Genetic analysis of H7N9 viruses obtained from Chinese poultry from 2013 to 2017 identified new mutations that make the virus more lethal in chickens and may pose a greater threat to human health, based on virulence and transmissibility tests in animal models. Researchers from China reported their findings Oct 24 in Cell Research.
EpiVax, Inc., a vaccine development and immune engineering company based in Providence, R.I., yesterday announced it is part of collaboration supported by a $5.8 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a new type of vaccine against H7N9 avian influenza.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today confirmed a new case of variant H1N2 flu (H1N2v) in a child in Ohio, the second US case this year caused by that strain, and the 20th variant flu case of the year.
One more illness cluster has been reported among 21 recent H7N9 avian flu infections reported in China, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in an update today. Its report covers 9 lab-confirmed cases reported to the WHO by China on Jun 2 as well as 12 cases reported on Jun 9.
In another sign of further northward spread, China's Inner Mongolia province has reported its first human H7N9 avian flu case, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said today in a statement. The development comes just a few weeks after H7N9 was detected for the first time in live-bird markets in Inner Mongolia province. The province mainly borders Mongolia, with a small part abutting Russia.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today finalized its cholera vaccine recommendation for adults traveling to disease outbreak areas, based on June 2016 advice from its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) in a regular update today said the mainland from Mar 3 to Mar 9 reported 22 more H7N9 avian influenza cases, 3 of them fatal. The pace of infections in China's fifth and biggest wave has slowed some since illnesses peaked in February, but the country continues to report a steady stream of cases.
A recent study in the Journal of Human Lactation showed that pasteurizing breast milk kills both Ebola and Marburg viruses. The research was done at the Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas (MMBNT), and was conducted in the wake of the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released two reports today detailing the six human cases of H7N9 in mainland China and one in Macau that were previously confirmed by local officials. All but one patient had direct exposure to live poultry.
The US government is awarding $20 million in prizes for innovative ideas for the development of rapid, point-of-care diagnostic lab tests to quickly identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) press release today.
