Maryn McKenna's Blog, page 16

An Old Disease Returns: Dengue Is in Florida and May Be Heading North

This month, Slate has been running an intermittent series on pandemics under the guidance of new science editor Laura Helmuth. The latest entry in the series is one that I wrote (my first time writing for Slate, which is exciting). ...

One Family’s Journey From Foodborne-Illness Victim to “Food Patriots”

From a nasty foodborne illness sprang a family's desire to learn more about food safety and the origins of what we eat. Now, the family is producing a film called "Food Patriots." Wired Science blogger Maryn McKenna tells their story.

Taliban Murders Six Immunizers in Wake of CIA Polio Ruse

Six people working as polio vaccinators were murdered in three separate coordinated attacks in Pakistan. While no one has yet claimed responsibility, it is widely assumed that the attackers have ties to the Taliban, which has opposed the polio-vaccination campaign ...

The FDA Is Holding Back Data on Farm Antibiotics Use — And Plans to Keep Doing So

The FDA is forgoing opportunities to compel companies to disclose data regarding the use of antibiotics in agriculture -- data that some say is in the public's interest to know. Wired Science blogger Maryn McKenna describes the situation.

The New Coronavirus: More Cases, More Deaths, Unclear Transmission

A new coronavirus that emerged last summer in the Middle East has been causing concern to international health authorities. Wired Science blogger Maryn McKenna discusses additional cases, additional deaths, and new lab evidence that is more than a little concerning.

Antiseptics Used to Prevent Health Care Infections Might Cause Them. Oops.

The Food and Drug Administration is warning the country of the possibility of health care infections caused by the antiseptics used to disinfect skin before health care procedures -- that is, to prevent infections. They consider it a serious enough ...

Fungal Meningitis From Injections: Not Even Close To Over

There’s been an extraordinary outbreak going on over the past few months here in the United States: cases of fungal meningitis, a rare illness, primarily caused by Exserohilum rostratum, a plant pathogen that is equally rare as a cause of ...

Resistant Bacteria in Pork — And Problematic Pharmaceuticals Too

Bad news today from an investigation conducted by Consumers Union that was released on the web and will be published in the January issue of the nonprofit's magazine, Consumer Reports. Tests on pork chops and ground pork, bought in ...

Resistant Bacteria In Pork — And Problematic Pharmaceuticals Too

Bad news today from an investigation conducted by Consumers Union that was released on the web and will be published in the January issue of the nonprofit’s magazine, Consumer Reports. Tests on pork chops and ground pork, bought in six cities under a variety of labels, showed high rates of contamination with a range of [...]

WHO Announces Family Cluster of Cases of New Coronavirus

Today the World Health Organization announced four new cases of the novel coronavirus that caused a great deal of worry in September.