The prime tales and analysis updates on avian influenza, swine flu, and pandemic influenza dangers curated by Global Biodefense.
This Flu Focus contains the challenges of avian influenza infections in dairy herds, how our veterinarian scarcity is unhealthy for biosecurity, and the zoonotic potential of novel H1N2 and H3N2 swine influenza A viruses.
LATEST NEWS
21 Dairy Herds Across Seven States Confirmed for Avian Flu Infections
It’s been two weeks because the preliminary detection of a pressure of chook flu in dairy cows. At least 21 herds had been contaminated throughout seven states (Texas, Kansas, Idaho, Michigan, Ohio and New Mexico, North Carolina). 17 states this week enacted restrictions on cattle importations from states the place the virus is understood to have contaminated dairy cows. AVMA, CIDRAP, NPR
Bird Flu Isn’t Killing Cows. The Experts Are Still Worried.
Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced first optimistic checks in cows on March 25, it’s turn out to be more and more clear that authorities have little means of figuring out how widespread the virus is among the many nation’s almost 90 million cattle. The optimistic checks got here after almost two months by which farmers within the Texas Panhandle struggled to clarify a mysterious sickness sweeping their dairy herds. Officials now imagine the illness was attributable to avian flu. Barron’s
Texas Dairy Worker Tests Positive for Avian Flu
Texas well being officers introduced on 1 April the second human case of H5N1 ever recorded within the United States, and the primary occasion of human an infection presumed to be from contact with contaminated dairy cows. The affected person’s main symptom was conjunctivitis; the individual is being handled with the antiviral drug oseltamivir. Global Biodefense, New York Times
Avian Influenza Vaccination: Why It Should Not Be a Barrier to Safe Trade
The devastating impacts of avian influenza lengthen past home and wild birds, threatening livelihoods, meals safety and public well being. The use of sanitary management measures alone could not be a sustainable answer to successfully include the illness. Poultry vaccination can not be excluded from the available alternate options and ought to be thought-about a complementary instrument. World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH)
Virologist Ron Fouchier on the Risk H5N1 Poses to Humans
Fouchier, a number one skilled on H5N1, takes little solace from the truth that present variations of H5N1 appear to contaminate folks much less continuously, and to trigger largely delicate sickness after they do. The international vary of H5 viruses — the sheer quantity of the virus in nature — and the numbers of mammals H5 has proven itself able to sickening is unprecedented, he mentioned, making anticipating its future path more durable than ever to gauge. STAT
Scientists Investigate Thousands of Dead Antarctic Penguins for Bird Flu
A scientific expedition final month discovered at the very least 532 frozen, useless Adelie penguins, with hundreds extra thought to have died. In February, researchers confirmed that H5N1 had lastly turned up—as lengthy feared—in Antarctica. Winter begins in March in Antarctica, so birds had been already beginning to scatter to their wintering areas, however there’s grave concern for the subsequent spring breeding season for penguins and birds (October to early December). Reuters, Science
Largest U.S. Egg Producer Detects Bird Flu at Texas Plant
Cal-Maine Foods mentioned it culled about 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets (young hens) after a few of its chickens at a Parmer County, Texas, facility examined optimistic. The culled chickens at Cal-Maine Foods signify 3.6 p.c of its flock. Washington Post
Minnesota Goat Confirmed to Have Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
MN ag well being officers reported on 20 March a goat child (juvenile goat) residing on a farm with a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) optimistic poultry flock examined optimistic for a similar virus. This is the primary U.S. detection of HPAI in a home ruminant (cattle, sheep, goats, and their family members). All poultry on the property had been already quarantined from the February HPAI detection. MN Board of Animal Health
PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS
How Prepared the U.S. is for a Bird Flu Pandemic
Top officers on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mentioned the company is nicely poised to detect if a person has H5N1 via the company’s common surveillance for seasonal flu at greater than 100 public well being labs in all states in addition to enhanced monitoring put in place in 2022 for anybody who has been uncovered to birds contaminated with that pressure. Two candidate vaccine viruses — basically the building blocks producers use to provide a vaccine — seem nicely matched to guard in opposition to the H5N1 pressure circulating amongst dairy cattle and birds, in response to federal well being officers. It’d most likely be weeks to months earlier than these pictures might first be made available if wanted. Washington Post, New York Times
Swine Flu Outbreaks in 2023 Illustrate Reality of Zoonotic Influenza
The outbreaks highlighted right here, which occurred in 2023, illustrate the truth of zoonotic influenza, the truth that all ages could be vulnerable, that these with and with out comorbidities could be in danger, and that numerous exposures can result in swine-origin influenza A(H1N1) influenza an infection. Global Biodefense
Drivers for a Flu Pandemic and Options for One Health Mitigation Measures
Key choices for actions embody enhancing surveillance concentrating on people and animals, guaranteeing access to speedy diagnostics, selling collaboration between animal and human sectors, and contemplating the implementation of preventive measures reminiscent of vaccination of poultry. Effective communication to totally different concerned goal audiences ought to be emphasised, in addition to strengthening veterinary infrastructure, implementing biosecurity measures at farms, and decreasing wildlife contact with home animals. European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
What’s Behind the U.S.’s Critical Veterinarian Shortage?
The shortages are being felt most in rural areas. Part of the reason being that veterinary faculty graduates need to go the place the money is – given the coed debt they’re usually lumbered with – and jobs in cities pay extra. Veterinarians are an necessary position in defending the well being of individual animals, but in addition defending the well being of populations of animals. “Veterinarians are on the frontlines of detection and surveillance… and when we don’t have veterinarians in a community, those diseases can go undetected until it’s too late.” The Guardian
JOURNAL WATCH
New Study Highlights Importance of Bird Flu Surveillance in Live Bird Markets
A brand new research describes findings from avian influenza A(H5) virus surveillance in stay chook markets throughout Vietnam over an almost six-year interval (March 2017- September 2022). The research discovered almost 40% of samples taken from stay markets in Vietnam had been optimistic for influenza A viruses with the prevalence of H5 chook flu rising in 2022. Active surveillance (common testing) was higher at detection than passive surveillance (receiving experiences), particularly when poultry didn’t present indicators of sickness. Live chook market surveillance stays a vitally necessary exercise for situational consciousness round chook flu, chook flu mitigation, and pandemic preparedness actions. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses
Experimental M2e Peptide Swine Flu Vaccine Doesn’t Protect Upon Challenge
A vaccine is required that improves cross-protection of pigs in opposition to a number of strains of IAV. In this research, an experimental vaccine utilizing a extremely conserved M2e peptide was evaluated. Both vaccinated and non-vaccinated management pigs challenged 4 weeks later developed fever and had average gross and microscopic lesions with no variations amongst teams suggesting that underneath the situations of this research, the M2e vaccine didn’t defend pigs in opposition to problem with pandemic H1N1 pressure. This suggests {that a} humoral immune response, primarily based solely on the M2e protein, was not ample for cover. Vaccine
Recent Changes in Patterns of Mammal Infection with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Worldwide
In the present panzootic, 26 international locations have reported >48 mammal species contaminated by H5N1 virus; in some instances, the virus has affected hundreds of individual animals. The geographic space and the variety of species affected by the present occasion are significantly bigger than in earlier waves of an infection. The most believable supply of mammal an infection in each intervals seems to be shut contact with contaminated birds, together with their ingestion. Some research, particularly within the present panzootic, recommend that mammal-to-mammal transmission could be answerable for some infections; some mutations discovered might assist this avian pathogen replicate in mammals. Emerging Infectious Diseases
Evolution and Spread of HPAI in Wild Birds, South Korea, 2022–2023
Understanding the motion and host traits of migratory waterfowl, that are pure hosts of avian influenza, is essential for understanding the evolution and transmission pathways of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) virus. Integrative evaluation of real-time surveillance information in wild birds and spatial distribution information of poultry farms can function an early warning system for forecasting the chance for HPAI avian influenza spillover from wild birds to poultry. Emerging Infectious Diseases
Smallscale Poultry Keepers and Their Understanding of Guidance HPAI
Backyard keepers usually lack an understanding of the authorized necessities in relation to various extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) restrictions, alongside a common lack of illness information and biosecurity. This could also be resulting from a misunderstanding of the steering from official sources, which is predominantly aimed toward business flocks. Preventive Veterinary Medicine
Exploring Associations Between Viral Titer Measurements and Disease Outcomes in Ferrets Inoculated with 125 Contemporary Influenza A Viruses
Compilation of viral titer and medical information from >1,000 ferrets inoculated with 125 modern IAV underneath a constant experimental protocol (together with high- and low-pathogenicity avian, swine-origin, and human viruses, spanning H1, H2, H3, H5, H7, and H9 subtypes) and examined which significant and statistically supported associations had been current amongst quite a few quantitative measurements. Viral titers correlated positively between ferret nasal turbinate tissue, lung tissue, and nasal wash specimens, although the energy of the associations assorted, notably relating to the actual nasal wash abstract measure employed and properties of the virus itself. IAV possessing mammalian host adaptation markers within the HA and PB2 exhibited extra speedy progress within the ferret higher respiratory tract early after an infection, supported by portions derived from infectious titer information to seize an infection development, in contrast with viruses bearing hallmarks of avian IAV. Journal of Virology
Novel Influenza A Viruses in Pigs with Zoonotic Potential, Chile
This research evaluated the zoonotic potential of novel H1N2 and H3N2 swine influenza A viruses (IAVs) just lately been recognized in Chile. Serological information point out that the final inhabitants is inclined to the H3N2 virus and that elderly and young kids additionally lack protecting antibodies in opposition to the H1N2 strains, suggesting that these viruses could possibly be potential zoonotic threats. Continuous IAV surveillance and monitoring of the swine and human populations is strongly advisable. Microbiology Spectrum
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We are trying to be at the forefront of documenting, recording and providing early warning. We’ve been in this area for 30 years. We know these species. We work with scientists who have 30 years of data on these populations, so we can know what will be important for the future. We have to give voice to these poor creatures. Nobody’s taking note of how big this is.”
Marcela Uhart, a wildlife veterinarian with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s One Health Institute, on the magnitude of avian influenza adapting to spread to marine mammals.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS
2011: Lessons from the H1N1 pandemic should be incorporated into future planning (GAO)
2011: Seeing terror risk, U.S. asks journals to cut flu study facts (New York Times)
2009: Obama declares national emergency as US swine flu deaths hit 1,000 (The Guardian)
2009: Surveillance for pediatric deaths from 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) (MMWR)
1976: The fiasco of the 1976-1977 swine flu affair (BBC)
1968: Fifty years of influenza A(H3N2) following the pandemic of 1968 (AJPH)
