Timely and relevant global health security news curated by GCHS
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Featured Headlines
- To stop a pandemic before it starts, protect dairy workers from H5N1Washington Post Opinion Failure to shield farmworkers could allow the H5N1 virus to become a greater threat. The discovery of bird flu virus particles in milk has moved the federal government to take more aggressive action to prevent the further spread of H5N1 on dairy farms. The Agriculture Department has rightly issued new testing recommendations meant to keep the virus from spreading across state lines. But this additional testing will do little to address the primary threat… Read more: To stop a pandemic before it starts, protect dairy workers from H5N1
- Two veterinarians, hundreds of miles apart, solved a cow sickness whodunitDaily Montanan t appeared to be a problem with the food. In February, dairy cattle in multiple herds in northern Texas were suddenly producing less milk, and what they gave was abnormal and thick. And the typically voracious eaters had seemingly lost their appetites. For weeks in March, veterinarian Dr. Barb Petersen, who lives in… Read more: Two veterinarians, hundreds of miles apart, solved a cow sickness whodunit
- Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Seals, St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec, CanadaCDC We describe an unusual mortality event caused by a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus clade 2.3.4.4b involving harbor (Phoca vitulina) and gray (Halichoerus grypus) seals in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec, Canada, in 2022. Fifteen (56%) of the seals submitted for necropsy were considered to be fatally infected by HPAI H5N1 containing… Read more: Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Seals, St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec, Canada
- US CDC asks states to make worker protective gear available to combat bird fluReuters The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday it had met with state health officials and asked them to facilitate distribution of protective gear for farm workers to avoid infection against H5N1 bird flu. The CDC said it asked state health departments to work with their agriculture department counterparts and… Read more: US CDC asks states to make worker protective gear available to combat bird flu
- US to test ground beef in states with bird-flu outbreaks in dairy cowsReuters The U.S. government said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing, but remains confident the meat supply is safe. Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in… Read more: US to test ground beef in states with bird-flu outbreaks in dairy cows
- The Bird Flu Outbreak Has More Questions Than AnswersBloomberg Opinion As the magnitude of the bird flu outbreak in cattle becomes clearer, so does the need to quickly get a firmer grip on some basic facts. Namely, how far this H5N1 virus has spread, how it is spreading, and where this situation is likely to go next. The Covid-weary public also wants to… Read more: The Bird Flu Outbreak Has More Questions Than Answers
- If Bird Flu Spreads, These Workers Will See It FirstNYT H5N1 is in a better position than ever to move between species and spill over aggressively into humans: This bird flu virus is now thought to have been spreading among dairy cows for many months, and federal regulators have found viral fragments circulating widely in the commercial milk supply chain across the United States (though live virus… Read more: If Bird Flu Spreads, These Workers Will See It First
- Bird Flu Virus Has Been Spreading in U.S. Cows for MonthsScientific American A strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been silently spreading in US cattle for months, according to preliminary analysis of genomic data. The outbreak is likely to have begun when the virus jumped from an infected bird into a cow, probably around late December or early January. This implies a protracted, undetected spread of the virus — suggesting… Read more: Bird Flu Virus Has Been Spreading in U.S. Cows for Months
- Is Chicken Feces Behind The Bird Flu Outbreaks In Cows? Here’s What To Know.Forbes Bird flu outbreaks have affected 34 dairy cow herds across nine states, causing some to question whether the use of contaminated poultry litter as cow feed may be the source of transmission, though experts say not enough is known to draw this conclusion. Poultry litter (also known as chicken or broiler litter) is a mixture… Read more: Is Chicken Feces Behind The Bird Flu Outbreaks In Cows? Here’s What To Know.
- The avian flu has been detected in Colorado cows. Here’s what that means for youCPR.ORG The highly pathogenic avian flu has been spreading across the United States since spring 2022, but the disease, which has primarily infected waterfowl and domestic poultry, has now begun to impact another major agricultural species: cows. Since late March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has detected 34 cases of avian flu in cows across… Read more: The avian flu has been detected in Colorado cows. Here’s what that means for you
- America’s Infectious-Disease Barometer Is OffSomehow, the U.S. is both over- and under-reacting to bird flu and other pressing infectious threats. The Atlantic he ongoing outbreak of H5N1 avian flu virus looks a lot like a public-health problem that the United States should be well prepared for. Although this version of flu is relatively new to the world, scientists have been tracking… Read more: America’s Infectious-Disease Barometer Is Off
- There’s never a good time to drink raw milk. But now’s a really bad time as bird flu infects cowsStat Scientists who know about the types of pathogens — E. coli and Salmonella among them — that can be transmitted in raw milk generally think drinking unpasteurized milk is a bad idea. But right now, they believe, the danger associated with raw milk may have gone to a whole new level. “If I were in… Read more: There’s never a good time to drink raw milk. But now’s a really bad time as bird flu infects cows
Updates on ongoing disease outbreaks
- What to Know About the ‘FLiRT’ Variants of COVID-19Time The COVID-19 lull in the U.S. may soon come to an end, as a new family of SARS-CoV-2 variants—nicknamed “FLiRT” variants—begins to spread nationwide. These variants are distant Omicron relatives that spun out from JN.1, the variant behind the surge in cases this past winter. They’ve been dubbed “FLiRT” variants based on the technical names for their… Read more: What to Know About the ‘FLiRT’ Variants of COVID-19
- More than half of cats died after drinking raw milk from bird flu-infected cowsCBS News Video
- The jump in measles cases in 2023 is ‘very concerning’ says WHO officialNPR Over the past 20 years, there’s been a lot of progress when it comes to combating measles. But the World Health Organization’s latest global numbers, released this past weekend, are “very concerning,” says Dr. Patrick O’Connor, the WHO’s medical officer for measles and rubella. Measles cases increased worldwide from more than 170,000 cases in 2022 to… Read more: The jump in measles cases in 2023 is ‘very concerning’ says WHO official
- Epidemiologic Survey of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Suids, SpainCDC We conducted a cross-sectional study in wild boar and extensively managed Iberian pig populations in a hotspot area of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in Spain. We tested for antibodies against CCHFV by using 2 ELISAs in parallel. We assessed the presence of CCHFV RNA by means of reverse transcription quantitative PCR protocol, which… Read more: Epidemiologic Survey of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Suids, Spain
- Could bird flu cause a human pandemic?Vox Here’s what’s worrying experts right now about H5N1’s spread among dairy cows — and what isn’t. Last year, when an H5N1 avian flu virus — commonly known as bird flu — was spilling over from bird populations into a variety of wild mammals, Seema Lakdawala, a virologist and influenza A transmission specialist at Emory… Read more: Could bird flu cause a human pandemic?
- 4 more cats test positive for H5N1 bird flu in the U.S.BNO News Four more cats have tested positive for H5N1 bird flu in connection with a growing outbreak in dairy cows in the United States, according to state and federal officials, raising the number of cases in the current outbreak to seven. Sonja Olsen, the Associate Director of Preparedness and Response at CDC’s Influenza Division,… Read more: 4 more cats test positive for H5N1 bird flu in the U.S.
- Svalbard, Norway: Walrus dies from bird flu on Arctic islandStraights Times The first case of a walrus dying from bird flu has been detected on one of Norway’s Arctic islands, a researcher said April 29. The walrus was found last year on Hopen island in the Svalbard archipelago, Mr Christian Lydersen, of the Norwegian Polar Institute, told AFP. Tests carried out by a German… Read more: Svalbard, Norway: Walrus dies from bird flu on Arctic island
- Technical Report: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) VirusesCDC A small number of sporadic human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) have been identified worldwide since 2022, amidst a panzootic of these viruses in wild birds and poultry. Nearly all human cases reported globally since 2022 were associated with poultry exposures, and no cases of human-to-human transmission of HPAI A(H5N1) virus have been identified.… Read more: Technical Report: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses
- How bird flu virus fragments get into milk sold in stores, and what the spread of H5N1 in cows means for the dairy industry and milk drinkersThe Conversation The discovery of fragments of avian flu virus in milk sold in U.S. stores, including in about 20% of samples in initial testing across the country, suggests that the H5N1 virus may be more widespread in dairy cattle than previously realized. The Food and Drug Administration, which announced the early results from its nationally representative sampling on… Read more: How bird flu virus fragments get into milk sold in stores, and what the spread of H5N1 in cows means for the dairy industry and milk drinkers
Science and Tech
- Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of labAP The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility — a sign of Beijing’s continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post Monday that he and his team had… Read more: Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab
- Scientists tried to give people COVID — and failedNature Researchers deliberately infect participants with SARS-CoV-2 in ‘challenge’ trials — but high levels of immunity complicate efforts to test vaccines and treatments. When Paul Zimmer-Harwood volunteered to be intentionally infected with SARS-CoV-2, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He was ready for a repeat of his first brush with COVID-19, through a naturally acquired… Read more: Scientists tried to give people COVID — and failed
- Do Our Flu Antivirals Work on H5N1?MedPage Today With avian influenza A (H5N1) infecting more mammals than ever before — including U.S. dairy cattleopens in a new tab or window — infectious disease experts are paying close attention to whether current influenza antivirals would be effective should H5N1 adapt to humans. All influenza viruses have extremely similar internal mechanisms for reproduction, William Schaffner,… Read more: Do Our Flu Antivirals Work on H5N1?
Vaccine Headlines
- FDA Needs More Up-to-Date Information Before Finalizing COVID-19 Vaccines for 2024-2025Precision Vaccinations The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced on X a change of date for its May 16, 2024, Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting. The VRBPAC is now scheduled to meet on June 5, 2024, to recommend the inclusion of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strain(s) in the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines. @FDACBER stated the VRBPAC… Read more: FDA Needs More Up-to-Date Information Before Finalizing COVID-19 Vaccines for 2024-2025
- Patch to protect against measles in children shows promiseBBC The device – the size of a sticking plaster – is easier to transport and store than standard injections, especially in remote areas. Measles is a very contagious disease which is common in children, and can kill. Protecting vulnerable children worldwide is a priority, experts say. Microscopic needles Despite the existence of a very… Read more: Patch to protect against measles in children shows promise
Misinformation, Disinformation, Propaganda, and Conspiracy Theories
- Doc Who Said COVID Vax Can Magnetize People Has License ReinstatedMedPage Today Sherri Tenpenny, DO, the Ohio physician who claimed COVID vaccines can magnetize people, had her medical license reinstated last month, according to the State Medical Board of Ohio. Tenpenny’s license was suspended indefinitely in August 2023, but was reinstated during the April 10 board meeting, a spokesperson for the board confirmed to MedPage Today. “Sherri Tenpenny… Read more: Doc Who Said COVID Vax Can Magnetize People Has License Reinstated
Clinical Considerations
- What do we know about covid-19’s effects on the gut?BMJ What gastrointestinal symptoms can covid-19 cause? Lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. These may not be the symptoms people expect with covid, but around 50% of people experience them after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and in some people they’re the only symptoms.1 Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms may be the first sign of infection or may… Read more: What do we know about covid-19’s effects on the gut?
Psychological and Sociological Impact of the Pandemic
- Study describes more severe pediatric mental health crises during pandemicCIDRAP Children visiting the emergency department (ED) for mental health crises during the pandemic had longer stays and more severe diagnoses, according to a new study in Academic Emergency Medicine. The study was based on ED visits to nine US hospitals participating in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Registry from 2017 to 2022. The authors… Read more: Study describes more severe pediatric mental health crises during pandemic
Hi Wanda, COVID “rebound” is not uncommon, and it can occur with and without antiviral treatment. “Rebound” does not have…
If I have OVID Rebound, do I need to isolate. If so, for how long?
Hi Bill, Please see our latest post on Ivermectin as a treatment for covid here https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2023/12/11/about-ivermectin/
Now it comes out after trials that ivermectin is indeed a good treatment plan against Covid ,even better than the…
Hi Dabora, please email your article to clamiller@unmc.edu
Hi Theresa, please see our post on ivermectin here https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2023/12/11/about-ivermectin/
How do I order ivermectin Hydrochlorichin
Mary, please see our reply on this article here: https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2023/03/14/an-ivermectin-influencer-died-now-his-followers-are-worried-about-their-own-severe-symptoms/#comment-3265
I am shocked at this ignorance about IVM and the calculation of dosage. It’s based on weight for horses and…