Biting midges, especially those in the Culicoides family, are more than just a nuisance. They can cause allergic reactions in horses and spread serious viruses like bluetongue and African horse sickness. Scientists are using advanced technology to understand and predict where these midges will thrive in the future. This is crucial for managing the spread of diseases ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a tough nut to crack for traditional disease models. Why? Because it's sneaky. It can spread without symptoms, hide in plain sight, and mess with how we interact with each other. Imagine trying to track a ghost. That's what epidemiologists were up against. They had to deal with delayed diagnoses, silent spreaders, and changes i...

In a notable development, six dairy farms in Nevada have been identified with a new strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus. This strain, called D1. 1, is different from the one that has been seen in other dairy herds across the US, specifically B3. 13. D1. 1 has previously only been found in birds and people who had close contact with them. This marks the second time that...

Rwanda and the World Health Organization have announced that the Marburg virus outbreak in the country is officially over. No new cases have been reported in recent weeks, which is a promising sign. The outbreak began on September 27 and resulted in 15 deaths and 66 cases. Most of the affected individuals were healthcare workers who had contact with the initial patie...

Imagine you're a farmer with a sick cow. Should you sell it? That's the question researchers tackled, using a mix of models and simulations to figure out the welfare impacts of trading sick livestock. They started by building a theoretical model to understand when and why trading sick animals could be profitable. They used a household production model and a disease s...