Infectious Disease

Missouri is one of eight states in the country where a human has been diagnosed with Chagas disease. Scientists are now calling on health authorities to declare the disease endemic in the United States.

The person was being treated at a St. Louis-area hospital after contracting the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, which is sometimes referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba” because of its catastrophic effects on the central nervous system.

Measles can take hold when vaccination rates fall below 95%. Health workers say pockets of the state are at risk as immunization rates drop.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is working to identify potential locations of exposure, including the clinic in southern Illinois where the patient sought care, to see whether any other patients were exposed.

State health officials said the pediatric patient tested positive for measles and that the case was a “associated with international travel.”

The company is developing diagnostic devices that can detect airborne pathogens in just minutes.

Reported cases of the infectious disease have surpassed pre-pandemic levels in Missouri.

St. Louis has the highest rates of syphilis infection in the state. Local health officials want to slow the spread in parts of the city where resources are scarce.

Scientists at SLU think they can use an existing immunization to test how well people respond to tuberculosis vaccines in development. Scientists are on the hunt for a more effective vaccine to protect people from the bacterial infection, which kills more than 1 million people a year globally.

The patented device can analyze various chemicals in people’s breath, compare them to a database, and be an initial screening for ailments including diabetes and kidney disease.