The Latest Breaking News from Disease

Editing fetal genomes is on the horizon

Why ethical discussions with the target communities should happen sooner rather than later

Salon · Aug 17, 2024

What do we know about the resurgence of mpox in Africa?

Cases of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, have been detected in Sweden and Pakistan, just days after the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency in response to the resurgence of cases in Africa. The current outbreak is centered on the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the disease has…

France 24 · Aug 17, 2024

How far has mpox spread and how can you protect yourself?

Sweden and Pakistan have both reported cases of mpox days after the WHO declared the virus an ’emergency’.

Al Jazeera · Aug 17, 2024

Can Mpox become the new Covid? Here's how the infection is spreading in the current outbreak

A deadly new strain of mpox that emerged in Central Africa has spread in the continent and beyond. This year's major outbreak started with Democratic Republic of Congo - killing at least 450 people - and spread to other areas in Central and East Africa. The Clade 1B strain that…

The Times of India · Aug 16, 2024

Europe Warned To Prepare For Mpox As Pakistan Reports First Case

Health authorities warned Europe Friday to get ready for more cases of a deadly strain of mpox that has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

International Business Times · Aug 16, 2024

Banana apocalypse, part 2 – a genomicist explains the tricky genetics of the fungus devastating bananas worldwide

Did you know that the bananas you eat today are not the same type as the ones people were eating a few generations ago? The banana you might have had with your breakfast today is a variety called the Cavendish banana, while the one that was in grocery stores up…

The Conversation · Aug 16, 2024

WHO reports 300 cholera deaths in Sudan, warns dengue and meningitis rising

More than 25 million people across the country face acute hunger as well as outbreaks of disease due to civil war.

Al Jazeera · Aug 16, 2024

Editing fetal genomes is on the horizon − a medical anthropologist explains why ethical discussions with the target communities should happen sooner rather than later

With their primary goal to advance scientific knowledge, most scientists are not trained or incentivized to think through the societal implications of the technologies they are developing. Even in genomic medicine, which is geared toward benefiting future patients, time and funding pressures make real-time ethics oversight difficult.

The Conversation · Aug 16, 2024

West Nile virus season returns − a medical epidemiologist explains how it’s transmitted and how you can avoid it

West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne illness in the continental U.S., with an average of 2,464 reported cases per year.

The Conversation · Aug 16, 2024

Mpox outbreak in Africa was neglected

Other examples of neglected diseases include the West Nile, Zika and Chikungunya viruses

Salon · Aug 16, 2024