In a nutshell… This article reports on a recent virtual workshop on the airborne transmission of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Based on the state of knowledge of this mode of virus transmission, experts outlined recommendations for modifying human behavior and indoor spaces to help avoid coronavirus infection. Still image from a “shadowgraph” video of the respiratory
In a nutshell… This article presents recommendations on using public restrooms safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These include classic infection control measures, such as good hand hygiene, as well as strategies unique to avoiding the coronavirus, including wearing face masks to avoid its transmission through airborne droplets. As we venture out of our
A Hepatitis A outbreak centered on homeless and illicit drug-using populations in the County of San Diego, California, has prompted a public health emergency. Headline-grabbing responses by local officials describe washing the streets and sidewalks with chlorine bleach solution, aggressively vaccinating the vulnerable populations, and distributing personal hygiene kits. What caused this local outbreak and
As summertime approaches and vulnerable areas of the US warm up, concerns over the potential spread of Zika virus are on the rise. The virus is spread mainly through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, but also can be transmitted sexually. Zika virus is associated with birth defects (microcephaly) in infants of infected
Yellow fever, a deadly scourge transmitted by mosquitoes that has impacted the course of human history time and time again, is on the rise in Latin America. The first yellow fever death in Brazil in 17 years occurred in January 2017, when a young person who worked in the jungle succumbed to the disease. A
“Ground zero” for the first likely cases of locally transmitted Zika virus in the US has been identified as a one-mile square patch in the Wynwood neighborhood north of downtown Miami. The virus has not yet been found in local mosquitoes, but Florida Department of Health officials are aggressively implementing disease and environmental surveillance while city
Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection. Sepsis causes inflammation throughout the body, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sepsis is a serious complication of septicemia, also known as bacteremia or blood poisoning. Septicemia occurs when a
Mosquito borne illnesses have played a significant role the course of human history and continue to have repercussions on human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls the mosquito the “greatest menace” of all disease-transmitting insects, responsible for several million deaths and hundreds of millions of cases every year. Malaria alone, transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes,
What causes a bacterium that is ubiquitous in soil, rivers, water reservoirs and the guts of mosquitoes to suddenly cause an outbreak of human infection? The bacterium is Elizabethkingia anophelis1, and the outbreak is affecting at least 12 Wisconsin counties. The common source of the outbreak remains a mystery at this time. According to the World
At the center of the current Zika virus epidemic is the humble insect vector, the Aedes mosquito, both aegypti and albopictus species. The female Aedes 1acquires and transmits the virus by simply doing what she does—extracting blood from people, birds and other animals to obtain proteins needed to develop her eggs. To many of us,