Researchers said the study is the 1st to look at [how] the…variety of #environmental problems can compound #disease risks. It combined hundreds of studies & thousands of observations of …— #humans & other mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, worms & arthropods — & all kinds of #pathogens, such as #viruses, #bacteria & #fungi.
The analysis reinforced…findings…: a hotter world of ravaged #ecosystems is one that is more hospitable to many #parasites, & less so to humans & other #life.
Scientists have long known a #gene called #APOE4 is one of many things that can increase people’s risk for #Alzheimer's, including simply getting older. The vast majority of Alzheimer’s cases occur after age 65. But #research published Monday suggests that for people who carry not one but two copies of the gene, it's more than a risk factor, it's an underlying cause of the mind-robbing #disease.
Scientists have identified a genetic form of Alzheimer’s disease in older people, pinpointing a gene of which some people carry two copies. The gene, called APOE4, is not only a risk factor but an underlying cause for the disease when found twice in a person’s DNA, researchers say. Finding a way to target APOE4 in treatment is crucial because Leqembi, the only drug found to slow the disease, causes dangerous side effects in people with the gene. The Associated Press has more.
This Texas veterinarian helped crack the mystery of bird flu in cows.
AP reports: "The first calls that Dr. Barb Petersen received in early March were from dairy owners worried about crows, pigeons and other birds dying on their Texas farms. Then came word that barn cats — half of them on one farm — had died suddenly."
After decades of success in combating measles, the world is slipping, according to the latest World Health Organization statistics.
@NPR reports: "Measles cases increased worldwide from more than 170,000 cases in 2022 to more than 320,000 cases in 2023, according to WHO's count. And the first several months of 2024 have seen nearly 100,000 measles cases."
"Scientists cannot yet predict if #BirdFlu will become the next global human pandemic, says Torres. Yet what is clear is that the #disease is here to stay – and we need to be prepared. "Every time there's a jump between species, it's a signal of potential increased risk," says Torres. "That's why we're quickly acting to try to understand and anticipate its evolution."
Bird flu is on the rise in California and It's affecting the dairy farmers.The officials are taking steps to help prevent its arrival on ranches and it's potential human spread.
Ah, look, the CDC's ILI (Influenza Like Illnesses) still up and running. Right now, declining. Will have to keep an eye on this. (you would expect if H5N1 starts person-to-person spread you'll see this spike, like you saw with COVID-19. #ILI#H5N1https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm
Here's with all the recent seasons (COVID-19 era) -- all of the spikes on this were COVID-19, not influenza since 2020. You can see the 2023-24 Season had a big spike in December./January, which is when the last big COVID-19 went through (XBB.1.5) -- which hit hard in Dec/Jan but then tailed off rapidly, one of the omicron variants. Haven't seen a spike since then (cross fingers). The blue/purple line with a lot of spikes was 2019-2020 season when COVID-19 first appeared in the US. #ILI#influenza#disease#tracking
Climate change is reviving or migrating the threat of some diseases like malaria which has never lift African continent and killed or sickened millions of people.
Bovine Veterinarian: A Message to the Ag Industry about H5N1
"Veterinarians such as Dr. Barb Petersen in Texas have been dealing with the virus in their clients’ dairy herds since at least March.
"It has been circulating here as early as February, based on retrospective feedback from owners and fellow veterinarians," says Petersen, owner of Sunrise Veterinary Service in Amarillo. ..."
👀 "So far, H5N1 has been officially confirmed in only 32 herds in eight states, according to data from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Some veterinarians working with dairies in Texas believe the virus is more active than current data suggest. Nick Schneider, a consulting dairy practitioner, is one of them.
“The thing is, when you get into the Panhandle of Texas, I’m not sure there’s anybody (dairy farms) that did not have it,” says Schneider. "
StatNews: "Watson confirmed that USDA has met some resistance from farmers who they’ve suspected of having infected cows. Farmers have been told they must discard any milk produced by cows that are infected with H5N1 virus, though it’s not clear if or how that recommendation is being enforced. And evidence that milk containing virus has made its way into the milk supply suggests either some farmers have ignored the advice, or asymptomatic infected cows may be emit viruses in their milk."
"U.S. health and agriculture officials are ramping up testing and tracking of bird flu in dairy cows in an urgent effort to understand — and stop — the growing outbreak."
AP reports: "So far, the risk to humans remains low, officials said, but scientists are wary that the virus could change to spread more easily among people."
"Prior to Tuesday's announcement, HPAI H5N1 in livestock was not currently a reportable disease.
“It's not a foreign animal disease in dairy, like it's considered in poultry -- same virus -- but in poultry, there are reporting requirements. This is considered an emerging disease (in dairy cattle). And with that, there are no reporting requirements,” one source told Farm Journal. "
"Emulsifiers – often added to processed and packaged foods such as cakes, cookies, and yogurt, among others – are among the most commonly used additives."
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel says AI will help scientists understand "most diseases" in three to five years.
@Semafor quotes the executive: “The reason we still have people dying of cancer, people suffering from Alzheimer's, is we do not understand the fundamental biology of those diseases.”
The Human Disease: How We Create Pandemics, From Our Bodies to Our Beliefs by Sabrina Sholts, 2024
Drawing on dozens of disciplines—from medicine, epidemiology, and microbiology to anthropology, sociology, ecology, and neuroscience—as well as a unique expertise in public education about pandemic risks, biological anthropologist Sabrina Sholts identifies the human traits and tendencies that double as pandemic liabilities.