Timely and relevant global health security news curated by GCHS
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Featured Headlines
- US health agencies launch new studies of H5N1 bird flu in dairy workers and dairy productsCNN US health agencies are starting new rounds of tests on dairy workers and milk products to better understand the possible impact of H5N1 bird flu. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is partnering with the state of Michigan to begin a highly anticipated study to assess whether workers exposed to infected cattle had themselves become infected. And the US Food and Drug Administration is testing what’s known as flash pasteurization after recent… Read more: US health agencies launch new studies of H5N1 bird flu in dairy workers and dairy products
- The U.S. strategic drug stockpile is inadequate for a bird flu outbreakFortune China reports highly pathogenic H5N6, H7N9 bird flu outbreaks. China reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N6 bird flu at a duck farm in the Guangxi province, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Wednesday, citing a report from the Chinese agriculture ministry. The virus killed 23,950 ducks out of a… Read more: The U.S. strategic drug stockpile is inadequate for a bird flu outbreak
- U.S. is ‘flying blind’ with bird flu, repeating mistakes of COVID, health experts sayNPR It’s been nearly three months since the U.S. government announced an outbreak of the bird flu virus on dairy farms. The World Health Organization considers the virus a public health concern because of its potential to cause a pandemic, yet the U.S. has tested only about 45 people across the country. “We’re flying blind,”… Read more: U.S. is ‘flying blind’ with bird flu, repeating mistakes of COVID, health experts say
- Bird Flu Is Infecting Cats (and the Occasional Dog). Here’s What to Know.NYT A few “reasonable precautions” can help people keep their pets safe from the H5N1 virus, experts say. Over the past few months, a bird flu outbreak has spread swiftly through dairy cows in the United States, infecting more than 90 herds in 12 states. Along the way, the virus has caused collateral damage in several other… Read more: Bird Flu Is Infecting Cats (and the Occasional Dog). Here’s What to Know.
- Here’s Why COVID Measures Like Masking And New Ones Like Safety Goggles Could Return If A Bird Flu Pandemic Is DeclaredForbes An ongoing bird flu outbreak among U.S. dairy cows has led to three confirmed human cases in dairy workers, and although there aren’t any confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission, experts warn safety measures like masks, vaccines and safety goggles will be needed if a pandemic is declared due to the virus’s deadly nature. The Centers for… Read more: Here’s Why COVID Measures Like Masking And New Ones Like Safety Goggles Could Return If A Bird Flu Pandemic Is Declared
- Is New York Prepared for a Bird Flu Pandemic?NYT The health care system has stockpiles of medicine and has worked out “a lot of the kinks” since the Covid pandemic. But experts still have some concerns about a bird flu outbreak. Four years after a new coronavirus swept through New York in what was called a once-in-a-century event, public health officials are beginning… Read more: Is New York Prepared for a Bird Flu Pandemic?
- 9th case of bird flu in cattle detected in Sioux County, 11th in IowaIowa Local News The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has confirmed another case of bird flu in Sioux County. According to the Ag Department, this is believed to be the 11th case of bird flu in the state of Iowa. This brings the total number of cases detected in Sioux County up to 9. HPAI… Read more: 9th case of bird flu in cattle detected in Sioux County, 11th in Iowa
- Bird flu spreads to tenth Australian poultry farmReuters A highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza has spread to an eighth poultry farm near Melbourne, the government of Australia’s Victoria state said on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected facilities in the country to 10. Australia is dealing with three parallel outbreaks of bird flu, two near Melbourne and one near Sydney.… Read more: Bird flu spreads to tenth Australian poultry farm
- “No evidence” new COVID variant LB.1 causes more severe disease, CDC saysCBS News There are no signs so far that the new LB.1 variant is causing more severe disease in COVID-19 patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, as infections have begun to accelerate in this summer’s wave around the country. The LB.1 variant currently makes up 17.5% of new COVID cases, the CDC projected Friday, and could… Read more: “No evidence” new COVID variant LB.1 causes more severe disease, CDC says
Updates on ongoing disease outbreaks
- Biweekly Update by Dr. LawlerCurrent COVID-19 Epidemic Wave | Recent Studies | H5N1 Updates
- New mpox strain in DR Congo ‘most dangerous yet’BBC A new strain of the mpox virus spreading quickly along the eastern border of Democratic Republic of Congo is “incredibly worrying”, say health officials monitoring its spread. The virus, which can cause lesions across the whole body, is making some people very ill and can be deadly. The current outbreak has been driven by… Read more: New mpox strain in DR Congo ‘most dangerous yet’
- Michigan launches first effort of its kind to detect silent bird flu infections in farmworkersSTAT Michigan has led the nation in making inroads with its farmers as it has worked to contain spread of H5N1 bird flu infections in dairy cows. Now the state’s health authorities are trying to do the same in looking for undetected infections among farmworkers. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is working with an… Read more: Michigan launches first effort of its kind to detect silent bird flu infections in farmworkers
- COVID summer guide: How to navigate symptoms, variants and vaccines this season amid rising casesYahoo News It’s summer 2024, but the COVID-19 pandemic is still hanging around. And while the virus continues to evolve, it’s doing so in more predictable ways. Specifically, the expected summer uptick in infections has arrived: The number of COVID cases is “likely” on the rise in at least 39 states and isn’t dropping anywhere in the… Read more: COVID summer guide: How to navigate symptoms, variants and vaccines this season amid rising cases
- CDC issues dengue fever alert in the U.S.NBC News This year, the incidence of dengue fever globally has been the highest on record, as nations report increasingly hot temperatures — ideal for mosquitoes that spread dengue to hatch. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory Tuesday alerting authorities, health care providers and the public of the increased risk… Read more: CDC issues dengue fever alert in the U.S.
- Nigeria Issues Alert After ‘Highly Contagious’ Cholera Kills 15Bloomberg Authorities in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos have issued a public health warning after confirming a “highly aggressive and contagious” cholera strain that has killed 15 people in the city. The densely populated southwest city of about 25 million people said it has recorded 350 cases, a week after authorities began investigating a possible… Read more: Nigeria Issues Alert After ‘Highly Contagious’ Cholera Kills 15
Science and Tech
- FDA shares research plans as it continues to monitor bird flu outbreakScripps News Over 100 dairy cattle herds in around a dozen states have reported cases of the highly infectious disease since March. U.S. health agencies maintain that the risk to the public is low. On Tuesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shared its agenda for research into avian influenza in dairy cows as it works to… Read more: FDA shares research plans as it continues to monitor bird flu outbreak
- To combat cow flu outbreak, scientists plan to infect cattle with influenza in high-security labsScience The avian influenza virus that has been infecting dairy cows and spreading alarm in the United States was expected to reach Germany this week. But that’s actually good news. A shipment of samples of the H5N1 virus from Cornell University virologist Diego Diel is destined for the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health in… Read more: To combat cow flu outbreak, scientists plan to infect cattle with influenza in high-security labs
Vaccine Headlines
- Finland to start bird flu vaccinations for humans, in world firstReuters Finland plans to offer preemptive bird flu vaccination as soon as next week to some workers with exposure to animals, health authorities said on Tuesday, making it the first country in the world to do so. The Nordic country has bought vaccines for 10,000 people, each consisting of two injections, as part of a… Read more: Finland to start bird flu vaccinations for humans, in world first
Misinformation, Disinformation, Propaganda, and Conspiracy Theories
- Bird flu misinformation spreading faster than virusHealth Times Social media users are over-egging claims about the impacts of bird flu outbreaks in Australia and overseas, experts say. Six Victorian poultry farms have detected cases of avian influenza, sparking fears of egg shortages and mass bird cullings. The spread of the virus globally has fuelled online conspiracy theories and misinformation about the… Read more: Bird flu misinformation spreading faster than virus
Clinical Considerations
- Cannabis Use Tied to Increased Risk of Severe COVIDMed Page Today Hospitalization risk 80% higher versus nonusers. Cannabis use was significantly associated with a greater risk of severe outcomes following a COVID-19 infection, according to a retrospective study that spanned the first 2 years of the pandemic. Among more than 70,000 patients with a documented case of COVID at a large medical center… Read more: Cannabis Use Tied to Increased Risk of Severe COVID
Global Health Security: Psychological and Sociological Implications
- Our Desire for Inexpensive Food Is Putting Us in DangerNYT/Opinion A dairy worker in Texas contracts H5N1 bird flu after contact with infected cows, and suffers eye inflammation. Weeks later, a dairy worker in Michigan begins to cough and then tests positive for the virus. A ferret in a cage (ferrets are often used as study proxies for humans) becomes infected with the virus by airborne… Read more: Our Desire for Inexpensive Food Is Putting Us in Danger
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…