Meningitis

A study by the Institut Pasteur revealed a notable increase in invasive meningococcal disease in France post-COVID-19, with a shift in affected age groups and bacterial strains. This resurgence underscores the importance of adapting vaccine strategies in response to evolving public health challenges.A team of researchers from the Institut Pasteur utilized the National Reference Center for Meningococci’s database to analyze the progression of invasive meningococcal disease in France from 2015 to 2022. Their findings, which…

An outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to two surgery clinics in Mexico appears to have claimed more lives. This week, the Centers for Disease and Prevention updated its case tally, reporting seven confirmed or probable deaths linked to the outbreak. Officials are still trying to contact everyone at potential risk and are urging anyone who recently underwent epidural anesthesia at the clinics to seek immediate medical attention.How to Know If the Heat Is Making You SickThe outbreak first caught the attention of CDC and…

Certain fungal illnesses are notoriously dangerous and difficult to treat, and now a small pocket of suspected cases of fungal meningitis, a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, is raising alarm in Texas. State and national health officials released an alert last week about the infections—all of which were in U.S. residents who had recently received surgery in the Mexican city of Matamoros, which borders on Brownsville, Tex. The infections have led to severe illness and hospitalization. One person has died.…

Demetre Daskalakis at a White House monkeypox press briefing on September 7.Image: Kevin Dietsch (Getty Images)Monkeypox is currently spreading across the country (and the world at large), with over 21,000 cases reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of August 22. After a faltering initial response, the White House has taken a more aggressive approach in its response and outreach regarding the outbreak, which included the Aug. 2 appointment of a new Monkeypox Response…

GSK GSK -0.36% PLC agreed to pay up to $3.3 billion to acquire vaccine maker Affinivax Inc., in a deal that would hand the British pharmaceutical giant a new vaccine technology targeting common bacterial diseases such as meningitis and pneumonia. The British pharmaceutical company, formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline, said it would pay $2.1 billion upfront to buy the Boston-based company, with a further $1.2 billion in what it called…