Infections

University of Florida research shows that chronic ear infections in early childhood can lead to significant language and auditory processing issues later in life, stressing the need for early and continuous monitoring. Vigilant monitoring and prompt treatment can help protect against bad outcomes.Ear infections are a common childhood experience, but a new study suggests parents should take these infections seriously to preserve their children’s language development. That’s because each ear infection can potentially impair…

Eleven years ago, my colleagues and I estimated that about 2 million people around the world were dying from fungal infections annually. My latest estimate puts the figure today at nearly double that: around 3.8 million deaths.To put this in perspective, it accounts for around 6.8% of total global deaths. Coronary heart disease is probably responsible for 16% of the world's total deaths, followed by stroke at 11%. Smoke-related lung disease (COPD) comprises 6% of total deaths, with fungal infection being responsible for…

January 12, 20243min readA 3-D-printed tube stymies microbes with a tiny obstacle course to combat rampant infections in hospitalsBy Joanna Thompson More than 100 million people worldwide require a urinary catheter every year. The devices can be lifesaving, especially after surgery. But many of those who used them—about one quarter in developing countries and about an eighth in the U.S.—may develop a catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), commonly caused by bacteria building up inside the tube.Now, with…

The UK is facing an eruption of scabies, an itchy skin infestation caused by mites. Dermatologists across the country are reporting a rise in scabies cases, fueled by shortages of the medications most commonly used to treat it. These cases are disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, such as those living in elder care facilities and other crowded environments.Let’s Eat a Chocolate Xbox ControllerScabies is specifically an allergic reaction to the human itch mite, which is a variant of Sarcoptes scabiei (other…

This respiratory illness season, face masks are back in fashion. U.S. public health officials are encouraging people to take precautions against rising cases of COVID, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pneumonia, and the like. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently issued a video advising people to get updated vaccinations and stay home when sick—and, of course, wear a mask—especially as people travel and gather for the holidays.Properly wearing face masks is one of…

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This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.In Bangladesh, roughly 300,000 people have been infected with dengue this year during the country's worst-ever outbreak of the mosquito-transmitted disease. By mid-November, the death toll hit close to 1,500, as hospitals in the densely populated South Asian country struggled to cope with the surge in…

If 2022 was the year mpox infections exploded globally, 2023 was the year much of the world stopped paying attention.Yet Canadian researchers, in collaboration with scientists working on the ground in hot spots such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), are still shining a spotlight on the virus that sparked last year's unprecedented global outbreak — and one that still seems capable of new surprises. One joint Canadian-DRC research team, co-led by Jason Kindrachuk from the University of Manitoba, has…

In a systematic analysis, studies on air treatment technologies and their impact on respiratory infections, particularly COVID-19, are reviewed. The conclusion is that despite common perceptions, these technologies do not significantly reduce illness rates. The effectiveness of increased ventilation is also questioned.Exploring the efficacy of air treatment technologies in preventing respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, a systematic review emphasizes the lack of convincing evidence and the limited impact of such…

This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.The impacts of climate change hit Canada hard in recent years, from the deadly heat dome of 2021 to the country's worst-ever wildfire season last summer. And those devastating environmental disasters provoked a lot of anxiety among pregnant individuals."Pregnancy, even without heat and smoke, is a time when…