Contagious Diseases

CDC Flu Data Suggests Peaking…Google Flu Trends Not So Much…Either Way, Lots of Flu Going Around!

The entire United States is on fire with the flu.  Looking at either the CDC Flu Weekly or the Google Flu Trends map will tell you that however CDC lab value data suggests that perhaps the flu has peaked. The synopsis from the CDC for “week two” notes that influenza activity remained elevated in the United States, but decreased in some areas. During week 2 (January 6-12), Viral Surveillance: Of 12,360 specimens tested and reported by [...]

Going to A State Fair? Careful…Today CDC Recommends Precautions When Interacting with Pigs, 18-29 New Cases of H3N2v Virus Infection

Today CDC issued a “CDC ADVISORY”…CDC reports 12 additional human infections with influenza A (H3N2) variant* virus in 3 states: Hawaii (1 case), Ohio (10 cases) and Indiana (1 case). The H3N2v virus contains the M gene from the human influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 (2009 H1N1) virus, as have the previous 17 cases detected since July 2011. All of this week’s reported cases occurred in people who had direct or indirect contact with swine prior to their [...]

MIT researchers have analyzed airport hubs that will be key to spreading a virulent disease – can you guess the top three?

My kinda research report…I just arrived in Honolulu tonight to work for the next four days and I get an email from a friend who sends me the link to this story…I love it! Apparently MIT researchers have analyzed which airport hubs would be key to spreading a virulent disease.  In a paper published July 23 in the journal PLoS One, these researchers outlined a new computer model that predicts how the 40 largest American [...]

On the Road Again…Thinking About The Buddies You Can Pick Up Along The Way… Zillions of Germs!

A few months later, I was lying in bed on a Sunday reading the New York Times travel section and there was a story about volunteer trips to Mongolia restoring Buddhist monasteries damaged during the Russian period.  I said to myself, that is how I am going.  And go I did.  It was an amazing trip and I was forever changed and fell in love with this amazing land. This time I am going as [...]

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