#Coronavirus Disease Research #References (AMEDEO, September 26 '26)

 

Clin Infect Dis

1. LEWIS NM, Cleary S, Harker EJ, Safdar B, et al
   Influenza vaccine effectiveness against influenza A-associated hospitalization and severe in-hospital outcomes among adults in the United States, 2024-2025.
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   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   

   
   Int J Infect Dis

2. MICHELE P, Serena M, Anna B, Alberto Z, et al
   Post-pandemic re-establishment of respiratory virus seasonality and molecular epidemiology of Rhinovirus/Enterovirus in Northern Italy: a three-year surveillance study (2023-2026).
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   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   

   
   J Infect

3. RAO X, Fan H, Ding S, Zhang C, et al
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   PubMed        
   
   

   
   J Med Virol

4. CHEN Y, Shang M, Dou S, Wang X, et al
   Changes in Dengue Epidemiology in China Before, During, and After COVID-19 2015-2024: A Retrospective National Surveillance and Spatiotemporal Study.
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   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   

   
   J Virol

5. PARK H-S, Matsuoka Y, Santos C, Duncan EF, et al
   Co-administration of intranasal parainfluenza virus vaccines expressing antigenically distinct SARS-CoV-2 S antigens elicits broad and durable immunity in hamsters.
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   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   

   
   JAMA

6. ANDERER S
   FDA Approves Updated COVID-19 Vaccines for 2026-2027.
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   PubMed        
   
   

   
   Lancet

7. CALDERON-LARRANAGA S, Bakhti R, Etemadi M, Fakih L, et al
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   PubMed        
   
   

   
   Radiology

8. HAN X, Guo Y, Fan W, Nie Z, et al
   Five-year Quantitative Chest CT and Hyperpolarized Xenon 129 Ventilation MRI Findings in Survivors of COVID-19 Pneumonia.
   Radiology. 2026;320:e261153.
   PubMed         Abstract available

#Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Research #References (AMEDEO, September 26 '26)

 

Arch Virol

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   Arch Virol. 2026;171:283.
   PubMed        
   
   

   
   Biochem Soc Trans

2. CAWTHORNE W, Zhang Y, Val N, Nelson M, et al
   Unmasking programmed cell death in rhinovirus-driven asthma pathology.
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   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   

   
   BMC Pediatr

3. SU L, Chen HS, Qiu WL, Zhong WM, et al
   The rationality of drug treatment and clinical characteristics in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a retrospective analysis.
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   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   

   
   Epidemiol Infect

4. MITCHELL E, Zhu H, Fitzpatrick T, Majoe A, et al
   Social disparities and the COVID-19, influenza, and RSV 'tripledemic' in Ontario, Canada: A population-based study.
   Epidemiol Infect. 2026;154:e117.
   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   

   
   Eur J Epidemiol

5. ANDREASSON J, Bennet L, Bjork J, Dietler D, et al
   SARS-CoV-2 infection as a trigger of type 2 diabetes in adults: a population-based cohort study in Sweden using a double negative control design.
   Eur J Epidemiol. 2026;41:959-967.
   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   
6. HELLE S, Tanskanen AO, Danielsbacka M
   The decade of double-trouble: live birth and stillbirth sex ratio variation in Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's attack on Ukraine.
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   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   

   
   J Infect Dis

7. SCHUMER C, Mann AJ, Fourati S, Lukas P, et al
   Viral Dynamics of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus During Experimental Human Challenge: Implication for Transmission and Protection.
   J Infect Dis. 2026;234:407-416.
   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   
8. ALKARKOUKLY S, Hambo S, Menk M, Spieth P, et al
   Regulatory T-Cell Notch4 Expression Correlates With Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19.
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   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   
9. ENGELMANN I, Pisoni A, Mille C, Ayadi M, et al
   Age-Dependent Clinical and Molecular Rhinovirus Epidemiology, 2018-2023.
   J Infect Dis. 2026;234:417-426.
   PubMed         Abstract available
   
   
10. MCCULLOCH DJ, Khawaja F, Tverdek FP, Ford ES, et al
    First Report on Remdesivir Use for the Treatment of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Five Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients.
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    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
11. MARCHAL A, Kerdiles T, Perrin A, Gervais A, et al
    High Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 Load and Delayed Clearance in Hospitalized Patients With Blood Autoantibodies Neutralizing Type I Interferons.
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    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
12. ROEN AO, Hedberg P, Pereira JPV, Zazzi M, et al
    Increased In-Hospital Mortality in Immunocompromised Individuals Hospitalized With COVID-19 During the Global Pandemic: A Multinational Cohort Study in the EuCARE Project.
    J Infect Dis. 2026;234:e496-e505.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
13. FREYN AW, Budigi Y, Girard B, Santos G, et al
    Cell-Mediated Immunity of mRNA-1283 Vaccine Encoding SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor-Binding and N-Terminal Domains in Preclinical and Clinical Studies.
    J Infect Dis. 2026 Jun 4:jiag248. doi: 10.1093.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    

    
    J Virol

14. ZHANG L, Chen N, Eichmann A, Nehlmeier I, et al
    The conserved QTQTX motif in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is dispensable for cleavage and lung cell entry of the emerging variant BA.3.2.
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    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
15. RIOS CARRASCO M, Guerreiro Cabana MF, Kovacs E, Ducarne Z, et al
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    J Virol. 2026;100:e0106526.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
16. KUMAR S, Lai L, Ellis ML, Patel A, et al
    Immunological imprinting shapes the cross-reactive antibody responses to the KP.2 and LP.8.1 vaccine doses.
    J Virol. 2026 Aug 26:e0074926. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00749.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
17. STADLER E, Mordant F, Gartner M, Docken SS, et al
    Reconciliation of titer differences between SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody assays.
    J Virol. 2026 Aug 27:e0082326. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00823.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
18. LIU G, Chen J, Wu F, Wei P, et al
    Nanobodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease exert dual antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects.
    J Virol. 2026 Aug 28:e0059926. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00599.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
19. XIE E, Schubert M, Reeb J, Seligmann B, et al
    Arp2/3 complex-dependent actin remodeling is required for efficient RSV uncoating in A549 cells.
    J Virol. 2026;100:e0111726.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
20. ULLAH R, Chen W, Zhang L, Guo C, et al
    Interaction between DEAD-box RNA helicase 10 and influenza PB1 polymerase selectively regulates influenza A virus replication.
    J Virol. 2026 Sep 22:e0081526. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00815.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
21. LEMUS-REYES JI, Fernandez-Quintero ML, Ayala E, Swanson OM, et al
    Antigenic and structural analysis of the influenza hemagglutinin lateral patch.
    J Virol. 2026 Sep 23:e0126526. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01265.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
22. PARK H-S, Matsuoka Y, Santos C, Duncan EF, et al
    Co-administration of intranasal parainfluenza virus vaccines expressing antigenically distinct SARS-CoV-2 S antigens elicits broad and durable immunity in hamsters.
    J Virol. 2026 Sep 24:e0093826. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00938.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    

    
    PLoS One

23. SODERSTROM LINDSTROM H, Norstrom SH, Tang C, Lindberg RH, et al
    Occurrence of influenza antivirals and resistance development in influenza A viruses in aquatic environments: A risk assessment.
    PLoS One. 2026;21:e0358447.
    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    
24. OHLSON A, Rehn M, Kuhlmann Berenzon S, Sturegard E, et al
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    PLoS One. 2026;21:e0358326.
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25. VAN KOEVERING K, Hong Y, Kleinberg J
    Social tectonics: Rapid organization of online COVID communities.
    PLoS One. 2026;21:e0355369.
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26. VARGA C
    Spatiotemporal clustering of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 at the wild waterfowl-poultry interface: Vector-specific spillover risks in the U.S., 2022-2025.
    PLoS One. 2026;21:e0345354.
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27. ZHANG Y, Zhang Y, Zhao C, Xu X, et al
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29. FERNANDEZ-PINEDA M, Swift A, Dolbier C, Swanson M, et al
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30. BIR C, Widmar NO, Wolf CA, Sheridan T, et al
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    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

31. MAROUGKA K, Leiva-Rebollo R, Hofma F, van Dijk A, et al
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    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    

    
    Vaccine

32. SCHAFFNER W, Gravenstein S, Kissler S, Cornely OA, et al
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    PubMed         Abstract available
    
    

    
    Virology

33. ROWE T, Ross TM
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    Virus Res

34. WU Q, Wang ZZ, Wang ZM, Wang YH, et al
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35. MANEESRIWONGUL W, Deesamer S, Butsing N
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36. JANG Y, Cha RM, Park MJ, Kim JM, et al
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    PubMed         Abstract available

#Ebola disease caused by #Bundibugyo virus - #DRC (WHO D.O.N., September 25 '26): 7,890 cases and 3,799 deaths so far

 

{Extracts}

Situation at a glance

    Since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 11 September 2026, the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has expanded further, with two additional health zones affected. 

    These include Bulu health zone in a new province, Sud Ubangi, located on the north-west part of the country and Dungu health zone in Haut-Uélé province, bordering South Sudan. 

    This brings the total number of affected health zones to 63 across seven provinces out of 26 provinces of the country: Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Sud Ubangi and Tshopo. 

    This latest geographic expansion increases the risk of cross-border transmission. 

    As of 23 September 2026, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported 7890 confirmed cases, including 3799 deaths, resulting in a crude case fatality ratio (CFR) of 48.1%. 

    At the national level, the number of new cases reported each day remains high. However, the situation varies across the country, with some provinces and health zones experiencing much higher levels of transmission than others. 

    The continuously high CFR, and especially the continuous high rate of deaths occurring in communities, highlights the seriousness of the disease and the persistent challenges in timely case detection and access to early and adequate patient care. 

    These delays can contribute to preventable illness and deaths among people in affected and newly affected areas, while also allowing transmission to continue within households, communities, and healthcare settings.

Description of the situation

    Since the previous Disease Outbreak News was published on 11 September 2026, an additional 1133 confirmed cases, including 532 confirmed deaths, have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

    The seven-day moving average shows a resurgence in early September followed by a decline over the most recent reporting days. 

    However, the aggregate national trend conceals substantial variation in transmission intensity across affected provinces and health zones. 

    As of 23 September, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported a total of 7890 confirmed cases, including 3799 deaths (CFR 48.1%). 

    A total of 1966 patients have recovered to date. 

    Confirmed cases have been reported from 63 health zones across seven provinces, with 48 health zones from six provinces reporting at least one case in the last 21 days. 

    Ituri remains the most affected province, with 28 of its 36 health zones reporting cases, followed by North Kivu (16/34), Tshopo (7/23), Haut-Uélé (7/13), Bas-Uélé (3/11), South Kivu (1/34), and Sud Ubangi (1/16). 

    No new cases have been reported from South Kivu province since 29 May 2026.  

    Dungu Health Zone in Haut-Uélé province and Bulu in Sud Ubangi are the most recently affected areas. 

    As of 23 September, 70 new confirmed cases had been reported in the preceding 24 hours from 26 health zones located in Ituri, North Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Bas Uélé and Tshopo provinces.  

(...)

    Ituri continues to be the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 6032 confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak, including 868 new confirmed cases reported in the previous 21 days, as of 23 September. 

    North Kivu is the second most affected province, with a cumulative number of 1480 confirmed cases, including 567 reported in the last 21 days, as of 23 September. 

    North Kivu province continues to report the highest CFR (59.7%) observed in this outbreak; and investigations are ongoing to better understand the factors contributing to this elevated mortality rate. 

    In Ituri, case incidence continues to decline gradually from the peak observed in mid-August, although transmission remains at elevated levels. 

    North Kivu, in contrast, has experienced a substantial increase in incidence, reaching its highest reported level in mid-September, followed by a decline in recent reporting days. 

    Haut-Uélé continues to demonstrate sustained transmission, albeit at levels below the peak recorded in late August, while Tshopo is showing renewed transmission activity following a period of low incidence. 

    In Bas-Uélé, transmission remains sporadic, whereas no recent evidence of transmission has been reported in Sud-Kivu. 

    Sud Ubangi is the seventh province to report a confirmed case of BVD, with one case that was reported on 10 September (Figure 2). 

    The number of individuals requiring follow-up as contact has also risen considerably with the expansion of the outbreak. 

    As of 23 September, 83.4% of identified contacts were successfully monitored during the previous 24 hours with 26 980 contacts seen out of 32 342 requiring follow up. 

    The large volume of contacts under surveillance highlights the extent of potential exposure within affected communities and the substantial demands placed on response operations. 

    The response is being implemented in a challenging humanitarian environment, where conflict, insecurity, displacement, and limited access to basic services continue to affect outbreak control.  These constraints continue to hamper surveillance, case finding, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, and timely access to appropriate care, thereby limiting the overall effectiveness of response activities. 

Figure 2: Number of confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, by date of notification, as of 23 September 2026

{Click on Image to Enlarge}

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Figure 3: Number of deaths among confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by date of notification, as of 23 September 2026. 

{Click on Image to Enlarge}

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(...)

WHO risk assessment

    On 14 August 2026, WHO reassessed the risk of the outbreak of BVD, incorporating newly available information on the evolving situation. 

    The risk for countries sharing land borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo was separated from the risk for other countries in the African Region. 

    The risk in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was assessed as very high, the risk for countries sharing land borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo was assessed as high, and the risks for the rest of the African region and at the global level was again assessed as low. 

(...)

Source: 

Link: https://www/who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak.news.item/2026-DON618

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#Recommendations announced for #influenza #vaccine composition for the 2027 southern hemisphere influenza season (WHO, extract)

 

{Excerpts}

(...)

    From February to August 2026, influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and influenza B viruses circulated in varying proportions across all regions of the world, causing disease. 

    Influenza A viruses were the most common in most regions, except Northern and Western Africa, North America and Eastern Asia, where influenza B viruses dominated.

    WHO recommends that vaccines for use in the 2027 southern hemisphere influenza season contain the following:

Egg-based vaccines

    ° an A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;

    ° an A/Darwin/1454/2025 (H3N2)-like virus; and

    ° a B/Tokyo/EIS13-175/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.

Cell culture-, recombinant protein- or nucleic acid-based vaccines

    ° an A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;

    ° an A/Darwin/1415/2025 (H3N2)-like virus; and

    ° a B/Pennsylvania/14/2025 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.

    As part of the review, experts also looked at influenza viruses circulating in animals, particularly those that have caused infections in humans. These animal or zoonotic influenza viruses remain a significant concern because of their potential to cause pandemics.

(...)

Source: 

Link: https://www.who.int/news/item/25-09-2026-recommendations-announced-for-influenza-vaccine-composition-for-the-2027-southern-hemisphere-influenza-season

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Seasonal #surveillance in #humans in 2026 for #WNV - Weekly Report (ECDC, Sept. 25 '26): 1,569 cases so far of which 696 in #Italy

 

{Extracts}

(...)

Week 39, 2026 | Published on 25 September 2026, based on data submitted up until and including 23 September 2026.

Current situation

    Since the beginning of the 2026 transmission season, and as at 23 September, 186 areas affected by West Nile virus (WNV) have been identified in 16 countries across Europe.

    These areas are located in: 

        § Italy (65), 

        § Greece (22), 

        § Romania (22), 

        § France (21), 

        § the Netherlands (13), 

        § Serbia (8), 

        § Spain (6), 

        § Croatia (5), 

        § North Macedonia (5), 

        § Belgium (4), 

        § Hungary (4), 

        § Austria (3), 

        § Germany (3), 

        § Kosovo (3), 

        § Albania (1) and 

        § Cyprus (1).

    This week, six areas are reported as affected for the first time this season. The affected areas identified as at 23 September 2026 are listed in Table 1 and shown in Map 1 below.

    The 16 countries have reported 1 569 locally acquired human cases of WNV infection: 

        § Italy (696 cases), 

        § Greece (355 cases, of which 8 had an unknown place of infection), 

        § Spain (125 cases), 

        § France (102 cases), 

        § Romania (91 cases), 

        § North Macedonia (69 cases), 

        § Serbia (46 cases), 

        § the Netherlands (28 cases), 

        § Croatia (13 cases), 

        § Cyprus (13 cases), 

        § Belgium (9 cases), 

        § Austria (7 cases), 

        § Hungary (5 cases), 

        § Germany (4 cases), 

        § Kosovo (4 cases) and 

        § Albania (2 cases)

(...)

Source: 

Link: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/west-nile-fever/surveillance-and-disease-data/disease-data-ecdc

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Modelling #assessment of the different #paths of between-farm #transmission of avian #influenza HPAI in Northern #Italy in 2021--2022

 

Abstract

We propose a stochastic epidemic model to describe the spread of avian influenza in a network of poultry farms. We consider three main paths of infection transmission between poultry farms: from nearby farms, mainly through airborne diffusion; from farms belonging to the same company, through shared veterinarians, forage providers and similar; from undetected small farms or wildlife. From the parameter estimation, based on a modified Expectation-Maximization algorithm, we infer that approximately 63% of the farms were infected from nearby ones, with an infection force declining with distance; of these, more than one third belonged to the same company of the estimated infector. About 20% were infected from premises belonging to the same company but farther away than the distance threshold of 2 km; the remaining ones from wildlife or unidentified sources. These estimates have been validated by a comparison with genetic data, available for a subset of the farms: the genetic distance between two farms identified, with high probability, as an infector-infectee pair is much lower than between random pairs. These results may help in the implementation of tailored prevention and control measures for future outbreaks.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funder Information Declared

Fondazione Caritro (Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto), Post-Doc 2024 project ``Modelli matematici di malattie infettive piu` ospiti e popolazioni eterogenee: applicazioni all'influenza aviaria''

Source: 

Link: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.19.752832

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#Australia, #H5 avian #influenza events in #wildlife (Dept. of Agriculture, Sept. 25 '26)

 

{Extracts}

(...)

Event data

    ° 650 Positive events

    ° 51,361 Hotline reports

    As of 4pm AEST, 24 September 2026, Australia has 650 confirmed events of H5 bird flu in wildlife.

        § 10 in Western Australia (WA)

        § 318 in South Australia (SA)

        § 66 in New South Wales (NSW)

        § 2 in Queensland (QLD)

        § 208 in Victoria (VIC)

        § 45 in Tasmania (TAS)

        § 1 in Other Territories*

{*} Jervis Bay Territory (Commonwealth jurisdiction)

    As H5 bird flu is confirmed in more locations and species in Australia it will not be necessary to continue testing all species in known areas of transmission, or to test every animal involved in an investigation. 

    Reporting will be targeted to provide a clear picture of the national H5 bird flu situation in wildlife in Australia and key developments.

Data disclaimer

    Data reflects information provided by state and territory governments to the Australian Government as at 17:00 AEST daily. The Australian Government publishes this information for national reporting purposes. Responsibility for the accuracy, completeness and currency of the data remains with the relevant state or territory government. Due to differences in reporting timing, information on the national dashboard may differ from information published on state or territory government websites.

{Click on Image to Enlarge}

___

(...)

Source: 

Link: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/campaigns/birdflu/latest-data#h1_bird_flu

____

#Italy, Seasonal #Human Cases #WNV & #Usutu Virus #Surveillance - Weekly Report No. 9 (ISS, Sept. 24 '26): 700 cases with 54 deaths so far

 

{Extract, Summary}

(...)

Summary

    ° Since the beginning of arboviral infection season and as of Sept. 23 '26, 700 confirmed human cases of WNV have been recorded (they were 657 in last week update). 

    ° Of these: 

        § 368 were West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease, of which 5 imported: 1  from Maldives, 1 France, 1 Belgium, 1 Greece and 1 the Netherlands, 

        § 88 were asymptomatic cases among blood donors, 

        § 239 were West Nile Fever cases, 

        § 4 were unspecified cases, 

        § 1 was an asymptomatic case (Table 1).

    ° The number of affected Provinces has risen to 83 in 19 Regions.

    ° Among confirmed cases, 54 deaths have been reported. The Case-Fatality Rate in WNND cases is now 14.6% (in 2025 it was 14.9%).

    ° So far this season, 15 human cases of Usutu virus have been reported (8 in Lombardy, 1 Emilia-Romagna, 1 Marche, 2 Latium, 1 Piedmont, 2 Veneto).

Figure 1. Weekly Confirmed Human Cases of WNV, Italy: 2025 & 2026 Seasons

{Click on Image to Enlarge}

___

(...)

Source: 

Link: https://www.epicentro.iss.it/westnile/bollettino/Bollettino_WND_2026_9.pdf

____

Field #Investigation of #Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BDBV) #Outbreak in Ituri Province, #DRC: ... An Outbreak Investigation Review

 

Abstract

Background: 

The 2026 outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease (BDBV) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), centered in Ituri Province, represents the largest documented outbreak caused by Bundibugyo ebolavirus since its discovery in Uganda in 2007. The outbreak evolved within a complex humanitarian setting characterized by armed conflict, population displacement, mining-related migration, weak health systems, extensive population mobility, and an infodemic environment marked by misinformation and reduced public trust. We conducted a field investigation to assess epidemiological, operational, laboratory, infection prevention and control (IPC), community engagement, risk communication, and infodemic management challenges and identify priority interventions to strengthen outbreak control. 

Methods: 

A rapid field assessment was conducted between 12–15 June 2026 in Bunia, Rwampara Health Zone, and the Ituri Provincial Public Health Laboratory. Data were collected through direct observation, review of surveillance and laboratory reports, health facility assessments, stakeholder interviews, and analysis of outbreak response indicators. Epidemiological trends, surveillance performance, laboratory capacity, clinical care, IPC activities, logistics, risk communication, community engagement, and infodemic management approaches were evaluated. 

Results: 

As of 12 July 2026, the outbreak had resulted in 1926 laboratory-confirmed cases and 702 deaths, corresponding to an overall case fatality rate (CFR) of 36.4% across affected provinces. Ituri Province remained the epicenter, accounting for 90.8% of confirmed cases (1705/1877) and 85.5% of reported deaths (577/675). During the preceding 24 h, 53 new confirmed cases and 30 deaths were reported, including 20 community deaths (66.7%), highlighting persistent delays in detection, referral, and access to care. Surveillance systems identified 766 alerts, of which 678 (88.5%) were investigated, resulting in 235 suspected cases. Contact tracing remained a major challenge, with only 64.4% (4171/6475) of registered contacts successfully followed, below the recommended ≥95% target. Laboratory activities included testing of 137 specimens, with 29 positive results and an overall positivity rate of 21.2%. Decentralized molecular diagnostic platforms improved access to testing; however, data inconsistencies, delayed investigations, and gaps in outcome classification affected response monitoring. Major operational challenges included limited treatment capacity, high occupancy of Ebola treatment centres, shortages of trained personnel and IPC supplies, insecurity affecting response teams, and insufficient preparedness in newly affected areas. Community resistance, attacks on burial teams, detention of frontline responders, misinformation, and rumors contributed to delayed care-seeking, reduced acceptance of public health measures, and incomplete cooperation with contact tracing. Risk communication and community engagement efforts were constrained by limited outreach capacity, language barriers, low trust, and inadequate systems for rumor detection and infodemic response. 

Conclusions: 

The ongoing BDBV outbreak in eastern DRC demonstrates the difficulty of controlling Ebola transmission in conflict-affected and socially complex settings. Sustained transmission, community deaths, geographic expansion, and operational constraints highlight the urgent need to strengthen surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory systems, IPC capacity, clinical care, and integrated risk communication and infodemic management strategies. Building trust through community-centered approaches, proactive misinformation management, and engagement of trusted local actors will be essential to accelerate outbreak containment and strengthen preparedness across the Great Lakes region.

Source: 

Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/idr18050100

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#Australia, #H5 avian #influenza events in #wildlife (DAFF, September 24 '26)

 

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Event data

    ° 640 Positive events

    ° 50,755 Hotline reports

    As of 4pm AEST, 23 September 2026, Australia has 640 confirmed events of H5 bird flu in wildlife.

        § 10 in Western Australia (WA)

        § 317 in South Australia (SA)

        § 66 in New South Wales (NSW)

        § 2 in Queensland (QLD)

        § 199 in Victoria (VIC)

        § 45 in Tasmania (TAS)

        § 1 in Other Territories*

{*} Jervis Bay Territory (Commonwealth jurisdiction)

    As H5 bird flu is confirmed in more locations and species in Australia it will not be necessary to continue testing all species in known areas of transmission, or to test every animal involved in an investigation. 

    Reporting will be targeted to provide a clear picture of the national H5 bird flu situation in wildlife in Australia and key developments.

Data disclaimer

    Data reflects information provided by state and territory governments to the Australian Government as at 17:00 AEST daily. The Australian Government publishes this information for national reporting purposes. Responsibility for the accuracy, completeness and currency of the data remains with the relevant state or territory government. Due to differences in reporting timing, information on the national dashboard may differ from information published on state or territory government websites.

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Source: 

Link: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/campaigns/birdflu/latest-data#h1_bird_flu

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#Oya Virus in a Patient with Severe #Hepatitis, #Enteritis, and #Coagulopathy

 

Abstract

Oya virus, an orthobunyavirus, was identified in a 54-year-old woman who had sepsis-like symptoms, including leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, elevated liver-function values, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Source: 

Link: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMc2602616

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#Estimation of the #transmission #dynamics of #H5N1 HPAI #outbreak in a dairy #herd using a modeling approach

 

Abstract

The emergence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI 2.3.4.4b) in dairy herds in 2024 across 19 states in the United States of America has raised concerns regarding the potential national and global zoonotic impact. All recent modeling efforts implemented homogenous cattle-to-cattle (both intra and inter-herd) transmission models which did not capture the real-world heterogeneity in mixing of animals, individual variations in susceptibility and infectiousness and clinical incidences across pens and lactation groups. The aim of this study was to develop a heterogenous transmission model to estimate the epidemiological parameters for intra-herd HPAI transmission on Californian dairies. We developed a validated stochastic agent-based model to estimate the epidemiological parameters for intra-herd HPAI transmission on California dairies. The hierarchical agent-based model also parameterized stochastic cattle movements within-herd to simulate real dairy management practices. A cow-level SEIR transmission approach was assumed during the outbreak. A novel Bayesian Optimizer with Gaussian Process (BO-GP) was fitted to the agent-based model for validation which converged within 25-40 iterations (out of 100 per farm) with minimal loss over two distinct error metrics, namely, Poisson loss function and temporal distance metric. Our optimized simulations estimated an average R0 was around 10.7-10.8 across all farms within the first 15 days of observed outbreak on four dairy farms with a mean effective transmission rate of 4.5% per contact between susceptible and infectious cows within each pen. Our model demonstrated that the movement of cows between pens ensured localized clusters of outbreaks within the sub-herds (pen population) that prolonged the overall outbreak within farms. We estimated the total duration of infection between 14.5 and 28 days, which is higher than the estimates from the homogenous models. With an integrated hierarchical agent-based model combined with Bayesian approximation, we produced actionable insights on the epidemiology of intra-farm spread of HPAI within cow herds, thereby guiding both future model development and applied disease control strategy.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funder Information Declared

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), AP25VSD&B000C007

Source: 

Link: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.22.753543

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Comparison of #Baloxavir-Based Combinations and Monotherapies for Treating #Influenza #H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus #Infection in Mice

 

Abstract

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b virus continues to cause animal outbreaks and sporadic zoonotic infections. In a mouse model of lethal influenza disease, we compared oseltamivir, baloxavir, and molnupiravir monotherapies with 2-drug combinations. Baloxavir-based combinations improved survival, reduced lung viral loads, and prevented extrapulmonary dissemination, supporting H5N1 preparedness strategies.

Source: 

Link: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.260186

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#Australia, #H5 avian #influenza events in #wildlife (DAFF, September 23 '26)

 

{Extracts}

(...)

Event data

    ° 625 Positive events

    ° 49,864 Hotline reports

    As of 4pm AEST, 22 September 2026, Australia has 625 confirmed events of H5 bird flu in wildlife.

        § 10 in Western Australia (WA)

        § 317 in South Australia (SA)

        § 56 in New South Wales (NSW)

        § 2 in Queensland (QLD)

        § 195 in Victoria (VIC)

        § 44 in Tasmania (TAS)

        § 1 in Other Territories*

{*} Jervis Bay Territory (Commonwealth jurisdiction)

    As H5 bird flu is confirmed in more locations and species in Australia it will not be necessary to continue testing all species in known areas of transmission, or to test every animal involved in an investigation. 

    Reporting will be targeted to provide a clear picture of the national H5 bird flu situation in wildlife in Australia and key developments.

Data disclaimer

    Data reflects information provided by state and territory governments to the Australian Government as at 17:00 AEST daily. The Australian Government publishes this information for national reporting purposes. Responsibility for the accuracy, completeness and currency of the data remains with the relevant state or territory government. Due to differences in reporting timing, information on the national dashboard may differ from information published on state or territory government websites.

{Click on Image to Enlarge}

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(...)

Source: 

Link: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/campaigns/birdflu/latest-data#h1_bird_flu

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A single-cycle, recombinant VSV #platform #Nipah #vaccine cross-protects against #Hendra virus in nonhuman #primates

 

Abstract

Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) are highly pathogenic paramyxoviruses that produce severe, often fatal disease in humans and animals. Zoonotic spillover of these henipaviruses from the Pteropid bat natural reservoir occurs near-annually in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Outbreaks of NiV disease frequently exceed case fatality rates of 75%, and person-to-person transmission makes controlling outbreaks in low-resource environments challenging. HeV is less transmissible between humans; however, the overall mortality rate is 57%. Approaches to human vaccine development have largely focused on NiV given the larger case burden, and immunogen selection has centered on display of the NiV attachment (G) or fusion (F) surface glycoproteins. However, experimental vaccines displaying these NiV antigens have failed to uniformly cross-protect against HeV disease in preclinical models. The HeV (G) antigen was shown to cross-protect against both HeV and NiV when delivered in a protein subunit form; however, attempts to utilize mRNA or canarypox vectors failed to achieve equivalent protection. We previously developed and evaluated a single-cycle recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored vaccine displaying the (G) glycoprotein of Nipah virus strain Bangladesh (NiV-B). This experimental vaccine (G*rVSV∆G-NiV-G) demonstrated ideal characteristics of rapid and durable protection against NiV-B challenge in nonhuman primates. In the present work, we show that the G*rVSV∆G-NiV-G vaccine cross-protects against lethal HeV challenge, with the protective response driven by a balance of both cell-mediated and humoral compartments.

Source: 

Link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1014646

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Highly Pathogenic Avian #Influenza Virus #H5 in #Cetaceans, #Brazil

 

Abstract

We identified highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5 in stranded dolphins along the coastline of Brazil during 2023–2025. Infected animals included species classified as vulnerable or endangered. Our results highlight the need for ongoing surveillance of cetaceans susceptible to viral infections, which pose an additional threat to threatened species.

Source: 

Link: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3210.260051

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Emergence of short-lived #meningococci causing focal #epidemics can be associated with #gene #transfer from carriage-associated #Neisseria

 

Abstract

In March 2026, an unusually large outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Kent, UK, was linked to attendance at one nightclub over a single weekend. The outbreak organism was a Neisseria meningitidis variant belonging to the longstanding hyperinvasive genotype, cc41/44. Using genome analysis of six isolates from patients, alongside >48,000 meningococcal genomes, we investigated whether the outbreak variant had acquired traits potentially contributing to the highly invasive phenotype. The six isolates were capsular group B, sequence type (ST-)485, and essentially indistinguishable, consistent with the focal nature of the outbreak. Compared with their closest available relatives, we found changes mediated by phase variation, nucleotide variation, and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) involving adhesins, iron-acquisition systems (including Transferrin and Lactoferrin binding proteins, and FetA), and Type IV pili (Tfp), factors which affect bacteria-bacteria and bacteria-host interactions. These changes occurred in a ST-485 sub-lineage that expressed capsule at high levels and a PorA porin with a truncated surface-exposed epitope, both of which are predicted to reduce immune recognition. Donors for the HGT events were predominantly carriage-associated N. meningitidis and Neisseria cinerea. We show that meningococcal variants responsible for previous focal outbreaks have not been seen subsequently. We propose that focal outbreaks of IMD are caused by meningococcal variants that may have acquired traits from non- or less invasive organisms, but subsequently these variants disappear, as their highly invasive phenotype is inconsistent with sustained transmission. Ongoing disease surveillance alongside carriage studies are therefore essential to inform public health risk and manage epidemic IMD.

Competing Interest Statement

CMT and RME are inventors on patents for meningococcal vaccines. JPD is a co-founder and Director of Immunosig Ltd, a company which offers antigen microarray-based services. JL, RB, SAC and XB perform contract research on behalf of UKHSA for GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi and Serum Institute of India.

Funder Information Declared

Wellcome Trust, https://ror.org/029chgv08, 218205/Z/19/Z, 221924/Z/20/Z

NIH Common Fund, https://ror.org/001d55x84, R01AI127793

Source: 

Link: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.17.752363

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