ETIDIOH - NEW

Abstract Influenza virus pandemics and seasonal epidemics have claimed countless lives. Recurrent zoonotic spillovers of influenza viruses with pandemic potential underscore the need for effective countermeasures . In this study, we show that pre-exposure prophylaxis with broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) MEDI8852 is highly effective in protecting cynomolgus macaques from severe disease caused by aerosolized highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus infection. Protection was antibody dose–dependent yet independent of Fc-mediated effector functions at the dose tested. Macaques receiving MEDI8852 at 10 milligrams per kilogram or higher had negligible impairment of respiratory function after infection, whereas control animals were not protected from severe disease and fatality. Given the breadth of MEDI8852 and other bnAbs, we anticipate that protection from unforeseen pandemic influenza A viruses is achievable. Source: Science,  https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado64...

Abstract In late 2023 an H5N1 lineage of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) began circulating in American dairy cattle.  Concerningly, high titres of virus were detected in cows’ milk , raising the concern that milk could be a route of human infection . Cows’ milk is typically pasteurised to render it safe for human consumption, but the effectiveness of pasteurisation on influenza viruses in milk was uncertain . To assess this, here we evaluate heat inactivation in milk for a panel of different influenza viruses. This includes human and avian influenza A viruses (IAVs), an influenza D virus that naturally infects cattle, and recombinant IAVs carrying contemporary avian or bovine H5N1 glycoproteins . At pasteurisation temperatures of 63 °C and 72 °C , we find that viral infectivity is rapidly lost and becomes undetectable before the times recommended for pasteurisation ( 30 minutes and 15 seconds, respectively ). We then show that an H5N1 HPAIV in milk is effectively i...

Brazzaville/Kampala – Following the confirmation of an outbreak of Sudan virus disease – which belongs to the same family as Ebola virus disease – in Uganda today, World Health Organization (WHO) is mobilizing efforts to support the national health authorities to swiftly contain and end the outbreak .  WHO is deploying senior public health experts and mobilizing staff from the country office to support all the key outbreak response measures. In addition, the Organization has allocated US$ 1 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to help accelerate early action, and is readying medical supplies, including personal protective equipment to deliver to Uganda from its Emergency Response Hub in Nairobi.  While there are no licensed vaccines for the Sudan virus disease , WHO is coordinating with developers to deploy candidate vaccines as an addition to the other public health measures. The vaccines will be deployed once all administrative and regulatory approvals are obtai...

A tiger and three leopards in the Widlife Rescue Centre, Gorewada Zoo, Maharashtra State. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6218 _____

Abstract Wild waterfowl are considered to be the reservoir of avian influenza , but their distinct annual life cycle stages and their contribution to disease dynamics are not well understood. Studies of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus have primarily focused on wintering grounds, where human and poultry densities are high year-round, compared with breeding grounds, where migratory waterfowl are more isolated. Few if any studies of avian influenza have focused on the molting stage where wild waterfowl congregate in a few selected wetlands and undergo the simultaneous molt of wing and tail feathers during a vulnerable flightless period. The molting stage may be one of the most important periods for the perpetuation of the disease in waterfowl, since during this stage, immunologically naïve young birds and adults freely intermix prior to the fall migration. Our study incorporated empirical data from virological field samplings and markings of Swan Geese (Anser cygnoides)...

NASA analysis of a near-Earth asteroid, designated 2024 YR4, indicates it has a more than 1% chance of impacting Earth on Dec. 22, 2032 – which also means there is about a 99% chance this asteroid will not impact. Such initial analysis will change over time as more observations are gathered .   Currently, no other known large asteroids have an impact probability above 1% .  Asteroid 2024 YR4 was first reported on Dec. 27, 2024, to the Minor Planet Center– the international clearing house for small-body positional measurements – by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System station in Chile.  The asteroid, which is estimated to be about 130 to 300 feet wide , caught astronomers’ attention when it rose on the NASA automated Sentry risk list on Dec. 31, 2024.  The Sentry list includes any known near-Earth asteroids that have a non-zero probability of impacting Earth in the future.   An object that reaches this level is not uncommon ; there have been several obj...

Summary Background The COVID-19 pandemic has been on a downward trend since May, 2022, but it continues to cause substantial numbers of hospital admissions and deaths . We describe this burden in the 2 years since May, 2022, and compare it with the burden of influenza in Denmark. Methods This observational cohort study included residents in Denmark from May 16, 2022, to June 7, 2024. Data were obtained from national registries, including admissions with COVID-19 or influenza (ie, having a positive PCR test for either virus from 14 days before and up to 2 days after the hospital admission date), deaths, sex, age, COVID-19 and influenza vaccination status, comorbidities , and residence in long-term care facilities. Negative binomial regression was used to estimate adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) to compare rates of hospital admissions between COVID-19 and influenza. To compare the severity of COVID-19 versus influenza among patients admitted to hospital, we used the Kaplan–Meier e...