Medical - global

H5N1 bird flu is evolving to better infect mammals, CDC study suggests Rising H5N1 bird flu cases in the U.S. prompted the CDC to study the virus in ferrets, revealing it may have the potential to spread and cause severe symptoms in other mammals. Kamal Nahas Live Science

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Scientists warn of dangerous issue cropping up weeks after hurricane devastation — here's what you need to know "When it’s damp, the likelihood of [this] increases.” Yahoo News

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Surveillance study traces COVID-19's impact on global flu patterns and evolution Seasonal influenza epidemics impose substantial burdens on health care systems and cause >5 million hospitalizations of adults each year. The current approach to influenza vaccine development requires ... University of Oxford Medical Xpress

Seasonal influenza epidemics impose substantial burdens on health care systems and cause >5 million hospitalizations of adults each year. The current approach to influenza vaccine development requires comprehensive surveillance of circulating strains, which are constantly moving from continent to continent....

Nasal swab tests predict COVID-19 disease severity, Emory study finds | Emory University | Atlanta GA New research from Emory University is providing a more precise prediction of COVID-19 severity that can be found by looking at autoantibodies in the nasal cavity, leading to more personalized treatment plans.

... For high-risk individuals, this could provide critical information to inform immediate treatment options, including quickly taking medications like Paxlovid within one week of symptoms to mitigate a severe response.