew in her lab. The unique case is described in a controversial report published in August in the journal Vaccines . Oncolytic virotherapy (OVT), in which genetically engineered viruses are used to kill tumor...

Iowan Dies of 'Frightening' Virus After Travel to Africa

Lassa fever is suspected in person's death; close contacts are being identified

(Newser) - Health officials are investigating the death Monday of an Iowa resident as a suspected case of Lassa fever, a frightening viral hemorrhagic fever rarely seen in the US , health officials said. The patient returned to the US from West Africa early this month, the AP reports. The person was not...

One Mosquito Bite Leaves NH Man Fighting for His Life

Joe Casey said to have contracted EEE, West Nile, and St. Louis encephalitis

(Newser) - A New Hampshire man has died from a mosquito-borne virus and another is battling three such viruses apparently acquired from a single bite, shining further light on a problem experts say will continue to grow with climate change. Joe Casey of Kensington is on a ventilator in intensive care with...

US Will Pay Moderna $176M to Develop a Bird Flu Vaccine

Funds will pay for continued development of same mRNA technology used in COVID vaccines

(Newser) - The US government will pay the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to develop a pandemic vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in people as cases in dairy cows continue to mount across the country, federal officials announced Tuesday. The funds are targeted for release through the US...

Bird Flu Continues to Wreak Havoc, Killing Seals Worldwide

Tens of thousands of seals, sea lions have died, and scientists aren't sure how to slow the spread

(Newser) - Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, disrupting ecosystems and flummoxing scientists who don't see a clear way to slow the devastating virus . The worldwide bird flu outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths of...

Nearly 800 of School's Students Were Absent on Wednesday

Not due to COVID, but a 'highly contagious' gastrointestinal bug that's closed Alabama school

(Newser) - As one Florida elementary school deals with measles , another in Alabama is contending with a "gastrointestinal outbreak" that kept nearly 800 students out of school in just one day. WKRG reports that Fairhope West Elementary School is now closed Thursday and Friday after 773 students called in on Wednesday,...

In California's 'Egg Basket,' a Fast-Spreading 'Trauma'

Poultry farmers forced to kill million-plus birds to control outbreak of avian flu in Sonoma County

(Newser) - Last month, Mike Weber got the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for avian flu. Following government rules, Weber's company, Sunrise Farms, had to slaughter its entire flock of egg-laying hens—550,000 birds—to prevent the disease from infecting other farms in Sonoma County, north...

Illness That Caused 'Global Panic' Never Really Went Away

There's still no vaccine for mosquito-born Zika that struck in 2015; experts worry of future outbreak

(Newser) - In 2016, the United Nations declared that the Zika virus—a mosquito-borne illness that can cause serious neurological effects in newborns with infected moms— was no longer a worldwide emergency . But the virus didn't actually disappear: In fact, Medriva deems it a "silent threat still lurking." The...

When It Comes to Bird Flu, 'It's a New War'

Virus emerges in record amounts, and in new places, meaning it may be here to stay

(Newser) - Will bird flu lead to the next pandemic? That's the question making the headline rounds of late, and the short answer is—it's possible, though the threat isn't currently high. What is the concern of the moment is that wild birds have spread avian influenza, which is...

Rare Outbreak of Deadly Marburg Disease Is Detected

WHO: It's Equatorial Guinea's first outbreak

(Newser) - On Monday, the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea announced a deadly outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease similar to Ebola. The World Health Organization says at least nine people have died there of the illness, with 16 others suspected of having it. Then, on Tuesday, authorities...

Couple Likely Gave Monkeypox to Their Dog

WHO's Rosamund Lewis says it's first apparent case of human-to-animal transmission

(Newser) - What appears to be the first known human-to-pet transmission of monkeypox has surfaced in France. A nonexclusive, cohabiting couple developed symptoms of the virus, which has been appearing mostly in men who have sex with other men, a few days after sleeping with other partners, reports CBS News . Twelve days...

Newly IDed Virus in China Looks to Be a 'Viral Spillover'

Langya appears to have passed from shrews to humans, infecting dozens, though with no fatalities

(Newser) - Scientists have identified a virus in China that appears to have spread from animals to dozens of humans—a "zoonotic" spread—though they're urging that there's "no need to panic." Citing a study by researchers in China, Singapore, and Australia published last week in the...

Reba: Actually, I Didn't Have COVID
Reba Offers
Unusual
COVID
Update
Aug 24, 2021 12:15 PM CDT

Reba Offers Unusual COVID Update

Country star clarifies that she never had the virus after all

(Newser) - Reba McEntire gave her fans a surprise COVID update on Monday—turns out, she didn't have the virus after all. The 66-year-old, who announced earlier this month that she and her boyfriend had contracted COVID despite being vaccinated, apparently received a false positive on a test, reports Page Six...

28 Unknown Viruses Found Frozen in Tibetan Ice

'These are viruses that would have thrived in extreme environments'

(Newser) - If we ever find viruses on Mars or another distant planet, they may resemble the ancient viruses scientists have discovered frozen deep in a glacier in Tibet. Researchers say ice samples taken from the Tibetan Plateau ice cores contained the genetic codes for 33 viruses, including 28 previously unknown to...

Good News on the HIV Front
Good News
on the HIV Front
NEW STUDY
Jul 10, 2021 9:30 AM CDT

Good News on the HIV Front

Those with virus who receive treatment have same life expectancy as those without: researchers

(Newser) - Patients who tested positive for HIV used to fear a "certain death sentence," as there's no cure for the virus, per HealthDay News . New research puts those fears to rest, with scientists saying that those with HIV in the US can now expect a similar life expectancy...

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