ETIDIOH - NEW

  {Summary} Situation at a glance On 17 May 2025, the Timor-Leste government reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) a fatal human case of rabies from Ermera Municipality.  Between May and mid-June 2025, Timor-Leste confirmed four human rabies deaths in the municipalities of Bobonaro (n=2), Ermera (n=1) and Oecusse (n=1).  All cases involved individuals exposed to dogs' bites months prior to symptom onset, with rabies virus confirmed via Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing.  Since March 2024, a total of 106 animal rabies cases —mostly in dogs—have been reported, and over 1400 dog bites or scratches have occurred, with a total of six fatalities .  Access to and completion of post-exposure prophylaxis remains limited.  The spread of rabies into non-border areas like Ermera signals a growing public health concern.  The public health response is ongoing and includes vaccination of dogs , risk communication, training of ...

Abstract Previous research efforts on highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) suggest that different avian species exhibit a varied severity of clinical signs after infection. Waterfowl, such as ducks or geese , can be asymptomatic and act as silent carriers of H5N1, making detection harder and increasing the risk of further transmission, potentially leading to significant economic losses. For backyard hobby farmers , passive reporting is a common HPAI detection strategy. We aim to quantify the effectiveness of this strategy by simulating the spread of H5N1 in a mixed-species, small-population backyard flock. Quantities such as detection time and undetected burden of infection in various scenarios are compared. Our results indicate that the presence of ducks can lead to a higher risk of an outbreak and a higher burden of infection . If most ducks within a flock are resistant to H5N1, detection can be significantly delayed. We find that within-flock infection dynamics can heavily ...

By Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden - Larus canus 2203, CC BY 2.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49877446 Wild birds {Herring Gulls} found dead through SAGIR network. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6672 ____

Highlights •  High seropositivity in dogs to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 virus in the Netherlands during HPAI H5 endemicity in wild birds. •  HPAI H5-seropositivity higher in hunting -training dogs than companion dogs.  •  HPAI H5-seropositivity in hunting-training dogs associated with recent bird contact in/near water. •  High seropositivity in dogs to human H1N1pdm2009 influenza A virus (IAV). •  H1N1pdm2009-seropositivity higher in companion dogs than hunting-training dogs. Abstract Dogs are susceptible to the currently circulating highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 and human H1N1pdm2009 (pandemic H1N1) viruses, yet little is known about the extent to which dogs are exposed to both these viruses. Here we investigated HPAI H5 and human H1N1pdm2009 virus exposure in domestic dogs–including dogs that participated in hunting-training– and investigated lifestyle factors associated with HPAI H5 virus exposure. We screened sera from 538...

Abstract Outbreaks of H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (HPAIVs) in animals pose a threat to humans immunologically naïve to avian influenza viruses. However, annual vaccination, such as for seasonal influenza is not planned because the number of human patients infected with H5 HPAIVs is small, and the possibility of human-to-human transmission of H5 HPAIVs is low at present. However, various clades of H5 HPAIVs have emerged continuously . Therefore, a vaccine that confers long-term and cross-clade immunity is required. To examine the long-term effectiveness and cross-clade reactivity of an H5 influenza virus vaccine, cynomolgus macaques were infected with an H5N1 HPAIV 5 years after two subcutaneous vaccinations with inactivated H5N1 whole-virus particles (H5 clade classical/outlier), which showed higher immunogenicity than did split vaccines in our previous studies. Neutralization titers against the vaccine strain were maintained for 5 years , and a recall immune respons...

Editor’s summary The vast majority of the human population has immunity to influenza A virus (IAV) by prior infection, vaccination, or both . However, protection is generally subtype-specific , and it is not clear whether prior infection against one subtype could confer protection against clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 IAVs , which are currently circulating in birds and dairy cows . Here, Restori et al. demonstrated that prior infection with the 2009 pandemic H1N1 IAV was protective against subsequent direct infection with H5N1 IAV in ferrets. Moreover, prior immunity reduced susceptibility to infection by transmission from an infected donor ferret. These data suggest that prior immunity to IAV, especially to the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus, may offer a degree of protection against H5N1 infection. —Courtney Malo Abstract Zoonotic infections with emerging influenza viruses occur in the context of population-wide immunity to seasonal strains . Because of the worldwide spread of highly pathogenic clade...

Abstract Sudan virus (SUDV) causes highly lethal outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease throughout Africa , but there has yet to be an approved vaccine or therapeutic to combat this public health threat. The most common route of natural exposure to filoviruses is through mucosal contact which greatly impacts initial viral replication. Historically, SUDV animal models used an intramuscular infection route . Here, we sought to further characterize an animal model using mucosal challenge routes and compared the impact that intramuscular, intranasal, or aerosol exposure had on SUDV pathogenicity in a ferret model . We determined that the route of infection did not significantly impact overall SUDV pathogenicity; only subtle changes were detected in magnitude of viremia and oral viral shedding. Additionally, we sought to determine if preexisting Lloviu virus (LLOV) immunity could protect ferrets from lethal SUDV infection. We found that the previous immunity elicited by LLOV infection was not suf...

Abstract Avian influenza viruses undergo frequent genetic reassortment, which can coincide with phenotypic changes in transmission, pathogenicity, and host species niche . Since 2020, clade 2.3.4.4b H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) have driven a global panzootic , causing mass mortality in wild birds, poultry , and, for the first time, repeated spillover infections in a variety of mammalian species . This resurgence of H5 HPAIV has coincided with a dramatic increase in the number of circulating reassortant strains ; however, the scale, impact and drivers of these reassortants remain unknown. Here, we combined statistical and phylodynamic modelling to reconstruct the global evolutionary dynamics of H5Nx viruses across four epizootic seasons (2020-2024). We identified 209 genetically distinct reassortants , stratified into three transmission categories based on their phylogenetic and epidemiological profiles. Accounting for sampling depth and HPAIV incidence, we est...