Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
What To Know About Rapidly Spreading ‘Pirola’ Covid Variant BA.2.86—And If Vaccines Offer Protection
Forbes Pirola, or BA.2.86, is the third most prevalent Covid strain in the U.S., and although there may be concerns the new monovalent vaccines—which protect against the XBB lineage that Pirola isn’t a part of—don’t offer protection against Pirola and its subvariants, drugmakers and the CDC are sure the vaccines offer defense. Pirola made up 8.8% of […]
Nov 29, 2023
COVID variant BA.2.86 triples in new CDC estimates
CBS News Nearly 1 in 10 new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are from the BA.2.86 variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Monday, nearly triple what the agency estimated the highly mutated variant’s prevalence was two weeks ago. Among the handful of regions with enough specimens reported from testing laboratories, BA.2.86’s prevalence is largest […]
Nov 28, 2023
Nearly 3 million birds euthanized in Iowa due to Avian Influenza
HIgh Plains Journal Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza continues to spread across the High Plains and the Midwest and Iowa has become a hotspot for this contagious poultry disease. There are now 15 reported outbreaks in commercial poultry operations and backyard flocks across the state. These avian flu cases have led to the euthanasia of nearly […]
Nov 28, 2023
France reports bird flu on turkey farm as disease spreads in Europe
Reuters France has detected an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu virus on a turkey farm in the northwest of the country, the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday, as a seasonal wave of infections spreads across Europe. The outbreak in the Brittany region, France’s first farm case this autumn, occurred near where an infected wild […]
Nov 28, 2023
Is the New Mpox ‘Outbreak’ Deadlier?
Medpage Today Three factors could explain the higher case fatality rate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An outbreak* of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) has been detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the case fatality rate — the percent of detected cases that are fatal […]
Nov 28, 2023
Bird flu kills hundreds of flamingos in Argentina
BBC An outbreak of bird flu has killed 220 flamingos in north-western Argentina, officials have confirmed. The dead birds are of the James’s flamingo species (Phoenicoparrus jamesi), which lives at high altitudes in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The H5N1 strain of the avian flu virus currently spreading through South America can infect an entire […]
Nov 28, 2023
Inside one of the world’s deadliest forests – and the bushmeat hunters risking contagion
Telegraph Ebola, Marburg and never-before-seen infections are spilling over into Guinea’s hunter communities. Scientists fear biological catastrophe. The village of Bouolazou, nestled away in the sprawling bush of southern Guinea, cannot be reached by car. Only motorbikes with deep-grooved tyres can make the journey, navigating an estuary of narrow tracks that wind over rocky hills […]
Nov 22, 2023
Maryland: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in Caroline County
Maryland.gov State laboratory testing has detected a case of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) in Caroline County. Following increased mortality of a broiler operation and investigation by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, it has been preliminarily confirmed that poultry from the affected farm has tested positive for HPAI. State officials have quarantined all affected premises, and birds on the […]
Nov 21, 2023
The Impacts of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza on North American Wildlife
Express Healthcare Management New research has shed light on the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus, specifically the Eurasian lineage H5 clade 2.3.4.4b, in various species of wild terrestrial mammals in the United States. This groundbreaking finding, published in the U.S. CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases Volume 29, reveals that North American wildlife […]
Nov 21, 2023
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) from Wild Birds, Poultry, and Mammals, Peru
CDC We identified highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus clade 2.3.4.4b in wild birds, poultry, and a lion in Peru during November 2022–February 2023 and markers associated with transmission adaptation and antiviral drug resistance. Continuous genomic surveillance is needed to inform public health measures and avoid mass animal deaths. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 […]
Nov 15, 2023