by Gertrud U. Rey On May 17, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern in response to an Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The situation is escalating rapidly, with over 300 confirmed cases and 48 deaths as ...

A number of posts on social media have suggested that Andes hantavirus, which most recently caused an outbreak on the MV Hondius, is sexually transmitted. These claims are based on a 2023 paper (Presence and Persistence of Andes Virus RNA in Human Semen). Let's take a look at the data ...

by Gertrud U. Rey Contrary to popular belief, most vaccines don’t actually prevent infection with a pathogen, instead, they prevent the disease that follows infection. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine stands out as a notable exception in this regard. A recent study indicates that antibodies produced in response to the ...

by Gertrud U. Rey Vaccination with the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson adenovirus‑based COVID-19 vaccines has been linked to a very rare but serious adverse event known as vaccine‑induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Based on this small but significant risk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked the emergency use ...

by Gertrud U. Rey Across Asia and beyond, rice crops are frequently attacked by planthoppers and leafhoppers – insects that damage plants during feeding and transmit viruses that can wipe out entire harvests. The chemical insecticides typically used by rice farmers can pose environmental and health risks, and they often ...