ETIDIOH - NEW

Overall global risk and confidence * Overall risk :  Global  - Moderate     Confidence in available information : Global - Low   Overall risk statement As of mid-2025, the global public health risk from COVID-19 has changed from high to moderate , with declining deaths and hospitalizations since 2022 due to high population immunity , improved clinical management , and similar virulence .  Most SARSCoV-2 variants now belong to the JN.1 Omicron sublineages , which show immune escape but do not result in increased disease severity.  Nonetheless, surveillance gaps , reduced genomic sequencing and sharing of sequence information, and limited reporting, especially from low- and middle-income countries , undermine accurate risk assessment .  SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate widely , as indicated by sentinel testing and wastewater surveillance , often co-circulating with influenza and RSV .  PostCOVID-19 condition is estimated to affect ...

Ducks for fattening (1800), geese for fattening (100) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Region. Laying hens (150). ducks for fattening (2800), geese for fattening (2900) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Region. Source: WOAH,  https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/6780 ____

  F AST FACTS • On September 4, the DRC Ministry of Health officially declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Bulape and Mweka health zones in Kasai province. • According the the World Health Organization (WHO), as of September 15 there are 81 suspected cases and 28 deaths , including four nurses . However, data reporting has been challenging, with conflicting statistics reports being circulated by various health authorities. • Kasai is extremely isolated , sometimes requiring multiple days of driving from Kinshasa to Tshikapa, the provincial capital, during the rainy season. Very few air routes reach the province, though an airstrip in Bulape is being established. • Significant gaps exist in the response to EVD , including adequate case management capacity, blood supplies, IPC/WASH support, and more. OUR RESPONSE • International Medical Corps has been responding in the DRC since 1999, and currently has offices in Goma and Kinshasa. • Our Rapid Response Team (RRT) ...

  Abstract Human influenza viruses rapidly acquire mutations in their hemagglutinin (HA) protein that erode neutralization by antibodies from prior exposures. Here, we use a sequencing-based assay to measure neutralization titers for 78 recent H3N2 HA strains against a large set of children and adult sera , measuring ~10,000 total titers . There is substantial person-to-person heterogeneity in the titers against different viral strains, both within and across age cohorts. The growth rates of H3N2 strains in the human population in 2023 are highly correlated with the fraction of sera with low titers against each strain. Notably, strain growth rates are less correlated with neutralization titers against pools of human sera, demonstrating the importance of population heterogeneity in shaping viral evolution . Overall, these results suggest that high-throughput neutralization measurements of human sera against many different viral strains can help explain the evolution of human influen...

  16 September 2025  Senior independent rights investigators appointed by the Human Rights Council alleged on Tuesday that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide, a charge flatly rejected by Tel Aviv . In a new report published against the backdrop of intensifying Israeli military operations in Gaza City , the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory , including East Jerusalem, and Israel, urged Israel and all countries to fulfil their obligations under international law “to end the genocide ” and punish those responsible. “The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza ,” insisted Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission . “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.” At a press conference in Geneva, the panel’s members - who are not UN staff but instead appointed by the Human Rights Cou...

  Abstract Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b viruses have infected >1,000 herds of dairy cattle and hundreds of poultry flocks in the United States since the beginning of 2024. Seventy human cases have been reported during that period, mainly through occupational exposure . Although prior influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection has been shown to confer protection against influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b virus infection in the ferret model, it remains unclear if influenza vaccines , known to elicit a less potent and narrower cross-reactive immune response, can achieve a similar effect. In this article, we demonstrate that immunization with commercially available human seasonal influenza vaccines also confers partial protection against disease caused by H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus in ferrets , which is partially associated with the presence of cross-reactive antibodies targeting H5N1 virus antigens. Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  h...

  09/09/2025 -  Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil  In an unprecedented response to the rapid global spread of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), stakeholders and experts from across the poultry sector, public health, science, and policy spheres have convened in Brazil in a landmark meeting .  This first-ever global multisectoral dialogue aims to forge coordinated defense against the escalating threat to animal and human health and agricultural livelihoods. Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu , is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily infects birds. The virus belongs to the Type A influenza family, which is known for its ability to mutate and change rapidly. Since 2020, HPAI has expanded rapidly across continents , devastating poultry flocks , impacting biodiversity , trade and food security , and raising concerns over its potential to spark a human pandemic . The currently circulating avian influenza panzootic is now widespread, and represents one of t...

  Public Domain. Source: WikiArt,  https://www.wikiart.org/en/konstantin-ivanovich-gorbatov/patio-in-capri-1925 ____

  Abstract Human H3N2 influenza viruses, introduced during the 1968 pandemic, have evolved to recognize human-type sialic acid-containing receptors (Neu5Acα2-6Gal) extended with at least three LacNAc (Galβ1-4GlcNAc) repeats. To investigate this restriction in the context of virus attachment to the airway epithelium , we comprehensively analyzed the glycome of human nasal and tracheal epithelial cells . Using a synthetic N-glycan library that reflects the structural diversity of the human airway glycome, we found that only bi-antennary N-glycans with extended human-type receptors on at least one branch serve as receptors for the recent H3 hemagglutinins (HAs). Such receptors are found on tracheal epithelium but are deficient in nasal epithelium. Immunofluorescence analysis on human trachea reveals that recent H3 HAs preferentially attach to ciliated cells , consistent with single-cell RNA sequencing analysis indicating that these cells express glycosyltransferases that produce exten...

  Abstract This study compares infant (0–24 months) respiratory infection presentations to a Northern Italian paediatric emergency department across two post-pandemic winters ( 2022–2023 vs 2023–2024 ). Despite an approximate 44% reduction in visits in 2023–2024 (N=176 in 2023–2024 vs N=317 in 2022–2023), infants in the 2023–2024 season experienced significantly higher proportions of ventilatory support (51.1% vs 32.8%, p<0.001) and intensive care unit admission (15.9% vs 1.9%, p<0.001) than those presenting in 2022–2023, with a non-significant trend towards higher hospitalisation (88.1% vs 81.7%, p=0.052). Respiratory syncytial virus re-emerged as the dominant pathogen (43.2% vs 27.7%, p<0.001) in 2023–2024, alongside increased human metapneumovirus and influenza A H1N1 . These findings highlight a concerning shift towards increased severity, underscoring the need for ongoing surveillance. Source: BMJ Paediatric Open,  https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/9/1/e003695...

  By Bahnfrend - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18053425 Source: Wikipedia,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FS_Class_E.402 ____

  Am J Respir Crit Care Med GORDHAN BG, Sewcharran A, Waja Z, Martinson N, et al Oral Rinse as an Alternative Diagnostic Specimen for Detection of Tuberculosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 Sep 12. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202503-0723. PubMed          CRESCIOLI E, Klitgaard TL, Riis JO, Weinreich UM, et al Oxygenation Targets and Long-Term Cognitive and Pulmonary Functions in Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 Sep 8. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202412-2499. PubMed           Abstract available Clin Infect Dis NADIG N, Bhimraj A, Cawcutt K, Chiotos K, et al 2025 Clinical Practice Guideline Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America on the Treatment and Management of COVID-19: Abatacept. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Sep 9:ciaf354. doi: 10.1093. PubMed           Abstract available Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol WILLIAMS V, Volpentesta K, Avaness M, Chan C, ...

  Antiviral Res ICHIKAWA T, Tamura T, Nao N, Suzuki H, et al Characterization of remdesivir resistance mutations in COVID-19 patients with various immunosuppressive diseases. Antiviral Res. 2025;242:106264. PubMed           Abstract available BI W, Zhu T, Xu Y, Chen Y, et al An engineered chimeric ACE2-HR2 peptide exhibits potent and broad-spectrum activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Antiviral Res. 2025;242:106265. PubMed           Abstract available TERATAKE Y, Okamura T, Ishizaka Y SMAD5 phosphorylation by ALK1 is modulated by the interaction of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Antiviral Res. 2025;242:106261. PubMed           Abstract available YAO G, Shi X, Jiang H, Duan A, et al Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel 6-aminoalkyl- and 7-heteroaryl substituted 7-deazapurine nucleoside analogs against SARS-CoV...

  ABSTRACT Oropouche virus (OROV), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), and Dabie bandavirus (DBV) are significant re-emerging and emerging human pathogens with major public health implications. Notably, the ongoing OROV disease epidemic spanning South America, Central America, and the Caribbean now exceeds 11,000 cases, including several fatalities and reports of neurological disease and congenital abnormalities associated with infection. Rift Valley fever outbreaks continue to plague sub-Saharan Africa , and DBV, the etiologic agent of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), is expanding its reach throughout several Asian countries . No vaccines or approved therapies are available to prevent or treat these viral infections. Here, we report on the antiviral activity and protective efficacy of the ribonucleoside analog , 4′-fluorouridine (4′-FlU), against OROV, RVFV, and DBV in cell culture and murine models of infection and disease. In cell culture, the potency of 4′-FlU wa...

  ABSTRACT Ebola virus (EBOV), the causative agent of Ebola virus disease, remains one of the World Health Organization’s top 10 threats to global health . Infectious EBOV virions can be found on the surface of skin late in infection and may be transmitted to others through skin-to-skin contact . We investigate in vivo EBOV tropism and the kinetics of virus movement to and from the skin. Increasing viral loads were detected over time in the skin of EBOV-infected non-human primates and mice , with antigen detected in dermal stromal and immune cells . Epidermal cells within and surrounding hair follicles also harbored viral antigen , suggesting a novel mechanism of virus egress to the epidermal surface. During late infection, proinflammatory responses were elevated in infected visceral organs but minimal in the skin despite significant viral loads. We observed similar viral trafficking and cell tropism in the skin of mice intraperitoneally infected with a low containment EBOV model v...

  {Summary} Time Period: August 31, 2025 - September 06, 2025 -- H5 Detection :  4 sites ( 0.9% ) -- No Detection :  418 sites ( 99.1% ) -- No samples in last week :  43 sites (...) Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/wwd-h5.html ____

  Abstract Since 2021, the panzootic of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) represents an increasing threat to wild vertebrate populations . In this context, recent vaccines developed for poultry could provide tools for the conservation of wild endangered birds populations . The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus), a long-lived seabird breeding in dense colonies with an extended chick-rearing period , was identified as a possible surrogate species for a vaccination trial in a sub-Antarctic natural setting . We investigate here the immune response of king penguin chicks to a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against a H5 HPAI clade 2.3.4.4b protein. Thirty chicks were vaccinated (primo- and boost-injections), 20 were kept as controls. Along 250 days of monitoring, vaccinated chicks showed a high and persistent immune response , granting a strong seroneutralisation capacity against the virus, up to fledging. No adverse effects were observed. The screening for antibodies against u...

  Abstract Our study has for the first time identified H5N1 strains (clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype B3.2) in brown skuas from the Fildes Peninsula , South Shetland Islands, Antarctica . These findings indicate that highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses is now actively circulating in Antarctic ecosystems , representing a significant expansion of its geographic range. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funder Information Declared National Key Research and Development Program of China, 2024YFC2813605, 2023YFC2605504 Source: BioRxIV,  https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.06.674605v1 ____

  Abstract Understanding the mechanisms underlying the emergence and spread of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) is critical for tracking its global dissemination , particularly via migratory seabirds , given their role in transmission over long distances . Scavenging seabirds, such as skuas , may act as both reservoirs and vectors , and have been linked to multiple outbreaks since 2021. Here, we report the detection of HPAIV clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 in three Tristan skua (Stercorarius antarcticus hamiltoni) carcasses on Gough Island in the central South Atlantic Ocean . To investigate potential incursion routes, we combined genomic analyses with year-round tracking data from global location sensors . Although migratory movement patterns suggested southern Africa as the most obvious pathway, the strain detected on Gough Island was more closely related to that found in South Georgia , suggesting infection may have occurred during the pre-laying exodus when skuas disperse i...