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Probably not, though any time a novel pathogen is discovered that can infect - and kill - humans, it’s concerning. Alaskapox was only identified in 2015, and there have only been a handful of cases identified in humans since then. The recent death of an immunocompromised man in Alaska was probably caused by a scratch from his cat, which likely hunted an infected small rodent. The other six known cases of Alaskapox were not fatal, and this person’s cancer treatments likely played a part in why his case was so severe. There’s no evidence that it spreads person-to-person, so the chances that this particular novel virus is the next big one are low. But the general themes - a changing climate, zoonotic diseases spilling over to humans - are major contenders for what we can expect in ‘Disease X’ whenever it does happen.
Sources: NPR, Alaska.gov
Oregon reported its first human plague case in over eight years this week, in a person who likely got the disease from their pet cat. First, let’s clarify: yes, it’s the bubonic plague, the Black Death, the same one that wiped out millions of people in Europe in the 1300s. It’s rare, but less rare than you might think; there are an average of seven human cases per year in the U.S. It’s actually endemic (regularly circulating) in U.S. rodent populations and the fleas that bite them. It’s treatable with antibiotics, but early detection and treatment are key. If you have pet cats, discourage them from hunting rodents and treat them with flea medication to reduce risk (A similar issue likely caused the Alaskapox death discussed in our other question today, so these tips are broadly useful for cat owners!). Avoid feeding wild rodents, including squirrels and chipmunks.
Source: Washington Post
Earlier this week, someone from the CDC leaked information to the Washington Post about possible upcoming changes to their COVID isolation guidelines. The news story leaked before these changes had been workshopped with stakeholders or finalized. At the time, internal documents were marked for April discussion, but the hubbub caused by the early leak with incomplete information might change that timeline one way or another. The CDC confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday afternoon that “there are no updates to COVID guidelines to announce at this time.” Right now, we think that there will be more internal CDC debate and engagement with external partners (including OSHA) before a fully fleshed-out policy change in the spring. We don’t recommend any changes just yet until we see how this shakes out.
A post-Valentine’s best read on the effects of long COVID: