Smallpox, a disease that killed an estimated 500 million people in the 20th century alone, is the only human disease to be eradicated. However, a new report, "Future State of Smallpox Medical Countermeasures," from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) argues that the U.S. and the global community should prepare for smallpox to make a return.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service started tracking drug shortages as far back as 2001.
The recent detection of H5N1 bird flu in U.S. cattle, coupled with reports of a dairy worker contracting the virus, demands a departure from the usual reassurances offered by federal health officials. While they emphasize there’s no cause for alarm and assert diligent monitoring, it’s imperative we break from this familiar script.
Activity from the three main respiratory viruses continues to decline in the United States, with one of the main flu markers—outpatient visits for flulike illness—now below the national baseline for the first time since October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest updates for flu, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
