Read recent news of interest from the world of infectious diseases including insights and explanations on bird flu, also known as avian influenza or A(H5N1), COVID-19, HPV, and norovirus …
Bird Flu
California Child Who Experienced Fever and Vomiting from Raw Milk Does Not Have Bird Flu, CDC Testing Shows: More than 50 human cases of a bird flu variant have been confirmed across 7 states this year, 32 of which were reported in California. While no cases of bird flu virus have currently been confirmed in people who drank raw milk, health officials have long warned against consuming unpasteurized milk because it can contain illness-causing bacteria. Pasteurized milk, which is heat-treated to kill the virus, remains safe to drink. Source: CBS News
USDA to Begin Required National Milk Testing for Bird Flu: The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the start of its National Milk Testing Strategy to test for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu). The federal order will initially be only implemented in California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. Source: Healio
Bird Flu Virus is One Mutation Away from Binding More Efficiently to Human Cells: Scientists have discovered that H5N1, the strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus currently spreading in US dairy cows, only needs a single mutation to readily latch on to human cells found in the upper airway, raising concerns it could transmit more easily between people. The findings could have major implications for a new pandemic if such a mutation were to become widespread in nature. Source: Scientific American
COVID-19
Coronavirus FAQ: I Didn’t Get the Latest COVID Vaccine. Should I? And if So … When? A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that just under 20% of eligible people have gotten the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, which has been updated to better match currently circulating variants of the virus. “That uptake is nowhere near where it should be,” says NFID Medical Director Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., MD. According to CDC, everyone age 6 months and older is eligible for the vaccine. As for timing, with end-of-year travel and holiday parties, keep in mind that it takes about 2 weeks for the vaccine to be effective. And while COVID-19 isn’t surging at the moment, Hopkins says winter outbreaks can be expected. Source: NPR
The Biggest Challenge with COVID-19 Right Now: An Interview with NFID Medical Director Robert Hopkins, Jr, MD: The NFID medical director voiced concern over continued circulation and evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the context of crippled prevention efforts among public health officials and even among frontline healthcare professionals. In some communities, Hopkins said, clinicians are not stocking the vaccine. Vaccine fatigue and the lingering effects of misinformation campaigns appear to be overpowering any vestiges of concern for the danger of the infection. Source: Patient Care
HPV
Cervical Cancer Deaths Drop among Younger Women; Study Credits HPV Vaccine: Cervical cancer deaths among women younger than age 25 have plummeted in recent years, the likely result of vaccinating adolescents against human papillomavirus (HPV), high-risk strains of which cause cancer, researchers said. “Vaccination is the only explanation for this startling and substantial decline,” the senior author of the study said. Scientists found a steep 62% drop in mortality from cervical cancer among younger women in the US during the last decade. However, in a worrisome side note, statistics from CDC show that HPV vaccination rates have been waning, dropping from 79.3% in 2022 to 75.9% in 2023, among US adolescents who are eligible for the vaccine. Source: The Washington Post
Norovirus
Norovirus Causes up to 21 Million Illnesses in the US Every Year. Here’s What to Know about the Contagious Disease: Norovirus, commonly called the stomach flu, although it’s unrelated to influenza, “spreads with remarkable ease,” says NFID spokesperson William Schaffner, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Its nicknames include “winter vomiting disease” and “the cruise ship virus,” as it easily spreads among those in close quarters. The best advice, experts say: Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, which is more effective than alcohol-based hand sanitizer at removing norovirus particles. And take other steps like cleaning and disinfecting surfaces. Source: Fortune
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