Media Briefing: Flu Season, COVID, Mpox, Avian Flu, and Parvovirus – Tackling the Spread & Seeking Protection
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The LJI team uncovered important similarities between H5N1 and these common viruses, which allowed them to predict that many people already have "cross-reactive" T cells that are ready to target H5N1—should it ever mutate to cause widespread disease in humans.
Avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, which spread to cattle and infected 14 people this year, was detected using virome sequencing in the wastewater of 10 Texas cities by researchers at UTHealth Houston and Baylor College of Medicine.
Back to school, cooler weather, a whiff of pumpkin spice in the air. Yes, it’s flu shot time.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte scholars have found evidence that the latest variants of H5N1 influenza — commonly known as avian or bird flu — are better at evading antibodies, including those of humans, than previous iterations of the virus.
Word of bird flu infections is raising concerns among epidemiologists. A Penn State Health expert discusses recent developments with H5N1 and why scientists are watching it closely.
Five dairy workers in Colorado have tested positive for the bird flu. According to the state department, all five workers are poultry workers at a farm in northeast, Colorado. ...
A new study by a broad team of researchers at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine helps explain why dairy cows infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza are shedding the virus in their milk. Their findings could help develop biosecurity measures aimed at slowing the spread of the illness.
A person in Colorado tested positive for the bird flu. This is the fourth case reported in the U.S. Two other cases were reported in Michigan and in Texas. ...
While H5N1 avian influenza virus taken from infected cow’s milk makes mice and ferrets sick when dripped into their noses, airborne transmission of the virus between ferrets — a common model for human transmission — appears to be limited.
An air curtain shooting down from the brim of a hard hat can prevent 99.8% of aerosols from reaching a worker’s face. The technology, created by University of Michigan startup Taza Aya, potentially offers a new protection option for workers in industries where respiratory disease transmission is a concern.
So far, only two people have been infected with a new strain of H5N1 due to exposure to cows. But the large number of infected cows, their proximity to humans, and flu's tendency to jump from one host to another have scientists and health officials concerned.
Consuming raw cow's milk that contains H5N1 avian influenza virus poses an infection risk, but a laboratory process that simulates high-temperature pasteurization reduces the virus in infected milk by more than 99.99%. That's according to a team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists, who reported their findings May 24 in a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
An experimental mRNA vaccine against avian influenza virus H5N1 is highly effective in preventing severe illness and death in preclinical models. The vaccine could potentially help manage the outbreak of the H5N1 virus currently circulating in birds and cattle in the United States, and prevent human infections with the virus.