In The News: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
As cold and flu season approaches, the situation is becoming more complex with the recent emergence of the new COVID-19 variant, XEC. COVID-19 and knowledge of its exact properties have evolved quite a bit, with different strains and variants (and many different names) surfacing. Government agencies are not officially tracking this latest new variant, but healthcare providers and researchers are monitoring the potential health risk. Here’s what you need to know.
When you check into a hotel, you usually get a feeling of comfort. The beds are made, there are fresh towels in the bathroom and little gifts to welcome you. The long-awaited vacation is finally beginning. But a hotel stay can also turn out differently. According to experts, many viruses and bacteria lurk in hotel rooms. In this context, epidemiologist Brian Labus points to a very specific object: the ice bucket. What's behind it and how you can protect yourself.
Did that little buzzer just vomit on your meal? It's even weirder than that. Here's exactly what happens when a fly lands on your food. Nobody likes flies buzzing around or—blech!—landing on food. It’s disgusting, for sure, but is it harmful? A study on what happens when a fly lands on your food found it’s more than gross: It’s germy.
Getting ready for a vacation is one of the most exciting things there is. Planning your itinerary, picking out your outfits and packing your bags all help to put you in that fabulous out-of-office mode. But what about when you get to your destination and it’s time to unpack those bags? Well, that’s where things get a bit more complicated.
In 1955, a 24-year-old who worked in the forests of Trinidad and Tobago, near the Oropouche River, became the first human on record to contract the fever-inducing ‘sloth virus’ or Oropouche virus. While the virus is endemic to the Amazon basin, it is now spreading globally.
In 1955, a 24-year-old who worked in the forests of Trinidad and Tobago, near the Oropouche River, became the first human on record to contract the fever-inducing ‘sloth virus’ or Oropouche virus. While the virus is endemic to the Amazon basin, it is now spreading globally.
A mysterious virus endemic in parts of South America is spreading outside the region for the first time - and it's concerning virologists. For decades, Oropouche virus was confined to areas close to the Amazon. The first human case was discovered in the village of Oropouche in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955.
The U.S. is in the midst of the largest COVID-19 wave we’ve seen since July 2022, according to CDC data. And, compared to the rest of the US, Western states are experiencing the biggest bump in wastewater COVID levels, with our region showing levels almost twice as high as the next highest region, the South.
A new virus has emerged in the U.S. and though it has a cuddly name, it's not one to take lightly. Oropouche virus, which is also sometimes called "sloth fever," has the potential to be deadly.
The pandemic may be officially over, but many people are still being affected by the COVID virus. Not only are people continuing to get it (in fact, the Food and Drug Administration may greenlight updated COVID vaccines this week), some people are experiencing lingering symptoms that just won’t go away.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an update on Europe's prospect of another lockdown as mpox spreads like wildfire. Mpox is a viral disease that causes fluid-filled skin lesions, fever and in severe cases, death. A dangerous new variant, called Clade 1b, is gripping parts of Central and West Africa. It is also spreading beyond the continent.
An alarming new strain of mpox, known as Clade 1, is feared to be spreading undetected in the UK, experts have warned. This comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency and Swedish authorities confirmed Europe's first human case.