The Trump administration has selected Gerald Parker, DVM, PhD, to lead the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, according to media reports.

Parker, an associate dean for Global One Health at Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has had previous roles in government, and was most recently chair of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity at the National Institutes of Health under the Biden administration. Prior to that, Parker served as a senior advisor for the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services from August 2020 to February 2021.

Parker served 26 years in the US Army and has also held positions at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. According to his bio, he is recognized as a leader in biodefense, high-consequence emerging infectious diseases, global health security, and all-hazards public health/medical preparedness.

Office created by Congress

Created in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy was established under the 2022 PREVENT Pandemics Act and launched in July 2023 with the aim of keeping the country ready for biological threats and pathogens. Among its many tasks is overseeing the development of next-generation countermeasures, including vaccines and treatments.

To date, the office has been primarily responsible for coordinating the federal government's response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak in US poultry and dairy cattle, which has involved the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the US Department of Agriculture.

In a July 2024 interview with Time magazine, then-candidate Trump suggested he would disband the office if elected. But as CBS News reports, the selection of Parker suggests Trump is not planning to do away with the office entirely.

CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) announced yesterday that it is awarding $3 million to diagnostics company AstraDx to develop a rapid diagnostic test for neonatal sepsis.

The company will use the money to demonstrate the feasibility of a test that uses advanced digital imaging and signal processing to detect and identify pathogens and analyze antimicrobial susceptibility from whole blood drawn from newborns, with results available within hours rather than days. Because neonatal sepsis progresses rapidly and can quickly become life-threatening, immediate treatment with the right antibiotic is necessary.

CARB-X officials say such a test could "represent a major leap forward in neonatal sepsis diagnostics."

"This solution could transform clinical decision-making, enabling timely, targeted treatment in critically vulnerable patients and helping combat antimicrobial resistance on a global scale," Erin Duffy, PhD, chief of research and development at CARB-X, said in a press release.

A leading cause of neonatal, infant mortality

Sepsis is a leading cause of neonatal and infant mortality. The BARNARDS study, published in 2021, estimated that 2.5 million newborns or infants within the first few months of life die annually from sepsis, with the greatest burden seen in low- and middle-income countries. Antimicrobial resistance is making the problem worse, resulting in empiric antibiotic treatment with ineffective antibiotics.

"This partnership is a proud moment for AstraDx, enabling us to get closer to our specific goal of saving newborns," said AstraDx CEO Fran White. "Our system for diagnosing bloodstream infections for even the worst pathogens is designed to be easy to use and affordable for populations worldwide, including underserved populations."

Since its founding in 2016, CARB-X has funded 112 early-stage projects designed to prevent, diagnose, and treat antibiotic-resistant infections. Diagnostics for neonatal sepsis is among four distinct product themes for the most recent round of CARB-X funding.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) this week reported a measles outbreak involving school children in Gaines County, which is located southwest of Lubbock. 

In a statement yesterday, the DSHS said six cases have been reported in people whose symptoms began over the past 2 weeks. All are unvaccinated residents of Gaines County.

"Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities," the DSHS said, adding that it is working with the South Plains Public Health District and Lubbock Public Health to investigate the outbreak.

Separately, the Lynn County Healthcare System, located south of Lubbock, reported a measles case and urged parents to watch children for symptoms and to ensure that they are up to date with measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination, according to a media report.

In January, health officials in the Houston area reported two measles cases, which marked the state's first since 2023.

Georgia cases involve family members of earlier patient

Elsewhere, the Georgia Department of Public Health today reported two more measles cases in unvaccinated Atlanta residents. In a statement, the group said the patients are family members of a case confirmed in January.

In a monthly measles update today, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it has received reports of 14 cases this year from five jurisdictions: Alaska, Georgia, New York City, Rhode Island, and Texas. Nine of the cases were part of two outbreaks. All patients were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. Six were hospitalized for isolation or treatment of complications. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported a variant H1N2 (H1N2v) infection today involving an adult in Iowa, the nation's first variant flu case of the 2024-25 season.

The patient was sick during the week ending January 18, was hospitalized, and has since recovered, the CDC said in its latest weekly FluView update. 

Iowa health officials who investigated the case didn't identify any direct or indirect contact with swine or any other illnesses among the patient's contacts. No sign of human-to-human spread is linked to the case.

Variant flu doesn't spread easily among people

Sporadic variant flu cases occur in the United States, and most cases are tied to exposure to pigs, but human-to-human transmission can occur, though the viruses don't spread easily among people.

Last season there were nine variant flu cases, including four involving the H1N2v strain. Three of those cases involved Pennsylvania residents who were exposed to pigs.

Conjunctivitis ("pink eye") is the most common mpox complication of the eyes, followed by impaired vision, keratitis, and eye lesions, findings that highlight the need for early recognition, routine eye exams, and effective treatment—particularly in mpox-endemic regions such as Africa and in patients with weakened immune systems, a meta-analysis of 25 studies concludes.

For the analysis, published yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, researchers in India performed a systematic review of studies on mpox-related ophthalmic complications published up to September 8, 2024.

"Recent outbreaks of monkeypox (Mpox) have raised concerns about its complications, including ophthalmic manifestations such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, and potential vision impairment," the authors wrote. "The lack of comprehensive data on these ocular complications hinders the development of effective clinical guidelines."

Prompt recognition, treatment required

The pooled prevalence of conjunctivitis in mpox patients was 8.9%, followed by impaired vision (4.3%), keratitis (3.4%), and eye lesions (3.4%). Other mpox-related eye complications had a pooled prevalence of 12.4%. The notable rate of keratitis is clinically relevant because, without prompt recognition and treatment, it can lead to poor outcomes such as corneal ulceration and vision loss, the researchers said. 

Routine ocular examinations and timely referrals to ophthalmologists are essential for enhancing patient outcomes.

"In Mpox, direct viral invasion of ocular tissues or immune-mediated damage might account for these manifestations," the authors wrote, adding that complication rates may depend on mpox infection severity, patient demographics, and access to healthcare.

"Routine ocular examinations and timely referrals to ophthalmologists are essential for enhancing patient outcomes," they wrote. "Moreover, preventive measures such as vaccination and prompt antiviral treatments are crucial for reducing disease severity and preventing complications like keratitis and potential vision loss."

"The insights from this study are vital for guiding clinical practice and public health strategies, underscoring the importance of further research to explore risk factors, intervention strategies, and to fill existing gaps in our understanding of Mpox-related ocular complications," they added.

The team noted significant bias and heterogeneity among studies, especially for conjunctivitis and other ocular manifestations, which they said suggests variability in presentation and documentation.