In addition to new HPAI poultry infections in 3 French states, more outbreaks seen in Vietnam and Nigeria.
China recently reported four H9N2 avian influenza detections, all in children. The cases were noted yesterday in a report in Chinese from Taiwan's health ministry that was translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.
Also, a study finds low-path avian flu common among ducks on foie gras farms in Bulgaria.
The OIE, meanwhile, details 3 of France's previous outbreaks, as well as H5N6 avian flu in Vietnam.
As part of an ongoing effort to weigh different vaccine strategies against H7N9 avian influenza, researchers today reported results from a small clinical trial that showed promise for a prime-boost strategy.
A research team led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported the findings in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
A UK study of 779 young people 2 to 18 years old who had egg allergies showed that live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV, a nasal spray) can be administered safely, even among those with a history of asthma or recurrent wheezing, a study yesterday in BMJ found.
A live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) candidate for H7N9 avian flu produced a good immune response and was shown safe in a phase 1 human trial, researchers from Russia and the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Tests on the Oregon duck found H5 genetic material, but not enough to pin down the subtype or pathogenicity.
For the third week in a row, US influenza activity increased slightly, with H3N2 still the dominant strain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.
The percentage of clinic visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) rose from 1.6% to 1.9%, according to the CDC update, which covers the week through Nov 28. That level is still below the national baseline of 2.1%, but several regions reported elevated outpatient ILI levels.
Past exposure to influenza virus or antigens—whether by infection or vaccine—might reduce a person's ability to mount a broadly protective antibody response to the virus, a finding that could complicate efforts to develop a "game-changing" universal flu vaccine, according to a study yesterday in Science Translational Medicine.
