Seasonal influenza vaccines are updated every year, depending on what strains are circulating globally, leaving many people—especially those who still contracted COVID-19 after 2 booster shots—wondering why vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 haven’t changed as variants have come and gone. Currently available COVID-19 vaccines are based on the spike protein of Wuhan-Hu-1, […]
Food safety regulators in the United States and Canada are investigating a Hepatitis A outbreak potentially linked to tainted organic strawberries that has sickened 17 people in the United States and 10 in Canada, the agencies said. Fifteen illnesses were reported in California, and one each in Minnesota and North […]
Antibiotics are ineffective treatment for viral syndromes, including COVID-19. We characterized antibiotic prescribing in older adults with outpatient COVID-19 visits to identify opportunities to improve prescribing practices. Methods We used 100% Medicare carrier claims and Part D event files to identify beneficiaries with a COVID-19 outpatient visit and associated antibiotic […]
In a Spanish cohort study, adding remdesivir reduced mortality and progression to mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients with high viral loads and low-grade inflammation. Initiating remdesivir within 5 to 7 days of developing COVID-19 symptoms maximizes this agent’s benefits by targeting the viral phase of illness before the onset of […]
Emergence and Evolution of H5N1 Bird Flu (Text Version) [illustration of different bird types] 1996-1997 H5N1 bird flu viruses first detected In 1996, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus is first identified in domestic waterfowl in Southern China. The virus is named A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996. In 1997, H5N1 poultry outbreaks happen in […]
España La población de 0 a 19 años de edad suma un total de 9’219.654 personas, lo que representa 19,4% de la población total. La población del grupo de edad de 5 a 11 años es de 3’355.137, es decir, 7% de la población total, según el Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) de España. […]
Fidaxomicin (Fificid) emerged favorable to vancomycin for the treatment of both initial and recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections in a Medicare population, according to a new retrospective study. Although fidaxomicin was about 14% more effective than vancomycin in treating the initial infection, a larger difference of 30% was found among people with recurrent C difficile infections. Lead investigator […]
A small study conducted in Germany takes a step toward quantifying the COVID risk of gyms and fitness clubs. Scientists have known since early in the pandemic that COVID is usually spread in the air by aerosol particles expelled by infected people, and the harder people breathe — as when […]
Welcome to Impact Factor, your weekly dose of commentary on a new medical study. I’m Dr F. Perry Wilson of the Yale School of Medicine. SARS-CoV-2 is a strange virus, and not only because it is so novel. The variability in clinical presentation and outcome is still perplexing; the emergence of […]
The FDA, along with CDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, state, and local partners are investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States and Canada potentially linked to fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo and HEB, purchased between March […]
