70 Human Cases in the US as of April 2025
Interactive CDC case map Image credits: CDC As of April 2025, the CDC has reported 70 confirmed and probable human cases of H5N1 avian influenza since the outbreak began in 2024 in the United States. The majority of these cases have been linked to exposure through commercial agricultural settings, with 41 individuals exposed through infected […]
Impact of CDC Hepatitis Lab Closure on US Public Health
On April 1, 2025, the closure of the CDC’s hepatitis laboratory significantly affected the United States’ ability to manage hepatitis outbreaks and prevent further transmission of viral hepatitis. The lab, part of the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, was essential for testing, surveillance, and monitoring hepatitis viruses, including hepatitis B […]
Test Determines Between Bacterial and Viral Infections in 15 Minutes
One of the ongoing treatment challenges for providers is the ability to determine if infections are either bacterial or viral. Their presentation can be similar, and traditional testing can be time consuming. Of course, clinicians want to be sure patients are getting some type of intervention, so broad-spectrum antibiotics can often be prescribed in these […]
Longhorn Advances a Scalable Universal Flu Vaccine
Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics has introduced a novel single-composite peptide vaccine that offers broad protection against human, avian, and swine influenza strains including pandemic variants such as H5N1. The unconjugated vaccine combines highly conserved epitopes from key influenza proteins, hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), and matrix proteins (M1, M2, M2e), with the ALFQ adjuvant to stimulate […]
Invasive Group A Strep in Children Surged After Pandemic Protections Relaxed
Cases of IGAS infections in children surged after decreasing early in the COVID-19 pandemic, which investigators attribute, in part, to reduced use of the protective measures imposed in the pandemic. The trend emerging from the case series,1 drawn from 3 decades of population-based surveillance of IGAS in Southern Ontario, Canada, was marked by an increase […]
Top 5 Infectious Disease News Stories Week of April 5-12
National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Reminds Young People They Are Not Forgotten April 10 marks National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD), a time to recognize the unique challenges young people face in HIV prevention and care. Youth aged 13–24 account for 20% of new HIV cases and are the least likely to know […]
With Federal Offices Related to Fighting Infectious Disease Closing, Who Will Pick-Up the Slack?
Within the last couple of weeks, the Trump administration has continued its closure and restructuring of federal agencies and offices related to infectious diseases. The administration dismissed the entire staff of the HHS Office of Infectious Diseases & HIV Policy, along with staff from other offices including the HHS Office of Minority Health and the […]
Study Reveals Low Completion Rates for Essential Testing in Ehrlichiosis and Spotted Fever Cases
Ross M Boyce, MD, MSc Image credits: UNC A new study out of North Carolina reveals that most patients tested for potentially serious tick-borne diseases like ehrlichiosis and spotted fever rickettsiosis are not completing the full two-step testing process necessary for a confirmed diagnosis, leaving significant gaps in public health surveillance and clinical care. Researchers […]
Alaska Sees HCV Reduction, But Need For Greater Test-And Treat Adoption Remains
Image credit: Julien Tromeur, Unsplash In a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), investigators reported that the state of Alaska saw reductions in incidence rates of hepatitis C. “The average annual rate of newly reported chronic hepatitis C (cases per 100,000 adults) during 2016–2023 was 121; the rate decreased a relative 30% from 142 […]
Canine Serology Sheds Light on Underreported Human Coccidioidomycosis Spread
Jane E Sykes, BVSc(Hons) MPH MBA PhD Image credits: University of California-Davis Canine serologic testing data indicate a broader geographic distribution of coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever) in the United States than previously recognized, suggesting that current human surveillance may underestimate the true burden of the fungal disease. Researchers analyzed 834,899 serologic test results from dogs across […]
