Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

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News Scan for Jul 12, 2018

FDA announces efforts to tackle supply problems causing drug shortages

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, today announced the formation of a new task force to address drug shortages and long-term strategies for preventing them.

  • US drug shortage task force
  • TB vaccine candidates
  • Fractional dosing for yellow fever
  • Influenza B in pigs
  • Avian flu outbreaks

News Scan for Jul 09, 2018

Study of H5N1 avian flu genetic changes in Egypt finds potential hot spots

A new analysis of a decade's worth of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu virus genetic sequences collected from poultry and wild birds in Egypt found 39 distinct substitutions with the possible ability to increase the pandemic potential of the virus, with spatial clustering that focused on two governorates—Alexandria and Beheira—that are located in the northwestern Nile Delta.

  • Mapping H5N1 changes in Egypt
  • H3N2v pandemic potential

News Scan for Jun 29, 2018

More polio cases found in DRC, Somalia

Two countries reported circulating vaccine-derived polio cases this week, according to the latest update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). In addition to new cases from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Somalia, the GPEI confirmed an outbreak of circulating vaccine derived polio in Papua New Guinea.

  • Polio in the DRC and Somalia
  • Cyclospora outbreak total grows
  • Biodefense roadmap
  • Avian flu in Ghana and Denmark

Flu Scan for Jun 27, 2018

Novel one-dose antiviral receives FDA priority review

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast-track approval for a new oral antiviral with a different mechanism of action than neuraminidase inhibitors that offers one-dose treatment, according to a Jun 25 statement from Genentech, part of the Roche Group. The drug, called baloxavir marboxil, was approved in Japan in February for the treatment of influenza A and B in adult and pediatric patients.

  • FDA priority review for new flu drug
  • Southern Hemisphere flu rise
  • Avian flu outbreaks in poultry

News Scan for Jun 22, 2018

More Ebola cases suspected in remote DRC health zones

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) yesterday noted four new suspected cases of Ebola virus, two each in Bikoro and Iboko health zones, yet the number of cases overall remained steady. Four previously suspected cases tested negative for the virus, so the current total now stands at 61 cases, including 38 confirmed, 14 probable, and 9 suspected.

  • 61 Ebola cases
  • Polio in Papua NG, DRC
  • Consolidating US food safety
  • Cyclospora sickens more
  • Avian flu in 3 nations
  • California skeeters and Zika

Flu Scan for Jun 20, 2018

H5 avian flu outbreaks reported in Russia, Northern Ireland

Russia's agriculture ministry reported 16 more highly pathogenic H5 outbreaks, mostly in backyard poultry, according to a notification today from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

  • Avian flu in Russia, N. Ireland
  • Flu vaccine requirement

News Scan for Jun 15, 2018

DRC Ebola total rises to 66 with 11 new suspected cases

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) ministry of health said 66 cases of Ebola have been reported, after 11 previously suspected case samples tested negative for the virus and 11 new suspected cases were added to the total.

  • Ebola count at 66
  • No polio in Venezuela
  • 2nd Midwest Cyclospora outbreak
  • Legionnaires' and the VA
  • Avian flu outbreaks

News Scan for Jun 11, 2018

WHO notes 1 more MERS case in Saudi household cluster

Health officials reported a total of 12 MERS-CoV cases in May, according to an overview published today by the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Eastern Mediterranean office. Eleven cases are from Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates recorded one.

  • MERS household cluster
  • US flu deaths in kids
  • Polio in Venezuela
  • Cyclospora infections in 2 states
  • Measles in Brazil
  • H5N1, H5N8 poultry outbreaks

News Scan for Jun 06, 2018

Report shows billions saved by increased patient safety measures

The US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released new data showing that national efforts to reduce hospital-acquired conditions, including adverse drug events and infections, helped prevent an estimated 8,000 deaths and save $2.9 billion from 2014 through 2016.

  • Cutting healthcare-acquired infections
  • Aedes aegypti in Alabama
  • Avian flu in 3 nations

News Scan for Jun 05, 2018

DRC reports six new Ebola cases in known contacts

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reported six more suspected cases of Ebola, including five in Bikoro and one in Wangata in its latest outbreak update. All of the new cases are known contacts of previously recorded cases.

  • More suspected Ebola in DRC
  • Monkeypox in Cameroon
  • Avian flu antibodies in poultry workers

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