Tag: virus

What We Know about COVID-19 Variants

Information about the characteristics of Covid-19 variants is rapidly emerging. Scientists are working to learn more about how easily these variants might spread, whether they could cause more severe illness, and whether currently authorized vaccines will protect people against them. At this time, in January 2021, there is no evidence that these variants cause more… Continue reading What We Know about COVID-19 Variants

COVID-19 Testing Basics

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working to address the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and keep you and your family informed on the latest developments. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions from consumers about testing: Q: Is there a test for COVID-19? A: Yes. The FDA has authorized two different types… Continue reading COVID-19 Testing Basics

Scams and COVID-19

To the stresses of the COVID-19 epidemic – fear of contracting the illness, working remotely, trying to balance parenthood and job – you can now add the possibility of being duped by unscrupulous sellers looking to make money from the crisis. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the cost of pandemic-related consumer fraud is… Continue reading Scams and COVID-19

New Coronavirus Stays for Hours on Surfaces

The virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University scientists in The New England Journal of Medicine. The scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was… Continue reading New Coronavirus Stays for Hours on Surfaces

Scientists Testing Possible COVID-19 Vaccine

A Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating an investigational vaccine designed to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has begun at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) in Seattle, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding… Continue reading Scientists Testing Possible COVID-19 Vaccine

What You Should Know about This Year’s Flu Vaccine

Influenza – commonly known as the flu – is a serious and potentially fatal virus that causes familiar symptoms like fever, coughing and muscle aches, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can also lead to far graver complications like pneumonia, bronchitis and even death in some cases. Mayo, in an article released on its news… Continue reading What You Should Know about This Year’s Flu Vaccine

How Viruses Reproduce: A Better Understanding

Researchers are drawing closer to discovering exactly what drives DNA into a virus during replication – and a better understanding of that viral reproduction could help fight infectious pathogens. Researchers the the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Columbia University, reported their finding in The Journal… Continue reading How Viruses Reproduce: A Better Understanding

A New Effort against the Zika Virus

A group of Mayo Clinic researchers will begin work on developing a vaccine to protect against the Zika virus, according to the medical facility. “My team [the Vaccine Research Group] is starting on this immediately,” says Mayo vaccinologist Gregory Poland, M.D. “We will be collaborating with the Butantan Institute in Brazil and its director Jorge… Continue reading A New Effort against the Zika Virus

What You Can Do to Treat Shingles

Shingles is a skin disease that causes pain, burning, itching, and a rash that erupts into blisters.  According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, almost 1 out of every 3 people in the United States will develop shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster, in their lifetime. The CDC says there are an… Continue reading What You Can Do to Treat Shingles

A Test for Whether Antibiotics Are Needed

Researchers at Duke Health are fine-tuning a test that can determine whether a respiratory illness is caused by infection from a virus or bacteria so that antibiotics can be more precisely prescribed. A release from Duke reports that the team of infectious disease and genomics experts has developed what they call gene signatures, patterns that… Continue reading A Test for Whether Antibiotics Are Needed

A Link Between Some Brain Conditions and the Herpes Virus

Researchers have drawn closer to explaining the link between some neurologic condition and certain species of the herpes virus. In patients with Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and cerebellar ataxia, among other neuropathies, the cerebrospinal fluid teems with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Yet, the nature of that link has remained unclear, as it has been assumed that… Continue reading A Link Between Some Brain Conditions and the Herpes Virus

Warts: Not Just for Witches

Warts aren’t just for witches and goblins. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, regular people can get them, too, especially children, teens, people who frequently bite their nails, and people with a weakened immune system. Although warts can grow anywhere on the skin, they are most common on people’s hands and feet, the AAD… Continue reading Warts: Not Just for Witches

Fighting Mosquito-Borne Viruses

For most of us, mosquito bites are as much a part of summer as backyard barbecues. But bites from these bugs can be more than a mere annoyance. They could make you very sick. The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) emphasizes that whether you’re staying at home or traveling within the U.S. or abroad,… Continue reading Fighting Mosquito-Borne Viruses

New Hope for Treating Brain Diseases

Researchers have found that an antiviral compound may protect the brain from invading pathogens. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis, demonstrated that the compound, interferon-lambda, tightens the blood-barrier, making it harder for the virus to invade. The blood-brain barrier is a natural defense system that is supposed to keep pathogens out… Continue reading New Hope for Treating Brain Diseases

Advice from a Dermatologist: Treating Cold Sores At Home

Cold sores – small blisters on the lip or around the mouth – are surprisingly common. According to the American Academy of Dermatologists (AAD), more than half of Americans age 14 to 49 have the virus that causes the sores. If the virus reactivates, or “wakes up,” the AAD says, you could get the sores.… Continue reading Advice from a Dermatologist: Treating Cold Sores At Home

Dogs May Be Able To Transmit Human Norovirus

Because the human norovirus can affect canines, it’s possible that dogs themselves can give the virus to humans, according to new research. The finding was published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. Norovirus is the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States, according to the… Continue reading Dogs May Be Able To Transmit Human Norovirus

The Protein That Zaps Toxins

Researchers from Ohio State have discovered how a small protein in the immune system can disable dangerous bacterial toxins. The toxins have surfaces that help the bacteria to stay alive. At the same time, though, the pliability of the surfaces make the toxins vulnerable to the immune-system proteins called defensins. Defensins, peptides that consist of… Continue reading The Protein That Zaps Toxins