Flu Scan for Jan 22, 2016

News brief

US flu markers rise another notch

Flu activity in the United States continued a slow but steady rise last week, with slight increases seen in several of the markers that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses to track the levels.

The percentage of respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu rose from 3% to 4.2% last week, with 2009 H1N1 as the predominant strain. The percentage of clinic visits for flulike illness reached the national baseline of 2.1% again, and 6 of the CDC's 10 regions are above their regional baselines for that indicator.

Hospitalization levels from flu rose slightly, from 1.5 to 1.8 per 100,000, with levels highest in seniors and the youngest children. Of flu hospitalizations, influenza A was responsible for 65.4%, and of the subtyped flu A strains, 72.7% were due to 2009 H1N1. For the season, 2009 H1N1 has now passed H3N2 as the most common strain, making up 47.5% of all influenza A viruses, compared with 44.9% for H3N2

No pediatric flu deaths were reported, keeping the total at seven for the season. Overall deaths from flu and pneumonia rose above the epidemic threshold for one of the two surveillance systems the CDC uses for tracking.

Puerto Rico was the only location to report high flu activity, another indicator that reflects clinic visits for flu. Three states reported widespread geographic spread of flu, up from no states at that level last week. They are Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.
Jan 22 CDC FluView report

China reports H5N1 outbreak involving 35,000 poultry

Chinese veterinary officials today reported an outbreak of H5N1 avian flu on a farm of 35,397 poultry in Guizhou province in the southern part of the country, according to a report filed with the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE).

The outbreak began on Jan 11 with an unusually large bird die-off. Since then 5,869 birds became sick with avian flu, 5,617 of them fatally. All surviving birds were then culled to prevent further spread of the disease. Tests today at an OIE reference lab confirmed the highly pathogenic virus.

The H5N1 outbreak is China's first of the year, after reporting seven last year.
Jan 22 OIE report

News Scan for Jan 22, 2016

News brief

CDC says 1 dead, 12 hospitalized in listeriosis outbreak tied to Dole salad

A six-state outbreak of Listeria infections involving 12 cases and 1 death has been linked to Dole prepackaged salads, which have been recalled, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

Four cases have been confirmed each in Michigan and New York, with four other states reporting one case: Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Of five patients interviewed, all said they had eaten packaged salad before becoming ill. Two patients could recall the brand, and they both cited Dole.

The CDC did not specify when the patients first became ill, but Listeria specimens from them were collected from Jul 5 to Dec 23, 2015. The patients range in age from 3 to 83 years, with a median age of 66. The death was in Michigan, and one of the illnesses involved a pregnant woman.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture isolated Listeria from a Dole Field Greens packaged salad from a retail store, the CDC said. Lab tests showed that the isolate "was highly related genetically to isolates from ill people." The salad was produced at Dole's Springfield, Ohio, plant.

The CDC said, "On January 21, 2016, Dole reported to CDC that it had stopped all production at the processing facility in Springfield, Ohio. The company also reported that it is withdrawing all packaged salads currently on the market that were produced at this facility." The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also announced the recall.

The salads produced in Springfield were sold under various brand names, including Dole, Fresh Selections, Simple Truth, Marketside, The Little Salad Bar, and President's Choice. "These packaged salads can be identified by the letter 'A' at the beginning of the manufacturing code found on the package," the CDC said.
Jan 22 CDC notice
Jan 22 FDA recall notice

Camel connections reported in two new Saudi MERS cases

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today announced two new MERS-CoV cases from different parts of the country, both with connections to camels, ending an 8-day streak of no cases.

One of the patients is an 85-year-old Saudi man from Almodhannab in central Saudi Arabia who had indirect contact with camels. The other is a 58-year-old Saudi man from Jeddah on the country's western border who had direct contact with the animals before he got sick. Both men are hospitalized in stable condition.

The new cases raise Saudi Arabia's total from MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) to 1,287 cases, 551 of them fatal. The MOH said four people are still being treated for their infections.
Jan 22 Saudi MOH statement

Nigeria's Lassa fever outbreak climbs to 283 cases, 82 deaths

Cases of confirmed and suspected Lassa fever in Nigeria have climbed to 283, with 82 deaths in Nigeria, the country's Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) said on Jan 20, up from 260 cases and 79 deaths the day before.

So far 44 of the cases and 26 of the deaths have been lab-confirmed, the agency said. Niger is the most affected state, with 57 suspected and confirmed cases, followed by Bauchi, with 44, and Taraba, with 28. Half of the nation's 36 states have now reported cases.

Lassa fever is a rodent-borne viral hemorrhagic disease that occurs in West Africa and typically lasts 1 to 4 weeks, according to the World Health Organization. The antiviral drug ribavirin is often prescribed early in the illness.
Jan 20 FMOH update