The panel's concern was fueled by the threat of an airborne virus spread more easily than Ebola.
Canada can now be added to the growing list of countries that have detected MCR-1, the recently identified worrisome gene that disables the last-line antibiotic colistin, after it was detected in a patient and in ground beef sold in 2010, the Toronto Star reported today.
After being identified for the first time in China in November, the gene has now been confirmed in samples from at least 11 countries.
Nearly 200 new suspected cases of microcephaly potentially related to the spread of Zika virus were reported in Brazil over the past week, raising the total of suspected cases to 2,975, according to a translated bulletin from Brazil's Ministry of Health (MOH) posted yesterday by infectious disease blog Avian Flu Diary.
An avian-like H1N1 virus that showed pandemic potential turned up often in Chinese swine.
The percentage of clinic visits for flu rose to 2.2%, above the national baseline of 2.1%.
The NIH sees its biggest boost in 12 years, and other public health initiatives benefit, too.
In its annual report, TFAH said there are still major gaps and funding needed to battle new threats.
US flu activity increased slightly again last week, reflecting a season that's off to a slower start compared with the previous year, according to the latest data today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As part of an ongoing effort to weigh different vaccine strategies against H7N9 avian influenza, researchers today reported results from a small clinical trial that showed promise for a prime-boost strategy.
A research team led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported the findings in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
A live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) candidate for H7N9 avian flu produced a good immune response and was shown safe in a phase 1 human trial, researchers from Russia and the World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
