Nsisong Asanga, MBBCh, MPH, FIMC

Why do listeria outbreaks continue to cause severe illness and death despite food safety regulations? Learn how this resilient bacterium contaminates ready-to-eat foods, why older adults and immunocompromised patients face the greatest risk, and what can be done to prevent future outbreaks.

A recent hantavirus outbreak linked to an Atlantic cruise ship has raised questions about whether the virus could spark another global health emergency. While experts say the risk of a COVID-19-style pandemic remains low, the outbreak highlights the unique concerns surrounding the Andes virus, the only hantavirus known to spread from person to person. Learn how hantaviruses are transmitted, why the Andes virus is different, the symptoms clinicians should recognize, and what infection prevention and public health professionals need to know about this emerging outbreak.

The article examines a recent hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship on the Atlantic Ocean and explains why experts say it is unlikely to become another COVID-19-style pandemic. It reviews how hantaviruses spread, the severe clinical syndromes they can cause, current prevention and infection control measures, and the urgent need for better diagnostics, treatments, vaccines, and surveillance as concerns grow over rare person-to-person transmission involving the Andes virus.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is accelerating worldwide, with MRSA, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and drug-resistant gonorrhea threatening modern medicine. As antibiotic development lags, AI-driven discovery, soil-derived compounds like teixobactin, and phage therapy offer renewed hope.

Norovirus, discovered in 1972, causes millions of gastroenteritis cases yearly. Learn prevention methods, symptoms, and updates on vaccine development.