TAMPA, Fla. — According to doctors, meningococcal disease is extremely dangerous. “It’s in a total league of its own,” said Dr. Jill Roberts, Associate Professor for the USF College of Public Health. “70% of people who are untreated will die of the disease. With treatment 10% will still die of the disease.” That’s why the … Read more
Yesterday, a CDC panel discussed whether smallpox vaccines should be offered more widely as a preventive measure against monkeypox. The panel made no decision. But getting those shots into patients’ arms—and particularly gay and bisexual men’s arms—is an urgent matter. Since May 13, more than 3,300 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 58 countries … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating “one of the worst outbreaks of meningococcal disease among gay and bisexual men in US history” after at least 24 cases and six deaths were reported in Florida. In a Wednesday press release, the CDC described a serogroup C meningococcal outbreak primarily spreading among gay, … Read more
Officials have detected a fourth likely case of monkeypox in Sacramento County, the local health office announced Monday morning. “Public Health has identified a fourth presumptive Monkeypox case through contact tracing,” county health spokeswoman Samantha Mott said in an emailed statement. If confirmed, it would be the sixth case of the virus statewide since May … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a travel advisory on the scale of “alert level 2” for travelers to “practice enhanced precautions” amid the monkeypox outbreak. The advisory warns travelers to avoid: Close contact with sick people, including those with skin lesions or genital lesions. Contact with dead or live … Read more
The Florida Department of Health in Broward County announced one presumptive case of monkeypox in Broward County on Sunday. Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus, part of the same family as smallpox, though typically less severe. DOH-Broward and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the case, which officials … Read more
May 3, 2022 — The worldwide outbreak of acute hepatitis in children totals nearly 200 cases in 16 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified more than 20 severe cases in the United States, specifically in Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, New York, and North Carolina. In Wisconsin, one infant died of the disease. Of the … Read more
Americans are abandoning their masks. They’re done with physical distancing. And, let’s face it, some people are just never going to get vaccinated. Yet a lot can still be done to prevent covid infections and curb the pandemic. A growing coalition of epidemiologists and aerosol scientists say that improved ventilation could be a powerful tool … Read more
A photomicrograph of the bacteria “Neisseria meningitidis” recovered from the urethra of an asymptomatic male and magnified. The bacteria causes meningococcal disease, a serious disease that is spiking in Florida, state health officials say. So far this year Florida has confirmed 21 cases of meningococcal disease, far outpacing annual averages, said state health officials, who … Read more