Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases
Rat-Related Disease Kills 1, Bronx Residents Angered by Infestation (
NPR: the two way) A neighborhood in the Bronx is being targeted by New York City health department officials after one person died and 2 others became severely ill from contracting a rare disease transmitted by rats. The disease is called leptospirosis and it commonly occurs through exposure to rat urine. It can be treated with antibiotics.
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Government Affairs & National Security
Global Health Security
Taiwan Halts Poultry Movement/Slaughter for 7 Days Due to H5N6 (
Avian Flu Diary) With Taiwan's poultry sector still reeling from 2015's H5Nx epizootic, which spread to more than 1,000 farms and saw the loss of more than 5 million birds, the discovery 10 days ago that the highly virulent HPAI H5N6 virus had arrived on the island understandably set off alarm bells.
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Inference and Forecast of H7N9 Influenza in China, 2013 to 2015 (
Eurosurveillance) The recent emergence of A(H7N9) avian influenza poses a significant challenge to public health in China and around the world; however, understanding of the transmission dynamics and progression of influenza A(H7N9) infection in domestic poultry, as well as spillover transmission to humans, remains limited.
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Medicine & Public Health
Global Rapid Responders -- Our Boots on the Ground Defense (
CDC) New microbes are emerging and spreading, drug resistance is rising, and limited biosafety and security measures in laboratories around the world make the intentional or unintentional release of dangerous microbes easier. Global travel and trade increase the chance and speed of these risks.
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Mystery Nodding Syndrome May Be Triggered by Parasitic Worm (
Science) Between 1990 and 2013, thousands of children in war-torn South Sudan and northern Uganda suddenly developed a severe and puzzling form of epilepsy. When exposed to food or cold temperatures, affected children nodded their heads uncontrollably. But the cause of the devastation was a mystery. Now, a study finds that a parasitic worm often found in the children might trigger the body's own defenses to attack neurons.
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Ebola Virus RNA in Semen from an HIV-Positive Survivor of Ebola (
Emerging Infectious Diseases) Ebola virus is known to persist in semen of male survivors of Ebola virus disease (EVD). However, maximum duration of, or risk factors for, virus persistence are unknown. We report an EVD survivor with preexisting HIV infection, whose semen was positive for Ebola virus RNA 565 days after recovery from EVD.
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Science & Technology
What the CRISPR Patent Decision Means for Gene Editing (
The Atlantic) The biotech trial of the century is over--for now. On Wednesday, the US Patent and Trademark Office decided in favor of the Broad Institute, which has been battling the University of California for the patent over CRISPR, a widely hyped gene-editing technique with applications in human medicine, agriculture, and beyond. The ruling lets the Broad's original CRISPR patents stand.
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Other 21st Century Threats
