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Single dose of antibody shields macaques from severe H5N1 influenza

National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and their colleagues report that a single dose of a broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) administered prior to virus exposure protects macaques from severe H5N1 avian influenza.

11 Feb 2025

Tick-borne encephalitis emerges in Britain: Experts urge vigilance

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) has now been confirmed in locally acquired human cases in the U.K., with evidence of established transmission in British tick populations. Increased surveillance and clinician awareness are crucial to detecting and managing this emerging threat.

10 Feb 2025

House cats with bird flu could pose a risk to public health

More than 80 domestic cats, among many other types of mammals, have been confirmed to have had bird flu since 2022 — generally barn cats that lived on dairy farms, as well as feral cats and pets that spend time outdoors and likely caught it by hunting diseased rodents or wild birds.

10 Feb 2025

On the front lines against bird flu, egg farmers say they’re losing the battle

Greg Herbruck knew 6.5 million of his birds needed to die, and fast.

7 Feb 2025

Neoantigen vaccine sparks powerful immune defense against kidney cancer

A personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine generated strong immune responses in renal cell carcinoma patients, leading to long-lasting T cell expansion and no disease recurrence after 40 months.

6 Feb 2025

New nasal vaccine for COVID-19 set to begin clinical trial in the U.S.

A nasal vaccine for COVID-19 – based on technology developed at Washington University in St. Louis – is poised to enter a phase 1 clinical trial in the U.S. after an investigational new drug application from Ocugen, Inc. was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ocugen, a U.S.-based biotechnology company, licensed the innovative technology from WashU in 2022.

5 Feb 2025

Breakthrough personalized vaccine shows promising results in kidney cancer trial

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers report that all nine patients in a clinical trial being treated for stage III or IV clear cell renal cell carcinoma (a form of kidney cancer), generated a successful anti-cancer immune response after initiation of a personalized cancer vaccine.

5 Feb 2025

The link between air pollution and lower respiratory infections in adults

Research reveals that even low levels of air pollution significantly increase the risk of respiratory infections in adults, highlighting urgent health concerns.

5 Feb 2025

Survey finds half of U.S. adults misunderstand low-dose aspirin guidelines

For years, healthy older adults were advised by doctors to take a low-dose aspirin daily as a way to reduce the risk of heart attack.

3 Feb 2025

Pasteurization destroys influenza viruses in milk, reinforcing dairy safety

Pasteurization at 63°C and 72°C effectively inactivates influenza A viruses in milk, ensuring its safety for human consumption while viral RNA may still be detected.

2 Feb 2025

Food safety tips to keep illness at bay

Parties, family dinners, and other gatherings where food is served are all part of the holiday cheer. But the joy can change to misery if food makes you or others ill.

31 Jan 2025

Antibody therapy provides protection against severe H5N1 avian flu in monkeys

A prophylactic antibody-based immune therapy protects monkeys against severe disease caused by H5N1 avian flu, University of Pittsburgh and NIH Vaccine Research Center researchers report today in Science.

30 Jan 2025

Trump administration’s halt of CDC’s weekly scientific report stalls bird flu studies

The Trump administration has intervened in the release of important studies on the bird flu, as an outbreak escalates across the United States.

30 Jan 2025

Study explores long-term effects of Japan's COVID-19 health advisories

In contrast to the lockdowns imposed in many countries around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese authorities issued health advisories and counted on citizens to follow them voluntarily.

29 Jan 2025

Led by RFK Jr., conservatives embrace raw milk. Regulators say it's dangerous.

In summertime, cows wait under a canopy to be milked at Mark McAfee's farm in Fresno, California. From his Cessna 210 Centurion propeller plane, the 63-year-old can view grazing lands of the dairy company he runs that produces products such as unpasteurized milk and cheese for almost 2,000 stores.

29 Jan 2025

What losing WHO membership means for the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization, of which the U.S. was a founding member and is an integral part, raises questions on how it might affect Americans and people around the world, especially in an anxious, post-pandemic era of infectious disease and global health threats.

24 Jan 2025

Researchers investigate myocarditis in preschoolers caused by parvovirus B19 outbreak

Researchers document the harmful consequences of myocarditis in preschool students, caused by a regional outbreak of parvovirus B19 in northern Greece.

17 Jan 2025

Study reveals dangerous mutations in H5N1 bird flu

One of the earliest strains of bird flu isolated from a human in Texas shows a unique constellation of mutations that enable it to more easily replicate in human cells and cause more severe disease in mice compared to a strain found in dairy cattle, researchers from Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) report in Emerging Microbes & Infections.

16 Jan 2025

Review highlights the pathogenesis and clinical spectrum of Nipah virus infection

Nipah virus (NiV), a zoonotic paramyxovirus with significant human health implications, has garnered considerable attention due to its high fatality rates and potential for human-to-human transmission, posing a global public health threat.

15 Jan 2025

Study finds certain H5N1 strains in cattle linked to milder human illness; other variants remain a concern

Study reveals that contemporary HPAI H5N1 viruses show reduced replication and immune activation in human lung organoids, potentially explaining milder disease in humans compared to historic strains.

13 Jan 2025