In The News: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Wired

Covid cases have spiked every summer since 2020, and this season is no exception. A Covid wave is once again sweeping through much of the world and has reached the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Sleepopolis

When it comes to pests, bed bugs may top the list. Between the itchy bites, the risk of secondary infections from all that scratching, and the resulting anxiety and disrupted sleep, the entire bed bug experience can be pretty miserable. Fortunately, bed bug infestations can be treated. Ahead, we’re sharing everything you’ve ever needed to know about bed bugs, including how to spot them, how to get rid of bedbugs, and most importantly, how to avoid them in the first place.

Flow Space

There is a new trio of highly contagious COVID-19 variants making the rounds, known as the KP.2 and KP.3 variants, also known as the FLiRT strains, as well as the LB.1 variant. Because of this, COVID rates have rapidly increased throughout various parts of the country. According to the CDC, at least 21 states have very high levels of Covid, including Florida, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada, and Maryland. As the virus continues to mutate and our behaviors evolve, women in midlife face unique risks that demand attention.

Daily Mail

Experts have warned a new 'lethal' variant of the mpox, formerly monkeypox, disease is spreading 'unchecked' and posing a 'severe' risk to hundreds of thousands of people as health providers lack the resources to stop the spread.

KTNV-TV: ABC 13

Every day, I'm looking out for the health and wellness of our community. So when the Southern Nevada Health District said they were looking into two cases of Legionnaires' disease at Caesars Palace, I wanted to know how serious this is and what you need to know.

New York Post

A listeria outbreak tied to deli meats has sickened nearly three dozen people across the country, killing two, officials said. Meanwhile, several varieties of bagged and bulk vegetables have recently been recalled over listeria concerns. An estimated 1,600 people get listeria food poisoning each year, and about 260 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Healthline

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a nationwide recall of Boar’s Head deli meats on July 26 that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recall includes 207,528 pounds of Boar’s Head liverwurst and other deli meat products. A widespread Listeria outbreak in the United States has resulted in two deaths and 28 hospitalizations across 12 states.

Homes & Gardens

If you've notice pea-sized brown bugs on your plants that are leaving holes from munching, it could be kudzu bugs. Closely related to stink bugs, kudzu bugs are plant munchers that will feed on everything from foliage to vegetables.

Las Vegas Sun

It’s in the air, and now in the water. Samples from Southern Nevada’s wastewater have shown an increase of the COVID-19 virus in areas of the valley, indicating a possible summer surge of the illness that has spread across the country.

Las Vegas Review Journal

Richard Oxborough plucked a vial of human blood from the rack on his lab bench. The UNLV researcher warmed the blood and fed it to a colony of mosquitoes. The critters won’t be quite as voracious as normal because Oxborough didn’t have the chance to starve them, he quipped.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

The Southern Nevada Health District is encouraging the community to “fight the bite” this summer, as the Southern Nevada Health District announced in May the detection of the first West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes in Clark County of the 2024 season.

VeryWell Health

Rats in New York City are becoming more than a nuisance. The New York City Department of Health has released a health advisory after recording six cases of human leptospirosis, an infection with Leptospira bacteria that can be spread through rat urine. In 2023, the city recorded 24 cases, the highest number in a single year.