The Other Side of Virology: Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
Resurgent 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
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 country’s new COVID-19 infections this summer, but Kerala has one of India’s lowest COVID-19 fatality rates…
Read MoreAvian Influenza Viruses
Avian Influenza Viruses November 26, 2021 The global death toll from COVID-19 reached 5 million on November 1, 2021, but the actual figures are likely much higher (1). In recent history, the 1918 H1N1 flu pandemic caused by an Influenza A (H1N1) virus was the most severe known pandemic, killing more than 50 million people worldwide (2). The sequence analysis…
Read MoreRecent Resurgence of Ebola Virus
Recent Resurgence of Ebola Virus October 25, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the epidemiological control of several infectious diseases worldwide. Specifically, Ebola virus disease has been sporadically resurging in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2021. A total of 16 confirmed and 7 probable cases were reported, of whom 12…
Read MoreUnusual Surge of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Children
Unusual Surge of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Children September 24, 2021 Pediatricians have reported early emergence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the beginning of summer and consequently, a surge of RSV in children. This has been a global trend amid the ongoing pandemic. RSV is the leading viral agent of severe acute respiratory infections…
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