Author: Claudinne Miller
CDC asks states and cities to keep flu surveillance at peak levels because of bird flu threat
STAT The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked local and state health officials Tuesday to maintain flu surveillance operations at peak-season levels over the summer in a bid to remain watchful for any signs of human-to-human spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus. Flu surveillance activity is generally conducted at low levels during the […]
May 21, 2024
Public Health Preparedness for Bird Flu Varies Widely Across the U.S.
MedPageToday Survey responses not always in line with CDC recommendations. U.S. states and territories varied widely in their capacity to monitor people exposed to the H5N1 avian influenza virus, and in how they would recommend use of antivirals and the H5N1 vaccine, according to a joint survey from the CDC and the Council of State […]
May 21, 2024
Move over, wastewater. Store-bought milk could be another way to track the bird flu outbreak in cows
STAT Scientists from the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center have managed to generate a full genetic sequence of H5N1 virus from milk, a development they suggest means commercially purchased milk products could be used to monitor the progress of the bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle and to check for important […]
May 21, 2024
5 new dairy cow herds contract bird flu in Michigan
The Toledo Blade Five more dairy herds in Michigan have been diagnosed with bird flu, according to an announcement Friday by Tim Boring, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The herds are located in Allegan, Clinton, Gratiot, and Ingham counties with an additional herd in Isabella County. That brings the total […]
May 15, 2024
COVID-19 vaccine can help people with heart failure live longer
EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CARDIOLOGY Heart failure patients who are vaccinated against COVID-19 have an 82% greater likelihood of living longer than those who are not vaccinated, according to research presented today at Heart Failure 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 Heart Failure is a life-threatening syndrome affecting more than 64 million […]
May 15, 2024
California’s ‘wellness’ devotees think raw milk infected with bird flu will ‘boost immunity’
Telegraph Unpasteurised milk presents a risk at the best of times – but not in parts of woo-woo California, it seems. Despite the US health authorities warning that raw milk may contain live H5N1 virus – linked to bird flu outbreaks across 39 dairy farms – some people are reported to be seeking more of it. Just […]
May 15, 2024
STAT When it comes to federal agencies communicating to the public about H5N1 bird flu, it feels like a classic case of Yogi Berra’s déjà vu all over again. In the wake of pointed criticism about its failure to release new information about the growing H5N1 outbreak in livestock, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of […]
May 15, 2024
How fast is bird flu spreading in US cows? ‘We have no idea’
The Hill Avian flu is spreading rapidly among cattle, but public health and infectious disease experts are concerned the United States is too limited in its testing, leaving an incomplete picture of the virus’s spread. The threat to the general public is currently low, health officials say, and the country’s milk supply is safe. Just […]
May 15, 2024