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A Tropical Skin Infection Spread by Sand Flies Is Spreading in the U.S.

Climate change is bringing diseases once considered tropical afflictions to the United States, and new research warns that a parasite spread by sand flies may be the latest to join this growing list.

The Leishmania parasite causes several forms of the disease leishmaniasis, including cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores. Cutaneous leishmaniasis infects up to 1 million...

Cache Valley Virus: Another Mosquito-Borne Illness Making Inroads in U.S.

A potentially deadly infection carried by mosquitoes may be more prevalent than once thought, U.S. health officials report.

Named the Cache Valley virus after the Utah area in which it was first found in 1956, it has caused seven serious infections nationwide. But it may have infected up to 18% of the population, ac...

What Keeps Dr. Anthony Fauci Awake at Night

When the pandemic hit, Dr. Anthony Fauci saw his "worst nightmare" realized. Now, a different worry keeps him up at night: that humanity will forget the lessons learned.

That's the crux of a new editorial penned by Fauci, who became a household name in 2020 after quietly leading the U.S. National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades.

Those years saw ...

Extra Antibiotic With Hip, Knee Replacement Won't Prevent Infections: Study

Millions of people undergo joint replacement surgery every year. To prevent infection, doctors often give them a second antibiotic -- but new research suggests this can backfire.

Adding a second antibiotic at the time of hip and knee replacement surgery may actually increase infections, researchers in Australia found.

"Given the number of joint replacements performed in Austral...

Could a Warming Climate Bring Yellow Fever to America?

Yellow fever may be resurfacing in the United States, thanks to climate change.

The mosquito-borne viral illness decimated southern U.S. cities from 1820 to 1905, and now a new report says it could return to those areas.

One of the potential reasons for a yellow fever resurgence? Global warming, because mosquitoes love warm, wet weather.

Exactly where yellow fever...

Serotonin May Play Big Role in Long COVID

New research has uncovered evidence that remnants of the COVID-19 virus may remain in some patients' guts for months, contributing to the lingering symptoms known as long COVID.

The remnants appear to trigger a drop in levels of the chemical serotonin, which may explain such symptoms as fatigue, brain fog and memory loss.

About 20% of people who have had COVID-19 infections have sy...

Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease: What Every Parent Needs to Know About This Common Illness

THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) - Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease that's highly contagious. Common in children, it spreads quickly at day care centers and schools.

This guide will tell you what you need to know about hand, foot and mouth disease, its symptoms, causes, stages and treatment.

What is hand, foot and mouth disease?

Hand, foot and mout...

COVID Might Raise Odds for Immune Disorders Like Crohn's, Alopecia

In rare cases, some patients may develop an autoimmune disease following a bout of COVID, Korean researchers report.

Conditions such as alopecia (hair loss), psoriasis, vitiligo (white skin patches), vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels), Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, adult-onset Still's disease (painful skin rash), Sjogren's syndrome (autoimmune disease...

What Is Croup? Its Symptoms and Treatment

Croup can be a scary thing for new parents to watch their babies struggle with, so here is a primer on what it is and how to best treat it.

Croup is a common respiratory illness, characterized by a narrowing of the main airway (the trachea), just below the vocal cords. It can be caused by many different viruses, including influenza, COVID-19 and RSV. However, the most common virus to caus...

Flu Shot Season Is Here: Why You (and Your Kids) Need One

It's time to get the flu shot.

They're important not just for adults, but also for children, and keeping the whole family safe, according to an expert in pediatrics.

"You never know how bad a flu season will be,"said Dr. Mona Patel, attending physician in the department of general pediatrics at Children's Hos...

Could Folks Suffer From 'Long Colds,' Similar to Long COVID?

Long COVID, a constellation of symptoms that extend past the initial illness, is now a recognized condition.

But researchers say COVID-19 may not be the only respiratory virus that causes these lasting health impacts -- "long colds" may also exist.

"Our findings shine a light not only on the impact of long COVID on people's lives, but also other respiratory infections. A lack of aw...

Antiviral Meds Could Help Ease or Prevent Type 1 Diabetes in Kids, Study Finds

Recent research has suggested that viruses could play a role in the loss of pancreatic beta cells, which triggers type 1 diabetes.

Now, a new trial finds antiviral medications, when given soon after a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, might help preserve those vital beta cells.

Antiviral drugs could be "used alone, or as part of combination treatment regimens, to rescue insu...

CDC Will Recommend an Antibiotic After Sex to Help Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is poised to recommend use of a powerful antibiotic to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

On Monday, the CDC issued dr...

Germs Love Two Skin 'Hot Spots' on Your Body

Grandma knew it all along: Certain places on the body are "hot spots" for unhealthy microbes.

That notion -- which the authors of a new study dubbed "the grandma hypothesis,"after grandma's admonitions to clean behind the ears -- was tested by students in a genomics cour...

Scientists Gain Insight Into How COVID Harms the Heart

New research shows the COVID-19 virus can directly infect coronary arteries, inflaming fatty plaque inside them, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

This may explain why some people who get COVID-19 have a greater chance of developing heart disease. It also may shed light on why those who already have heart trouble develop more heart-related complications.

"Sinc...

FDA Will Begin to Regulate Thousands of Lab Tests

Faced with growing reports of inaccurate clinical lab tests, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday announced that it will for the first time regulate these vital diagnostic tools.

Many Americans might have assumed that the FDA already had oversight of all medical tests; it does not.

However, FDA Commissioner

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • September 29, 2023
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  • COVID Triggered More Cases of Deadly Sepsis During Pandemic Than Thought

    The life-threatening infection sepsis was more common than once thought among COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic.

    Massachusetts researchers linked SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, to about 1 in 6 sepsis cases at five Boston hospitals during the pandemic's first 2-1/2 years.

    Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital said their findings suggest health care workers sho...

    Is the First Cure for Advanced Rabies Near?

    Rabies virus is incurable and almost always fatal once it has invaded the central nervous system, with the victim doomed to suffer a horrible death.

    But researchers now think they've found an effective and simple treatment that can cure even advanced cases of rabies.

    A monoclonal antibody injected into lab mice successfully protected them from a lethal dose of rabies virus, research...

    New Antibiotic Could Help Fight Resistant Staph Infections

    New research shows that an antibiotic effective for bacterial pneumonia also appears to fight treatment-resistant staph infections.

    The drug is ceftobiprole. It appeared successful in fighting methicillin-resistant staph infections, sometimes called MRSA. It showed similar benefit when tested against the antibiotic daptomycin to treat complicated Staphylococcus aureus infections....

    Blood Tests for Long COVID Could Lead to Better Treatments

    People who develop long COVID have distinct abnormalities in their immune and hormonal function that can be picked up with blood tests, researchers have found.

    In a new study of 268 patients with and without long COVID, those with the condition showed a number of biological "markers" in their blood samples.

    People with long COVID often showed signs of compromised immune function, in...

    About 1 in 14 U.S. Adults Have Had Long COVID

    One in every 14 American adults has suffered from long COVID, a new federal survey has found.

    About 7% of adults have ever had long COVID and more than 3% still have it, according to the 2022 National Health Interview Survey.

    The survey, published Tuesday as an NCHS Data Brief, also found t...

    How to Care for a New Body Piercing

    Piercings can be a fun way to express yourself, but they can also cause complications -- particularly in areas that aren't the earlobes -- and need proper care.

    "The first step to caring for your piercing is choosing a qualified piercer,"said Dr. Steven Daveluy, an associate professor and program director at Wa...

    RSV Vaccine Given in Pregnancy to Help Shield Newborns Receives Full U.S. Approval

    Women may soon have a vaccine they can take during a pregnancy to help protect their newborn from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

    Following approval one month ago by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday also approved the shot, called Abrysvo. That marks the last hurdle needed for the vaccine to become widely available.

    "T...

    U.S. Resumes Free COVID Test Program

    Americans will once again be able to get free at-home COVID tests.

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Wednesday that it will spend $600 million to buy and offer the tests, produced by 12 domestic manufacturers, and it will begin accepting orders for those tests on Monday through covidt...

    Patient-to-Patient Transmission Not to Blame for Most C. Difficile Infections in Hospitals

    A deadly infection associated with hospitalization may not be the fault of the hospital, but may instead stem from the patients themselves, a new study suggests.

    Infection caused by the bacterium Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, is still common in hospitals, despite extensive infection control procedures. The new research may help explain why that's so.

    Among mor...

    It's Time to Start Preparing Against Flu, RSV & COVID-19

    Kids are back in school and it's time to think about viruses, for both yourself and them.

    It could be an early flu season in the United States, if what happened in the Southern Hemisphere offers any insight, according to Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

    The flu vaccine is now available in some locations. A new COVID-19 booster has been approved by federal health officia...

    Can You Still Get COVID Tests for Free?

    COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are gradually increasing in the United States, as two new variants gain a foothold in the nation. And with that rise, more people are looking for COVID test kits.

    Hospitalizations rose by nearly 9% and deaths by nearly 11% in late August/early September, according to

    People Exhale Less COVID Virus as Their Infection Wanes

    When you have COVID-19, when are you most infectious? Researchers are getting closer to an answer, with a new study finding that folks exhale the highest amounts of virus during the first eight days of their illness.

    Scientists found that patients exhale quite a bit of virus during the first several days -- as many as 1,000 copies of airborne virus per minute.

    Those levels drop st...

    Yet Another Mosquito-Borne Threat: The 'Jamestown Canyon Virus'

    You've probably heard of West Nile virus, but mosquitoes spread various other illnesses, too, including the little-known Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV), which is garnering attention across the United States.

    For example, health officials in Connecticut have so far identified mosquitoes carrying JCV in 12 towns across the state. Although no confirmed human cases of the disease have occurred ...

    City Living Means More Coughs, Colds for Kids

    Two new studies looked to explain an increased risk of respiratory infections like coughs and colds in babies and young children, finding city living to be among the culprits.

    Young children who grow up in towns and cities instead of the countryside suffer more respiratory infections, according to research presented Monday at a meeting of the European Respiratory Society, in Milan, Italy....

    People Infected With Hepatitis C May Need the Hepatitis B Shot

    Patients with hepatitis C should consider being vaccinated again for hepatitis B, because their immune response to the initial shot may be inadequate, a new study suggests.

    Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School urge those who have hepatitis C to be checked for hepatitis B immune protection. If none is present, they should get the vaccine again after treating hepatitis ...

    Making Sure You Don't Get RSV This Winter: An Expert Offers Tips

    Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common viral infection that affects people of all ages, with infants and older adults being particularly vulnerable to severe complications.

    Preventing the spread of RSV requires a multi-pronged approach that includes vaccination, good hygiene practices and public health initiatives.

    You may have seen recent reports about newly approved vacci...

    • Todd A. Mahr, MD, Executive Medical Director, American College Of Allergy, Asthma And Immunology HealthDay Reporter
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    • September 7, 2023
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    Study Confirms Effectiveness of Mpox Vaccine

    While it doesn't prevent infection altogether, new research shows the mpox vaccine does reduces the severity of disease in those who fall ill from the virus.

    An international team of scientists found that those people who had either mpox vaccination or a previous infection in 2022 had less severe disease.

    The researchers studied 38 mpox infections in 37 gay and bisexual men; among ...

    CDC Warns of Rise in RSV Cases Among Young Children, Infants

    Doctors are seeing a spike in severe cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among young children in Florida and Georgia, U.S. health officials warned Tuesday.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent an advisory to doctors, noting that regional increases us...

    Many Strains of a Dangerous Foodborne Bacteria Are Now Antibiotic-Resistant

    New research on a leading cause of foodborne illness has linked a large share of Michigan infections to antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains.

    More than 100 strains of Campylobacter jejuni circulating in Michigan are resistant to at least one antibiotic, according to researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. More th...

    Warm Waters Raise Risk for Flesh-Eating Bacteria. Here's Tips to Stay Safe

    As waters warm across the United States and hurricanes and flooding season begins, the odds of being infected by flesh-eating bacteria are also rising, U.S. health officials warn.

    According to a Sept. 1 health alert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a dozen types of the bacteria called <...

    New COVID Variant May Be Less Threatening Than First Feared

    When new COVID variant BA.2.86 emerged in late July, scientists had concerns about its ability to evade immunity. But early lab tests seem to be easing those fears, as well as concerns over the variant's ability to spread widely.

    Also called Pirola, the variant is highly mutated, with more than 30 changes to its spike protein compared to its close ancestor BA.2 and to XBB.1.5, CNN

    Doctors Pulled Live Worm From Australian Woman's Brain

    Doctors plucked a wriggling roundworm from the brain of an Australian woman in the world's first-known case of human infection with a parasite common in some pythons.

    The woman, who had been experiencing worsening symptoms for at least a year, is believed to have gotten the infection from foraging and eating grasses where a snake had defecated.

    "This is the first-ever human case of ...

    Rising COVID Hospitalizations, New Variants Have Americans on Edge

    A new COVID-19 surge is underway, with seasonal changes and new variants fueling an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.

    A new Omicron variant, named Eris, has become dominant in the United States amid signs that an even more highly evolved COVID variant called BA.2.86 is starting to spread across America.

    However, experts say the public should react to this latest surge not wit...

    COVID Virus Is Evolving Three Times Faster in Deer Versus Humans

    COVID-19 variants are evolving three times faster in white-tailed deer than in humans, according to a new study.

    Deer serve as virus reservoirs, places where a virus thrives and multiplies, making them the perfect host for ongoing mutation.

    The virus also appears to be passing between humans and deer, where genomic analysis showed at least 30 infections in deer were introduced by ...

    Bus Drivers Faced High Risk of Severe COVID-19

    People working in certain jobs had greater risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19, even in the later stages of the pandemic, researchers report.

    Bus drivers rank high on that list, with double the risk of being hospitalized compared to lower-contact jobs.

    Several occupations in education and health care were also at greater risk of serious illness, the new study shows.

    "Wh...

    Sepsis Almost Killed Jake Tapper's Daughter, Alice. Now, She's Working to Keep Others Safe

    Alice Tapper felt deathly ill, suffering from severe abdominal pain, a 102-degree fever and vomiting.

    Emergency room doctors found that Alice -- the daughter of CNN anchor Jake Tapper -- had a rapid pulse of 135 beats per minute and a very high white blood cell count, indicating her body was fighting off a...

    COVID Vaccine Boosters Crucial for Some Cancer Patients: Study

    Cancer patients with immune systems weakened by treatment are among the groups most concerned about the continued spread of COVID-19 and the chance of the infection becoming severe.

    New research suggests more guidance on how often these patients need protective booster shots.

    It's not one-size-fits-all, but depends on the specific treatment, said scientists f...

    Millions More Americans May Have Long COVID Than Thought

    Millions of Americans swear they're suffering the symptoms of long-haul COVID, but are greeted with eye rolls because they never were formally diagnosed with COVID-19.

    Their claims need to be taken more seriously by physicians, a new study argues, because evidence of prior COVID infection can be found in many so-called "COVID-negative"patients with long-haul symptoms.

    At least 4 mil...

    FDA Approves RSV Vaccine for Pregnant Women to Help Shield Newborns

    Women may soon have a vaccine they can take during a pregnancy to help protect their newborn from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), following U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the shot, called Abrysvo, on Monday

    The vaccine is designed to be given to pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy as a way to protect infants from birth through 6 months from the sometimes ...

    Maryland Reports Case of Locally Acquired Malaria

    There's been another case of locally acquired malaria in the United States, this time in Maryland, authorities report.

    It's the first time this has happened in that state in 40 years.

    No evidence connects this case to seven locally acquired infections in Florida or another one in Texas that were previously reported, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....

    Does Prior Omicron Infection Shield Against Future Infection? Maybe Not

    People may assume that a COVID-19 infection protects them the next time they encounter the virus, but that's not necessarily true.

    A new study of 750 vaccinated seniors living in retirement homes and long-term care facilities found that those infected during the first omicron wave were actually more vulnerable to reinfection with a later wave.

    "This research highlights the need for...

    Flesh-Eating Bacteria Kills 3 People in Connecticut, New York

    Public health officials are warning people about the risks of flesh-eating bacterial infections and how to avoid them after the deaths of three older adults on the northeast coast.

    Two of the deaths from vibriosis -- an illness caused by the vibrio vulnificus bacteria -- occurred in Connecticut residents. Two of the illnesses were connected to wound infections, news agencies reported...

    U.S. COVID Hospitalizations Rise for Fourth Straight Week

    New hospitalizations for Americans with severe COVID are climbing once again.

    The number of patients being admitted to hospitals has grown for each of the past four weeks, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows. Southeastern states have been hit the hardest.

    In...

    Pediatricians' Group Urges That All Infants Get New RSV Shot

    All infants should receive the new long-acting preventive monoclonal antibody for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the nation's leading pediatrics group said.

    The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urged that access to the new medication, called nirsevimab, be equitable.

    RSV is common, contagious and sometimes deadly, the AAP said.

    The antibody boosts the immune system.