Outbreaks of Norovirus, a Death from Bird Flu and Wildfires in L.A.

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.3 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

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Summary

Norovirus cases are up this year, with 91 reported outbreaks nationwide. Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases are up in China and India. There has also been an increase in the U.S., but HMPV is currently a cause for concern in the nation, where its relative commonality gives many people some immunity. Louisiana has reported the first U.S. death from H5N1 avian influenza. Experts say the risk of bird flu to most people is low, though several factors can cause severe disease. Medical debts are set to be removed from U.S. credit reports, which could raise credit scores by an average of 20 points for the 15 million Americans who will be affected. Wildfires raged in the Los Angeles area last week, caused in part by a hot, dry winter and the speeds of the Santa Ana winds. Those winds made it difficult to fight the Palisades and Eaton Fires. As of last Thursday evening, firefighters were continuing to get a handle on these fires. Plus, a new study uncovers the cosmic kiss between Pluto and its largest moon Charon. Recommended reading: What Does First U.S. Bird Flu Death Tell Experts about Disease Severity? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/first-human-bird-flu-death-in-u-s-reported-how-worried-should-we-be/ HMPV Cases Are Rising across Asia, but Experts Say Not to Panichttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-human-metapneumovirus-and-why-are-cases-rising-in-china/ Palisades and Eaton Fires Show Rising Dangers of Fast-Moving Blazes https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/palisades-and-eaton-fires-show-rising-dangers-of-fast-moving-fires/ Pluto May Have Won Its Moon Charon with a ‘Kiss’ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pluto-may-have-won-its-moon-charon-with-a-kiss/ E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman with guest Andrea Thompson. Our show is edited by Jeff DelViscio with fact-checking by Emily Makowski, Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast is sponsored in part by PNAS Science Sessions, a production of the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
0:08.0	The Science Sessions podcast features brief but insightful conversations with leading researchers.
0:14.0	In our latest future episode, we explore how the potential benefits of plant-based meat alternatives are currently limited by environmental,
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0:27.5	Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:32.5	Happy Monday listeners. For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Feltman. Welcome
0:37.4	to our first science news roundup of 2025.
0:40.8	Here are a few of the stories you may have missed last week.
0:44.3	There's a bunch of public health news right now, so we'll get that out of the way, right up top.
0:53.8	First, norovirus cases are up in several parts of the United States right now.
0:58.7	The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that during the week of December 5th,
1:02.8	which is the most recent week the agency has official numbers for, there were 91 outbreaks
1:07.7	of neurovirus registered by state health departments nationwide.
1:16.8	And if that doesn't sound like a lot, keep in mind that those are only the official reports of outbreaks. Most folks who get neurovirus have a miserable time but don't need to seek medical
1:22.0	treatment for their, quote, stomach flu. Plus, during the same week of the year from
1:27.0	2021 through 2024, the CDC never saw
1:30.6	more than 41 outbreaks reported. Neurovirus is highly contagious, and it's one of the few
1:36.1	pathogens that hand sanitizer can't kill. So make sure you're washing your hands with soap and water
1:42.2	before eating, handling food, or taking medicine,
1:45.2	and of course, after you use the bathroom or change a diaper.
1:55.2	Now let's check in on bird flu.
1:57.8	Last week, the Louisiana Department of Health reported the first U.S.
	...

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