Survey Reveals African Hesitancy to Get Mpox Vaccination
Image credit: Road Ahead, Unsplash A new survey conducted amongst Africans across 6 countries found that 32.7% of respondents were hesitant to get vaccinated against mpox and for those who were parents, 38.9% were hesitant to get their children vaccinated.1 The results of the survey were published in eClinicalMedicine. “The weighted rates of mpox vaccination […]
Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir (Paxlovid) Reduces Short and Long-Term Adverse Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients with Kidney Disease
Close up of the antiviral by Pfizer, Paxlovid. Image credits: Unsplash A recent study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases demonstrates that nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid), an antiviral treatment for COVID-19, significantly reduces short- and long-term adverse outcomes in patients with kidney disease. This cohort study involved 1,095 patients with kidney disease who received Paxlovid, compared to […]
NIH Offers Updated Risk Assessment on Avian Influenza
Three influenza A (H5N1/bird flu) virus particles (rod-shaped; yellow). Note: Layout incorporates two CDC transmission electron micrographs that have been repositioned and colorized by NIAID. Image credit: CDC and NIAID The National Institutes of Health (NIH) updated its risk assessment for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus (HPAI H5N1) saying the risk to the […]
Updated Tuberculosis Treatment Guidelines
Different TB tests Image credits: Unsplash New clinical practice guidelines for tuberculosis (TB) treatment, based on recent clinical trial data, have been issued by the American Thoracic Society (ATS), US CDC, European Respiratory Society (ERS), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). These updates apply to both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB in settings with […]
RSV Vaccine for Immunocompromised Seniors Shows Limited Seroconversion
Andrew Karaba, MD, PhD Image credit: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine A new study highlights limited seroconversion in 2 of the FDA approved RSV vaccines for seniors who are immunocompromised. “Approximately 40% of immunocompromised participants did not seroconvert or achieve a conservative neutralization threshold post-vaccination,” the study authors wrote. 1 The 2 vaccines studied […]
Rising Antibiotic Resistance in H pylori Infections Among Children
Helicobacter pylori Image credit: Unsplash A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in BMC Medicine highlights growing antibiotic resistance in Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infections among children. Led by researchers from Iran’s Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, the study analyzed 63 studies from 28 countries across five World Health Organization (WHO) regions, involving 15,953 […]
Clinician Feedback Reports on Antibiotics Shape Usage in Pediatric Inpatients With Pneumonia
Kathleen Chiotos, MD, MSCE Image credit: CHOP In the United States, there are approximately 2 million outpatient visits related to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the pediatric population as well as approximately 124,000 hospitalizations for children, annually.1 And CAP continues to be one of the most common reasons for hospitalizations in this patient group.1 With concerns […]
The first CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) of 2025
CDC logo Image credits: CDC This year’s first CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) highlights two public health concerns in the United States: the largest recorded outbreak of blastomycosis linked to a paper mill in Michigan and a 56% increase in tularemia cases from 2011 to 2022. These findings underscore the need for enhanced […]
Contagion’s 2024 Top Stories: Hepatitis Infections
There were many news updates in the world of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, and as always, the Contagion team was on top of it all, spending our time keeping you in the know and speaking with experts from major institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and federal agencies who are working together to push medical science forward. […]
Key Insights from the CACTUS Study
A newly published study, the CACTUS Study, compared the effectiveness of ceftolozane-tazobactam (CT) and ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) in treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The study found that both treatments had similar clinical outcomes. Of the 234 patients treated with CT, 62% had clinical success, compared to 55% for those treated with CZA. The 30-day mortality […]
