Author: Claudinne Miller
CDC A(H5N1) Bird Flu Response Update October 29, 2024
CDC CDC continues to respond to the public health challenge posed by a multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, or “H5N1 bird flu,” in dairy cows, poultry and other animals in the United States. CDC is working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Administration for […]
Oct 29, 2024
Why You Might Need Two COVID-19 Shots This Season
Time eniors and people who are immunocompromised should get not just one but two COVID-19 shots this respiratory virus season. That’s the new recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People in these groups should get the vaccines six months apart in order to stay protected against the disease, the agency’s vaccine group […]
Oct 29, 2024
From poultry to public health: Understanding the H5N1 threat
DVM360 Unpacking the current threat landscape Avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1), commonly known as bird flu, has had an increase in human cases in the United States recently, particularly among poultry and dairy workers. H5N1 has primarily circulated in the Midwest, with these cases raising concerns about potential human transmission and broader public health implications. Understanding […]
Oct 29, 2024
More Washington state egg farm workers sick with avian flu; CDC sends help for outbreak
The Chronicle The number of workers at a Franklin County commercial egg farm who have now tested positive for avian influenza has increased to eight, according to preliminary test results. The outbreak at the large farm has the first human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or H5N1, known in the state of Washington. Of […]
Oct 29, 2024
Bovine H5N1 influenza from infected worker transmissible and lethal in animal models
NIH A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus, isolated from the eye of a farm worker who became infected through contact with dairy cows, was lethal in mice and ferrets infected in a high-containment laboratory environment, according to a new study in Nature. The study investigators also found that the virus isolated from the worker, […]
Oct 29, 2024
California Becomes Hot Spot for Bird Flu Cases in Cows, Sparking Fears
Bloomberg Dairy farmers in California are grappling with a steadily advancing outbreak of avian flu in their herds – a problem few of them want to talk about publicly, but that none of them can afford to ignore. Bird flu has been reported in more than 170 herds in California since late August, with the […]
Oct 29, 2024
New Covid Tests Are Here. They Test for Flu, Too.
NYT Yet again this winter, millions of Americans will wonder if a nagging cough or body aches is a sign they’re coming down with Covid or the flu. This time, they’ll have an expanded array of tools to get an answer without leaving the house. There are now nine at-home tests that can detect the […]
Oct 29, 2024
Dengue Fever cases reported in Florida after Hurricane Milton
Fox Cases of the mosquito-borne illness Dengue Fever are popping up in Florida’s Tampa Bay region weeks after Hurricane Milton left standing water across the state. Mosquitoes breed by laying eggs in or near standing water, and back-to-back hurricanes Milton and Helene left rivers flooded and standing water around west-central Florida. Since Milton’s Oct. 9 landfall, the Hillsborough County Department of Health has confirmed four cases […]
Oct 29, 2024
Tracking the U.S. bird flu outbreak has been hard. It’s about to get harder
STAT Health systems will likely struggle to differentiate the virus from flu-like illnesses If one can point to anything good about the H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle — to be honest, there’s nothing good about this situation — it’s the timing. Transmission of the virus through U.S. dairy herds took off when last winter’s […]
Oct 29, 2024
Deadly bat disease spreads across California, raising wildlife concerns
KRCR The fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome, a lethal disease that has decimated bat populations across North America, has been detected in several California counties. White-nose syndrome, caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is particularly deadly to hibernating bats such as the little brown myotis, Yuma myotis and cave myotis. The disease damages bats’ wing membranes […]
Oct 29, 2024