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Flu shows slight increases in US and its neighbors

Flu activity in the United States remained at low levels last week, though some markers showed slight increases, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

The percentage of respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu rose from 4.5% to 4.9% over the past week, and the percentage of clinic visits for flu-like illness crept up from 1.2% to 1.4%. Both indicators remain below their baselines.

Cambodian 10-year-old with H5N1 has died

A 10-year-old boy from Kampot province in Cambodia who was reported to have H5N1 avian flu last week has died, The Cambodian Daily reported today. The boy is the second child to die from the disease in the country in 2 weeks.

Saudi Arabia confirms 6 new MERS cases, 1 fatal

The recent pattern of a Saudi MERS-CoV case or two a day changed today, as the country's Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 6 new cases, 3 of them in Taif and 1 of those fatal.

Study finds probable H5N8 transmission between wild and domestic ducks

Strains of the H5N8 avian influenza virus may be easily transmitted by wild mallards and cause severe illness in domestic ducks, according to a study published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

WHO: Pacific islands only area showing notable flu activity

Several Pacific Islands are the only areas of the world with noteworthy influenza activity at present, as circulation in nearly all other areas remains low, typical for this time of year, according to yesterday's World Health Organization (WHO) biweekly update .

Study finds no risk of pregnancy loss after receiving flu vaccine

Emory researchers found that pregnant women who received a flu vaccine had a lower risk of stillbirth than unvaccinated women, according to a study published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The meta-analysis also found no association between miscarriage and receiving a flu vaccine.

Avian flu detected on 3rd Dutch farm; H5N8 confirmed on 2nd

A third poultry farm in the Netherlands has been hit with avian flu, as Dutch authorities confirmed the H5N8 strain on the second affected farm, according to two separate Reuters stories today.

Two new MERS-CoV cases in Taif bring Saudi total to 810

A new case over the weekend and another today, both in the city of Taif, bring the total case count for MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia to 810 since June 2012, according to updates from the country's Ministry of Health (MOH).

Advisors seek clarity on fed's gain-of-function research funding pause

The committee that advises the federal government on biosecurity and dual-use research today approved a statement detailing its concerns about the US government moratorium on funding for "gain-of-function" (GOF) studies on influenza, MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

H5N1 strikes 4, kills 3 in Egypt

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has killed three people in Egypt, say media reports today. The three adult case-patients reportedly had contact with infected birds.

Saudi Arabia reports new MERS case as WHO confirms 18

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new MERS-CoV case today as the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed 18 cases previously reported by the MOH.

Meta-analysis hints that premies may risk flu complications

A systematic review published today of data on 15,698 children found that premature birth may need to be added to the risk factors that place children at risk for serious complications from influenza, but an accompanying commentary advised not reading too much into the findings.

Some US flu activity indicators up slightly

Influenza activity in the United States has picked up slightly but is still well below epidemic levels, while the mismatch between circulating H3N2 viruses and the vaccine strain rose to 58%, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its weekly update today.

US flu activity, H3N2 mismatch both increase

Though still below epidemic thresholds, US influenza activity has begun to pick up, and the vaccine mismatch with circulating H3N2 strains has reached two-thirds, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update.

In addition, two more children died from flu.

British Columbia farms with H5N2 now number 10, 1 in Metro Vancouver

Chickens on two more farms in British Columbia have been infected with H5N2 avian influenza, bringing the total to 10 and the number of birds dead or scheduled for culling to nearly 234,000 since the outbreak's start just 2 weeks ago, say news sources and official reports.

Risk-benefit analysis is next step toward policy on GOF research

In the wake of this week's symposium on gain-of-function (GOF) virologic research, the next step is for a federal advisory panel to develop plans for a risk-benefit analysis of such studies, says a spokeswoman for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

Seven H7N9 cases, four fatal, reported in China

Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today announced seven more H7N9 avian influenza infections—four of them fatal—in three different provinces on China's mainland. In a statement it said four patients are from Xinjiang, two are from Zhejiang, and one is from Jiangsu.

Signs of subclinical infection found in 10% of H7N9 patient contacts

Chinese researchers who tested 225 close contacts of H7N9 influenza patients found that about 10% of them carried antibodies suggesting they had been infected with the virus without getting sick, according to a letter yesterday in Emerging infectious Diseases.

US flu markers rise higher

The nation's flu markers showed another sharp spike last week, with all 10 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regions reporting that clinic visits for flu-like illness were above their baselines.

Overall, the percentage of doctor's visits for flu-like illness climbed from 3.7% to 5.5% last week, while the percentage of respiratory samples that were positive for flu increased from 25.9% to 28.1%

Study: Children could be 'silent' H7N9 spreaders

An analysis of seven children infected with H7N9 avian influenza during the outbreak's second wave in China found that the illnesses were mild, a phenomenon that could contribute to spread of the virus. Researchers from China's Guangdong province published their findings today in an early online edition of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

Poor phase 2 results lead Biota to suspend flu drug laninamivir

The neuraminidase inhibitor laninamivir, made by Biota Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Alpharetta, Ga., failed to perform better than a placebo at alleviating influenza symptoms in a phase 2 trial, the company said in a press release today, adding that it will no longer develop the drug.

Study of H7N9 in macaques shows widespread, sustained replication

H7N9 avian flu, which emerged in humans in China in the spring of 2013 and has since caused more than 450 cases, was found to replicate well in both the upper and lower respiratory tracts of cynomolgus macaques, a model for humans, and to show extended replication in the upper tract, indicating the possibility of prolonged shedding and transmissibility, say findings of a study today in mBio.

CDC reports 96 new chikungunya cases, 584 total

The number of travel-related US chikungunya cases has grown to 580, an increase of 96 in the past week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update. The number of locally acquired cases stayed at 4, for 584 total US cases.

Promising results for Chikungunya candidate vaccine in phase 1 trial

A chikungunya candidate vaccine developed using noninfectious virus-like particles (VLPs) has been shown to provide long-term protection against multiple genotypes of the disease, according to results of the first human trial, conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and published today in The Lancet.

Study: Flu viruses can quickly evolve, gain transmissibility in pigs

In a study designed to simulate how the pandemic 2009 influenza (pH1N1) virus might have evolved, researchers say it took only nine passages in pigs for a virus to gain "greatly enhanced virulence and transmissibility" in pigs, guinea pigs, and ferrets.