All Emerging Threats & Epidemiology articles – Page 5
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NewsBooster jabs reduce the risks of COVID-19 deaths, study finds
Booster vaccines reduced the risk of COVID‑19–related hospitalisation and death, according to a new study of over 3 million adults who had the autumn 2022 vaccine in England.
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NewsDebilitating virus can spread in cool weather, increasing health risk in Europe
Chikungunya virus, a debilitating tropical disease caused by infected mosquito bites, poses a greater health threat in Europe than previously thought because it can be spread when air temperatures are as low as 13 degrees Celsius.
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NewsStrategic changes in water treatment could prevent disease outbreaks
A breakthrough new study shows how strategic changes in water treatment effectively treated a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease. For the first time, the study provides evidence of an outbreak being stopped by introducing disinfection to previously untreated groundwater.
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NewsGlobal commitment on display as countries negotiate key annex to the Pandemic Agreement
Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded a weeklong round of negotiations on draft annex for Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) – a key component of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
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NewsMpox: recombinant virus with genomic elements of clades Ib and IIb
Recombination of monkeypox virus (MPXV) strains has been documented in recent months, with two cases of a recombinant strain comprising clade Ib and IIb MPXV reported, the World Health Organization says.
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NewsFire-footed rope squirrels identified as a natural reservoir for monkeypox virus
A cross-species transmission event documented in Côte d’Ivoire provides new insights into the spread of mpox in the wild.
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NewsCommunity spread drives ongoing measles transmission in Europe
Preliminary data for 2025 show a significant drop in the number of reported measles cases across EU/EEA countries compared with 2024. However, these figures are still twice as high than those reported in 2023.
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NewsH5N1 causes die-off of Antarctic skuas
More than 50 skuas in Antarctica died from the high pathogenicity avian influenza virus H5N1 in the summers of 2023 and 2024, marking the first documented die-off of wildlife from the virus on the continent.
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NewsPathogen risk: Removing southern African fences may help wildlife, boost economy
Fences intended to protect cattle from catching diseases from wildlife and other livestock in southern Africa are in disrepair, restrict wild animal migrations and likely intensify human-elephant conflict – but a plan to remove key sections could make both livestock and wildlife safer.
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NewsNew dashboard helps predict and plan for disease outbreaks
When infectious diseases surge, response often comes down to whether communities can position the right people and supplies before case counts spike. Researchers have designed a new platform to translate academic disease forecasting into actionable guidance for decision-makers.
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NewsPediatric investigation study reports significant shifts in post-COVID respiratory infection trends in children
To explore how the pandemic changed respiratory infection trends in children, researchers examined data from 73,096 pediatric patients hospitalized with acute respiratory tract infections in two coastal cities in eastern China with similar climates.
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NewsGlobal Virus Network warns of measles resurgence
The Global Virus Network (GVN) has expressed deep concern regarding the ongoing resurgence of measles in the United States and around the globe. Measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases known and can be lethal, particularly in unvaccinated children.
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NewsPaper sheds light on human impact of first known ancient pandemic
A new paper examines the Plague of Justinian and its consequences for ancient Jordan. Focusing on the first-known outbreak of bubonic plague in the Mediterranean world, it adds to the historical record on what caused the devastating outbreak that killed millions within the Byzantine Empire.
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NewsBirding enthusiasts can help songbirds avoid salmonella epidemics
Biologists are developing a tool to predict when deadly salmonella outbreaks are likely to happen in wild songbird populations so that people can protect their feathered friends by taking down bird feeders at the right time.
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NewsUK: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy decreased over time, though mistrust persists among certain groups
Most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is rooted in concerns that can be addressed and effectively reduced over time, according to a new study following more than 1.1 million people in England between January 2021 and March 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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NewsNew study finds higher hantavirus risk in drier, underdeveloped areas
In a recent study of the contiguous USA, researchers found that the risk of disease from hantavirus is higher in drier, underdeveloped geographic areas with more socioeconomic vulnerability and increased numbers of unique rodent species.
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NewsHigh levels of Chagas disease parasite found in bugs near US-Mexico border
Researchers have found unusually high levels of parasitic infection in the insects that transmit Chagas disease in the Borderlands. The bugs were collected near homes and natural areas along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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NewsBats identified as origin of unexplained acute respiratory illness and encephalitis in Bangladesh
Infectious disease researchers have identified Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), an emerging bat-borne orthoreovirus, in archived throat swab samples and virus cultures from five patients in Bangladesh who were initially suspected to have Nipah virus infection but tested negative.
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NewsResearchers develop novel tracking method to reveal spread of antibiotic resistance across Hong Kong’s environment
Researchers have harnessed citywide genetic data and developed a novel genome-resolved tracking method to uncover precisely how antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their resistance genes move across Hong Kong’s environment.
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NewsAs US measles cases rise, views of MMR vaccine safety and effectiveness – and willingness to recommend it – drop
As U.S. measles cases rise, a new nationally representative panel survey finds a small but significant drop in the proportion of the public that would recommend that someone in their household get the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.