Skip to main content

#WHO DG's opening #remarks at the #media #briefing – 16 January 2025 {portion on avian #influenza}

Image
By G.M.

 {Excerpt}

(...)

Now to the global spread of H5 avian influenza.

Last year, 66 cases of H5 were reported from the United States, plus 10 from Cambodia, 2 from Viet Nam and one each from Australia, Canada and China.

This is the highest number of reported human cases since 2015.


So far this year, 2 cases including 1 death have been reported in the United States, and 1 death in Cambodia.

Almost all these cases are associated with infected dairy cattle or poultry.

H5N1 is of particular concern because since the first human cases were reported in 2003, it has killed almost half of those it has struck.

Fortunately, H5N1 has not yet developed the ability to transmit easily between humans. But that could be only a matter of time.

Every transmission from one animal to another, or to a human, is an opportunity for the virus to mutate, or to mix with other influenza viruses.

It’s therefore imperative that the virus is not allowed to spread unchecked in animals.

WHO is working closely with the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in a One Health approach to managing the threat of H5 globally.

We call on all countries to strengthen biosecurity on farms, testing and surveillance, and to provide personal protective equipment to farm workers who may be at risk.

We also call on all countries with outbreaks of H5 among animals to share viral samples and sequences with the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System, or GISRS.

(...)

Source: World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/speeches/item/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing---16-january-2025

_____

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#Neuroinvasive #Oropouche virus in a patient with #HIV from extra-Amazonian #Brazil

By G.M.
{Excerpt} A novel reassortant Oropouche virus (OROV) lineage (with medium [M], large [L], and small [S] RNA segments : M1L2S2) has driven Brazil's largest and most geographically widespread OROV epidemic , expanding beyond the endemic Amazon basin to establish local transmission across multiple Brazilian states and other previously unaffected Latin American countries . The rapid spread of this lineage underscores its evolutionary potential and reinforces its significance as a public health threat .1 Similar to chikungunya and Zika viruses, expanding arboviruses can exhibit unexpected clinical and epidemiological shifts , including vertical transmissions , neuroinvasive effects, and potentially fatal outcomes.2–4 Although OROV typically causes self-limited febrile illness, accumulating clinical and experimental evidence suggests neurotropic potential .5 This Correspondence describes the first confirmed case of neuroinvasive OROV infection caused by the emergent M1L2S2 lineage in ext...
Post a Comment
Read more »

No evidence of immune #exhaustion after repeated #SARS-CoV-2 #vaccination in vulnerable and healthy populations

By G.M.
Abstract Frequent SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in vulnerable populations has raised concerns that this may contribute to T cell exhaustion , which could negatively affect the quality of immune protection. Herein, we examined the impact of repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on T cell phenotypic and functional exhaustion in frail older adults in long-term care (n = 23), individuals on immunosuppressive drugs (n = 10), and healthy adults (n = 43), in Canada . Spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell levels did not decline in any cohort following repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, nor did the expression of exhaustion markers on spike-specific or total T cells increase. T cell production of multiple cytokines (i.e. polyfunctionality) in response to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 did not decline in any cohort following repeated vaccination. None of the cohorts displayed elevated levels of terminally differentiated T cells following multiple SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations. Thus, repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was...
Post a Comment
Read more »

Chimeric #hemagglutinin and #M2 #mRNA #vaccine for broad #influenza subtype protection

By G.M.
Abstract Since multiple and unpredicted influenza viruses cause seasonal epidemics and even high-risk pandemics , developing a universal influenza vaccine is essential to provide broad protection against various influenza subtypes. Combined with the mRNA lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated (mRNA-LNP) vaccine platform and chimeric immunogen strategy , we developed a novel cocktail mRNA vaccine encoding chimeric HAs (cH5/1-BV, cH7/3) and intact M2 (termed Fluaxe), which confers broad protection against major circulating IAVs and IBVs , as well as highly pathogenic avian influenza . Two-dose intramuscular immunization of Fluaxe in mice elicited cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies , T cell responses, and long-lived immunity, resulting in robust protection against multiple lethal influenza virus infections and severe acute lung injuries . In particular, intramuscular administration stimulated systemic immunity together with a prominent lung tropism of memory cells . Moreover, Fluaxe immuniza...
Post a Comment
Read more »