Latest news with #VaccineandInfectiousDiseaseOrganization
News18
14 hours ago
- Health
- News18
Do You Need A Detox Supplement After Covid Vaccine Or Infection? What Experts Say
Last Updated: 'There's nothing to detox from, because the vaccines are not toxins. They're not toxic and they're not harmful,' Dr Angela Rasmussen, a virologist Podcast host Meghan McCain, the former co-host of 'The View', recently made headlines with her social media post in support of a 'detox" supplement to be taken after Covid-19 vaccination or infection. The 'detox' supplement McCain touted cost $89.99 and is one of the several versions sold online. It make claims about its ability to 'break down spike protein and disrupt its function" and provide 'your body with unparalleled support for cellular defense and detoxification." Neither McCain's representatives nor the company has commented so far. Vaccine experts, however, insist such claims are nonsense. Concerning data continues to emerge regarding mRNA vaccines and their unforeseen health impacts. They did not deliver what was promised by government + health officials. I have friends who suffered – heart and menstruation issues & more. It's time to pull them off the market NOW. — Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) June 4, 2025 'DO YOU WANT TO DETOX YOUR IMMUNITY?' 'There's nothing to detox from, because the vaccines themselves are not toxins," Dr Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan, told CNN. 'They're not toxic and they're not harmful." McCain also posted this week about 'concerning data" about mRNA vaccines and said friends had experienced health problems after getting the Covid-19 shot. As part of the post, she shared a video that suggested material in the vaccines could stick around long-term and change a person's genome. The messenger RNA in Covid-19 vaccines instructs cells in the body to make a certain piece of the virus' spike protein — the structure on the surface of the coronavirus. The mRNA vaccine is like a blueprint that the body uses to train the immune system to recognize the virus that causes Covid and protect against it, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CNN. 'MRNA is only in there in minute amounts," Schaffner said. 'The spike protein is metabolised. It's broken up by our own body very, very quickly. So it's not in a position to disseminate or be distributed throughout the body requiring some sort of 'detoxification'. 'It's simply not scientifically a valid concept." Since mRNA is so short-lived, vaccine makers do make a modification that allows it to stick around a little longer than it would otherwise, Rasmussen said. 'But mRNA, even modified mRNA like in these vaccines, does not stay around forever," Rasmussen said. 'It's still not a very stable molecule." Rasmussen said she has also read that some believe the lipid nanoparticle used to get the mRNA into the cells lingers and is toxic. The lipid nanoparticle, Rasmussen said, 'also don't stick around forever". She said they get broken down at about the same rate the mRNA does, 'or even maybe a little before." 'I wonder if the very name of the protein, this 'spike protein' just makes people uneasy," Schaffner told CNN. If scientists called it something like the 'key protein" — since it's like a key that goes into a lock in the cell, which enables the protein to get inside 'and then do its good work" — that 'might not have evoked quite as much anxiety," Schaffner suggested. SUPPLEMENT MAKERS AIMING FOR PROFITS Unlike pharmaceuticals, which must be tested and approved before they go to market and then comply with strict regulations about how they can be marketed, the US Food and Drug Administration doesn't have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are marketed. Fear or distrust of Covid-19 vaccines is an easy target for supplement makers, Cohen said. 'This is a perfect scenario for supplements to jump in to the rescue," Cohen said. 'You manufacture a false health concern, and then you have the solution that you can settle with a supplement. It's really a perfect opportunity for supplement manufacturers to profit from. From something that doesn't even exist." 'Are you trying to wash away the effects that boosted immunity against Covid? Is that the goal? I think it's a very vague, moving sort of target," Cohen told CNN. 'Or is it more that there's some fear that the Covid vaccine causes more harm than the government's letting on. Then the idea is that you sell these supplements to prevent that mystery harm….I think it's a health fear mongering approach and profiting by the fear." No vaccine is perfect, the experts said, but the risk with the Covid vaccine is extremely small and the problems like a sore arm or a low-grade fever that some of his patients have experienced resolved quickly. 'That's not something that any supplement will help resolve faster," Cohen said. top videos View all Research has consistently shown that the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and millions of people have gotten them without serious incident. With Inputs From CNN Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : anti covid vaccine covid-19 Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 08, 2025, 17:31 IST News world Do You Need A Detox Supplement After Covid Vaccine Or Infection? What Experts Say
CBC
24-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
How researchers are trying to tackle Sask.'s high tuberculosis rates
Saskatchewan's rate of tuberculosis infections was more than twice the national average in 2023. Scientists in the province hope to find a new drug treatment and a new vaccine. Jeffrey Chen, a principal research scientist at the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), joined CBC Radio's The Morning Edition to discuss their work.
CBC
12-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
The private cost of public service: how sharing science about COVID put experts in the crosshairs
Dr. Alex Wong vividly remembers the night, five years ago, when he read modelling data about the potential surge of COVID-19 positive patients in Saskatchewan. His kids were sleeping peacefully, unaware of what was coming. "[It] basically showed that we were going to get crushed, like the system was going to get crushed," he said, revealing that he and many others felt a deep-seated fear and anxiety about what was to come. "I read that and I just felt this horrible pit in my stomach." COVID-19 hit Saskatchewan in the spring of 2020, with the province announcing its first case on March 12. It was the start of an exhausting journey for health-care workers, who say they're still trying to recover from the toll it took on them. Wong is an infectious diseases doctor and is married to a registered nurse. Both served on the front lines of the pandemic, but Wong said he felt an extra responsibility to share public health information, doing multiple interviews with media outlets throughout Saskatchewan and on national shows, while also posting on social media. "It became — just like I think it would be for anyone — a little bit of an obsession, right?" he said, remembering his foray into the world of Twitter. "I was getting all of these likes and follows and subscriptions. I mean, my phone literally just crashed [because] it was nonstop." The early days of the pandemic were a frightening time. "You saw just young, otherwise healthy people just dying and there was just nothing we could do. There was no vaccine at that time," he said. The turning point for Wong was in January 2022. The stress of his daily work combined with his public health advocacy brought his body to a breaking point. Wong said he physically could not walk for a time — his entire body seized up and felt tight, forcing him to take time off while he sought help. "In hindsight, all of that was most likely sort of the physical manifestation of stress," he said, noting it happened at the peak of the Omicron variant surge, while public policy was diverging from what public health leaders were calling for. "Looking back at it, yeah, that probably was kind of the beginning of the end [of appearances] for me." His posts dried up and he stopped all media interviews. He went, in his own words, "radio silent." The disinformation machine Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Saskatoon-based Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, also felt the impact of being a public and outspoken health figure. As someone who studies emerging viruses, she was part of a team chasing a vaccine. "I'm a lot less trusting than I used to be, just because I've had so many experiences with people acting in bad faith," she said, adding many people have financial and political incentives to sow disinformation. That disinformation was served up with a side of hateful commentary about her personally. She remembers being called all kinds of names, including "a fraud, and a loser and ugly." "You can't be bathed in a deluge of unflattering, derogatory dehumanizing comments and not have it have some effect on your mental health," she said. Wong said the scars from the COVID-19 pandemic are long-lasting for many health-care workers. He said many left their professions in Saskatchewan because of the "moral trauma, moral injury" they faced. "I think the system is still trying to recover," he said. Wong now tries to carve out more time for himself, to connect with his wife and four children, reminding himself of the preciousness of family time that became so clear in the face of a public health crisis. "I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to kind of earn people's trust and respect," he said. "Maybe that time will come again at some point. But if it doesn't, I won't shed a tear." This story is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your connection to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, Leisha Grebinski and Nichole Huck will cover local issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping policy and fuelling creativity in Saskatchewan.
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Two people in US hospitalized with bird flu, CDC reports
Two people, in Wyoming and Ohio, have been hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a routine flu update on Friday. The person from Wyoming is still in hospital, while the Ohio patient has been released, according to the report. Both patients experienced 'respiratory and non-respiratory symptoms', the report said, without detailing those symptoms. 'This shows that H5N1 can be very severe and we should not assume that it will always be mild,' said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan. The news comes amid one of the worst seasonal flu outbreaks in 15 years – raising the potential for the emergence of a more dangerous virus that combines bird flu and seasonal flu in a process called reassortment. 'I am very worried about H5N1 in patients that are being treated in hospitals where there are also many seasonal flu patients because this creates opportunities for reassortment, which could potentially produce a pandemic-capable H5N1,' Rasmussen said. These are the first human H5 cases detected in Wyoming and Ohio. An 'older' woman from Platte county, Wyoming, was hospitalized in another state, according to a statement from the Wyoming department of health. She 'has health conditions that can make people more vulnerable to illness', the statement says. The woman was exposed to poultry in a backyard flock that tested positive for H5N1, the CDC report said, adding that she remained hospitalized at the time of the report. A man in Mercer county, Ohio, was infected while depopulating, or killing, H5N1-positive poultry at a commercial facility, according to a statement from the Ohio department of health. The man has been discharged from the hospital 'and is now recovering at home', the CDC report said. So far, there have been 70 confirmed cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza in the US since it was first detected in cows last year. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission at this point. The majority of cases have been among people who have close contact with animals. Previously, a patient in Missouri was hospitalized and tested positive for bird flu after no known exposure. And a man in Louisiana was hospitalized and died after exposure to backyard chickens and wild birds. A 13-year-old girl was also extremely ill and in the hospital for months in British Columbia after no known exposure. The Louisiana and BC cases were both caused by a variant of H5N1 that emerged in the fall and has quickly become dominant in birds – and has now spilled over, separately, into dairy cows in Nevada and Arizona. The new spillovers come as the Trump administration weighs a strategy that wouldn't seek to contain outbreaks in poultry through depopulation. The new head of health agencies, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has reportedly stopped a seasonal flu vaccine campaign. A scheduled meeting of the CDC's independent vaccines committee has also been postponed. A new study, published by the CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, offers some insight into why some cases may not be as severe as others. Researchers infected ferrets with H1N1 and then, three months later, infected them with H5N1 or H7N9, a low-pathogenicity variant. H1N1 was the swine flu responsible for the 2009-10 epidemic. It never went away – in fact, it's one of two seasonal variants behind this year's flu season. The ferrets with recent H1N1 antibodies were able to neutralize H5N1 more quickly than H7N9, indicating some protectiveness from the previous infection. Another new study in the same journal found that ferrets first infected with H1N1 had less severe disease from H5N1 – suggesting that some humans may experience the same, the authors wrote. 'This is evidence that prior H1N1 infection or vaccination may provide some level of cross-protection via anti-N1 immunity,' Rasmussen said. But it's not clear to what degree that protection might help people. 'We shouldn't interpret this to mean protection will be absolute in the human population,' Rasmussen said.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
House cats with bird flu could pose a risk to public health
. More than 80 domestic cats, among many other types of mammals, have been confirmed to have had bird flu since 2022 -- generally barn cats that lived on dairy farms, as well as feral cats and pets that spend time outdoors and likely caught it by hunting diseased rodents or wild birds. Now, a small but growing number of house cats have gotten sick from H5N1, the bird flu strain driving the current U.S. outbreak, after eating raw food or drinking unpasteurized milk. Some of those cats died. The strain of bird flu currently circulating has not adapted to efficiently spread among people. And there have been no known cases of cat-to-human transmission during the current outbreak of H5N1. Still, there's always been the risk that cats, which are arguably only semi-domesticated, could bring home a disease from a midnight prowl. MORE: New York shuts down live poultry markets after bird flu detected "Companion animals, and especially cats, are 100% a public health risk in terms of the risk of zoonotic transmission to people," said virologist Angela Rasmussen, who studies disease progression in emerging viruses at the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization. This is because we snuggle with and sleep in bed with our cats. When we're not looking, cats drink from our water glasses and walk on kitchen counters. So, cat owners should be aware of the ongoing spread of bird flu. "By reducing the risk to your cats, you reduce the risk to yourself," Rasmussen said. Rasmussen doesn't think pet owners should be afraid their cats will give them bird flu, but said taking precautions is good for pets -- and for public health. Signs of bird flu in cats include runny nose and discharge around the eyes, explained Michael Q. Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association. H5N1 also causes neurological problems like dizziness and seizures, which are symptoms of rabies, too. Rabies is almost always fatal, and it poses a threat to human health, so any animal suspected of having the viral disease must be euthanized. Bailey encourages people to ensure pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations. Veterinarian Jane Sykes, who specializes in infectious diseases in cats and dogs at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, said people should not assume it's bird flu if their cat is sick -- even if their animal spends time outdoors or eats a raw diet. Upper-respiratory illnesses are common in cats, while H5N1 is "still pretty rare." Sykes gives her indoor cat, Freckles, regular kibble exclusively. She told NPR and KFF Health News she has no concerns about Freckles getting H5N1 because the heating process of making dry or canned pet food kills viruses. Some people feed their pets raw meat or unpasteurized milk because they think it's a more nutritious or natural diet. The American Veterinary Medical Association's website discourages this due to foodborne pathogens like salmonella and listeria, and now the highly pathogenic H5N1. By keeping pets healthy, veterinarians play an essential role in protecting humans from zoonotic diseases. The American Veterinary Medical Association says the risk of H5N1 spilling over from a pet to a person is "considered extremely low, but not zero." State and local public health agencies, including those in Los Angeles County and Washington state, have issued similar warnings against raw food diets for pets. Concerns for human health are partly why the FDA announced last month it is now requiring cat and dog food companies to update their safety plans to protect against bird flu. MORE: Dairy cows infected with 2nd form of bird flu for 1st time: USDA This came after the Oregon Department of Agriculture discovered a cat that was "strictly an indoor cat" had contracted H5N1 and died after consuming a frozen turkey product made by the raw pet food brand Northwest Naturals. It stated that "tests confirmed a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat." Northwest Naturals voluntarily recalled that batch of its frozen turkey-based product. The company told KFF Health News and NPR that the recall involved "a small product run" and that it has concerns about the accuracy of the Oregon Agriculture Department's testing. Los Angeles County's public health department said five cats from two households tested positive for bird flu after drinking unpasteurized raw milk from the Raw Farm dairy in California's Central Valley. Raw Farm voluntarily recalled its milk and cream after retail products tested positive for H5N1, but it denies any food safety issues, calling the concern "a political issue." Veterinarians also warn pet owners not to allow cats unsupervised time outside as there's the risk of them getting H5N1 by interacting with other animals that might carry the disease. "This is a very scary virus, given that it can infect so many different host species," said Bruce Kornreich, director of Cornell University's Feline Health Center. At least one instance of a cat infecting a person with bird flu occurred in 2016. As NPR reported, a veterinarian in New York City caught the virus after having close contact with infected cats. The vet experienced mild symptoms and quickly recovered. MORE: As bird flu spreads, what is the risk from eggs and milk? In that case, the strain of bird flu was H7N2, not the H5N1 that is now circulating in the U.S. H7N2 is a very different type of virus, Sykes explained. But she said it shows that cat-to-human transmission of avian influenza is theoretically possible. There isn't a lot of research on transmission of bird flu from companion animals like cats or dogs to humans, though Rasmussen agreed it's definitely a concern: The more infections you have in animals, "the more your luck is potentially going to run out." Most people who have caught H5N1 are agricultural workers who had direct contact with infected poultry or cattle. Of at least 67 confirmed human cases of H5N1 in the U.S., there's been one fatality in an immunocompromised person who had contact with birds. In general, zoonotic disease researchers want more H5N1 surveillance in companion animals of all types. Even if the human death toll of H5N1 remains relatively low, it remains a public health risk. Part of the concern with this H5N1 outbreak is that bird flu viruses change. Just a few mutations could make this strain adept at spreading between people. And the more people who catch H5N1, the more likely it would adapt to be more efficient, said Suresh Kuchipudi, a virologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health who researches zoonotic diseases. Kuchipudi has studied H5N1 in cats. Another concern is something called reassortment. If an animal or person is infected with two viruses at once, the viruses can trade genetic material, creating something new. This is common in influenza, so virologists are on the lookout for a case in which the bird flu reassorts to make a virus that's far more contagious, and potentially more virulent. Virologist Rasmussen is way more worried about this happening in pigs. Human respiratory physiology is more like that of swines than felines. So far, the current outbreak of H5N1 has not reached commercial hog operations. Rasmussen hopes it stays that way. Kuchipudi said that reassortments are relatively rare events, but the outcome is completely unpredictable. Sometimes the results are benign, though it was likely a reassortment that involved an avian virus that led to the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people. In the century since, virologists have established a global surveillance network to monitor influenza viruses. Scientists say continued investment in this network is key to preparing for and hopefully preventing another pandemic. Winter is "reassortment season" because of all the influenza viruses circulating, Rasmussen said. A reassortment in cats could technically be possible since these pets occasionally get seasonal flu, but it's highly unlikely. Rather, Rasmussen said, it's more likely that a cat would pass H5N1 to a human who already has seasonal flu, and then a reassortment happens in the sick person. While the risk isn't zero, Rasmussen doubts this will happen. It would depend on how ill the human was, and how much virus they're exposed to from their cat. "Unless the cat is really shedding a ton of virus, and you're kind of making out with the cat, I think it would be hard," she said. Rasmussen and Kuchipudi caution there isn't enough research to know for sure how much virus cats shed, or even how they shed the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was poised to release a new study about H5N1 in cats, but that was delayed when the Trump administration paused the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. That investigation, revealed through emails obtained by KFF Health News in a public records request, found that house cats likely got bird flu from dairy workers. Scientists and public health agencies should question previously held assumptions about bird flu, Kuchipudi urged. He noted that 20 years ago nobody would have predicted that bird flu would infect dairy cattle the way it is now. The FDA says other domesticated animals, including dogs, can get bird flu infections. There are no confirmed cases of H5N1 among dogs in the U.S., though in other countries they have died from the virus. There's some disagreement and an overall lack of research on whether cat biology makes them more susceptible to H5N1 than other mammals, including humans, pigs or dogs. MORE: Here's why eggs might not be on store shelves right now But cat behaviors, such as their love of dairy and predation of wild birds, put them at higher risk, Kuchipudi said. Also, living in groups might play a role as there are more feral cat colonies in the U.S. than packs of stray dogs. There's very little people can do about the H5N1 circulating in wild birds. As Rasmussen explained, "It's flying around in the skies. It's migrating north and south with the seasons." But she said there's a lot people can do to keep the virus out of their homes. That includes limiting a pet's exposure to H5N1 by not feeding them raw food or unpasteurized milk, and trying to keep them from interacting with animals like rodents and wild birds that could be infected with the virus. This article is from a partnership that includes NPR and KFF Health News. House cats with bird flu could pose a risk to public health originally appeared on
