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OIE, FAO lift ban on rinderpest research, set criteria for projects

The two leading global agencies that deal with animal health have lifted a 2-year-old ban on research on rinderpest, a disease that was eradicated 2 years ago, and replaced it with criteria and procedures for official clearance of proposed research projects.

US flu activity ebbing a bit but still elevated

US flu activity last week showed some signs of decline but continued at an elevated pace, well above epidemic levels, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update.

Flu activity up in North America and Europe, with H3N2 predominating

The Northern Hemisphere continues to see high levels of influenza A (H3N2), especially in North America and northwestern Europe, according to a Jan 26 World Health Organization (WHO) report.

Flu maintains strong grip on US

Influenza seems reluctant to release its grip on the United States, as most measures of flu activity showed little change last week, according to today's update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Study: Oseltamivir shortens flu symptom duration but not viral shedding

Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) taken within 24 hours of flu symptom onset shortened the duration of all symptoms by 56%, but had no effect on household flu transmission or viral shedding, according to a study yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Duration of MRSA colonization might be shorter than thought

The median duration of colonization with community-based methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in ambulatory patients is 21 days, shorter than the previously thought duration of 6 to 9 months, and treatment with clindamycin is associated with more rapid clearance of the infection, say findings of a study published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

CDC: Swollen salivary glands reported in some kids with flu

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that several states have recently reported an unusual finding in some influenza patients this season: parotitis, or swelling of the salivary glands.

The CDC reported the finding yesterday in an update of its current flu guidance for the public, titled "What You Should Know for the 2014-2015 Influenza Season."

Guangdong man with H7N9 brings global case total to nearly 600

An additional case of H7N9 avian flu in China's Guangdong province has been reported to Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP), according to a machine-translated statement posted today by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.

H7N9 sickens three more in China

Two of China's provinces—Anhui and Guangdong—reported a total of three new H7N9 avian influenza cases today, according to separate health department reports.

US flu activity continues slow fade as season lingers

Nearly all measures of seasonal flu circulation in the United States continued their slow decline last week, but they stayed above baseline levels, making the season officially longer than average, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

Thirteen weeks has been the average span of flu seasons over the past 13 years, and last week marked this season's 14th week, the CDC noted.

New estimate puts current flu vaccine's effectiveness a bit lower

The latest estimate of the overall effectiveness of this year's seasonal influenza vaccine puts it at just 19% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7%-29%), slightly lower than the 23% reported in mid-January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported yesterday.

Using 3 years of data, CDC places annual flu deaths at 5,000 to 27,000

Using a new method to estimate influenza-related hospitalizations and deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (CDC) calculates that somewhere between 5,000 and 27,000 Americans died of flu-related causes during each of the three flu seasons from 2010-11 through 2012-13.

US flu signs show slow drop-off

Flu activity in the United States was elevated last week for the fifteenth week in a row, but surveillance markers show that levels continue to decline.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that the percentage of doctor visits for flulike illness dropped from 3% to 2.5% last week, but it is still above the national baseline of 2%.

Lawmakers push for more details on flu strain mismatch

Republican and Democratic lawmakers who head a House oversight and investigations subcommittee yesterday sent letters to five federal health officials asking how lessons learned from this flu season—with its flu vaccine mismatched to the main circulating strain—could be used to improve the nation's flu preparedness in time for the next season.

Study shows H7N9 diversity, human threat

An analysis of viruses from the second wave of H7N9 avian flu in China that began in late 2013 shows a rapid expansion both geographically and in genetic diversity, which poses a challenge to disease control and demonstrates the potential of H7N9 to emerge as a pandemic strain in humans, according to a study summarized in a letter to Naturetoday.

Stubborn flu season lingers, with flu B rising

The US flu season continues to overstay its annual visit, with influenza B detections rising and overall levels remaining elevated for the 16th week in a row, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today. The previous 13 flu seasons have lasted an average of 13 weeks.

German ethicists call for national DURC committee, legislation

Saying current regulations are insufficient, a German ethics panel has asked the German government to enact legislation to regulate dual-use research of concern (DURC) and set up a national committee to review DURC proposals, according to a ScienceInsider article yesterday.

Florida reports 3 imported chikungunya cases

In a moment that health officials have anticipated, the Florida Department of Health (FDH) today reported three cases of mosquito-borne chikungunya fever, all imported from the current 45,000-plus-case outbreak in the Caribbean.

Study: School-based flu vaccination feasible but reimbursement problematic

School-based flu vaccination programs may be a good vehicle for moving toward universal coverage of children, but headaches regarding billing and reimbursement issues pose big administrative challenges, says a Colorado study published in Academic Pediatrics.

Caribbean chikungunya outbreak tops 63,000 cases

The Caribbean chikungunya outbreak grew by 6,303 cases in the past week to reach 63,489 suspected, probable, or confirmed cases, according to an update today from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The count is up from 57,186 cases a week ago.

US flu activity continues to taper

US influenza activity continued its season-ending decline, with one flu-related pediatric death reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update.

The percentage of US respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu dropped from 8.7% to 6.5% last week. The percentage of clinic visits for flu fell stayed even at 1.3%, well below the national baseline of 2.2%.

Flu exit nearly final in Northern Hemisphere

Most Northern Hemisphere countries are at or approaching interseasonal flu levels, with North America and eastern Asia still reporting some influenza B circulation, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest global flu update.

The countries at interseasonal levels included China, with the percentage of positive flu tests low in both the northern and southern parts of the country.

Experiments suggest a 1918-like flu virus could rise again

Avian influenza viruses with components similar to those in the 1918 pandemic flu virus still circulate in nature, and genetic engineering experiments suggest it would take only a few mutations to turn them into a human threat, according to a team of scientists led by Yoshiro Kawaoka, DVM, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin.

China reports fatal H7N9 case

Health officials in China's Guangdong province today reported a fatal H7N9 avian influenza infection in a 42-year-old man, according to a health department statement translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.

Dengue identified as source of Sudan febrile illness outbreak

An outbreak of an unknown febrile illness that initially prompted suspicion for hemorrhagic fever or Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been diagnosed as dengue fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in a statement.