CDC

A three-year study has found robust evidence that one vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus offers older adults long-term protection, even if efficacy wanes. Despite this, just one dose cut serious illness by nearly two thirds across three seasons.

A decade-long study of 35 million Americans in 10 states has found that group A streptococcus infections have more than doubled. What's more, "strep" – which can cause a bizarre flesh-eating disease – has become increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

The US has recorded its first death due to avian influenza. The man had been infected by a H5N1 variant with a genetic mutation, helping it target upper respiratory tract receptors – one also seen in the Canadian teen who fell critically ill last year.

In a much-needed update to 2003 data on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the US, a new report has found that 15.5 million American adults have been diagnosed with the condition – and many have been let down by poor access to treatment.

A striking new case study illustrates just how pervasive SARS-CoV-2 aerosol transmission can be, describing a trio of infections in a Taiwan quarantine hotel with the virus likely traveling through walls and floors in a poorly ventilated building.

New modeling from the CDC estimates Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 now account for over 10% of all infections in the US. Scientists predict these rapidly spreading variants will drive a new wave of infections in the country over the coming months.

A polio vaccine booster program has been announced in the UK targeting all London children under the age of 10. The program comes after more detections of poliovirus in London’s wastewater indicate the virus is spreading undetected through the city.

Following recent reports of the first polio case in the US in almost a decade, the CDC reported the virus has been detected in wastewater samples as far back as June in Rockland County, a region north of New York City known for low vaccination rates.

Estimates from the CDC indicate a new Omicron subvariant is becoming prevalent in the US. Dubbed BA.2.12.1, it is likely to be the most infectious version of SARS-CoV-2 to date and experts warn it could be triggering a new wave of cases in the country.

A report from the CDC has found COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the US in 2021, after heart disease and cancer. Another new CDC report estimates nearly 60 percent of the US population had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 by February 2022.

Researchers are reporting the case of a healthcare worker testing positive to COVID-19 twice in 20 days. Genomics revealed the first infection was Delta and the second Omicron, making this the shortest recorded gap between two SARS-CoV-2 infections.

New CDC modeling estimates the BA.2 Omicron variant is now dominant in the United States. In related news the FDA has withdrawn its emergency authorization for the COVID-19 antibody treatment sotrovimab as research has found it ineffective against BA.2.