The Other Side of Virology: Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
Why Worry About Avian Flu?
The Covid pandemic is the latest concern regarding potential zoonotic spillover of a dangerous virus. What will actually be the next virus? In the game of spillover roulette, some have put their bets on yet another coronavirus. Lately, however, the smart money seems to be betting on avian flu, or more specifically, H5N1 avian flu.…
Read MoreEbola in Uganda
A moderate sized Ebola outbreak (142 confirmed cases) in Uganda has recently been in the news. Fifty-five people died; the others recovered. It has now largely been controlled, but there are some issues associated with the outbreak that are worth considering. These relate to conventional control by contact tracing and isolation (which was how it…
Read MoreFlu Vaccines: What Does the Future Hold?
Omicron spinoffs, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza (flu) viruses have formed a sort of unholy trinity of respiratory infections. Covid vaccines were initially highly effective against infection, hospitalization, and death, but with the multiplication of new variants, only strong protection against hospitalization and death remains. In a previous Perspective (https://gvn.org/respiratory-syncytial-virus-newly-resurgent/), we noted that the…
Read MoreRespiratory Syncytial Virus: Newly Resurgent
December 5, 2022 Introduction We seem to be in a sort of Golden Age of respiratory viruses, including flu, SARS-CoV2 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is an enveloped negative strand RNA virus with a genome of approximately 15,000 nucleotides encoding 11 proteins. There are two serotypes, A and B, which can be discriminated by…
Read MoreResurgent Outbreaks of Measles
Resurgent Outbreaks of Measles May 18, 2022 Introduction Two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought another health crisis to children. The number of measles cases reported worldwide (more than 17,300 cases) has increased by 79 percent in the first two months of 2022 compared to the same time last year (1). Countries with the…
Read MoreGlobal Expansion of Acute Hepatitis Outbreaks in Healthy Children
Global Expansion of Acute Hepatitis Outbreaks in Healthy Children May 5, 2022 Introduction A recent rise in acute hepatitis among children is expanding globally. The UK first reported an unexpected, significant increase in cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in previously healthy children. According to the WHO (1), as of 21 April 2022,…
Read MoreJapanese Encephalitis Virus: Ongoing Public Health Threat
April 7, 2022 Introduction Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable encephalitis. JEV is a flavivirus (genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae) and shares a close genetic and antigenic relationship with West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, and Murray Valley encephalitis virus (1). Most people infected with JE do not have symptoms or…
Read MoreStrategies to Eradicate Transmission of Poliovirus and Paralytic Poliomyelitis
Strategies to Eradicate Transmission of Poliovirus and Paralytic Poliomyelitis March 23, 2022 Introduction Polio (poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease that mostly affects children under 5 years of age. The causative agent, poliovirus, replicates in the gut but in some cases can invade the central nervous system and cause permanent paralysis (approximately one in 200…
Read MoreOngoing Outbreaks of Lassa Virus in Nigeria
Ongoing Outbreaks of Lassa Virus in Nigeria March 8, 2022 Context The first known confirmed Omicron (B.1.1.529) infection was from a specimen collected on November 9, 2021 in Botswana (1). The variant rapidly began to spread to South Africa and other Southern African countries. Nigeria also experienced daily surge of COVID-19 cases in December, and…
Read MoreResponse to A Recent Outbreak of Nipah Virus in India in the context of COVID-19 pandemic
Response to A Recent Outbreak of Nipah Virus in India in the context of COVID-19 pandemic February 24, 2022 Context India experienced a devastating second wave of COVID-19 between February and early May of 2021(?). Since then, cases have declined gradually. Interestingly, the southern Indian state of Kerala accounted for more than half of the…
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