Infectious Diseases

Fast, effective diagnostics are crucial in the identification of individuals infected with monkeypox (MPXV); a potentially fatal virus previously known as monkeypox. The outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) in August 2024, just two years after a similar occurrence in 2022. Many top health officials have called for a coordinated international response to curb the spread and save lives. Drawing on this experience, University of Alabama at Birmingham Professor and epidemiologist David O. Freedman, contributes insights into managing outbreaks in a post-pandemic world.

With cases increasing at an alarming rate over the past two decades, the dengue virus (DENV) has remained a significant threat to global public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that dengue cases skyrocketed from 500,000 to 5.2 million from 2000-2019, and recent reports indicate that cases are on the rise again. As of early 2024, dengue has been classified as a Grade 3 emergency by the WHO, demanding the highest-level response. Although many dengue cases are mild, severe dengue is considered a medical emergency that necessitates intervention as soon as possible. As dengue cases continue to increase, an integrated approach that includes vector control, prevention, and early and accurate diagnosis is critical for mitigation.

Parents know that kids get sick all the time. They also know that normally, the best course of is to be treated at home with rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medicines. However, sometimes a child develops a severe illness and can’t be treated with at-home care alone.

Tuberculosis (TB) fatalities continue to rise. In 2022, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB, compared to 10.3 million in 2021 and 10 million in 2020. The infectious disease killed 1.3 million people worldwide each year. In 2022, TB remained the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease, after COVID-19, and caused almost twice as many deaths as HIV/AIDS.

Data suggests that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased prevalence of antimicrobial resistant infections and increases in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). A recent study shows an alarming incidence of multidrug-resistant candidiasis in COVID-19 patients, which carries high morbidity and mortality rates. With this increasing prevalence of resistant infections, the utilization of surveillance tools such as whole genome sequencing (WGS) are critical in preventing the spread of these infections.