Amesh Adalja

Repeat COVID-19 Infections Could Double Your Risk of Long COVID — TIME The latest study shows that getting repeat COVID-19 infections can come at a high health cost.

“These results, along with other research, suggest that there might be a cumulative harmful effect of repeat COVID-19 infections on the body, and scientists are trying to better understand those potential long-term effects” apple.news/A7bEpezgeRJq...

Pakistan, Nigeria report new polio cases The cases include three wild poliovirus type 1 and three circulating variant poliovirus type 2.

“So far this year, Pakistan has reported 29 polio cases. Last year officials confirmed 74 WPV1 illnesses.” www.cidrap.umn.edu/polio/pakist...

H5N1 outbreaks hit more commercial poultry in 3 states Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin report new detections, part of rising activity over the past several weeks.

“A trio of Midwestern states—Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin—reported new H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in poultry on commercial farms” www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influe...

US COVID activity falling The rate of test positivity and percentage of emergency department visits diagnosed as COVID-19 significantly declined in September.

“the percentage of ED visits diagnosed as COVID-19 fell from 1.0% to 0.7%.” www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/us-...

Another Canadian baby dies from measles as South Carolina reports outbreak In other developments, South Carolina suspects community transmission in an outbreak in the Upstate region.

“The child was born prematurely after the mother contracted measles” www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/anot...

Second flu vaccine dose boosts protection in young, vaccine-naive kids, analysis suggests

“the second dose of inactivated influenza vaccine confers additional protection for influenza vaccine–naive children younger than 3 years but that the benefit attenuates with age,"
www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-va...

Reports identify weakness in global pipeline for new antibiotics, diagnostics

“Overall, the antibacterial agents, especially the innovative ones, in the clinical pipeline combined with those approved in the last 7 years are still insufficient to tackle the ever-growing threat of the emergence & spread of drug-resistant infections” www.cidrap.umn.edu/antimicrobia...

WHO: Conditions ripe for further chikungunya spread

“27 countries or territories across six WHO regions with competent Aedes aegypti populations haven’t yet reported local spread.” www.cidrap.umn.edu/chikungunya/...

Cidara snares up to $339M from BARDA to bankroll its non-vaccine flu candidate After reacquiring the rights to its non-vaccine flu preventative last year, Cidara Therapeutics has secured federal support to develop and produce the candidate, dubbed CD388, in the U.S. | The initia...

“CD388 is being developed as a non-vaccine alternative for flu prevention. The prophylactic is a member of the drug-Fc conjugate class, comprised of multiple copies of a potent small molecule neuraminidase inhibitor conjugated to a bespoke Fc fragment” www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturin...

All-in-one test could fast-track care for people with possible sepsis Inflammatix shows how its sepsis diagnostic could shift the needle in emergency rooms

“score “is very helpful for either not overusing ICU resources or more closely monitoring patients who are high risk”” cen.acs.org/analytical-c...

Hologic gains FDA clearance for GI pathogen detection assays The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Hologic’s first gastrointestinal (GI) pathogen detection tests.

“The US-based company’s new GI pathogen detection tests cover common bacterial causes of infectious gastroenteritis, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella, E. coli, Vibrio, Yersinia and Plesiomonas” www.medicaldevice-network.com/news/hologic...

A first-of-its-kind therapy offers a new path for hard-to-treat airway disorder Papzimeos is the first FDA-approved therapy for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, a rare HPV-driven disease that has long forced patients into repeated surgeries.

“The therapy uses a non-replicating adenoviral vector — part of Precigen’s proprietary AdenoVerse platform — to deliver a fusion antigen composed of selected fragments from HPV 6 and 11 proteins.” www.drugdiscoverynews.com/a-first-of-i...

Cidara receives BARDA award worth up to $339M for candidate that prevents flu Cidara Therapeutics gets $339M HHS award for US manufacturing and trials of CD388 flu antiviral. Initial $58M for onshore production, with $281M option for further studies.

Cidara receives BARDA award worth up to $339M for candidate that prevents flu endpoints.news/cidara-recei...

AI can design toxic proteins. They’re escaping through biosecurity cracks. Artificial intelligence can design toxic proteins that escape biosecurity cracks, sparking concerns over potential misuse.

“They found that “up to 100 percent” of the AI-generated ricin-like proteins evaded detection. Because the new proteins no longer looked like ricin, they were not flagged.” www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...

Trump's call to split up the MMR childhood vaccine revives long-settled debate President Trump's suggestion​ that the combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine should be separated marks a sharp break from decades of immunization practice.

"We've been here before..The science was fraudulent, but the damage was real: thousands of kids went unprotected. To revive that model in 2025 is to repeat one of the most damaging chapters in vaccine history” www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-s...

Soft Drink Consumption Linked to Major Depressive Disorder THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Soft drink consumption may contribute to major depressive disorder (MDD) through alterations in gut microbiota, accor

“Consumption was linked to increased Eggerthella but not Hungatella abundance in women..Eggerthella significantly mediated the association between soft drinks and MDD diagnosis and severity, accounting for 3.82 and 5.00% of the effect, respectively.” www.healthday.com/healthpro-ne...

Covid Shots Protect Pregnant Women, but Getting Them Now Can Be Hard

“These infants really don’t have alternative measures. They really rely on their moms to get vaccinated.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/w...

Norovirus Outbreak Sickens Nearly 100 on Royal Caribbean Cruise

“The ship, Serenade of the Seas, departed from San Diego on Sept. 19. The first reports of illness were made on Sept. 28, with four crew members and 94 guests falling ill. The number of sick passengers made up about 5% of the 1,874 cruisers on board.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/t...

World's first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated life Scientists used AI to write coherent viral genomes, using them to synthesize bacteriophages capable of killing resistant strains of bacteria.

“The next step is AI-generated life..a lot of experimental advances need to occur in order to design an entire living organism”. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Exclusive: ex-CDC director talks about why she was fired “I would never do that, as a scientist,” Susan Monarez says of being asked to approve changes to vaccine recommendations without knowing the details.

“I know that there is greatness in health innovation in the US & around the world..I just don’t ever want to be put in a position where we don’t embrace that-where we hold back, & we don’t have our eyes on a future horizon that allows us all to live better” www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Kennedy Fires N.I.H. Scientist Who Filed Whistle-Blower Complaint

“My termination, unfortunately, shows that the leaders of H.H.S. and the National Institutes of Health do not share my commitment to scientific integrity and public health,” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/h...

Avian flu strikes backyard flocks in two states The outbreaks are part of an early uptick in H5N1 activity in poultry that began in late August, mainly in the Midwest.

“One detection involves a flock in Montana’s Broadwater County that has 8 birds, and the other affects a flock in North Carolina’s Guilford County with 6 birds” www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influe...

Georgia adds Lowndes County to CWD zone after deer tests positive within 5 miles of border The 2.5-year-old buck was found about 5 miles from a previous detection in adjacent Lanier County.

“The new case is the state's third, after a second deer was found in Berrien County in April 2025 just 400 yards from the first Lanier County case. All three adjoining counties are located in south central Georgia, with Lowndes bordering Florida.” www.cidrap.umn.edu/chronic-wast...

COVID-19 infection associated with increased risk of new-onset vascular dementia in older adults Prior COVID-19 infection was associated with a 41% increased risk of all-cause dementia.

“But when COVID-19 patients were compared to participants with non-COVID respiratory disease, the association disappeared.” www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cov...

Kenya and Zambia battle mpox spikes as African countries manage multiple health threats

“In Africa this year, 26 countries have experienced mpox outbreaks. Meanwhile, deadly cholera outbreaks have struck 23 of the region’s countries, w/ 20 also grappling w/ measles, as well as other infectious disease outbreaks including dengue & Lassa fever” www.cidrap.umn.edu/mpox/kenya-a...

Trial: Paxlovid retreatment after COVID rebound tied to faster drop in viral RNA but no clinical benefit

“there was no clear benefit of retreatment because rebound was transient, mild, and did not lead to severe COVID-19," www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/tri...

Two investigations reveal how resistant bacteria may have spread from pets to people

“they had received care at the veterinary teaching hospital when it was experiencing its CPE outbreak. They likely became colonized with the bacteria at the hospital and then spread it to their owners.” www.cidrap.umn.edu/antimicrobia...

Ousted NIAID director says she objected to RFK Jr.'s 'unscientific hostility' to vaccines Jeanne Marrazzo claimed that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired her because she filed a whistleblower complaint over his politicized stance on vaccines, among other issues.

Ousted NIAID director says she objected to RFK Jr.'s 'unscientific hostility' to vaccines endpoints.news/ousted-niaid...

Fungus Among Us | Leader's Edge Magazine Fungus Among Us Fungal diseases are already estimated to kill millions of people each year and devastate crops. Now changing climates are showing fungi’s ability to adapt and spread.

“There are probably thousands of species with human pathogenic potential that currently do not cause disease because they can’t tolerate human temperatures. Predicting the species that will break through human temperature defenses is very difficult” www.leadersedge.com/healthcare/f...

A new documentary about a dastardly worm and a heroic effort by Jimmy Carter "The President and the Dragon,' premiering today, looks at Carter's momentous decision to try and wipe out a devastating and neglected disease. We spoke to writer and co-director Waleed Eltayeb.

"We have known monsters, all kinds of monsters..Then there's the dragon, this fiery serpent, this terror, this ill, this parasite, this worm." www.npr.org/sections/goa...