In The News: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
We all remember the days of strict COVID rules, like wearing a mask and keeping a six-foot distance from others. But as COVID has become less dangerous for most people and more ubiquitous, doctors and public health officials aren鈥檛 as emphatic about virus-related recommendations as they used to be.
The McDonald鈥檚 slogan may be 鈥淚鈥檓 lovin鈥 it,鈥 but many customers can鈥檛 say the same 鈥 at least, not after a foodborne illness outbreak at the chain led many to press pause on their regular fast food runs. Now McDonald鈥檚 is hoping to bring diners back 鈥 leading many to wonder if it鈥檚 actually safe to head to the Golden Arches once more.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been about five times as many cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, this year compared to October 2023. In fact, in a recent surveillance report for the week ending October 12, the CDC reported 18,506 cases.
It鈥檚 easy to confuse ladybugs with Asian lady beetles. Both have bright, colorful shells with black spots. Both help to brighten up your garden. And regardless of which one you encounter, you should be happy to see them outside doing what they do best鈥攅ating aphids and other unwanted bugs.
As cold and flu season approaches, the situation is becoming more complex with the recent emergence of the new COVID-19 variant, XEC. COVID-19 and knowledge of its exact properties have evolved quite a bit, with different strains and variants (and many different names) surfacing. Government agencies are not officially tracking this latest new variant, but healthcare providers and researchers are monitoring the potential health risk. Here鈥檚 what you need to know.
When you check into a hotel, you usually get a feeling of comfort. The beds are made, there are fresh towels in the bathroom and little gifts to welcome you. The long-awaited vacation is finally beginning. But a hotel stay can also turn out differently. According to experts, many viruses and bacteria lurk in hotel rooms. In this context, epidemiologist Brian Labus points to a very specific object: the ice bucket. What's behind it and how you can protect yourself.
Did that little buzzer just vomit on your meal? It's even weirder than that. Here's exactly what happens when a fly lands on your food. Nobody likes flies buzzing around or鈥攂lech!鈥攍anding on food. It鈥檚 disgusting, for sure, but is it harmful? A study on what happens when a fly lands on your food found it鈥檚 more than gross: It鈥檚 germy.
Getting ready for a vacation is one of the most exciting things there is. Planning your itinerary, picking out your outfits and packing your bags all help to put you in that fabulous out-of-office mode. But what about when you get to your destination and it鈥檚 time to unpack those bags? Well, that鈥檚 where things get a bit more complicated.
In 1955, a 24-year-old who worked in the forests of Trinidad and Tobago, near the Oropouche River, became the first human on record to contract the fever-inducing 鈥榮loth virus鈥 or Oropouche virus. While the virus is endemic to the Amazon basin, it is now spreading globally.
In 1955, a 24-year-old who worked in the forests of Trinidad and Tobago, near the Oropouche River, became the first human on record to contract the fever-inducing 鈥榮loth virus鈥 or Oropouche virus. While the virus is endemic to the Amazon basin, it is now spreading globally.
A mysterious virus endemic in parts of South America is spreading outside the region for the first time - and it's concerning virologists. For decades, Oropouche virus was confined to areas close to the Amazon. The first human case was discovered in the village of Oropouche in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955.
The U.S. is in the midst of the largest COVID-19 wave we鈥檝e seen since July 2022, according to CDC data. And, compared to the rest of the US, Western states are experiencing the biggest bump in wastewater COVID levels, with our region showing levels almost twice as high as the next highest region, the South.