Category: Infectious Disease
Washington streamlines guidance for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses
The Washington State Department of Health announced updated guidance for what to do when someone is sick with COVID-19, flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other respiratory viruses.
What is ‘fried rice syndrome’? A microbiologist explains this type of food poisoning – and how to avoid it
Enzo Palombo, Swinburne University of Technology A condition dubbed “fried rice syndrome” has caused some panic online in recent days, after the case of a 20-year-old who died in 2008 was resurfaced on TikTok. “Fried rice syndrome” refers to food…
Tuberculosis cases rise, but public health agencies say they lack the resources to keep up
People think tuberculosis is gone. … It’s here and growing.
Italian-style charcuterie meats linked to Salmonella infections in Washington
State health-officials advise people not to eat Fratelli Beretta Antipasto Gran Beretta purchased from Costco
Viewpoint: Restricting Obese Women From IVF Is Discriminatory
Fertility clinics bar women with obesity from their services, despite the lack of medical evidence for doing so.
This Thanksgiving − and on any holiday − these steps will help prevent foodborne illness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 in 6 Americans, or 48 million people, get sick from a foodborne illness each year. According to the CDC, more than 1 million of these people get sick from salmonella, which is the primary pathogen associated with poultry.
Immune health is all about balance – an immunologist explains why both too strong and too weak an immune response can lead to illness
Many social media posts push supplements and other life hacks that “boost your immune system” to keep you healthy and fend off illness. However, these claims are not based on science and what is known about immune function. Healthy immune systems don’t need to be “boosted.” Instead, the immune system works best when it is perfectly balanced.
What is ‘fried rice syndrome’? A microbiologist explains this type of food poisoning – and how to avoid it
A condition dubbed “fried rice syndrome” has caused some panic online in recent days, after the case of a 20-year-old who died in 2008 was resurfaced on TikTok.
“Fried rice syndrome” refers to food poisoning from a bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which becomes a risk when cooked food is left at room temperature for too long.
The 20-year-old college student died after reportedly eating spaghetti that he cooked, left out of the fridge, and then reheated and ate five days later. Although death is rare, B. cereus can cause gastrointestinal illness if food isn’t stored properly. Here’s what to know and how to protect yourself.
Fall Covid-19 Update
Will there be a new surge?
Who should get the new mRNA vaccines?
Are they safe and effective?
‘We could eradicate malaria by 2040’ says expert after revolutionary vaccine is approved by WHO
Malaria is very high on the list of diseases we want to eradicate. I don’t think it’s going to happen in five years or 10 years, but it should happen in something like 15 years. So 2040 would be a reasonable target.
CDC Recommends Updated COVID-19 Vaccine for Fall/Winter Virus Season
Vaccination remains the best protection against COVID-19-related hospitalization and death. Vaccination also reduces your chance of suffering the effects of Long COVID, which can develop during or following acute infection and last for an extended duration. If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past 2 months, get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself this fall and winter.
COVID-19 vaccine boosters are the best defence: Older adults shouldn’t rely on previous infection for immunity
We found that those who had battled the BA.1-2 variant of Omicron in early 2022 had a 30-fold higher risk of contracting the BA.5 variant later in the year. That was exactly the opposite of what we, or anyone, would have predicted. What the findings do tell us is that older adults who have had a previous COVID-19 infection shouldn’t rely on that to protect them against reinfection this fall. To protect against severe illness, keeping booster shots up to date is recommended.
Activist Misuses Federal Data to Make False Claim That Covid Vaccines Killed 676,000
There is no evidence that covid vaccines have killed Americans in large numbers, let alone 676,000. We rate the claim Pants on Fire!
Hantavirus Case Reported in King County
Hantavirus can cause a rare but deadly disease called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). In Washington state, hantavirus is spread by deer mice.
Death counts remain high in some states even as COVID fatalities wane
Fatalities from other causes such as traffic accidents, murders and overdoses are still on the rise.