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<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new study found hundreds of unique viruses called bacteriophage on toothbrushes and shower heads.</li><li>Phage target bacteria, not humans, and could be a useful tool against disease.</li></ul>The next big breakthrough in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disease-prevention-ideas-us-could-learn-from-uk-israel-canada-2022-12">disease-fighting innovation</a> could be no further away than your bathroom.A recent study found hundreds of viruses on samples from toothbrushes and shower heads, including many that have never been seen before, let alone examined.But this specific kind of viruses, known as bacteriophage, aren't concerning for human health because they target and infect bacteria, not us, according to Erica Hartmann, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University who led the study."It's still a big deal; it's just not scary. It's actually really exciting," Hartmann told Business Insider.Understanding how these infectious particles work could be a valuable step in protecting us from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/what-is-the-difference-between-bacteria-and-virus">harmful pathogens and bacteria</a>, including those that cause tuberculosis and other serious diseases."The more we know about what's in shower heads and what's on toothbrushes with regard to viruses and microbes, the more we can advance in understanding how we get sick and even devise new tools to fight those pathogens," Miryam Wahrman, a professor of Biology at William Paterson University of New Jersey who was not involved with the study, told Business Insider.<h2 id="cfd924b0-3be2-4e3b-8329-12a9c8ebdb95">Unexplored ecosystems are living on your household items</h2>Researchers from Northwestern University were inspired to investigate toothbrushes because of a previous study investigating whether <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-show-droplets-aerosols-emerge-when-flush-toilet-2022-12">flushing the toilet could release aerosols</a> that might contaminate a toothbrush left out on the countertop.The good news is that the study, nicknamed "Operation Pottymouth," found no evidence of poop-related germs on toothbrushes."Overwhelmingly, we find that microbes on your toothbrush come from your mouth," Hartmann said.The research team decided to put all those used toothbrushes to good use and took a closer look at what's hanging out there.In a previous study, they also analyzed samples taken from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/home/how-to-clean-shower-head">shower heads</a> to offer even more insight into our bathrooms' microscopic occupants.The researchers weren't surprised to find that these household items were home to many germs because of their warm, moist environments.But they were blown away by how many different kinds of viruses were present. There was so much diversity that there was almost no overlap between the samples, meaning each toothbrush and shower head was host to its own unique microscopic world.The findings were published October 9 in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiomes/articles/10.3389/frmbi.2024.1396560/full">Frontiers in Microbiomes</a>."I'd encourage people to look at things they see every day and think of these as places where we could be making exciting discoveries for new biotechnology," Hartmann said.<h2 id="a5e9a1f5-fb1b-4af8-9e10-a9a211c4ecf9">Phages could be the new frontier in disease-fighting biotech</h2>There's no reason to be grossed out by the tiny inhabitants sharing our homes."I don't think there's any need to change behavior or enhance cleaning. These are not viruses that are going to infect you, these are viruses that are potentially cool," Hartmann said.It's a common misconception to think of all germs and microorganisms as potential threats, but plenty of microbes are neutral, beneficial, and sometimes <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/foods-better-than-probiotics-for-gut-health-2023-8">necessary for human health</a>.Bacteria and viruses have sparked groundbreaking innovations in science, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/longevity-stem-cell-biotech-reverse-aging-cellular-reprogamming-2024-9">biotechnology</a>, and healthcare that we benefit from every day, such as penicillin and DNA research."Microbes are everywhere all the time, and the vast majority of them won't make you sick," Hartmann said. "If we approach with wonder and curiosity instead of fear, we can work with microbes instead of against them."Phage are exciting because they specialize in attacking and replicating inside bacteria, including bacterial pathogens. These pathogens make us sick and can become resistant to our current protective strategies, like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/treatments/how-long-does-it-take-for-antibiotics-to-work">antibiotics</a>."The enemy of our enemy is our friend. They are potentially a very helpful tool for us," Wahrman said.Researchers have known about the existence of phage for more than a century, but antibiotics have gotten most of our attention. Now that some pathogens have outsmarted antibiotics, phage are a wide-open frontier for innovation.In the future, phage might be a rich source of biotech innovations like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ampliphi-phage-therapy-treatment-bacterial-infections-2017-10">phage therapy,</a> in the same way pharmaceuticals have developed medicines from plants or animals. Rather than scouring remote reaches of the planet, these discoveries could come from digging deeper into what surrounds us every day."There are a lot of things waiting to be discovered just under our noses or on our toothbrushes," Hartmann said.

Your toothbrush is home to hundreds of new viruses. They could be the future of biotech.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mosquito-borne illnesses are rising in the US, including triple E, West Nile, and Oropouche.</li><li>Climate change and international travel are spreading these diseases into new places.</li></ul>Mosquito season is in full swing, and the pesky insects are carrying diseases into unexpected places.Certain communities in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont are on high alert for a rare virus called eastern equine encephalitis, or triple E. <a target="_blank" href="https://l.businessinsider.com/u/click?_t=c8e10479a20f45bba5aad6c5f6fbb009&amp;_m=dea03647ae2140cd8df96e92dd3fe93a&amp;_e=crF0LkK69Ri3sZPnBPrFkMH7-CcnpvKTnVs4HS8Z3zp4Kgp4T4BfNtNKeEZ-9oBAn3muClf5YmUFRogx6YOH4CaSRSJign6WnrLVXFyLjp2QTtm5A0x6HaKS7BRR-CJirekZiFfWDmG5rlOGSqB4hrqei2ZEwZj7nyxJFhLAjEk7hhNbMXcQQb12ksDevKWeT5800svwxucwB7S6bpfgmVYpSc8V2FrRZvGN4jc9I-N2jqhRLNV7GTuowo4TvoPvNoYCuozd3eLO94q2migG6LHFbbPlDgohvcDugJnNPxR_tOJRKKGFH_UQ7sBk5CxPhiqHUojryuvMJblbGqq_gGzzyD_ZU_rj82H26z8kH2T477UTjMwv5kZh2xZiNmpuj6k2ZYYtI1-hj0ds9zxk_XEjvDMmN7hWKwr2yV0WuMih9pasRvve7bu5px29Jalg">Health officials have reported</a> at least six cases, including one death, and are encouraging residents to stay inside from dusk until dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Some towns are spraying pesticides to reduce the risks of exposure.The outbreak is small but serious because about 30% of people who contract severe triple E die, and many survivors develop neurological problems, <a target="_blank" href="https://l.businessinsider.com/u/click?_t=c8e10479a20f45bba5aad6c5f6fbb009&amp;_m=dea03647ae2140cd8df96e92dd3fe93a&amp;_e=crF0LkK69Ri3sZPnBPrFkMH7-CcnpvKTnVs4HS8Z3zp4Kgp4T4BfNtNKeEZ-9oBA1avhSmdvA6wmzeopbQ1wpFUPgkEMuNAL8PA8yBq32E2r63d7YY2aZIVe6XHBITX6bdcIpw96CCSCAuqEEOWNyWkoWP_1Dq60vKCqIrYU38DoVDtaf31q4eWD2F1qpU-UuLn5__85cWSVXxyfDUBFNUovathLmAwc5Q6sYlhVXIH5XiRW4FLpTJmJpbykRvGTpSooeYimWFC_XNXzgyPAS4l8xtX1K2S-4Fe7UjtCuJAStR72v5GhRGoLBm7P5v9FWFAvWOlfsELoy8y7UswnyuPY7OqeMs_CWUCCR9_-VmTZzaweGqUfP62QApZxlBfNxhDGx11e_2rsJPfVrWinj9QC0IzP3erfusJppFYMqx0%3D">according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. There's no vaccine or cure.Over the past two decades there have been sporadic outbreaks in the Northeast — and in 2019, there were <a target="_blank" href="https://l.businessinsider.com/u/click?_t=c8e10479a20f45bba5aad6c5f6fbb009&amp;_m=dea03647ae2140cd8df96e92dd3fe93a&amp;_e=crF0LkK69Ri3sZPnBPrFkMH7-CcnpvKTnVs4HS8Z3zp4Kgp4T4BfNtNKeEZ-9oBAn3muClf5YmUFRogx6YOH4Cq6nCGdzks_AvXHGsYJvgn2TOPoCTg7pbv_RsW3okXcdUbj64k_ZiM2N51DdTNaR7WLJ_mHHh1mmyyt6N8X_uqihW2UQF6BgDdXx-p8oBRsCdkBlLbd14TquL4N4crLLp5_24V1uXERcAKlvpl0hOU4WuE3m4HAUd14Tz5QTKS9qQ8oGxaz3mfTVIoPE5cTDZ91BlA47vkUYRXh2kPSzrUMdxwYIIRn_rrQoqThHuNAGc3hz266Ura5ZJ1UNgVvgl6az2B-YoZbcpQ-YcGxJnzLROj9vDHOdRRTCwFMl-5-CTuLNU9XZHuVXVxO9ndpPuuEEU_qSXyivCRBzkUhKuz9LxBVJ7gHD4isxcE19eCr">a record 38 cases</a> in the US. Researchers are still trying to understand why, and there are many environmental factors, including the bird populations the mosquito typically picks up the virus from. Shannon LaDeau, a senior scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, said the climate crisis is certainly playing a role. As spring and fall temperatures warm, mosquitoes can emerge earlier and survive later into the year. They also can squeeze in more reproductive cycles."Everything about mosquito development speeds up with temperature," LaDeau said. "How fast they go from egg to adult shortens when it's warmer. Viruses replicate in the mosquito faster when it's warmer. So you get more mosquitoes faster, and then their chances of interacting with a human is higher."Precipitation patterns also matter, LaDeau said. In the Northeast, a warm spring was followed by a lot of rain in early summer, which is conducive to larger mosquito populations by August.The changes aren't playing out just in the Northeast. Health officials have described an uptick in other mosquito-borne illnesses in the US and globally because of climate change and international travel and trade.Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor, <a target="_blank" href="https://l.businessinsider.com/u/click?_t=c8e10479a20f45bba5aad6c5f6fbb009&amp;_m=dea03647ae2140cd8df96e92dd3fe93a&amp;_e=crF0LkK69Ri3sZPnBPrFkJj4ugMBPbs84W_5Vp3yYcYEhO_N1Nhd2bWPLs91nL_VMOv_99OmuKJr9_wP_fXhfMnI7eap2CepdB_UkMlGn4UdTjJ750CkuUtE9rCzfYpiqcnwgzInXciBCSWGLtwD4NwkSjDbhdBoxtoufvFwi40-YIaGHOQKxP4I0GB1veCHzV6pkzrnctvdlmVH3RMlY-EVy7y1bNBWNJnYKBSfqFqxn2hQU88I8f6Y4qndb14NqAJoGNPUPUymAuJOmbu3vsIasA8FVRU1Ec75UhEAsDZyP53VHEuGquuDiUq1FroJElp-rpEHC1zM4seJuhIELxsb0zWlGeO9TQjHSp7hK5NsnWpiMfOzQH6OoxbXETQloNOY2fsfWTpUqnHnaDaVRw%3D%3D">told "PBS NewsHour"</a> that he was concerned about a rising number of vector-borne illnesses — those spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas — across the Western Hemisphere, including triple E, West Nile, and dengue.The Oropouche virus, which normally circulates in parts of South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, was reported in the US and Europe for the first time this year. Yellow fever is expanding into the fringes of the Amazon in Brazil."We're seeing a general surge in vector-borne diseases across the hemisphere," Hotez said. "Brazil and parts of the Caribbean are ground zero, but it's starting to filter in particularly in Texas and the Gulf Coast. This could be a new normal for us during this time of climate change together with urbanization and other factors."

Climate crisis is helping spread deadly mosquito viruses in the US

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The bird flu, or avian influenza, is increasingly worrying public-health experts.</li><li>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-avian-influenza-outbreak-us-h5n1-wiping-out-everything-2023-4">H5N1 bird flu virus</a> is changing, creeping closer to humans, and getting more opportunities to adapt.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-virus-h5n1-new-human-case-michigan-respiratory-symptoms-2024-6">Bird flu</a> is flying wild, and it has many infectious disease experts more worried now than ever.The H5N1 avian influenza virus has killed tens of millions of birds across the planet and more than 40,000 sea lions and seals. For animals, it's a pandemic.Still, the CDC says the risk to humans is low. Most people seem to have very little chance, if any, of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-eggs-meat-milk-dairy-safety-during-outbreak-2024-4">catching H5N1 avian influenza</a> right now.Only three people in the US have tested positive for the virus since its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-cattle-outbreak-repeat-mistakes-former-surgeon-general-warning-2024-4">surprising break into the cattle population</a>, and they all had direct contact with infected cows.<div type="image" title="farmer man in overalls blue and white button shirt and camo cap reaches over a wooden fence to scratch a cow wearing a bow inside an indoors stall full of hay" height="1500" width="2250" msid="110949087" hostid="261" sizebytes="321112"></div>But infectious disease experts are increasingly concerned that the H5N1 virus could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-viruses-scientists-are-watching-for-the-next-pandemic-2022-4">make a sustained jump into humans</a> and start spreading among us. That's not inevitable, but several recent developments suggest it's a growing threat."There's a lot going on," Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine and associate chief of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told Business Insider. "I'm becoming more worried."You shouldn't panic, but you should probably know what's going on. This virus is a leading candidate for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-says-world-needs-billion-year-prevent-next-pandemic-2022-6">the next pandemic</a>, and four developments in the past month have experts worried.Here's what you need to know.<h2 id="a6efdbe9-4727-4b3a-b934-ceccc3f63ba8">Bird flu hospitalized a child in Australia</h2>On Friday the World Health Organization announced that a 2-year-old had become Australia's first human case of H5N1 in March.After returning from travel to Kolkata, India, the child's symptoms — loss of appetite, fever, coughing, vomiting, and irritability, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON519">according</a> to WHO — put them in the hospital for two and a half weeks, including admission to the intensive care unit.As human cases crop up in different parts of the world, epidemiologists like Christopher Dye become more concerned."There's such a vast amount of virus at the moment. And clearly it is changing, and it's doing new and unexpected things," Dye, a professor and senior research fellow at the University of Oxford, told BI.<div type="image" title="researcher in white lab coat blue medical gloves and protective goggles works with an ice bucket containing small samples of milk in a lab" height="1500" width="2250" msid="110949085" hostid="261" sizebytes="166070"></div>He recently co-authored a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bmj.com/content/385/bmj.q1199.full">paper</a>, published in the medical journal BMJ, arguing that the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-real-is-the-last-of-us-science-behind-fungus-pandemic-2023-1">risk of a major human outbreak</a> is "large, plausible, and imminent.""<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/influenza-more-worrisone-than-zika-ebola-2016-4">Influenza has always been a concern</a> for decades and decades, and this particular form of influenza for at least two decades," Dye said. "But now, it's risen to a level of concern, I think, which is greater than ever before."<h2 id="17691a35-dcc3-4171-8b3c-1c847c1e9bb6">Mice could bring bird flu into homes</h2>A total of 47 house mice have tested positive for H5N1 in New Mexico, the US Department of Agriculture reported on Tuesday."Mice are kind of everywhere," Gandhi said. "They're around other animals, they're around humans a lot. And it's a little worrisome."<div type="image" title="brown mouse with white belly sits eating small piece of something in the snow" height="1500" width="2250" msid="110949089" hostid="261" sizebytes="37666"></div>The samples were collected from the sick mice in early May. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/why-the-discovery-of-h5n1-bird-flu-in-mice-is-so-alarming/">The Telegraph</a>, scientists suspect that the mice, as well as some domestic cats, may have gotten the virus from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-milk-food-safety-former-surgeon-general-doctor-2024-4">drinking raw milk from infected cows</a>. (Public health experts resoundingly advise that people should not drink unpasteurized, aka "raw," milk.)"This brings the virus closer to human homes," Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, told The Telegraph. "This is out of control," he added.Every new population of animals, and every new exposure to humans, is another opportunity for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-hiv-had-coronavirus-216-days-virus-mutated-2021-6">the virus to mutate</a> and adapt.<h2 id="abc7e6b4-b179-449b-b66c-ad52a39458d8">One mutation suggests the virus has started adapting</h2><div type="image" title="h5n1 virus microscope image shows black and white long straight worm-shaped organism" height="1500" width="2250" msid="110949092" hostid="261" sizebytes="157400"></div>When the CDC analyzed a virus sample from the second US farmworker infected, they spotted a mutation in the virus's replication machinery — the way it gets inside its host's cells to make copies of itself.It's a change "associated with viral adaptation to mammalian hosts," the CDC said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/spotlights/2023-2024/h5n1-technical-update-may-24-2024.html">statement in May</a>. The statement also said that studies in mice indicate this type of genetic mutation in the virus is associated with more severe disease and enhanced viral replication.That doesn't make it a human virus yet, though.Other than this one change, H5N1 has mainly "avian virus properties and not human virus properties," Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude and director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds, told BI.That means the virus is better adapted to thrive and spread among birds, not humans.Still, that could change.<h2 id="ddfee4b3-1706-4652-9418-5ae34679d762">The latest US case had a troubling cough</h2>The first two farmworkers to test positive for H5N1 in the US had <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/treatments/pink-eye-treatment">pink eye</a>. But the third case, reported in Michigan in May, featured a cough and sore throat.That means H5N1 was in that worker's respiratory system, which is a scarier place to find a threatening virus than in our eyes.For one thing, it's easier to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-covid-positive-biden-statement-meadows-book-coughing-on-people-2021-12">spread a virus by coughing</a> or sneezing than by, well, sharing eye fluid.<div type="image" title="A man coughing" height="1439" width="2084" msid="110949086" hostid="261" sizebytes="169668"></div>The good news is that, as far as scientists can tell, H5N1 is still not adapted to humans enough to transmit between us. The CDC has reported no evidence that the coughing farmworker spread the virus to anyone else.But that doesn't mean H5N1 can't mutate to achieve human-to-human transmission — which brings us to the second unfortunate reality of this farmworker's respiratory infection. Compared to the eyes, human lungs are a more convenient place for an avian virus to get more mammalian, according to Webby. In the lungs, the virus is exposed to more of the cell receptors that a mammalian virus would bind to, giving H5N1 more opportunity to mutate and start grabbing onto those receptors — thereby becoming better adapted to infecting and spreading between humans.Many experts fear the USDA and CDC aren't monitoring cattle and farmworkers closely enough to catch concerning mutations early, and that other human cases may be going undetected.<div type="image" title="blue gloved hands in a white lab coat hold a large syringe and a lab tube of fluid" height="1500" width="2250" msid="110949093" hostid="261" sizebytes="47636"></div>"I think there's enough of a threat here to be very alert so that we have a surveillance system in place that, as soon as this happens, we can find it," Dye said.<h2 id="048d06aa-b91d-4421-b98b-5ae259b70f87">Vaccines are in the works</h2>The good news is that bird flu is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/august-flu-vs-covid-infection-rate-2023-8">not COVID-19</a>. Scientists have been tracking this virus and its entire viral family tree, watching for any sign of a growing threat to humans, for decades.As a result, the key elements of a vaccine are already on standby. The US is beginning to manufacture millions of vaccines using "candidate vaccine viruses" — weakened influenza viruses — that the CDC has developed.<div type="image" title="how does the flu shot work" height="1414" width="2121" msid="110949090" hostid="261" sizebytes="78400"></div>Though the candidates are not necessarily perfect matches to H5N1, and the vaccines' use of eggs may be a manufacturing roadblock if bird flu is sweeping the chicken population, they may provide some immunity in the case of a human outbreak.Furthermore, scientists now have proven <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mrna-vaccine-pfizer-moderna-coronavirus-2020-12">mRNA vaccine technology</a> at the ready. Vaccines that use mRNA, of which the COVID-19 vaccines were the first approved for use, are more flexible and faster to develop than traditional vaccines — and they don't require eggs.<div type="image" title="white shiny eggs on a machine coming out of a pink glowing chamber" height="1500" width="2667" msid="110949091" hostid="261" sizebytes="187078"></div>Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have already <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2024/may/penn-researchers-develop-experimental-mrna-avian-flu-vaccine">developed</a> an experimental mRNA vaccine for H5N1, which they've successfully tested in mice and ferrets.If H5N1 becomes a problem in humans, a vaccine could be offered with the flu shot you get later this year.In the meantime, bird flu is a looming threat to keep an eye on."As far as I can see, this is not going to go away anytime soon," Dye said.

Why 4 new bird flu developments have experts worried about the virus

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The H5N1 <keyword id="753637" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bird-flu-virus" source="Orion">bird flu virus</keyword> is spreading through US cattle herds for the first time.</li><li>The mammal-to-mammal transmission has scientists worried the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-hiv-had-coronavirus-216-days-virus-mutated-2021-6">virus could mutate</a> to spread between humans.</li></ul><keyword id="95867" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bird-flu" source="Orion">Bird flu</keyword> is flying wild. In recent months the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-avian-influenza-outbreak-us-h5n1-wiping-out-everything-2023-4">highly pathogenic H5N1 virus</a> has been spreading through US cattle herds for the first time ever. The cow-to-cow transmission is the latest escalation in a global <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/egg-prices-poised-to-spike-again-thanks-to-avian-flu-2023-12">outbreak</a> that began when the virus reemerged in Europe in 2020. It has since killed tens of millions of birds and more than 40,000 sea lions and seals in South America. World Health Organization chief scientist Jeremy Farrar <a target="_blank" href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148696">called</a> this an "<keyword id="20925201" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="animal-pandemic" source="Orion">animal pandemic</keyword>" on April 18. Genetic fragments of the virus, discovered in grocery store milk on Tuesday, suggest the <keyword id="21439799" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cattle-outbreak" source="Orion">cattle outbreak</keyword> is more widespread than officials believed, The Washington Post <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/04/23/bird-flu-virus-milk/">reported</a>. Experts told the Post that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-eggs-meat-milk-dairy-safety-during-outbreak-2024-4">drinking pasteurized milk is probably still safe</a>. Pasteurization deactivates pathogens, probably including H5N1, according to the Food and Drug Administration. However, no studies have specifically tested whether pasteurizing milk deactivates H5N1. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/health/bird-flu-usda-cattle.html">the New York Times</a>, the FDA is testing that now. <div type="image" title="row of cows sticking their heads through metal bars to eat hay feed" height="1500" width="2250" msid="109603130" hostid="261"></div>One human in Texas has tested positive for the virus after exposure to dairy cattle. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/p0401-avian-flu.html">According</a> to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that person's only symptom was eye redness. There has been no known human-to-human transmission. Still, future mutation could allow the virus to spread more easily to and between humans — a possibility of "great concern" to Farrar. <div type="image" title="man with turkeys inside coop. sign outside reads 'biosecurity area - no admittance w/o owner permission" height="1400" width="2100" msid="109603131" hostid="261"></div>Dr. Jerome Adams, a former surgeon general and the director of health equity at Purdue University, is getting deja vu. "If it keeps spreading in animals, then it is eventually going to cause problems for humans, either because we don't have food because they've got to start exterminating flocks, or because it starts to make a jump in humans," Adams, <keyword id="6366244" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="who" source="Orion">who</keyword> served under former President Donald Trump and was on the administration's initial COVID-19 task force, told Business Insider. "The more it replicates, the more chances it has to mutate." Though he agrees with the CDC's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/inhumans.htm">assessment</a> that the current risk to humans is low, Adams fears the US is repeating many mistakes it made in the early days of COVID-19. <h2>Weak messaging with no clear leaders</h2>Who is in charge of an animal pandemic in the US? The CDC? The US Department of Agriculture? The FDA? The answer is, sort of, all of them. That decentralized responsibility could be behind the lack of widespread, clear public messaging so far. For example, Adams says he hasn't changed anything about his diet, since pasteurization and proper cooking procedures should kill any live virus present. But he isn't sure everyone is getting the message. He compared it to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, when people distrusted a process they didn't understand. <div type="image" title="person with ponytail green hoodie medical gloves inspects eggs in a grocery story" height="1500" width="2000" msid="109603133" hostid="261"></div>"The public needs good consistent communication from the White House, from the USDA, helping reassure them what the process is to keep them safe," Adams said. Rather than consumers, the people most at risk are agricultural workers or anyone with close or prolonged exposure to chickens or cattle. It's those groups who need strong, targeted guidance right now, Adams said. <h2>Only testing the sick</h2>So far, the USDA has only been testing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/beef-prices-higher-drought-fewer-cattle-less-meat-2022-8">cattle herds</a> when an animal appears sick. That means asymptomatic spread could be flying under the radar. "An animal can't tell you, 'Hey, I feel a little under the weather today.' So they're literally waiting until an animal is collapsing or showing fatigue or showing severe symptoms," Adams said. "We need a testing strategy that is proactive and allows true surveillance, and not reactive." The USDA took a step forward on Wednesday, ordering that all lactating dairy cows must be tested for H5N1 before they're moved across state lines and that all positive test results must be reported. New York Times columnist Zeynep Tufekci <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/opinion/bird-flu-cow-outbreak.html">reported</a> that same day that, until now, the USDA has not been keeping track of positive test results in cattle. <h2>Election distraction</h2> <div type="image" title="donald trump" height="3333" width="5000" msid="109603134" hostid="261"></div>In late 2019 and early 2020, the big news story was the impeachment, and later acquittal, of President Trump. Now a different <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-hush-money-trial-kicks-off-fiery-da-openings-2024-4">Trump trial</a> is dominating the news. And, as in 2020, this is an election year. "The Biden administration, particularly the White House, has been incredibly quiet on this bird flu situation. Why? To me, it looks like they very much don't want to scare the public and spook the economy in an election year," Adams said. <h2>Business vs. public health</h2>Just like the lockdowns of COVID-19 were devastating for the restaurant and hospitality industries, a crackdown on avian flu can be devastating to the chicken industry. The treatment for a <keyword id="1433269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bird-flu-outbreak" source="Orion">bird flu outbreak</keyword> is to kill all the chickens. Even before that, just testing the flock can slow down production. "We're seeing the same tension between business interests and public health interests," Adams said. What's more, many of the workers who handle chickens and cattle are undocumented immigrants. That can make them and their bosses hesitant to call in authorities over diseased animals. Many vulnerable groups were hesitant to report illness in the early COVID days, too, including migrant workers and people who didn't have sick leave from work. "My concern is we keep making the same mistakes over and over again," Adams said. "Because we keep focusing on the wrong things instead of focusing on the root causes."

Bird flu could jump to humans any day. A former surgeon general says it feels like 2020 again.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new strain of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/er-doctor-monkeypox-patients-are-getting-misdiagnosed-with-other-conditions-2022-8">monkeypox virus</a> is "the most dangerous" yet and could be a global threat, experts say.</li><li>The new clade Ib virus emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and spread to Rwanda's border.</li></ul>A deadly and fast-spreading new strain of mpox, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/monkeypox-pictures-patient-shares-images-describes-intense-pain-2022-8">the disease caused by the monkeypox virus</a>, has global health officials ringing alarm bells.The new virus is "undoubtedly the most dangerous of all the known strains of mpox," John Claude Udahemuka, a lecturer at the University of Rwanda, said in a press briefing on June 25. He said the virus has caused miscarriages and blindness.An earlier, milder form of mpox — called clade IIb — circulated worldwide in 2022, ultimately <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-the-us-handled-its-first-ever-monkeypox-outbreak-2022-5">infecting more than 32,000 people in the US</a> and killing 58 of them. It prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency, which ended last year.The new virus is called clade Ib, since it's a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-hiv-had-coronavirus-216-days-virus-mutated-2021-6">mutation</a> of an even earlier form of mpox. It first appeared in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September and has spread to towns along the Rwanda border, near Burundi and Uganda.The new clade Ib virus could cause a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-avian-influenza-outbreak-us-h5n1-wiping-out-everything-2023-4">global outbreak</a>, experts fear, though they stopped short of warning of a pandemic."The pandemic question is difficult," Trudie Lang, director of the Global Health Network at Oxford University, said in the briefing."I think we need to be really vigilant now and move to try and contain this as quickly as possible in this region," she added. "There's definitely the opportunity for this to get on an airplane."<h2 id="ef566fbb-abea-4b10-aabf-9d64faaf238f">The new mpox strain spreads easily </h2>Mpox spreads through close contact, especially skin-to-skin contact. It can cause flu-like symptoms and a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/monkeypox-rash-pictures-when-to-get-checked-2022-5">painful or itchy rash</a> that develops into puss-filled blisters, lesions, and eventually scabs.<div type="image" title="Monkeypox palm of hands" height="459" width="700" msid="111468793" hostid="261" sizebytes="24580"></div><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/monkeypox-man-hospitalized-couldnt-swallow-spit-feared-death-symptoms-2022-7">Previous strains of the virus</a> have had limited transmission abilities. The clade I virus that's long circulated in the DRC has been mostly associated with spread through families and within households, Land said. The clade IIb virus that went global was mostly sexually transmitted and mostly affected men who have sex with men.The new clade Ib strain seems to do it all.It began spreading through sexual transmission, via the local sex work industry, according to the researchers. However, they said the new virus has also spread within households, between mothers and their children, and there have even been cases of person-to-person spread outside households and without sexual contact.That's "incredibly worrying," Lang said. That's because it has more opportunities to spread than previous strains did.The clade I form of the virus, from which the new strain has emerged, is also more deadly than clade II. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/about/index.html">WHO</a>, some outbreaks have killed up to 10% of sick people.<h2 id="b8b424dd-af4a-4193-a5ac-002f109faf5a">Researchers only see 'the tip of the iceberg'</h2>It's not yet clear just how deadly the new clade Ib virus is, because researchers aren't sure how many cases there are.Leandre Murhula Masirika, a research coordinator in the local DRC health department, said in the briefing that they had identified more than 600 cases so far."These are the severe cases that make it to hospital, so this will be the tip of the iceberg," Lang said.The WHO's technical lead for mpox, Rosamund Lewis, also raised the alarm last week, saying "There is a critical need to address the recent surge in mpox cases in Africa," according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-scientists-warn-mpox-strain-congo-2024-06-25/">Reuters</a>.The researchers said they need to better understand the virus to identify the right safety measures and vaccines to contain its spread."We need to first carry out studies of serology and immunology in order to see what kind of vaccination we can propose," Murhula Masirika said.He added that, in the meantime, he wants to give the smallpox vaccine to local sex workers and healthcare workers in hopes that it will confer some immunity to mpox.

Experts are racing to contain 'the most dangerous' monkeypox virus yet before it causes a global outbreak

New York [US], April 5 (ANI): The <keyword id="10561122" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bird-flu-pandemic" source="Orion">bird flu pandemic</keyword> with the potential to be "<keyword id="21202249" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="100-times-worse" source="Orion">100 times worse</keyword> than COVID" may be on the horizon after a rare human case was discovered in Texas, experts have warned, the New York Post reported on Thursday. The <keyword id="21202246" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="H5N1-avian-flu" source="keywords">H5N1 avian flu</keyword> has spread rapidly since a new strain was detected in 2020 affecting wild birds in every state, as well as in commercial poultry and backyard flocks. But the recent cases detected in mammals, with cattle herds across four states becoming infected and on Monday, federal health officials announced that a dairy worker in Texas caught the virus. "This virus [has been] on the top of the pandemic list for many, many years and probably decades," Suresh Kuchipudi, a <keyword id="95867" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bird-flu" source="Orion">bird flu</keyword> researcher from Pittsburgh, said at a recent panel discussing the issue, the New York Post reported citing the Daily Mail. "And now we're getting dangerously close to this virus potentially causing a pandemic." He noted that the <keyword id="565908" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="H5N1-virus" source="Orion">H5N1 virus</keyword> has already been detected in species throughout the world and "has shown the ability to infect a range of mammalian hosts, including humans." "So therefore, in my view, I think this is a virus that has the greatest pandemic threat [that is] playing out in plain sight and globally present," Kuchipudi said. John Fulton, a pharmaceutical industry consultant for vaccines and the founder of Canada-based BioNiagara who organized the meeting, also expressed his concerns, the Mail reports, the New York Post reported. "This appears to be 100 times worse than COVID -- or it could be if it mutates and maintains its high case fatality rate," he said. "Once it's mutated to infect humans, we can only hope that the [fatality rate] drops." Around 52 per cent of humans who have contracted H5N1 since 2003 have died, according to the World Health Organization. For comparison, COVID currently kills less than 0.1% of those it infects -- though at the start of the pandemic, the fatality rate was around 20 per cent. Symptoms of the bird flu are similar to those of other flus, including cough, body aches and fever, the New York Post reported. Some people may not develop noticeable symptoms, but others can develop severe, life-threatening pneumonia. The dairy worker in Texas who was infected has reported "eye redness (consistent with conjunctivitis)" as their only symptom, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted. "The patient was told to isolate and is being treated with an antiviral drug for [the] flu," the CDC said. The agency and "the whole US government is taking this situation very seriously," CDC Director Mandy Cohen told the Washington Post. She maintained that the virus does not pose much of a risk to the general public, noting that the dairy worker was in direct contact with infected cattle, and the US Department of Agriculture has said there are currently no changes that would make it more transmissible to humans. "While cases among humans in direct contact with infected animals are possible, this indicates that the current risk to the public remains low," the department said in a statement over the weekend. But the fact that the virus has been found in cattle could mean it is starting to mutate, Cohen told the Washington Post. "We had not seen avian flu in cattle prior to last week. That is new," she said. "It is a reservoir for [the] virus to circulate and potentially change." If the virus does mutate enough to infect humans, it could spread rapidly, the European Food Safety Authority warned on Wednesday, according to Fox News. "If avian A [H5N1] influenza viruses acquire the ability to spread efficiently among humans, large-scale transmission could occur due to the lack of immune defences against H5 viruses in humans," the Food Safety Authority said. To prevent any potential spread, the US is already testing components used to create a vaccine for the virus, and two candidate vaccine viruses appear to be well-matched to protect against H5N1, the Washington Post reports. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said the Biden administration is monitoring the threat. "We take the health and safety of the American people seriously," she said at her briefing on Wednesday. "It is very important to this president. Our top priority is to keep communities healthy, safe and informed."

Scientists warn of bird flu pandemic that could be '100 times worse' than COVID after rare human case found in US

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Neanderthals may have caught the same viruses that cause modern colds, cold sores, and some cancers.</li><li>It's possible ancient <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/40000-year-bone-hints-humans-neanderthals-shared-cave-culture-2023-8">humans introduced</a> these unfamiliar viruses to their relatives.</li></ul>Neanderthals may have suffered from some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-interbreeding-between-humans-and-neanderthals-affects-our-health-today-2023-6">very familiar diseases</a> 50,000 years ago, which could have contributed to their downfall.Researchers studying <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/some-more-neanderthal-dna-others-scientists-why-2023-10">ancient Neanderthal DNA</a> found traces of three viruses that cause colds, cold sores, genital warts, and cancer.And ancient humans might have been the ones who started spreading these bugs, according to the scientists who recently published their work in the peer-reviewed journal "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/16/6/856">Viruses</a>."Most Neanderthal experts think the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neanderthals-extinct-humans-naked-neanderthal-book-2024-2">species went extinct</a> due to various causes, from changing climate to low fertility rates to human interactions. Trying to recover from illnesses — especially unfamiliar ones introduced by distant cousins — likely wouldn't have helped.Poor health from "these types of infections can have a negative impact when you are competing with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neanderthals-humans-belong-to-same-species-could-rewrite-history-evolution-2023-12">another species</a>," Marcelo Briones, one of the researchers who found the viruses, told Business Insider via email.Not only could these ancient viruses contribute to our understanding of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neanderthal-genes-linked-to-severe-cases-of-covid-19-coronavirus-2023-9">Neanderthals' extinction</a>, but they might help us learn more about the modern versions still infecting humans today.<h2 id="aee8236b-0769-4c5c-a591-19f53ea5b020">Siberian bones with ancient viruses</h2><div type="image" title="A skull of a Neanderthal is seen in the foreground, the cast is partial, and missing bits of the skull are filled in. The skull is displayed in a museum, a person is seen in the background looking at the skulls." height="1217" width="2000" msid="110774278" hostid="261" sizebytes="92106"></div>About 54,000 years ago, a small <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2022/october/siberian-remains-could-represent-first-known-neanderthal-community.html">community</a> of Neanderthals lived in Chagyrskaya Cave in Southern Siberia.Briones and his colleagues studied the sequenced DNA data of two Neanderthals from the cave — an adult male and a boy — to look for evidence of three viruses they thought might have contributed to the species' extinction: adenovirus, herpesvirus, and papillomavirus.The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/adenovirus-symptoms-infection-treatment-causes">adenovirus can cause</a> respiratory infections like colds or flu, while herpesviruses can cause cold sores or genital warts, depending on the type. Some cancers, like cervical cancer, are linked to the papillomavirus.This isn't the first time researchers have found inert (no longer infectious) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-sequence-ancient-herpes-dna-for-the-first-time-2022-7">ancient human viruses</a>. A 2021 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.28.450199v1.full">study</a> documented the discovery of adenovirus in 31,600-year-old human teeth from Siberia.The adenovirus, herpesvirus, and papillomavirus found in this more-recent study are nearly 50,000 years old, according to the researchers — 20,000 years older than the adenovirus found in the Siberian teeth.That's around the time some experts <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=3adac6a2c6dc245e01370bc8c7abbfffdd025aba41c57593fdfe7271f0db9314&amp;postID=665a3831074e87bb00e7b5b5&amp;postSlug=neanderthals-virus-herpes-hpv-caught-from-humans-may-helped-extinction-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41586-021-03335-3">estimate</a> humans and Neanderthals interbred, between 60,000 and 50,000 years ago. In addition to swapping DNA, humans and Neanderthals probably <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(18)31095-X">passed around</a> diseases.It's not clear if newly introduced viruses would have caused the same symptoms in Neanderthals that they do in present-day humans. While infections likely induced an immune response, it's difficult to tell how severe resulting illnesses would have been, Briones said.One 2016 study <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mpg.de/9819763/neanderthal-genes-immune-system">suggested</a> interbreeding with Neanderthals may have boosted humans' immunity to previously unknown diseases. However, the Neanderthals may have been less lucky."A cold does not have to be fatal to decrease hunting efficiency or reproductive ability," Briones said. With an already small population, getting sick with new illnesses might have contributed to Neanderthals' extinction <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60305218">roughly</a> 40,000 years ago.<h2 id="f874156d-c1cf-4887-a987-fb47bf6b4f78">The difficulty with ancient DNA</h2>Learning more about how these ancient diseases have changed over tens of thousands of years could shed light on how they affect modern humans.Some viruses never leave your body. "They have a huge impact on human health because they are long-lived infections," said Sasha Tabachnikova, a PhD candidate studying herpesvirus at Yale School of Medicine. Recent research has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/study-suggests-epstein-barr-virus-may-cause-multiple-sclerosis">linked</a> Epstein-Barr — a type of herpesvirus — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mono-shot-possible-cure-ms-2023-3">with multiple sclerosis</a>, for example.Tabachnikova, who wasn't involved in the paper, is excited about the possibility of studying how an ancient virus has evolved since the Neanderthals' era. But that type of research is likely a ways off.Ancient DNA is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3685887/">tricky</a> to work with. It degrades and breaks into short <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=69f6ace98b50c5d0e73abc5a93a60ead0c463790ac4d848440e2a171cc19db73&amp;postID=665a3831074e87bb00e7b5b5&amp;postSlug=neanderthals-virus-herpes-hpv-caught-from-humans-may-helped-extinction-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41596-018-0050-5">fragments</a>. The longer a sequence of DNA is, the easier it is to identify."When the sequence is too short, you will find them everywhere, in all types of genomes," Diyendo Massilani, an assistant professor of genetics at Yale, said. That can lead to misinterpretations in the data.Viruses already have shorter DNA strands than humans do. That means tools used to study ancient human DNA might not work for viruses, Sally Wasef, a paleogenetics researcher at Queensland University of Technology, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2430389-oldest-known-human-viruses-found-hidden-within-neanderthal-bones/">told New Scientist</a>.Massilani also had some concerns with how the researchers were interpreting the ancient DNA. "They probably have a good idea," he said, but they need to adjust some of their methods to strengthen their results.Briones said he and his colleagues plan to do more research to confirm their findings.

Scientists discovered 50,000-year-old viruses in Neanderthal DNA that could help explain their mysterious extinction

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A new report from Forbes Advisor ranked US states by risk of cat and dog illnesses.</li><li>They analyzed 19 different diseases throughout the US, including Lyme Disease, rabies, and worms.</li></ul>Spring has sprung, and with warmer weather comes the start of a far less pleasant time of year: tick season. As ticks become more active this spring, both humans and their pets will be at greater risk of diseases like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-protect-against-lyme-disease-during-tick-season-2021-8">Lyme disease</a>, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis.But a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/pet-insurance/pet-care/highest-and-lowest-risk-states-for-pet-illness/">new science report</a> from Forbes Advisor, the analysis arm of Forbes, could help you protect your pets from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-check-for-tick-bites-this-summer-2023-5">tick-borne diseases</a> and other harmful infections.The report analyzed 19 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/funny-animal-photos-comedy-pet-photography-awards-finalists-2024-5">dog and cat</a> diseases across the US from six pet health and infectious disease organizations, including the Center for Disease Control and the American Veterinary Medical Association. It uncovered the riskiest states for pets, and the data might just save your pet's life."As a pet owner, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/half-owners-say-pets-equal-human-family-member-survey-2023-7">you want to do the very best job taking care of your pet</a>," and this report will hopefully better equip pet owners to do exactly that by spreading awareness, Alexandria Cremer, a Forbes senior PR strategist involved with the report, told Business Insider.Here are the 10 riskiest states for your pet, the most common diseases to watch out for, and some basic tips for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-retro-pugs-healthier-than-pugs-live-longer-2023-4">keeping your pet happy and healthy</a>.<h2 id="9f2371db-99c2-4182-adb6-acd68e9b9c3d">Top 10 riskiest states for your pet</h2>Forbes Advisor created its own ranking scale based on data from all 19 diseases. The scale ranges from zero to 100, and states with higher scores have a greater risk of these diseases.These were the 10 riskiest states, according to the data:<ol><li>West Virginia Score: 100</li><li>Rhode Island Score: 80.71</li><li>New Jersey Score: 74.1</li><li>Kentucky Score: 73.91</li><li>Maine Score: 71.3</li><li>Oklahoma Score: 70.15</li><li>New York Score: 66.23</li><li>Mississippi Score: 65.88</li><li>Indiana Score: 65.69</li><li>Pennsylvania Score: 64.75</li></ol>Some key takeaways: Five of the top 10 riskiest states for your pet are on the East Coast (Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania). Two of these 10 states, West Virginia and Maine, were also among the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/map-states-with-lyme-disease-other-tick-borne-illnesses-2022-5">top three riskiest states for tick-borne diseases</a>. And Pennsylvania recorded the most cases of rabies (237) in cats between 2017 to 2021.<h2 id="0a607237-2959-418a-a8ca-9eca83e16e66">The most common diseases to watch out for</h2><h3 id="99bf07fe-fbfc-4986-a19e-46d33596bc02">Ticks</h3>Tick-borne diseases like Lyme Disease, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-prevent-diseases-from-ticks-mosquitoes-summer-2018-6">especially common in the spring and summer months</a>.Arkansas, Maine, and West Virginia ranked highest in tick-borne diseases out of all 50 states. But regionally, the East Coast — and especially the Northeast — showed the highest risk of tick-borne disease.These bacterial infections <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deer-tick-powassan-virus-lyme-disease-risk-2017-6">can turn deadly</a> if not treated quickly, so it's important to watch your pet for symptoms. Fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, and joint stiffness or pain are all common symptoms of these three tick-borne diseases.<h3 id="57fd3145-dee8-41fc-9784-60a185b1ab27">Parasites</h3>Ticks aren't the only tiny critters that can get your pet sick. Parasites like worms can wriggle their way into your pets' bodies when they ingest contaminated substances like dirt or feces, or when an infected insect — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/pets/dog-scratching">like fleas and mosquitos</a> — bite your pet.Roundworms are the most common <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/pets/worms-in-dogs">intestinal parasites</a> in cats and dogs. The top three states with the highest risk of roundworm were South Dakota, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.This parasite poses the biggest risk to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/foster-kittens-puppies-san-antonio-zoo-2020-7">puppies and kittens</a>, so it's important to deworm them every two weeks until they're three months old, according to Companion Veterinary Clinic. Watch for symptoms like a distended belly, weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.<h3 id="633be37d-cd4f-4f5b-b45c-83d12cddef68">Viruses</h3><div type="image" title="A vet examines a white cat" height="1414" width="2119" msid="110313028" hostid="261" sizebytes="185776"></div>Cats and dogs can catch viruses too. The risk of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/pets/dog-sneezing-a-lot">dog flu</a>, a highly contagious respiratory virus, was highest in New Mexico, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.Most dogs recover from the flu in two to three weeks, but it's still important to look for the symptoms so that you can keep them properly hydrated, rested, and fed while they recover. Symptoms include a runny nose, fever, lethargy, runny eyes, and loss of appetite, according to the FA report.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/couple-adopts-depressed-cat-fishtopher-after-seeing-viral-tweet-2022-11">Feline immunodeficiency virus</a> is one of the most common diseases that infect cats. Kentucky and Mississippi showed the highest risk of this disease.It's dangerous because infected cats may not display any symptoms for years, but all the while, this virus is causing lasting damage to their immune systems. Though the early signs are hard to see, you can catch them one to three months following infection if you know what to look for including swollen lymph nodes, fever, depression, and lack of appetite, according to Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.<h2 id="439c804d-01bc-4e72-bfbb-0ec7907a30d8">How to keep your pet safe</h2>No matter where you live, there are some preventative measures that every pet owner can take to protect their pet's health.Scheduling <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/how-often-should-my-dog-go-to-the-vet">annual vet check-ups</a> to make sure your pet is up to date on their vaccines is a great place to start, according to the animal rescue Brandywine Valley SPCA.It's also important to keep up with preventative medication. Experts recommend giving your pet heartworm, flea, and tick medication once a month, all year round, and routinely checking your pet's fur and skin for ticks, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the FDA.Trips to the vet can get expensive, especially if your pet needs emergency care or surgery. Emergency vet bills range from $150 to $5,000 on average in the US, MetLife reports. Consider <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/best-pet-insurance">purchasing pet insurance</a> to help cover unexpected costs. Depending on your pet's breed, age, and other factors, pet insurance can range from $48 to $68 per month per dog and $28 to $40 monthly per cat, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/pet-insurance/pet-insurance-cost/">separate report</a> from Forbes Advisor.And last, but certainly not least, making sure your pet gets <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/pets/can-dogs-eat-cat-food">proper nutrition</a>, hydration, exercise, and mental stimulation is key to keeping them happy and healthy, according to the Animal Foundation.

The 10 states where your pet is more likely to get sick from tick-borne diseases, viruses, parasites, and more

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dalia Goldberg moved to Spain with her then-husband in late 2018.</li><li>A few years later, she was overwhelmed with her job, going through a divorce, and felt lonely living abroad.</li></ul>It's 9 p.m. I'm standing onstage, and the wooden tables spread across the crowded bar are packed with people. The lights are dimmed, and the air smells like yeast and hops. And Jennifer, one of the members of my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/learning/affordable-online-comedy-improv-writing-classes">improv group</a>, is squawking like a duck.There is something thrillingly hilarious about her impression. Flapping her wings and wagging her tail feathers manically, she somehow captures the very essence of duck-ishness. The crowd roars with laughter.Later, I spin an impromptu romantic yarn about a mole. My friend Will becomes a frenetic sports pundit, belting out razor-sharp commentary with quick-fire energy. Alex, the host, warms up the crowd with witty banter, towering over us all in his brightly patterned shirt. Accents are thrown around at random; pop culture references go every which way. There are no rules.Two years ago, I couldn't have imagined that I would be jumping around whimsically on this stage. Trapped in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/signs-youre-in-a-healthy-relationship-2023-11">struggling relationship</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-do-if-you-hate-job-cant-quit-2023-11">unsatisfied with my career</a>, I constantly felt anxious and on edge. At a friend's wedding, where I was asked to be a bridesmaid, my social anxiety was so intense that I had one too many glasses of wine and sat out most of the event.<h2 id="ae5393c5-d981-4234-b770-ec2508d2d7d1">I felt lonely after moving to Spain</h2>The COVID-19 pandemic led to an uptick in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/modern-loneliness">loneliness around the world</a>, as lockdowns and travel restrictions kept people away from family and friends. And I was no exception.In early 2020, I'd just spent my first year and a half in Seville, Spain. Plans to integrate, learn Spanish, and meet new people were interrupted by lockdowns and panic over new virus variants.My husband and I had<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-moved-to-spain-for-sun-fun-affordable-better-life-2024-8"> moved to Spain</a> thinking we'd travel around and enjoy a great quality of life while working remotely. Instead, with travel bookings canceled and meetups kiboshed, I settled into a rigorous work-from-home routine, interspersed with immigration paperwork and reading up on vaccines. I tried to keep in contact with friends in North America through video calls, but it just wasn't the same.As a remote freelancer, my workload increased as companies around the world transitioned to remote work. I went from casually teaching English lessons online to launching a remote copywriting business, where I was often answering emails 24/7. The stress and pressure, combined with the quirks of renting an old apartment and managing immigration paperwork, quickly became overwhelming.As the years trickled by with no end in sight, I began to wonder <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-to-spain-from-us-better-work-life-balance-2024-1">what I was doing in Spain</a>, and questioned whether the move had been worth it. The gloominess on the news didn't help.Eventually, my marriage succumbed to the pressure of these challenges and fell apart. I found myself starting a new <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spain-dating-locals-tinder-clubbing-split-bill-living-with-parents-2024-8">life on my own in Spain</a>. This was a scary time, but also a welcome opportunity for a new beginning.As I soon found out, the best antidote for stress and loneliness can be laughter.<div type="image" title="The Improvites comedy group in Spain" height="791" width="1055" msid="113866255" hostid="261" sizebytes="29710"></div><h2 id="baa0eaf9-4705-4350-a138-ace9431b1869">Making new friends through improv</h2>True to its name, improv comedy isn't scripted. It's a series of games where the players crack jokes, and the audience is invited to give suggestions. Everything happens for the very first time onstage… so you could end up saying anything, no matter how ridiculous.When I started taking improv classes in May 2023, I was recovering from the breakup and was curious about trying new things. I thought I'd take one or two classes, but ended up coming back every week.Then, in September of that year, a popular English-language professional improv group in Seville — <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.facebook.com/theimprovites">The Improvites</a> — held auditions. I decided to try out, and was excited to see that I got in.Many members of the Improvites told me the activity has boosted their confidence and helped them make new friends. Bob Rouf, a teacher and subtitler hailing from the UK and one of the group's founders, said it helped him beat social anxiety. "If you're an adult, you spend your time in drudgery, the grind, working… things get kind of heavy, you get worn down. But you do improv, and suddenly you're light again," he says.Will, another member from the UK, moved to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-places-to-visit-in-fall-no-crowds-frequent-traveler-2024-9#you-can-bypass-fall-altogether-in-south-island-new-zealand-3">Seville</a> from northern Spain after his marriage also broke down. When he attended his first improv session, he didn't know what to expect, but he says he's so happy to have stepped outside his comfort zone. "Doing improv has led me to meet so many like minded people whom I've had such a good time with. I haven't laughed so much in years," he told me.I've realized that improv is one of the few times I can let my inner child run free. Deep connections have formed, and I now feel empowered to let go and allow myself to be authentic — even in front of a crowd.Got a personal essay to share about challenges faced while living abroad? Get in touch with the editor: <a target="_blank" href="mailto:akarplus@businessinsider.com">akarplus@businessinsider.com</a>.

I moved to Spain, got divorced, and was feeling lonely — until I found a new way to make friends

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists are studying a new threat emerging from melting permafrost: ancient viruses.</li><li>A new study says these pathogens could pose significant risks to modern-day humans.</li></ul>As permafrost thaws across the world due to a warming climate, scientists are researching a potential new threat: The emergence of ancient viruses trapped in the frost for tens of thousands of years. The authors of <a href="https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011268">the study</a> — published in PLOS Computational Biology, a peer-reviewed scientific journal — used computer simulations to model how ancient viruses could survive, evolve, and persist in our modern-day communities. This research marks the first "extensive exploration of the ecological risk" these viruses pose, according to the authors.Melting permafrost is already revealing organisms that have been trapped beneath the ice for millennia. In a study published last month, scientists said they discovered a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/forty-six-thousand-year-old-worm-found-siberian-permafrost-brought-back-to-life-2023-7">46,000-year-old microscopic worm</a> trapped in Siberian permafrost that was still capable of producing offspring. And earlier this year, a French scientist identified a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-revived-zombie-animals-bugs-viruses-ancient-ice-before-2023-7">48,000-year-old virus</a> in Siberian permafrost that could still infect single-celled organisms. In many of the simulations conducted in the study of the ancient viruses, researchers found that they could thrive in modern communities without making a catastrophic impact, but still caused "non-negligible ecological change."The simulations found that just 1% of cases resulted in major ecological damage. But within this small percentage, the simulations found that the pathogens would either increase species diversity by 12% or decrease species diversity by 32%, according to the authors.That 1% is important, the authors warn, and these low-probability yet catastrophic re-emergence scenarios require further attention. "Risk does not emerge solely from the chance of the event occurring, but from the combination of probability and the magnitude of the event's potential effects," the authors wrote. "From that perspective, our results are worrisome, as they point to an actual risk deriving from the rare events where time-traveling invasions produce severe ecological impacts."Plus, the pathogens that were most successful in the past are the most likely to successfully re-establish themselves today, according to the researchers. This means the viruses most likely to re-emerge successfully could also be the most likely to pose an ecological risk. Experts have been sounding the alarm on melting permafrost for years, identifying it as just one of countless reasons to slow carbon emissions. Not only is the thawing permafrost a sign that <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-permafrost#:~:text=A%20thawing%20permafrost%20layer%20can,be%20damaged%20as%20permafrost%20thaws.">global climate change</a> is worsening, vast swaths of melting ice also pose a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/01/11/permafrost-melting-arctic/">significant threat to human infrastructure</a>.

Ancient viruses could re-emerge as permafrost melts, posing 'unpredictable threats' to our communities, new study says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Joe Biden said he would reconsider running for president if he was advised by his doctors.</li><li>The president previously pushed back against criticism of his cognitive abilities.</li></ul>It's been three weeks since Joe Biden's shaky debate against Donald Trump <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jill-biden-support-joe-could-be-damaging-expert-step-down-2024-7">prompted calls for him to drop out.</a>Since then, 81-year-old and his <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jill-biden-support-joe-could-be-damaging-expert-step-down-2024-7">inner circle</a> have repeatedly pushed back against criticism of his <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-debate-aides-struggles-function-after-4-p-m-2024-7">cognitive abilities</a> and his age.But it turns out that one group of people could convince the president to call it quits: his doctors.Speaking with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/biden-discusses-staying-in-presidential-race-encouraging-voters-amid-lack-of-enthusiasm/">BET News' Ed Gordon</a> on Wednesday, Biden was asked which circumstances would cause him to reevaluate running for the presidency."If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody — if doctors came to me and said you got this problem, that problem," Biden responded."The only thing age brings is a little bit of wisdom. And I think I've demonstrated that I know how to get things done," Biden said later in the interview, adding that he is "reluctant" to walk away from the race.Biden didn't elaborate on what kind of medical condition would spur him to reconsider running for president, though it's worth noting that he has previously rejected the idea of taking a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-shouldnt-take-cognitive-test-experts-president-trump-2024-7">cognitive test</a>.Hours after the interview aired, the White House announced that the president had <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-tests-positive-for-covid-19-2024-7">tested positive for COVID-19</a>.It's the third time in the past two years that the president has contracted the virus."Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms. He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement."The White House will provide regular updates on the President's status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation."

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