Author: Claudinne Miller
New revelations in the mystery of the dolphin with the bird flu
Pasadena Star News Veterinarians previously thought dolphins had low susceptibility to flu infections — and dolphins don’t feed on birds. So biologists were highly concerned when a dolphin with the bird flu died in Florida. The infected dolphin was trapped between a dock and a seawall in the Big Bend region in March 2022. By […]
May 7, 2024
Two veterinarians, hundreds of miles apart, solved a cow sickness whodunit
Daily 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 […]
May 7, 2024
Doc Who Said COVID Vax Can Magnetize People Has License Reinstated
MedPage 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 […]
May 7, 2024
CDC 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 […]
May 7, 2024
US CDC asks states to make worker protective gear available to combat bird flu
Reuters 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 […]
May 7, 2024
FDA Needs More Up-to-Date Information Before Finalizing COVID-19 Vaccines for 2024-2025
Precision 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 […]
May 7, 2024
To stop a pandemic before it starts, protect dairy workers from H5N1
Washington 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 […]
May 7, 2024
US to test ground beef in states with bird-flu outbreaks in dairy cows
Reuters 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 […]
May 1, 2024
Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab
AP 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 […]
May 1, 2024
What to Know About the ‘FLiRT’ Variants of COVID-19
Time 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 […]
May 1, 2024