Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

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News Scan for Jun 15, 2022

Flu on the rise in some Southern Hemisphere regions, notably Australia

In a global flu update that covers the last half of May, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week that overall activity has declined since a March peak, but levels are rising in some temperate Southern Hemisphere countries, including Australia.

  • Southern Hemisphere flu rise
  • More US avian flu

News Scan for Jun 13, 2022

Childcare-related work disruptions increased by a third during COVID-19

Work disruptions related to a lack of childcare in 2020 increased by one-third relative to before the pandemic—especially for caregivers of children with special healthcare needs, low-income families, and those from racial minority groups, estimates a study published today in JAMA Pediatrics.

  • Childcare-related COVID work disruptions
  • Pandemic stress and ovulation
  • Avian flu in US and abroad
  • More unexplained hepatitis in Europe

News Scan for Jun 10, 2022

Backyard poultry-linked Salmonella outbreaks sicken 219 in 38 states

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday said it and health officials in multiple state are investigating Salmonella outbreaks tied to backyard poultry that have sickened 219 people, 1 fatally, in 38 states.

  • Backyard poultry Salmonella
  • Antibiotic trial collaboration
  • Polio in 5 countries
  • Avian flu in US, Europe

News Scan for Jun 09, 2022

Risk of COVID-related syndrome lower in kids after breakthrough Omicron

The risk of COVID-19–related multisystem inflammatory system in children (MIS-C) was significantly lower among vaccinated versus unvaccinated Danish children after infection with the Omicron variant rather than with previous strains, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics.

  • Post-vaccination MIS-C amid Omicron
  • Avian flu in DC, Arizona
  • Fatal Powassan infection in Connecticut

News Scan for Jun 08, 2022

Gender bias may affect acceptance of antibiotic stewardship efforts

A single-center study suggests gender bias may play a role in whether antibiotic stewardship recommendations by pharmacists are accepted by hospitalists, researchers reported yesterday in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

  • Gender bias in antibiotic stewardship
  • Unexplained hepatitis in kids
  • US avian flu outbreaks

News Scan for Jun 03, 2022

Data show Paxlovid halves the risk of severe Omicron disease, death

A study of 4,737 COVID-19 patients in Israel conducted during the Omicron surge concludes that Pfizer's antiviral drug Paxlovid roughly halves the risk of severe COVID-19 or death, according to findings published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

  • Paxlovid against Omicron
  • Drug-resistant Salmonella in Brazilian chicken
  • Polio in Pakistan, DRC
  • Avian flu outbreaks persist

News Scan for Jun 02, 2022

Study says dogs 97% sensitive at detecting COVID-19 in patients

Compared with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing, dogs can detect COVID-19 infections via scent with high sensitivity (97%)—though lower specificity (91%)—even when patients are asymptomatic, according to a study in PLOS One yesterday.

  • COVID-detecting dogs
  • Unexplained hepatitis in kids
  • Avian flu in Georgia poultry
  • H9N2 avian flu cases in China
  • Iraq hemorrhagic fever surge

News Scan for May 27, 2022

Asymptomatic COVID-19 may not spread as easily as symptomatic

Symptomatic COVID-19 cases are responsible for more viral transmission than asymptomatic infections, suggests an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of 130 studies published yesterday in PLOS Medicine.

  • Asymptomatic COVID-19 spread
  • More peanut butter Salmonella
  • Wild poliovirus in Pakistan
  • Avian flu outbreak funds
  • More UK unexplained hepatitis

News Scan for May 26, 2022

Mix-and-match booster shots shown more effective against Omicron strain

A letter yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists shows homologous (same-vaccine) boosting for Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine recipients was significantly less effective than mix-and-match booster doses when the Omicron strain was predominant in the United States.

  • Mix-and-match boosters for Omicron
  • Infection-, vaccine-related COVID immunity
  • New H3N8 avian flu case

News Scan for May 25, 2022

COVID-19 vaccination tied to less disease spread, shorter virus shedding

Transmission of COVID-19 was significantly lower, and viable virus was detected for a shorter period, in fully vaccinated patients and staff isolated at a South Korean hospital than in their partially vaccinated and unvaccinated counterparts, finds a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

  • Vaccination and COVID-19 spread
  • Lung abnormalities after COVID
  • Fifth DRC Ebola death
  • More US unexplained hepatitis
  • Avian flu outbreaks in 2 states

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