Monoclonal Antibodies No Longer Effective Against New Strains of SARS-CoV-2
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 […]
Polio Case in New York Caused by “Vaccine-Derived” Poliovirus
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). […]
‘COVID-19 Rebound’ May Be Worse Than Initial COVID Illness
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 […]
WHO to Rename Monkeypox Virus to Prevent Stigma Associated with the Virus
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 […]
CDC Distributing Monkeypox Vaccines Nationwide While Raising Monkeypox Travel Alert to Level 2
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 […]
More Monkeypox Cases Identified as Roche is Ready With PCR Tests
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 […]