A rare but deadly mosquito virus infection has Massachusetts towns urging vigilance

A rare but deadly mosquito virus infection has Massachusetts towns urging vigilance

A rare but deadly disease spread by mosquitoes has one town in Massachusetts closing its parks and fields each evening. Four other towns are urging people to avoid going outdoors at night. They’re concerned about eastern equine encephalitis. State health officials announced last week a man in his 80s had caught the disease, the first … Read more

USDA efforts to solve the bird flu outbreak in cows are taking center stage in central Iowa

USDA efforts to solve the bird flu outbreak in cows are taking center stage in central Iowa

AMES, Iowa — At first glance, it looks like an unassuming farm. Cows are scattered across fenced-in fields. A milking barn sits in the distance with a tractor parked alongside. But the people who work there are not farmers, and other buildings look more like what you’d find at a modern university than in a … Read more

Congo reports more than 1,000 new mpox cases in a week. African authorities ask for vaccines

Congo reports more than 1,000 new mpox cases in a week. African authorities ask for vaccines

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Congo reported more than 1,000 new mpox cases in the last week up to Tuesday as African health authorities asked for desperately needed vaccines to help fight its “growing” threat on the continent. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreaks in Africa a global emergency. Mpox belongs to the … Read more

Congo says it will receive its first mpox vaccines next week to address new global emergency

Congo says it will receive its first mpox vaccines next week to address new global emergency

KINSHASA, Congo — Congo will receive the first vaccine doses to address its mpox outbreak next week from the United States, the country’s health minister said Monday, days after the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in Africa a global emergency. Mpox cases have been confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen … Read more

Sweden reports 1st case of more infectious form of mpox first identified in Congo

Sweden reports 1st case of more infectious form of mpox first identified in Congo

LONDON — Swedish health officials said Thursday they have identified the first case of a person with the more infectious form of mpox first seen in eastern Congo, a day after the World Health Organization declared the outbreaks there and elsewhere in Africa to be a global emergency. The Swedish public health agency said in … Read more

Cholera outbreak in Sudan has killed at least 22 people, health minister says

Cholera outbreak in Sudan has killed at least 22 people, health minister says

CAIRO — Sudan has been stricken by a cholera outbreak that has killed nearly two dozen people and sickened hundreds more in recent weeks, health authorities said Sunday. The African nation has been roiled by a 16-month conflict and devastating floods. Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement that at least 22 people … Read more

Bird flu restrictions cause heartache for 4-H kids unable to show off livestock at fairs across US

Bird flu restrictions cause heartache for 4-H kids unable to show off livestock at fairs across US

EVART, Mich. — Alison Smith stared at the virtually empty dairy barn inside the Osceola County Fairgrounds, once bustling with teens and preteens preparing to show their prized animals but now eerily silent as an invisible virus once again interfered with a cherished summertime rite. Smith, a 16-year-old from the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area, had … Read more

Congo’s humanitarian crisis helped mpox spiral again into a global health emergency

Congo’s humanitarian crisis helped mpox spiral again into a global health emergency

GOMA, Congo — Sarah Bagheni had a headache, fever, and itchy and unusual skin lesions for days, but she had no inkling that her symptoms might have been caused by mpox and that she might be another case in a growing global health emergency. She also has no idea where to go to get medical … Read more

88-year-old victim in deli meat outbreak underscores risks for those most vulnerable

88-year-old victim in deli meat outbreak underscores risks for those most vulnerable

A lifelong lover of liverwurst, Sue Fleming relished the smoked sausage her husband brought home every few weeks from the grocery store deli. Patrick Fleming always made sure to buy Boar’s Head braunschweiger, the type she liked best, even though it could be costlier than other brands. “My whole family loves braunschweiger,” Sue Fleming said. … Read more

Mpox has been declared a public health emergency in Africa. What is it and what’s the WHO doing?

Mpox has been declared a public health emergency in Africa. What is it and what’s the WHO doing?

LONDON — The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared this week that the increasing spread of mpox across the continent is a health emergency, warning the virus might ultimately spill across international borders. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization is convening its own expert meeting to consider making a similar emergency declaration over … Read more