There is a difference between dying from COVID-19 and dying with COVID-19. The number of people dying with the disease may be significantly greater than those dying from it. A recent article by CNN medical analyst and Washington Post columnist Dr. Leana Wen made the distinction between dying from COVID and dying with COVID. Dr. […]
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries in Africa were praised for controlling the pandemic by implementing traditional public health strategies to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, despite having underdeveloped and fragile public heath systems. With a population of more than one billion people, the African continent appears to have been […]
In the last few months, parents and caregivers of children have struggled to find over-the-counter and prescription medications used to treat common childhood illnesses like influenza, ear infections and sore throats for their sick children.1 2 The four medications reportedly in short supply are Amoxicillin (an antibiotic), Tamiflu (an antiviral), Albuterol (a bronchodilator) and children’s Tylenol […]
Findings from a new study, which was conducted by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the United Kingdom to determine whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus can survive on food and food packaging, found evidence that survival of the virus varied depended on the type of foods and food packaging examined.1 In 2020, it was determined that […]
Monoclonal antibodies, which are synthetic versions of antibodies that are produced in a lab, appear to have lost effectiveness against COVID-19 disease as new variants of the virus emerge. Previously touted as the top-of-the-line outpatient treatment by public health officials and many clinicians, monoclonal antibodies have fallen out of favor as outpatient treatment for patients […]
Opinion | The first reported case of polio in the United States since 2013 was confirmed in New York last week. According to New York health officials, a young adult in Rockland County contracted type 2 “vaccine-derived” poliovirus (VDPV2), which may have been transmitted by someone who received the Sabin live attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV). […]
On May 24, 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory to health care providers, public health departments and the general public regarding Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid, designed to treat symptoms of COVID-19. The advisory warns that some people who take Paxlovid may experience a recurrence of COVID symptoms […]
On June 14, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it would rename the monkeypox virus after a group of scientists expressed the opinion that the name “monkeypox” is stigmatizing.1 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the WHO, said that the United Nations organization is working with partners and the scientific community around […]
On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its monkeypox travel alert to Level 2, warning Americans to “Practice Enhanced Precautions.”1 The agency stated that monkeypox cases have been rising in at least 29 countries, with 1,019 infections reported to date. Currently, the United States has confirmed 31 cases […]
There had been 584 confirmed cases of monkeypox virus in 26 countries as of May 31, 2022.1 The largest outbreak is in the United Kingdom where 190 people are infected with the virus, followed by Spain with 132 people infected, and Portugal with 100 people infected. Before this year, monkeypox in humans was thought to […]