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Showing posts from January 22, 2025

Integrating #macroeconomic and public #health impacts in #social planning #policies for #pandemic response

Abstract Infectious disease outbreaks with pandemic potential present challenges for mitigation and control . Policymakers make decisions to reduce disease-associated morbidity and mortality while also minimizing socioeconomic costs of control. Despite ongoing efforts and widespread recognition of the challenge, there remains a paucity of decision tool frameworks that integrate epidemic and macroeconomic dynamics . Here, we propose and analyze an econo-epidemic model to identify robust planning policies to limit epidemic impacts while maintaining economic activity. The model couples epidemic dynamics, behavioral change , economic activity, and feasible policy plans informed by respiratory disease threats of pandemic concern . We compare alternative fixed, dynamic open-loop optimal control, and feedback control policies via a welfare loss framework. We find that open loop policies that adjust employment dynamically while maintaining a flat epidemic curve in advance of the uncertain arri...

Collection of Avian #Influenza-Impacted #Wildlife in #Delaware Expanded Through DNREC-USDA Wildlife Services Effort

 {Excerpt} DOVER, Del. (Jan. 22, 2025) – The Delmarva Avian Influenza Joint Information Center announced today that the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services are collaborating to collect sick and deceased snow geese and other wild birds that may have succumbed to the outbreak of avian influenza currently spreading throughout the state .  The expanded statewide collection effort to help track the bird flu is funded through DNREC and the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA). Sick or dead wild animals found in Delaware during the avian influenza outbreak or at any time of year, are to be reported to the DNREC Wildlife Section.  Reporting deceased or ill wildlife does not guarantee that DNREC and APHIS Wildlife Services will respond to every report, only that a DNREC or APHIS Wildlife Services representative will assess the rep...

Lack of Competence of #US #Mosquito Species for Circulating #Oropouche Virus

Abstract Given recent outbreaks of Oropouche virus in Latin America and >100 confirmed travel-associated cases in the United States , we evaluated the competence of US vectors , including Aedes albopictus, Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex pipiens , and Anopheles quadrimaculatus mosquitoes . Results with historic and recent isolates suggest transmission potential for those species is low . Source: Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal,  https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/3/24-1886_article _____

Phylogeographic Characterizations of Recent (2015–2023) #Senecavirus A Isolates from #Canada

Abstract Senecavirus A (SVA) continues to cause vesicular lesions in swine in Canada and many regions worldwide. Since the vesicular lesions caused by SVA are similar to those caused by foot and mouth disease virus , swine vesicular disease virus and vesicular stomatitis virus, a foreign animal disease investigation must be initiated to rule out these diseases. SVA isolates from pigs displaying vesicular lesions in Canada from 2015 to 2023 were sequenced, and phylogeographic analysis was performed using the complete genome sequences. The results infer that SVA has spread between the United States and Canada several times. In addition, the results suggest that SVA spreads from different regions. SVA spread was inferred from Canada into Thailand, India and Mexico and inferred from the United States to Brazil, Columbia, Chile and China with ten separate introductions. Furthermore, recombination was observed in SVA genomes from Canada, the United States and China. Source: Viruses,  htt...

Geographical #distribution and evolutionary #dynamics of #H4Nx avian #influenza viruses

Abstract H4Nx avian influenza viruses (AIVs) have been isolated from wild birds and poultry and can also cross the species barrier to infect mammals ( pigs and muskrats ). The widespread presence of these viruses in wild birds and poultry and their ability to be transmitted interspecies make them an undeniable hazard to the poultry farming industry. In the present study, we collected fecal and swab samples from wild birds and poultry in Guangdong Province from January 2019 to March 2024, and various subtypes of AIVs were isolated, including 19 strains of H4 subtype AIVs . Further analysis was conducted on the internal genes of the 19 strains . These strains clustered together with high homology to highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV), suggesting that H4Nx AIV may be reassorted from HPAIV . Two H4N8 strains are phylogenetically related to the porcine H4N8 AIV. Molecular characterization revealed that all viruses in this study were less pathogenic but had potential mammalian-a...