Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Bird flu outbreak confirmed near Northern Ireland border
BBC A new outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland, close to the border with Northern Ireland. The Republic’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, says the further outbreak of avian influenza has been found in a commercial turkey flock near Clontibret, County Monaghan. Clontibret is […]
Nov 12, 2025
How we’re tracking avian flu’s toll on wildlife across North America
The Conversation Since first being detected in Newfoundland in 2021, a subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI A(H5Nx), has had a dramatic impact on North America. The poultry industry has suffered the most, with almost 15 million birds dying or being culled to control the virus in Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada recently dismissed a British Columbia […]
Nov 12, 2025
Whooping cough cases skyrocket in Texas, quadrupling last year’s numbers
ABC News Texas is currently seeing four times the number of whooping cough cases compared to the same time last year, the state’s health department said in a health alert. The state has reported more than 3,500 cases this year. This is the second year that Texas has experienced high increases in whooping cough cases. Nationally, […]
Nov 12, 2025
Ecology and spread of the North American H5N1 epizootic
Nature Since late 2021, a panzootic of highly pathogenic H5N1 has devastated wild birds, agriculture and mammals. Here an analysis of 1,818 haemagglutinin sequences from wild birds, domestic birds and mammals reveals that the North American panzootic was driven by around nine introductions into the Atlantic and Pacific flyways, followed by rapid dissemination through wild, […]
Nov 12, 2025
The Americas have lost their measles elimination status
CBC We’re wrapping up our live updates for the moment on Canada’s loss of its measles elimination status. The announcement didn’t come as a surprise to many, but health officials and experts say it is a setback in terms of Canada’s reputation and standing for public health globally. It also shows how there are gaps […]
Nov 12, 2025
Unexpected Detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus in bovine semen from a bull used for natural breeding on an affected dairy farm
Univ Wisconsin (PrePub) Abstract Since March 2024, HPAI H5N1 virus has infected dairy cattle in the U.S., prompting concern about novel transmission routes. During an outbreak in California, HPAI H5N1 RNA was detected in an asymptomatic bull’s semen. Although infectious virus was not isolated, questions remain about semen-associated transmission risks and biosecurity practices. Main Text […]
Nov 5, 2025
FDA testing aged raw cow’s milk cheese for bird flu
MSN The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin collecting samples of raw cow’s milk cheese from across the U.S. to test for the presence of bird flu, spurred on by the ongoing outbreaks of H5N1 in multiple states. In the announcement published Monday, the FDA said the goal of testing will be two-fold: detecting the […]
Nov 5, 2025
Beyond the Barnyard: How H5N1 Is Crossing Species—and Borders
Infection Control Today During the August 2025 Health Watch USA(sm) webinar entitled “Combating Infectious Disease Challenges,” several lectures were devoted to the then-outdated topic of H5N1 or the bird flu. Many people in the public, including those on social media, attributed the disappearance of the bird flu over the summer months to the implementation of […]
Nov 5, 2025
Indiana: Bird flu spreads to total of 15 farms
WISHTV Two more duck operations in northern Indiana and a hobby flock of mixed species in the Indianapolis metropolitan area are the latest to be quarantined with bird flu, the state’s Board of Animal Health said Tuesday night. A commercial meat duck operation with 20,772 birds in Elkhart County and another with 4,837 birds in […]
Nov 5, 2025
Over 93,000 birds affected by bird flu in recent outbreak
Indiana Public Media More than 93,000 Indiana birds have caught the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture. Currently, the USDA reports six Indiana commercial flocks and three backyard flocks have been affected by bird flu. Elkhart County has an active case, with 6,900 affected birds. All […]
Nov 5, 2025