Month: June 2021

Gene-editing technology CRISPR reached a major milestone this past weekend, completing its first systemic delivery as a medicine to a human body. CRISPR, or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, effectively cuts genomes and slices DNA to treat genetic diseases. The latest breakthrough, the result of a trial between biotech company Regeneron and Boston-based startup Intellia Therapeutics, treated a rare disease after being given as an IV infusion. Previously, other applications of the CRISPR technology had been limited to ex vivo therapy, or where cells are removed from the body for genetic manipulation in a laboratory and then reintroduced to the body. Jennifer Doudna, who was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry for her work on CRISPR gene ed...

In the USA, masks are becoming a far less common accessory under federal guidance that once a person is vaccinated, they're largely unnecessary. But the World Health Organization recommended that even vaccinated people continue to wear masks, and Los Angeles health officials recommended this week that all people – vaccinated or not – should wear them inside because of concerns about the delta coronavirus variant. So who's right? It depends on individual circumstances, experts told USA TODAY. A vaccinated person who isn't immunocompromised is safe going without a mask in the USA, said Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California. Vaccines available here are effective against known variants, including the delta, said Dr. Monica...

What is Powassan disease? A rare and life-threatening tick-borne virus is worrying doctors. What is Powassan disease and how can you keep yourself safe? Maine confirmed the first case of Powassan virus this year in a midcoastal resident who was hospitalized due to the illness. According to a health advisory, the resident, whose age and exact location were not revealed, exhibited symptoms of the illness in June.  Officials did not say what the patient’s current health status is.  "This individual likely acquired this Powassan encephalitis infection in the state of Maine," the health advisory said. "There are two types of Powassan virus in the United States. The first type, often called lineage 1 Powassan virus is associated with Ixodes cookei or the woodchuck tick. Lineage 2...

More than 80 teens and adult staff have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a summer camp in central Illinois that did not require masks indoors or vaccination status.  Of the 85 people infected, about 70% of the cases were in those not vaccinated, according to a press release from the Illinois Department of Health on Monday. "The perceived risk to children may seem small, but even a mild case of COVID-19 can cause long-term health issues," IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in the release. CNN reported that the Crossing Camp in Schuyler County was held in mid-June and left one unvaccinated teen needing hospitalization after contracting the virus. USA TODAY has reached out to Crossing Camp for comment. The IDPH said it was aware of only a handful of teens and staffers who receive...

The plague is one of the deadliest diseases in human history, and scientists have now found the oldest known victim — which makes it much older than most experts thought until now, according to a new study. Yersinia pestis is the bacteria widely believed to have been behind the plague that ravaged the world in the Middle Ages and may have wiped out half of the entire population of Europe in what became known as the Black Death. The disease was spread by fleas on rats, and began to spread further into Europe from Asia due to trade routes. But while the disease first became known in the Middle Ages, and scientists believed it may have originated around 2,000 years ago, recent findings suggest the disease may be far older than previously thought. As detailed in a new stud...