Nipah

Cases include 10 lab-confirmed infections and 1 probable case involving a man who died before samples could be collected.

Two more cases have been confirmed, raising the total to 10 cases, 7 of them fatal.

Health officials confirm 5 new cases, including 2 fatal ones, for a total of 8 infections so far this year.

Two fatal cases in children have been linked to consumption of raw date juice.

Nevada reports its first avian flu outbreak in poultry

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently announced Nevada's first highly pathogenic avian flu outbreak in poultry, which struck a backyard flock in Carson City housing 40 birds.

Outbreaks involving the H5N1 strain have now been reported in 37 states and have led to the loss of more than 40 million birds.

Previous COVID infection may confer 56% protection against reinfection

A study in Qatar estimates that previous COVID-19 infection imparts 56% protection against future symptomatic infection caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, down from about 90% for other SARS-CoV-2 strains.

The study, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), was led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar in Doha.

Antibiotics after mastectomy common, but with small benefit, study finds

An analysis of US health insurance data found that post-discharge prophylactic antibiotics are commonly prescribed after mastectomy, but provide only a small reduction in surgical-site infections (SSIs), researchers reported today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine 96% effective in pregnant women, study says

Results from an observational cohort study of pregnant women indicated a 96% vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19 infection and an 89% VE against hospitalization for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in pregnant women, according to a study in Nature Medicine today.

CEPI announces support for fourth Nipah virus vaccine

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Public Health Vaccines (PHV), LLC, have announced a partnership agreement worth up to $43.6 million to support the development and manufacturing of a Nipah virus vaccine.

In a statement today CEPI said it will fund preclinical studies, clinical studies through phase 2, manufacturing, and an investigational stockpile of the vaccine candidate.

Health workers frequently care for patients when sick, study finds

A study over four flu seasons of influenza and other respiratory illnesses at nine Canadian hospitals found that 95% of health providers have worked while sick, often when symptoms were mild or began during the workday. Researchers reported their findings yesterday in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).