A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the newer Omicron sub-variants of SARS-CoV-2 significantly evade neutralizing antibodies produced by both vaccination and a previous infection. According to the researchers, the study provides the immunological context for current outbreaks in populations with high vaccination rates and infection histories. Researchers at Beth Israel … Read more
Quebec officials reported 13 more confirmed cases of monkeypox on Thursday for a total of 184 cases in the province since the outbreak began. The Quebec health department says 6,591 doses of the vaccine have been given since May 27 to curb the outbreak. The province has the highest number of disease infections in the … Read more
The Jefferson County Health Department has reported a new death related to COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in the county related to the virus to 549 since the start of the pandemic. The last death was a man in his sixties. Jefferson County is in the orange level, or higher, of the Centers … Read more
In this Medscape blog I previously reported on the history of the current monkeypox epidemic among mainly men who have sex with men (MSM). As we have discussed, a major monkeypox epidemic is underway in the UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, the United States and other countries. Prior to this outbreak, monkeypox had usually been reported … Read more
African governments must focus on investing in their surveillance systems and strengthening preparedness to curb the rapid spread of infectious diseases such as monkeypox, experts said. Monkeypox is spreading rapidly in countries around the world where it has never been seen before, as well as taking hold in African countries, some of which have been … Read more
Image: Scientific photo library (AP) UK health officials are planning to offer smallpox more widely vaccines, which are effective against the related monkeysmallpox virus –to some gay and bisexual men. The broadening of the reach is part of a renewed strategy to contain the emerging viral disease, which recently it has spread far beyond the … Read more
In a recent study published in the medRxiv* pre-press server, researchers have identified potential risk factors and incident symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the general UK (UK) population. She studies: Cohort Profile: Population-based longitudinal study of COVID-19 in UK adults (COVIDENCE UK). Image Credit: FOTOGRIN / Shutterstock Background The current study, COVID in … Read more
Monkeypox has become the latest health issue the public has to worry about, fresh from a much welcome break in our collective COVID nightmare, with at least 168 cases of the virus now confirmed in Canada, 30 of them in Ontario plus three other probable and 18 suspected infections. With Toronto’s first patient diagnosed nearly … Read more
After months of waiting, families in San Luis Obispo County have been given the green light to vaccinate children under 5 against the coronavirus. A baby must be at least 6 months old to be vaccinated, according to a Press release by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). According to a press release from … Read more