ETIDIOH - NEW

UKHSA has confirmed a case of influenza A(H5N1) in a person in the West Midlands region. Bird-to-human transmission of avian influenza is rare and has previously occurred a small number of times in the UK . The person acquired the infection on a farm , where they had close and prolonged contact with a large number of infected birds. The risk to the wider public continues to be very low. The individual is currently well and was admitted to a High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) unit. The birds were infected with the DI.2 genotype , one of the viruses known to be circulating in birds in the UK this season. This is different to strains circulating among mammals and birds in the US. Although there has been no demonstrated human-to-human transmission despite extensive recent surveillance of influenza A(H5N1), UKHSA has been tracing all individuals who have been in contact with the confirmed case of avian influenza. Those at highest risk of exposure have been offered antiviral treatmen...

Abstract Pigs serve as a mixing vessel for influenza viruses and can independently promote the emergence of pandemic strains in humans. During our surveillance of pig populations from 2021 to 2023 in China , 11 H1 subtype swine influenza viruses (SIVs) were isolated. All viruses were reassortants , possessing internal genes of identical origins ( PB2, PB1, PA, NP, M : pdm09/H1N1 origin, NS : North American triple reassortant origin). The H1N1 isolates were all the dominant G4 EA H1N1 viruses in China. Two H1N2 isolates carried early human pdm09/H1N1 HA genes, suggesting a possible pig-to-human transmission route. Mutations that dictate host range specificity were identified in all isolates, a phenomenon which may enhance the affinity to human receptors. These H1 subtype viruses effectively replicated both in vivo and in vitro without prior adaptation and exhibited different pathogenicity and growth characteristics. Some of the H1 viruses were even found to cause lethal infections in mi...

Summary The 2024 Nipah outbreak in Kerala, India —its fifth in six years—and the recurring annual outbreaks in Bangladesh underscore the persistent threat posed by the Nipah virus (NiV) in the region. With a high mortality rate, human-to-human transmission potential , and the widespread presence of Pteropus bats , the natural reservoir, NiV remains a significant epidemic threat . Despite being a WHO priority pathogen , there has been no systematic effort to improve patient care for NiVD, leading to consistently poor outcomes . Current care relies on supportive measures and the ‘ compassionate use ’ of unapproved drugs like ribavirin and remdesivir . Drugs used ‘off-label’ during outbreaks can become the ‘standard of care’ without robust evidence of their safety or efficacy, complicating the testing of new therapies and perpetuating uncertainty about their true effectiveness. To improve NiVD care, we propose four key strategies: 1) Enhance early case detection , 2) optimize supportive c...

{Excerpt} Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H5Nx viruses of the A/Goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (Gs/Gd) lineage have led to substantial economic losses within the poultry industry and represent an ongoing public health threat (1). The Gs/Gd lineage H5 viruses not only have evolved into 10 primary clades 0–9 with their subclades but are also reassorted with other influenza A viruses (2–4). Notably, since 2020, clade 2.3.4.4b HPAI H5N1 viruses have caused outbreaks across a broad geographic range, including Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, and Antarctica (5–7). The infections of HPAI H5N1 viruses in mammals including wild, domestic, and humans underscore the potential zoonotic risk and pandemic potential of these evolving H5 viruses (8). (...) Source: Frontiers in Veterinary Sciences,  https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1526118/full ____

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N9, Eurasian lineage goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b and HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b were confirmed in a commercial duck premises in Merced County, CA . This is the first confirmed case of HPAI H5N9 in poultry in the United States. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in conjunction with State Animal Health and Wildlife Officials, are conducting comprehensive epidemiological investigations and enhanced surveillance in response to the HPAI related events. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6201 _____

Abstract Bussuquara virus (BSQV) was first discovered in the Brazilian Amazon in 1956 . It is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) in the genus Orthoflavivirus , family Flaviviridae . Since its discovery, BSQV has been sporadically detected across the South ( Brazil, Columbia, and Argentina ) and Central ( Panama and Mexico ) America and the Caribbean ( Grenada ), but there is minimal BSQV surveillance due to limited public health awareness and a lack of specific or sensitive diagnostics. BSQV exposure has been reported in a wide range of host and vector species , including humans . Little information is available in the literature and herein we summarize the published historical findings on BSQV and suggest a pathway for future studies to better understand its potential emergence into human populations. Source: Viruses,  https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/2/183 _____

Abstract The generation time , representing the interval between infections in primary and secondary cases , is essential for understanding and predicting the transmission dynamics of seasonal influenza , including the real-time effective reproduction number (Rt). However, comprehensive generation time estimates for seasonal influenza, especially since the 2009 influenza pandemic, are lacking. We estimated the generation time utilizing data from a 7-site case-ascertained household study in the United States over two influenza seasons, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. More than 200 individuals who tested positive for influenza and their household contacts were enrolled within 7 days of the first illness in the household. All participants were prospectively followed for 10 days, completing daily symptom diaries and collecting nasal swabs, which were then tested for influenza via RT-PCR. We analyzed these data by modifying a previously published Bayesian data augmentation approach that imputes in...