ETIDIOH - NEW

  Abstract Importance Since the early 2000s, companion animals emerged as unexpected players in influenza A virus ecology . Canine influenza viruses and the increasing detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in cats have raised concerns about their potential role as intermediate hosts for pandemic emergence . Their unique position at human-animal interface creates unprecedented opportunities for viral evolution and bidirectional transmission between humans and animals. Observations This review examined the transmission pathways and molecular adaptations of influenza A virus in companion animals. Cats primarily acquire infections through alimentary routes , including consumption of raw poultry and unpasteurized milk , as well as environmental exposure through hunting. Dogs transmit influenza viruses via respiratory droplets in high-density settings such as shelters and kennels . Canine influenza viruses demonstrate successful mammalian adaptation through accumulated m...

{Summary} Context   Over five years since the detection of the first COVID-19 cases , SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate globally, causing acute illness, hospitalization, and death , alongside prolonged negative impacts on individuals, health systems , and economies , including post-COVID-19 condition (PCC or Long COVID).  While global population-level immunity has increased significantly through both infection and vaccination, the virus continues to evolve, challenging control efforts and underscoring the need for long-term, sustainable disease management .  Confirming earlier warnings from MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-1 , SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated the pandemic potential of coronaviruses , which remain one of the most consequential infectious disease threats of our time .  Purpose of the strategic plan   This plan sets out WHO’s strategic framework to support Member States in the sustained, integrated, evidence-based management of coronavirus disease threats , includ...

  Fattening birds suddenly dead. No biosecurity measures or vaccination plan. San Marcos Region. Source:  Link:  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/7064 ____

  Within the epidemiological surveillance carried out by the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) aimed at the early detection of clinical signs consistent with avian influenza, an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in the village of Las Mercedes , in the municipality of Guaranda , in the department of Sucre . The event concerns non-poultry in a backyard , where respiratory and neurological signs were observed. The National Veterinary System activated epidemiological tracing and follow-up actions in the area of origin of the affected birds. As a control measure, the stamping out of the birds in the epidemiological unit was carried out and, as a complementary measure, epidemiological surveillance was strengthened in the surrounding area to identify other possible cases and prevent the spread of the disease. The affected population is composed of birds in a backyard not considered to be poultry which tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influe...

Farmed and  Backyard poultry in Uttarakhand State. Source:  Link:  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6804 ____

  Abstract Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) represents a threat to animal and human health, with the ongoing H5N1 outbreak within the H5 2.3.4.4b clade being one of the largest on record . However, it remains unclear what factors have contributed to its intercontinental spread . We use Bayesian additive regression trees , a machine learning method designed for probabilistic modelling of complex nonlinear phenomena , to construct species distribution models (SDMs) for HPAI clade 2.3.4.4b presence. We identify factors driving geospatial patterns of infection and project risk distributions across Europe . Our models are time-stratified to capture both seasonal changes in risk and shifts in epidemiology associated with the succession of H5N6/H5N8 by H5N1 within the clade . While previous studies aimed to model HPAI presence from physical geography, we explicitly consider wild bird ecology by including estimates of bird species richness, abundance of specific taxa, and “abundanc...

  The Hague, December 2 (Xinhua)  Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Safety and Nature, Femke Wilsma, reported on December 1 that the country had confirmed its first death from the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus . In a letter to the House of Representatives that day, Wilsma stated that the Institute of Biological Veterinary Medicine at Wageningen University had recently reported that a kitten at a goat farm tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus .  The kitten was found dead by its owner.  The remaining seven kittens from the same litter also died after being given to other new owners, suggesting that they may have also been infected with the avian influenza virus, but the specific route of infection is still uncertain. The letter stated that, according to the cat owner, the mother cat had brought back a dead wild bird , which was suspected to have carried the avian influenza virus, and the kittens were infected ...