COVID-19 Long COVID 🎉 This paper from Hungary (2025-01-09) reports that people who got remdesivir while they were hospitalized with COVID-19 recovered from Long COVID symptoms faster than those who did not get remdesivir. 🎉🎊🥳 If you missed it last week, this paper reports that nasal chlorpheniramine (a first-generation H1 antagonist antihistamine) works really well… Continue reading 2025-01-18 General
Category: Long COVID
2025-01-10 General
I want to talk for a moment about human metapneumonia virus (HMPV). It is NOT some strange new virus which is killing people in China — again. HMPV has been circulating for at least sixty years, I have almost certainly had it, you have probably had it. BC has been tracking it for years: I… Continue reading 2025-01-10 General
2025-01-03 General
❗❗❗RECALL!!! There was a housecat in Oregon which died after eating Northwest Naturals Feline Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food which was infected with bird flu. THIS PET FOOD IS ALSO SOLD IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. DO NOT FEED YOUR CAT THIS FOOD. (Yes, there has been a recall.) COVID-19 This paper from Germany (2024-12-23)… Continue reading 2025-01-03 General
2024-12-27 General
NB: No BC post this week because the are not publishing new data until 3 Jan 2025. This post is kind of short because for some reason there has been less news the past few days. Happy Holidays! Recommended Reading This article from USA (2024-12-26) talks about three issues to watch in global health: H5N1,… Continue reading 2024-12-27 General
2024-12-20 General
Recommended Reading ⭐❗❗This article (2024-12-17) talks about how cats might be an effective “mixing vessel” and transmission vector for the next pandemic. TL;DR: Cats have avian and mammal receptors and get very very close to humans on a regular basis. COVID-19 Long COVID ⭐ This preprint from USA (2024-12-11) reports that people who went on… Continue reading 2024-12-20 General
2024-12-13 General
⭐❗❗ This review paper (2024-12-10) reports that pathogens — including some really nasty ones — hang around in semen from days to years. They found 22 different pathogens which had been reported in semen, including HIV, Zika, Ebola, mpox, COVID-19, Lassa fever, dengue, Hep E, mumps, West Nile, adenovirus, Marburg, and some I’d never heard… Continue reading 2024-12-13 General
2024-12-07 General
COVID-19/MERS Long COVID ⭐ ❗❗This paper from Japan (2024-12-02) reported that oral minocycline significantly helped 89% of long COVID patients in what was effectively a big case study, especially when given in the first six months. There was improvement in fatigue, post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep, brain fog, disequilibrium, orthostatic intolerance, and neuropathic pain. (Minocycline is… Continue reading 2024-12-07 General
2024-11-29 General
This is kind of a slow news week because most of my primary English-language sources have been eating Turkey and/or complaining about Trump’s picks for important health-related administrative positions. I now have a recommendation on when to get your flu shot (if you haven’t yet): around 9-10 December. See the BC post for why. COVID-19… Continue reading 2024-11-29 General
2024-11-22 General
Vaccines in General ⭐❗❗ I saw a post on teh socials where the author said that they had talked to people who thought that getting a COVID-19 vaccination too soon after an infection or previous COVID-19 vax was dangerous. Having infections or vaccinations “too close” together is not dangerous. It is less effective, perhaps, but… Continue reading 2024-11-22 General
2024-11-16 General
H5N1 Transmission This article (2024-11-12) reports that a teenager from BC in the Fraser Health Authority region is in critical care with the bird-version of H5N1 (clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype D1.1, i.e. not the cattle version). Nobody knows how the teen caught it — the teen had contact with other people, dogs, cats, and reptiles, but… Continue reading 2024-11-16 General