Reinstated CDC Officials Have ‘No Clue' Why They Were Brought Back
'I wish I knew,' he said Tuesday at the Bloomberg Green Festival in Seattle. 'We don't know. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it.'
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The Hill
4 hours ago
- The Hill
Brain-eating amoeba: Who is most often infected?
The family of a 12-year-old boy who died in South Carolina this month have confirmed his cause of death to be an infection associated with Naegleria fowleri, more commonly referred to as a ' brain-eating amoeba.' It's believed the boy, identified as Jaysen Carr, contracted the infection while swimming in Lake Murray, a central South Carolina reservoir popular with swimmers, boaters and fishermen, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. 'The family has many questions about how and why Jaysen died and wants to do everything in their power to ensure this doesn't happen to another family,' an attorney for Carr's family wrote in a statement shared with Nexstar's WCBD. What is Naegleria fowleri? Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism primarily found in warm freshwater and soil, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 'It's very commonly found in nature, in soil or warm freshwater around the world … or in places where the water is warm for other reasons, like a thermal hot spring, or pool water that isn't chlorinated properly,' Dr. Dennis Kyle, a professor of infectious diseases and cellular biology at the University of Georgia and the scholar chair of antiparasitic drug discovery with the Georgia Research Alliance, once explained in an interview with Nexstar. The organisms have also been observed in improperly treated tap water, and, in lower concentrations, even cooler freshwaters. The highest concentrations, though, are generally found in freshwater with surface temperature readings of 75 degrees F or higher, especially for extended periods of time. How do infections occur? Infection of N. fowleri usually occurs after water is forced into the nose, allowing the organism to enter the nasal cavity and cross the epithelial lining into the brain, where it begins destroying the tissue of the frontal lobe, Kyle said. There's an increased risk among those who partake in freshwater activities during the warmer months, he added. 'This time of year is when we typically hear about these cases,' Kyle said of the summertime, in general. 'When people are out doing summer activities in the water, or on the lakes.' The resulting brain infection, known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), can lead to symptoms including fever, headaches, stiff neck, seizures and hallucinations within two weeks of exposure. It is almost always fatal, with death occurring 'within about 5 days after symptoms first begin' but potentially up to a few weeks afterward, the CDC says. Can it be treated? Treatment of Naegleria fowleri infection consists of antifungal and antibiotic cocktails, and doctors have also induced hypothermia in patients to reduce fevers and protect undamaged brain tissue while the treatments are administered. Survival, however, is 'rare,' with a fatality rate estimated at about 97 percent the CDC says. Early detection and treatment can be key to improving chances, but infections may go ignored — or be misdiagnosed — until it's too late. Kyle, in a previous interview with Nexstar, said he was only aware of a handful of cases in which patients have survived, but he was optimistic about the use of collecting cerebral spinal fluid for testing purposes. Prevention (e.g., avoiding warm freshwater bodies of water, wearing nose plugs, keeping your head above water, etc.) is currently the best way to combat infection. Raising awareness of the danger also helps, Kyle said. 'But I think any warm freshwater facility, or hot spring … and at splashpads, you have to look at it carefully,' he told Nexstar. 'It's incumbent on people running these facilities to minimize risk and minimize exposure.' Who is most often infected? Anyone can contract Naegleria fowleri infection, but the CDC has identified 'young boys' as the group infected most often. 'The reasons for this aren't clear. It's possible that young boys are more likely to participate in activities like diving into the water and playing in the sediment at the bottom of lakes and rivers,' the agency said. Is climate change making infections more common? Even the CDC acknowledges that climate change may indeed be 'a contributing factor' to the conditions which allow Naegleria fowleri to thrive. 'Warmer climates means, yes, more exposure and more cases,' Kyle had said, adding that there had been a 'significant increase' in cases in recent years. But he warned that increased cases cannot be linked solely to warmer waters, but rather more awareness and fewer misdiagnoses. 'There's more recognition that these amoeba are possibly causing disease, when before, virologists were misclassifying these cases as bacterial meningitis or [other diseases],' he said.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
SIGA to Host Business Update Call on August 5, 2025 Following Release of Second-Quarter 2025 Results
NEW YORK, July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SIGA Technologies, Inc. (SIGA) (Nasdaq: SIGA), a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company, today announced that management will host a webcast and conference call to provide a business update at 4:30 P.M. ET on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. Participating in the call will be Diem Nguyen, Chief Executive Officer, and Daniel Luckshire, Chief Financial Officer. A live webcast of the call will also be available on the Company's website at in the Investor Relations section of the site, or by clicking here. Please log in approximately 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Participants may access the call by dialing 1-800-717-1738 for domestic callers or 1-646-307-1865 for international callers. A replay of the call will be available for two weeks by dialing 1-844-512-2921 for domestic callers or 1-412-317-6671 for international callers and using Conference ID: 1130215. The archived webcast will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website. About SIGA SIGA is a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company and leader in global health focused on the development of innovative medicines to treat and prevent infectious diseases. With a primary focus on orthopoxviruses, we are dedicated to protecting humanity against the world's most severe infectious diseases, including those that occur naturally, accidentally, or intentionally. Through partnerships with governments and public health agencies, we work to build a healthier and safer world by providing essential countermeasures against these global health threats. Our flagship product, TPOXX® (tecovirimat), is an antiviral medicine approved in the U.S. and Canada for the treatment of smallpox and authorized in Europe, the UK, and Japan for the treatment of smallpox, mpox (monkeypox), cowpox, and vaccinia complications. For more information about SIGA, visit Contacts:Suzanne Harnettsharnett@ and Investors Media Jennifer Drew-Bear, Edison GroupJdrew-bear@ Holly Stevens, CG Lifehstevens@
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sarepta shares rebound after shipments of gene therapy Elevidys resume in US
(Reuters) -Sarepta Therapeutics shares surged more than 30% before the bell on Tuesday, as analysts said the resumption of U.S. shipments for its muscular gene therapy partially removes financial headwinds and decreases the risk of market withdrawal. The company said on Monday it would resume shipments of Elevidys — approved in the U.S. to treat a rare condition called Duchenne muscular dystrophy — to patients who can walk. U.S. shipments to patients who cannot walk independently are still halted, following the death of two teenage boys earlier this year. These incidents brought heightened regulatory scrutiny to Sarepta in recent weeks, while the pause of shipments raised concerns about the future of Elevidys — the company's largest revenue generator. Sarepta's announcement followed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recommendation that the voluntary hold on shipments be removed after a probe showed the death of an 8-year-old boy in Brazil was not related to Elevidys. Wall Street analysts said the resumption of shipments would allow Sarepta to fulfill its near-term payments to partner Arrowhead and maintain access to its debt facilities. "The FDA's recommendation and the resumption of commercial treatment in the U.S. virtually eliminate the risk of Elevidys being formally withdrawn from the market," said William Blair analyst Sami Corwin. While the decision allows some patients to regain access to the treatment, analysts warned that patients and doctors could show hesitancy in light of the recent hit to reputation. "It remains to be seen how the news headlines regarding the patient deaths will affect commercial interest in the near term," Corwin said. Sarepta's partner Roche had also stopped Elevidys shipments in certain countries outside the U.S. Shares of Sarepta surged 36% to $18.85 in premarket trading. They have fallen more than 80% since the first Elevidys-related death was reported in March. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
