COVID-19 Coronavirus, HPAI H5N1 Avian Flu and other virus UK and World News Update 21st February 2025
Between July and November 2024 the UK NHS managed to deliver almost 2.2 million more appointments than July to November 2023. These included chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy and diagnostic tests.
There is a caveat in that during that period in 2023 there were 12 days of strikes by doctors-in-training (junior doctors) - but in 2024 no strikes and more patients seen is undoubtedly a doubly good thing.
The waiting list has been cut by almost 160,000 since the current government took office, compared to a rise of almost 33,000 over the same period the previous year.
The overall waiting list for planned treatment in England fell slightly in December to 7.46 million - but only 59% started treatment within 18 weeks, with the Govt target by end of parliament 92%. Some way to go yet.
Keep going Wes. Keep fixing the NHS.
Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England with a less than heartwarming quote last week:
“We need to think much more radically, particularly about capital…I think we now must consider private capital investment in the NHS…if we don’t fix our buildings, if we don’t fix our technology we’re not going to..really drive that long term improvement."
You don't really seem to want to save the NHS Amanda. Surely pumping cash into wining and dining private capital, then repaying interest or renting for the next bazillion years is not the best way to save the NHS?
Norovirus continues its march through the UK population. Cases are 23.5% higher than the massive numbers over the last fortnight, and almost 2 1/2 times the average. If you haven't had a tummy bug this Winter, well done you (shhhh, don't tempt fate). Local health authorities are having to ask people to stay away from hospitals if you have sickness or diarrhoea, or have had it within 48 hours. You should be at home!! Please don't go and visit vulnerable people, don't put Cancer patients at risk. Use your head. Stay away from care homes, school, work or anyone who doesn't want to spend the next 3 days shivering on the loo.
It isn't just the UK. Norovirus is wiping out people all over the world in record numbers.
Taiwan’s CDC has reported that from 2nd to 8th February, over 302,000 patients sought medical treatment for diarrhoea at outpatient and emergency departments. The entire population of Taiwan is 23 million people, so 1 in every 76 felt ill enough to go to hospital. Of those tested and positive for pathogens 212/215 (98.6%) had Norovirus.
Have we all rebelled against washing our hands? Whats going on?
Taiwan Pediatrician Wang Wei-li: 'as few as 100 Norovirus particles are enough to cause illness. A single episode of vomiting can release tens of millions of virus particles into the air'.
There are no antiviral drugs or vaccines for Norovirus. Most people just have a rough 2-10 days, but it can be serious if the patient is very young, old, or weakened. Protect others, break the chain.
As Tyler Durden would tell you - use soap! Wash your hands properly, and don't prepare food for others until 48 cramp-free hours have passed.
By last weekend the US flu outbreak was officially "Very severe". Last week the number of flu tests coming back positive was an enormous 31.6%, and they have had more deaths from flu than COVID for the first time since the pandemic started. There are word-of-mouth reports of morgues overflowing and ERs full of patients with flu and respiratory symptoms.
Canada is also suffering, in part blaming a late wave of infection when flu jabs are already waning. Lower vaccination rates in the US and beyond aren't helping, with just 45% of US children getting the flu jab - down from 58% in 2020.
Thankfully there are some signs it may have peaked - lets face it, it couldn't go on forever...
Thailand is having a bad early flu season. The Ministry of Health has announced cases have risen from 7,819 on 25th Jan to 99,057 on 15th Feb. Most cases are in schools, and vaccinations are being rushed out to vulnerable groups, as their flu season is just beginning. The main strain there is H1N1 - swine flu.
2 weeks ago, 22 US states sued the Trump administration to block his sudden payment caps for National Institutes of Health research. That ruling goes to court to decide it's fate today. If it is not extended then funding will drop to possibly 15% of previous levels, and research departments at universities, medical centers and others will frankly be completely screwed.
The funding freeze and lawsuits to prevent it affect huge numbers of people, policies and departments, across all areas of Federal Government, including USDA (Department of Agriculture), who have had to pause many grants to farmers (particularly concerning right now with potential H5N1 affecting poultry and cattle). It is unclear if or when funding for strategies such as conservation or farm infrastructure will be reinstated.
Just after the US blanket ban on foreign aid was announced, the Trump administration issued a waiver for "life saving assistance" for things like malaria & TB. In situations when staff had already been ordered home, injections and clinics missed, or for a multitude of other reasons, it simply won't always be as easy as saying "Stop. Go".
The UK Government are investing a further £1.5 million to extend the National HIV Prevention Programme by a year.
"This funding will support our goal of ending new HIV transmissions by 2030 by helping us to increase HIV testing, reduce stigma and raise awareness."
If you are in England, think you may have been exposed and have never had a HIV test then you can order an at-home test kit from startswithme dot org dot uk.
A court challenge has restored the CDC website. Well, it's back in some form anyway. The information within is vital to public health, so it went back online. There was a banner across the top of a lot of pages not yet edited to Trump's liking...
"Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website as of 11:59PM ET, February 11, 2025. Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes male and female. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children, by promoting their chemical and surgical mutilation, and to women, by depriving them of their dignity, safety, well-being, and opportunities. This page does not reflect biological reality and therefore the Administration and this Department rejects it."
You can almost hear the dictator dictating it...
If you need to read this, you exist. You have always existed, and you always will, whoever you are. You have a safe space here.
Last report I mentioned an outbreak of an as-yet-unknown disease in Bolamba Health Zone, DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo). At least 12 suspected cases of Ebola had tested negative. Well, bad news... Over 50 people were reported to have died by 12th Feb (36 from 3rd to 9th Feb). WHO figures on 15th Feb were 431 cases and 53 deaths across 2 clusters (Bolombo & Basankusu health zones), and Ebola and Marburg have been ruled out.
The epicentre is Bomate, 25 kilometers from Basankusu City. This is terrifying the local population, 2,000 of 5,000 had fled elsewhere by 12th Feb.
The disease symptoms are generalized joint pain or low back pain, haemorrhagic fevers, headaches, and often death within 24 hours. It must be terrifying.
Senator Jean-Paul Boketsu Bofili of the Equateur province on Radio Okapi: This is a "serious health and humanitarian drama, which exceeds the capacity of local administrative authorities and the health system".
Sadly since then conflict has increased in DRC, the region is already very remote and poor. The latest WHO update today repeats information from 15th Feb. They say in Bolamba 12 cases and 8 deaths. In Basankusu 419 cases and 45 deaths, with almost half the deaths occurring within 48 hours. It is unclear whether a virus or a toxic agent is involved, or whether the 2 clusters even have a direct link. What is clear is that it IS NOT even similar to the unknown Disease X which Panzi Zone in DRC suffered at the end of last year, and which turned out to be a mix of malnutrition and severe malaria, along with flu and other known viruses.
Truly horrific, and even worse when civil war gets in the way of attending to your unknown killer disease.
Truly horrific, and even worse when civil war gets in the way of attending to your unknown killer disease.
Despite many expert scientists, politicians and even relatives pointing out possible flaws in making Robert F Kennedy Junior the Secretary for Health and Human Services, Donald Trump did it anyway. RFK Jr has discouraged vaccinations in the past, said he'd ban the polio vaccine, refuses to agree that vaccines DO NOT cause Autism and couldn't answer basic questions about Medicare and Medicaid, but now he's apparently the best person out of 335 MILLION to look after their collective health.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well.... On Tuesday, despite specifically promising before his appointment that he wouldn't change it, RFK Jr said he would investigate the childhood vaccine schedule.
“Nothing is going to be off limits.”
Awesome. (Not.)
And mere hours after RFK Jr was confirmed as HHS Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health announced they would end mass vaccine promotion. Vaccines will still be available to 'those who ask', but they won't be promoted.
Well done Louisiana. How long before we see the fallout from this social experiment?
Annnnd the US Department for Health and Human Services has ordered the CDC nationally to stop some of their vaccination advertising, including flu jabs. Instead they want what they refer to as a policy of 'informed consent'.
Informed consent is great, it's what we should have. People should know there's always a risk with vaccination - but that risk is substantially lower (often many hundreds of times lower) than the disease you are protecting against. The public should understand they shoulder that risk to help protect people who can never gain effective immunity, and those who are too young or sick to be vaccinated, but would be severely affected or killed by disease.
To stop reminding people to get their vaccinations may not go well...
Stat News remind us of a couple of other factors at play here. Next week's meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has been postponed, and RFK Jr has already suggested he's not happy with some of the panel (and other panels), as he feels they have a 'conflict of interest'. It seems likely we'll see a reshuffle and possibly some firings in the near future...
Talking of firings... It has been called the Valentine's Day Massacre - although it extended into Saturday and Sunday. Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) team launched mass lay offs of Government staff last week.
It seems in many departments, most trial period, temporary and probationary staff (employed within the last year or so) were fired immediately on 14th Feb, although some received dismissal by email over the weekend. Around 200,000 people knew they could be in for the chop. According to reports which I have attempted to verify by finding at least 2 unrelated, yet obviously usually unauthorised sources:
- Ahead of the firings, according to the Washington Post, managers at the CDC "were told to rank 10 percent of their probationary staff as mission-critical, 50 percent as important and 40 percent as not mission-critical".
- Around 5,200 HHS (Health and Human Services) staff received dismissal on Friday 14th. This included staff from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (the scientists who watch for and respond to public health emergencies, including bird flu).
- The USAID Inspector General Paul Martin was fired the day after his 'Watchdog' office warned that the freeze on foreign aid and crippling USAID’s vetting processes increased security risks.
- Veterans Affairs have laid off 1,000 people. They care for disabled veterans, medical and financial benefits and assistance, and physical and mental wellbeing of service personnel past and present.
- The National Parks Service had new hires stopped and hundreds of layoffs, immediately cancelling seasonal jobs and causing concern over park safety.
- 300 of the 1,800 workers at the NNSA (National Nuclear Security Administration) were fired (reportedly by 23 year old Luke Farritor, previously an intern at SpaceX), and by the next morning firings were being rescinded due to nuclear safety concerns.
- The Epidemic Intelligence Service has been gutted. In 2019 they noted a sudden increase in deaths among vapers, and swiftly realised the cause was additive Vitamin E. They look out for public health.
- According to United Press International: "A quarter of the personnel working in nearly five dozen U.S. laboratories trying to solve the latest avian influenza outbreak have been laid off as part of the Trump administration's plan to reduce the size of the federal workforce."
- Cuts to U.S. Department of Agriculture staff at the USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network and other frontline public safety positions seem to have caused panic, with a USDA spokesperson admitting on Tuesday that they had 'accidentally fired' employees and "we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters".
Best of luck with that one...
Trump has regularly shown his disapproval for COVID vaccine mandates. He had already reinstated military personnel discharged for refusing vaccination, and last week signed an executive order prohibiting educational establishments from requiring COVID vaccination. Pupils in state education will still have to be vaccinated against diseases including measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and chickenpox (for now at least).
Most had removed COVID vaccine requirements already, so joke's on him.
A recently published INFORM study looked at more than 12 million randomly selected people aged 12 or over in England in 2023. They found that 4.0% had weaker immune systems (immunocompromised), yet they accounted for 21.7% of COVID hospital admissions and 21.9% of deaths.
When you are ill and you stay at home, you are looking out for your family, colleagues, friends and neighbours.
I have an apology to make as last time I covered a measles outbreak in Ontario, and said it was Californian Ontario, USA. It was not. It is Canadian Ontario, and it has continued.
As of 12th February, 99 cases (67 confirmed, 32 probable) have been reported. 84 children and 15 adults (age 54 or younger). Among children and adolescents, 98.8% were not immunised, and 7 have required hospitalisation so far (which is incredibly low as measles is usually around 20% hospitalisation).
21st Feb update - 57 cases in Grand Erie Public Health region in total, 4 were hospitalised, 2 have gone home.
On 7th Feb Texas reported a measles outbreak, with at least 10 patients (7 hospitalised). By 18th Feb 58 cases had been identified (13 hospitalised). Only 4 were vaccinated.
Health officials suspect it's likely another 200-300 infected people are out there in the community.
Yesterday Business Insider had a fantastic interview with Lubbock Children's hospital's chief medical officer, also a pediatrician and mum of two, Dr Lara Johnson, who is in the midst of the Texas measles outbreak.
Dr Johnson: "...we've had about 16 children hospitalised. Most of them are having trouble breathing and need supplemental oxygen".
She believes they are only at the beginning of the outbreak, and expects to see a lot more patients. Her message to parents is avoid taking babies to any busy areas, and if your child is vaccinated, don't be unduly concerned, they are unlikely to catch measles - 2 doses give 97% protection.
The hospital are offering jabs to as many unvaccinated people as they can reach, because even within 3 days of exposure, vaccination can still help prevent you developing measles.
New Mexico is next to Texas, and also has a measles outbreak, although health officials believe they are unrelated. They had identified 8 cases as of 19th Feb - 4 adults and 4 children. 6 unvaccinated, with 2 adults saying they believe they were vaccinated as children.
The measles vaccine was first delivered in the USA, Canada and a few other places in 1963, and for the first 5 years some vaccinations were more effective than others. If you were vaccinated before late 1968, or weren't vaccinated as a child, it may be worth checking with your doctor to see if they recommend another go.
The UK didn't start vaccinating until 1968 with the newer vaccine (Australia 1971).
Just to spice things up a bit, China has reported 4 humans with H9N2 avian flu - 2 adults and 2 children. One developed symptoms late last year (2024 total was 18 human infections) and 3 this year. H9N2 is usually mild in humans, and spreads amongst poultry in parts of Asia.
3 poultry farms have been affected by H7N8 HPAI bird flu in Victoria, Australia. In total this affects half a million birds. As yet Australia has not detected any H5N1 infections.
HPAI H5N5 is a close relative of H5N1, and looked most worrying before H5N1 began running rampant. Sadly it didn’t actually go away, and has been reported in a Canadian backyard flock of poultry, and 2 Grey Seals in Norfolk, England.
The UK hasn't detected any animals with avian flu (any variants) since dolphins (2), otters (3), a porpoise and red fox (2) in January and February 2023.
While we are on the subject of non-avian species with HPAI H5 bird flu, add the black rat. Rodents account for 20% of the 503 species listed on the APHIS website.
This February alone HPAI H5 has been detected in US house cats, bobcats, fox, black rats and a harbour seal.
Right H5N1...
Local government officials, scientists and medical staff are not happy about the US CDCs failure to share updates on HPAI H5N1 Avian Flu - and nor are the World Health Organisation. It makes it very hard to understand the national picture, or formulate a sensible response.
An Avian Flu wastewater report which should have been published 3 weeks ago is still missing from the CDC website.
Over the last 2 weeks 3 more US human patients have tested positive for bird flu:
- A backyard poultry keeper in Wyoming - H5N1 unknown type, severely ill.
- An Ohio farm worker who had contact with deceased poultry, presumed B3.13 but still waiting on confirmation, has been discharged from hospital.
- A Nevada dairy worker infected with D1.1 from the first known cows to be infected with this variant. He has mild illness thankfully - D1.1 has caused far more severe illness in the past (Canadian teenager/Louisiana man who died).
The CDC have asked hospitals to urgently send Flu A samples for further testing - this seems to be mostly for raw milk drinkers, direct exposure to sick birds, and poultry workers. Many suspected flu patients are being asked screening questions about possible exposure on arrival at hospital.
US CDC total is 69 patients tested positive for H5N1 Avian Flu. 64 detected through "targeted surveillance" (known or suspected contact with infected birds or animals) and 5 caught through national flu surveillance.
It has been a very bad month for US poultry. According to the latest available CDC data, in the last 30 days alone, 104 commercial and 53 backyard flocks have been confirmed infected. This has affected 23.51 MILLION birds. The situation is so bad in Ohio that county commissioners in Mercer and Darke counties have passed resolutions declaring a state of emergency due to avian flu outbreaks in poultry, allowing them to request state and federal support.
The US CDC have finally published their report on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A H5-type and vets. Back in September 2024 they tested 150 bovine veterinary practitioners (cow vets) and found 3 "had evidence of recent infection with HPAI A(H5) virus, including two without exposures to animals with known or suspected HPAI A(H5) virus infections and one who did not practice in a U.S. state with known HPAI A(H5) virus–infected cattle".
The findings suggest that we really have no idea what the heck is going on with bird flu, including how many humans have caught it from asymptomatic animals, poo dust, milk etc. Wild birds love farms, barns, grain and manure. It's totally possible to catch bird flu from bird droppings on a farm where cattle in the entire state test negative, likewise it's totally possible for cows to be asymptomatic and plausible you could miss an infected herd. Many states have only recently begun random bulk testing of milk. Texas, Wisconsin and Idaho still aren't testing and it seems likely Texas will refuse testing at all.
Just to mention, there's no surveillance at all in beef cattle...
Talking of bulk milk testing...
Up until 2 weeks ago it was likely the entire US dairy cow bird flu outbreak (detected March 2024, likely occurred late 2023) was caused by 1 single bird infecting 1 single cow with HPAI H5N1 strain B3.13 (a 'spillover').
Then last week it was confirmed Nevada cows had HPAI H5N1 strain D1.1 (2nd bird flu spillover), and this week an entirely separate spillover of D1.1 has been confirmed from wild birds to cows in Arizona. It was discovered through the USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS).
Now obviously this could just be coincidence, and we may not see another until next year, or ever... but it's not giving people much confidence...
Mathematical modelling of the true number of US dairy cattle herds which have been infected with bird flu, made when the officially reported number was 720, suggests that the true total figure is more likely 3,977 (in the range 629-14,717), out of a total 35,974.
Cows very often don't have visible symptoms, except maybe a drop in milk production, and fatality rate is around 2%. Without testing, sickly calves or farm cats (who don't fare well at all), it is easy to see how infections could be missed.
Latest APHIS data shows a total of 973 infected herds across 17 states (32 newly reported across 3 states in the last 30 days).
Bird flu really is having a devastating affect as migratory birds arrive and cross the USA. We knew this was coming because over the last few weeks we've had horrific reports from Antarctica - where many migratory birds travel before heading for the USA. Teams there have said it is far worse than previous years. A Spanish expedition found HPAI H5N1 ‘in all animal species detected at each site’. they visited 6 islands in the north of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Among US reports in the last 2 weeks:
- Indiana has declared bird flu the biggest animal health emergency in history. They are currently seeing a mass die off of Sandhill Cranes.
- Before reaching Indiana the Sandhill Cranes were in Tennessee, where there were also masses of dead birds.
- 10 Kentucky counties have collected infected birds. Among them waterfowl and wading birds, including snow geese, Canada geese and Sandhill Cranes
- Over 100 wild dead birds discovered in parks within a month in New Jersey.
- As many as 25,000 grebes have been killed by bird flu within Great Salt Lake, Utah
- Great-horned owls, bald eagles and red-tailed hawks are dying in increasing numbers in Minnesota
The US CDC are on a roll, and have also finally published the delayed report into cats and household transmission of bird flu.
2 indoor cats from different dairy worker households, with no known direct exposure, developed Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus, clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype B3.13 - the usual dairy cattle bird flu. Both dairy workers refused testing and DID NOT work at farms with confirmed cases in cattle.
Cat 1 - euthanised on day 4 when unable to lift head or walk. Another cat became ill and recovered by day 11, owner refused testing. A 3rd cat was well and tested negative on day 11. The cats had no access to work clothes or raw milk.
3 household members tested negative but given antivirals. The dairy worker had a bad stomach for 24 hours before the cat became ill, and a household member had symptoms by day 6, which were attributed to allergies.
Cat 2 - died within 24 hours. Cat had access to work clothes, which it liked to roll in. A second cat did not, did not become ill and tested negative.
Owner refused antivirals or testing despite 'eye irritation' due to "fear of losing employment".
Result - The authors suggest that given the potential for fomite (surfaces) contamination, farmworkers remove clothing and footwear and rinse off residue (including milk and feces) before entering households.
No veterinary staff tested positive, but in states with confirmed HPAI H5N1, vets should ask about household jobs, test for Flu A and consider wearing PPE when treating companion cats with respiratory or neurologic illness.
It isn't only US cats who catch bird flu. Cats have tested positive in Bhopal, India, and in response the district administration has imposed a ban on the sale and consumption of chicken and mutton within a 1km (0.6m) radius of the affected houses. Restaurants have been ordered to only serve vegetarian food, and it is prohibited to bring chicken meat into the area. A 10km (6m) surveillance zone has been imposed.
While we are talking about domestic cats, there has been a 3rd recall of raw US cat food after cat deaths. Just stop feeding your cats raw food. Vets agree there is no nutritional benefit to raw cat food, and it's really not worth it.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has purchased 500,000 doses of human H5N1 Avian Flu vaccine to protect those most at risk from exposure to infected animals. According to CBC Canada:
"The agency said it secured the initial supply of GSK's Arepanrix H5N1 A/America vaccine by leveraging an existing agreement."
300,000 doses will be distributed to.provinces and territories, who will make their own decision on whether/when to deploy, and 200,000 doses will go into the national stockpile.
Canadian public health have issued guidance for who should probably/possibly be vaccinated, including lab workers dealing with live virus, those with ongoing contact with infected animals or birds, and potentially people living or working on farms with outbreaks.
Canada randomly test their milk, and to date have still found no traces of any H5 Avian Flu.
The US have stockpiled human H5N1 bird flu vaccinations. Last Summer they had around 4.8m doses, and in October announced funding of $72m for another 5m doses.
In July 2024 Moderna was awarded $176m to work on mRNA vaccinations, and in the last week of Joe Biden's presidency Moderna were given another $590 million to develop mRNA vaccines against influenza, including advancing the company's bird flu vaccine. Another $211 million was given to a consortium of private and public laboratories to develop mRNA vaccines against 'emerging bio-threats'.
Any current H5N1 flu vaccine will almost certainly be based on B1.13 (moo flu, the strain affecting dairy cows since early last year) but should help against D1.1 (the strain which has recently infected Nevada cattle), preventing most severe illness and death.
As a reminder, the UK secured an order for 5 million doses of human H5 flu vaccines last December.
Beginning in August 2024 Finland used up a stockpile of 20,000 short-dated human H5 avian flu vaccines. It required 2 doses, so up to 10,000 people identified as being at-risk (e.g. mink farmers) have already been vaccinated. The jab was based on H5N8, and is unlikely to match exactly an avian flu which manages human to human transmission, but it should still offer some protection and lower the chances of serious illness.
We are expecting the announcement of a grand plan to control US bird flu. Trump said Americans would pay less for eggs, and it seems he's determined to make that happen. He's complained relentlessly about Biden's government culling of entire flocks of avian flu affected birds, and says it isn't the best way to handle outbreaks. That's funny, because that legislation was introduced in 2017 before when erm... Trump was president... Anyway, I digress. Smart perimeters, biosecurity and medication have all been mentioned.
We have bird flu vaccinations for chickens, so why aren't we using them?
The scientific community is divided. There's a saying that "what doesn't kill you mutates and tries again", and with flu that's very true. Any mutations risk being more easily passed to humans, or more severe, and with billions of potential hosts and a flu you can't contain or control, that's a bad thing. The wind can carry bird flu contaminated poo dust, you don't even need birds, cows or rodents to spread it.
France have been vaccinating some of their poultry since 2023, and feel it's been successful - production has recovered, but it comes with a cost, and a risk, and it won't give any bird immunity for life because the flu mutates so quickly. There is also the chance vaccinated birds may still be infected without showing symptoms.
The US and Canada haven't always been happy with poultry receiving bird flu vaccinations. They banned imports of some French poultry products, however that ban has now been lifted by both countries.
The US has just approved a poultry vaccination, so it seems plausible this will feature in Trump's grand plan to control bird flu.
Fingers crossed for what happens next.
There is an outbreak of Guillain-Barre Syndrome in Pune, India. Over 207 suspected and confirmed cases have been reported over the past month. At least 6 people have died.
It has been linked to water contaminated with Campylobacter Jejuni bacteria, but even so is very unusual, and questions are being asked as to whether there is more going on. Water sampling found C. Jejuni bacteria, as well as coliform, E. coli and Norovirus.
Water supplied have been cleaned and poultry farmers advised on hygiene measures.
The USA has reported it's 3rd case of Clade 1 mpox in a New Hampshire traveller recently returned from Eastern Africa.
On 12th February Republic Of Ireland reported their first detected case in a person recently returned from DRC.
14 countries have now reported imported cases, with household or close contact transmission in 5, but as yet no wider community spread.
Clade 1 mpox is more severe (fatality rate 3-10%) than Clade 2 (which caused the outbreak in 2022).
The US Government have 160m stockpiled COVID tests and don't know what to do with them. Storage and distribution are expensive, but so is destroying them, and they're weighing up what to do. Tests are available free of charge to Americans by mail for now, while a decision is made (but if you don't test, you don't have cases, and that's the Trump way). The cache is worth around half a billion dollars.
The ceasefire in Gaza has given WHO the opportunity to resume mass vaccinations for Polio - which has recently been detected in wastewater samples, so is still circulating among the population.
They hoped to vaccinate 591,000 children under 10 between 22nd and 26th February, including 7,000 who missed out due to unsafe conditions last year. A final round of vaccinations is planned for April.
We do have good news for US egg prices. The US has come to an arrangement with Turkiye (prev. Turkey), who have begun shipment of a total of 15,000 tons of eggs by July.
More good news. Uganda has discharged their last Sudan Virus Ebola patient, with only 1 fatality from 9 patients - an excellent outcome with Ebola.
At minimum 265 close contacts were identified, and 90 have completed their quarantine period without developing the disease. Fingers crossed, and a fantastic result by the incredibly swift-moving health authorities.
More good news - you made it to the end! Sorry for another 7,000 word essay, but it would be remiss to leave things out just because they didn't fit (although I have to on Facebook). It is the weekend and you deserve your treat - don't forget to spoil yourself, you have earned it. Do something for YOU, make yourself smile instead of focussing on everyone else. The world can be a scary place, we need to be able to step aside for a moment and remember the good...
I'll be back in 2 weeks, until then... Wash Your Hands Properly! Enjoy The Outdoors. Save The NHS...
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Reference pages H5N1
https://www.paho.org/en/topics/avian-influenza
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england
Infectious disease tracker
https://promedmail.org/
Bird flu updates and news
https://www.birdflualerts.com/
Avian influenza virus type A (H5N1) in U.S. dairy cattle | American Veterinary Medical Association
Fantastic overview page full of information and kept up to date
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-health/avian-influenza/avian-influenza-virus-type-h5n1-us-dairy-cattle
Sources
Images
Image Starmer fixing the NHS
2 million more NHS appointments delivered image
Image measles WHO
With image NHS delivered
Norovirus wash your hands image
Image High blood pressure
Image Heart Attack
Image good physician who doesn't vaccinate
Text sources:
2 million more NHS appointments delivered
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-two-million-extra-nhs-appointments-delivered-early-as-trusts-handed-40-million-to-go-further-and-faster
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4z4vw3p1do
Thursday 13th Week 1
Quote
https://x.com/BBCHughPym/status/1889991042612797537?t=Px1NVrgfxUPGoca_ohmN1A&s=09
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/
Amanda pritchard quote private money NHS
https://x.com/BBCHughPym/status/1889958621993459755?t=Ve2tP1_NzhzDTTwelqi3bw&s=09
UK Norovirus
Norovirus keeps going up. Week 1 Thursday
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1890081336926564848?t=R-47VSTXNYcCEIf3oVmAeA&s=19
Rise in norovirus cases in local hospitals prompts NHS to urge people to treat the winter vomiting bug at home. - Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System
https://www.midandsouthessex.ics.nhs.uk/news/rise-in-norovirus-cases-in-local-hospitals-prompts-nhs-to-urge-people-to-treat-the-winter-vomiting-bug-at-home/
UK Norovirus week 2
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-norovirus-and-rotavirus-surveillance-reports-2024-to-2025-season/national-norovirus-and-rotavirus-report-week-8-report-data-up-to-week-6-9-february-2025?s=09
Taiwan Norovirus
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6038241
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/tE9V74bNOj
Funding freeze NIH finding Judge orders it can continue until 21st Feb.
Not clear it's as easy as turning a spigot back on, if the infrastructure is being dismantled. By @DrewQJoseph
https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/07/trump-usaid-malaria-tuberculosis-funding-restored-waiver-granted-foreign-aid-freeze/
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1887986355608895773?t=gmdXowf5cFEEklKmUWilDw&s=09
USDA freezes farmer funding for some programs, conservation contracts
https://www.yahoo.com/news/usda-freezes-farmer-funding-programs-005520018.html
NIH funding goes to court
https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/10/nih-indirect-costs-lawsuit-state-attorneys-general-sue-to-block-research-spending-cuts/?utm_campaign=breaking_news&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_xpxq6SF-nB1st-1rSggqcqOQ-mxb8mB_hAJjFgI9J6hffzWrjbm9fViqGnHVTsfo1SeLPTDjdvE3JotxpOVUxGls2EA&_hsmi=346678174&utm_content=346678174&utm_source=hs_email
Thailand flu outbreak
https://promedmail.org/promed-post/?id=8722254
US and Canada flu
This Year Influenza Came Back to Remind Us It's Not Messing Around
https://blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observations/index.php/this-year-influenza-came-back-to-remind-us-its-not-messing-around/2025/02/14/
US Flu outbreak - now "very severe" Sat 15th Feb
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1890628102885462042?t=4CqryZcwvs8bwowQaXym2g&s=09
US more flu deaths than COVID
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flu-deaths-surpass-covid-for-first-time-since-pandemic-started/
Massive flu positivity in testing USA beginning of week 1
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-general/us-sees-no-let-rising-flu-activity?fbclid=IwY2xjawITZZZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSbeo_XCtSjZC5xBbvdDaiKp4pdkJQLqDpbCqM29_zjs9vBtLj4GSXHbSw_aem_qzfEwFzeGQmePX1Y3TOGGg
Morgues overflowing USA
https://www.threads.net/@the_dead_letter/post/DF_tnTjo6iX?xmt=AQGzgUjeboahgymFFgnDD24lM1jrRXMqRBZLgFnAUMxJfw
America overwhelmed by respiratory illness
Las Vegas
https://www.reddit.com/r/vegaslocals/s/Pwm389OFQh
Boston
https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/s/yTSlzXiJfN
Oklahoma
https://www.reddit.com/r/HermanCainAward/s/QYEdE3MFJb
Weekly flu 8th Feb
https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2025-week-06.html
Tons of flu in Canada too
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/HD2FvAeOzL
Ontario flu ERs filling up no peak yet - late wave, immunity from jabs waning
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/02/12/ontario-ers-hit-hard-by-intense-flu-season/
UK HIV testing
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-ramps-up-efforts-to-end-hiv-transmissions-in-england
You can order a free, quick and easy HIV test now at startswithme.org.uk
https://x.com/THTorguk/status/1888858329205608674?t=2csgobNEqFozWq9vMfV3zQ&s=09
HIV testing image
https://x.com/DHSCgovuk/status/1889296508043853906?t=5fPFdK4LH-M8JxQttfDE2A&s=09
CDC website restored
https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/flu-breaking-records-measles-tuna
https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/trans.htm
DRC unknown illness update 19th Feb
https://bsky.app/profile/alexandraphelan.bsky.social/post/3liklz3p6cs2x
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/africa/emerging-diseases-other-health-threats-ah/1006020-drc-equateur-more-than-10-cases-including-8-deaths-of-unidentified-hemorrhagic-fever-in-bolomba-tested-negative-for-ebola
https://english.news.cn/20250219/ac319ecb8e724480bbc60e8fe8ae1c79/c.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590170225000020
DRC WHO update 21st Feb
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/380529/OEW7-1016022025.pdf
Wednesday 12th Feb
press statement issued by Senator Jean-Paul Boketsu Bofili of the Equateur province.
An unknown disease has killed more than 50 people in the territory of Bansakusu in a few weeks.
"To date, there are more than 36 cases of death reported by the Basankusu health zone in one week, the period from February 3 to 9 in progress and more than 50 deaths since the outbreak of the disease a few weeks before, in this locality which has only about 5,000 inhabitants," he reports.
He added that more than 2,000 people have already fled their villages to seek refuge in the town of Basankusu and the surrounding villages.
According to him, it is a "serious health and humanitarian drama, which exceeds the capacity of local administrative authorities and the health system" who are overwhelmed and without the means to deal with it.
https://www.radiookapi.net/2025/02/13/actualite/sante/equateur-plus-de-50-morts-dues-une-maladie-inconnue-en-quelques-semaines
Posted on Jan. 27, 2025 at 7:47 pm
More than 10 suspected cases of Ebola including 8 deaths reported in the Bolomba health zone
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/africa/ebola-tracking-dem-republic-of-congo/1006020-drc-equateur-unidentified-hemorrhagic-fevers-in-bolomba-and-basankusu
https://www.msf.org/democratic-republic-congo-drc
RFK Jr HHS secretary
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/rfk-jr-confirmed-health-secretary-senate-rcna190839
https://x.com/outbreakupdates/status/1890079459379933492?t=2xLOm-eKqgOqZQZposWR-w&s=09
RFK Jr says panel will examine childhood vaccine schedule after promising not to change it
https://apnews.com/article/childhood-vaccines-schedule-kennedy-trump-hhs-4d5e6c52c602f5edbcd837748605e9d0
Louisiana stops promoting vaccines
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/louisiana-vaccines-rfk-jr-ralph-abraham-b2698500.html
HHS has ordered CDC to halt some vaccine ads - going instead for "informed consent"https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/20/cdc-vaccine-promotions-rfk-jr-informed-consent/?utm_campaign=breaking_news&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--zea6KdvViQv4rElfR_n3Ewx-9M3QBpCE7vKJdpYluSqqbZK_5htFYqRzE49b7I_TpGMu0C_5wpbSkCz5o38Tyk27Y4A&_hsmi=348281919&utm_content=348281919&utm_source=hs_email
https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/19/nx-s1-5302906/cdc-flu-vaccine-campaign-terminated
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/hhs-cdc-donald-trump-atlanta-fda-b2701857.html
Trump mass firings includes CDC National Park Service etc
USDA accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is now trying to rehire them
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/usda-accidentally-fired-officials-bird-flu-rehire-rcna192716
Scientists overseeing bird.flu laid off
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/02/16/bird-flu-scientists-laid-off/6871739747941/
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/16/trump-administration-firings-bird-flu-response-00204542
https://thehill.com/homenews/5154415-trump-moves-hamper-bird-flu-response-as-egg-prices-spike/
Trump mass firings
https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/14/firings-federal-health-agencies-cdc-nih-tips/
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1890473937475141805?t=Las02_1bfqi4F33_JUVaXQ&s=09
https://x.com/arghavan_salles/status/1890495302458626554?t=w7hxwlGjr2fMC31U38pE2A&s=19
Trump just fired USAID Inspector General Paul Martin
https://x.com/Last_DayWithYou/status/1889471059633594525?t=vG8_pLFOr7AH70uTGtbm8Q&s=19
Valentine's Day Massacre - although it extended into Saturday and Sunday.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/16/mass-firings-health-agencies-00204570
Trumps federal firings imperil services
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/02/14/federal-employee-firings-effects-trump-doge
Rehiring nuclear workers
https://x.com/AnonymousUK2022/status/1891194401323618736?t=udhKZzhOdcmbH_d6D70PUg&s=09
Epidemic Intelligence Service
https://x.com/Craig_A_Spencer/status/1890551054644715967?t=kEto4kNf-CdhtzsD0GK-cA&s=09
https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html
Managers at the CDC were told to rank 10 percent of their probationary staff as mission-critical, 50 percent as important and 40 percent as not mission-critical
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-health-workers-cdc-fda-executive-order-b2694212.html
Trump White House Preparing Executive Order to Cut Thousands of Federal Health Workers - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/white-house-preparing-order-to-cut-thousands-of-federal-health-workers-bd1e0b7f?mod=hp_lead_pos1
This is Luke Farritor. He is the 23 year old
https://www.threads.net/@meidas_societyschild/post/DGOitE9ySjd?xmt=AQGzVzmWh12w-oOTOgUGLGU4JE6RmgcHaf5PdiM-dU-0qg
COVID vaccination mandates stopped
Executive Order 14184—Reinstating Service Members Discharged Under the Military's COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-14184-reinstating-service-members-discharged-under-the-militarys-covid-19
Covid vaccination mandates prohibited in schools
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/keeping-education-accessible-and-ending-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-in-schools/
Immunocompromised INFORM study
https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(25)00026-X/fulltext
People vaccinated Measles 1963-1968
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/measles-vaccine-adults-who-were-vaccinated-in-the-1960s-may-need-a-measles-booster/
Ontario measles outbreak 48 cases 1 hospitalised
https://hnhu.org/health-topic/infectious-diseases/list/measles/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/measles-hamilton-grand-erie-public-health-1.7460800
https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/M/24/measles-ontario-epi-summary.pdf?rev=da3ffec26cc0471f83ed9de3ca356e1c&sc_lang=en
https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/four-more-measles-cases-confirmed-in-norfolk-county-and-brant-county/
Texas measles outbreak
Lubbock measles paediatrician
https://www.businessinsider.com/pediatrician-working-in-the-middle-of-texass-measles-outbreak-2025-2
18th Feb
3 weeks since outbreak began, 58 cases, 4 cases vaccinated, 13 hospitalised.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/18/health/texas-measles-outbreak/index.html
Texas measles doubles 48 cases Friday 14th week 1
Friday 14th week 1
Measles outbreak in Texas doubles to 48 cases, and 3 more in New Mexico, making it the region's biggest outbreak since 1996
49 confirmed cases, 200-300 suspected
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna192163
Measles outbreak in Texas week 2 15th Feb
https://x.com/BNOFeed/status/1890586010314043597?t=5eboSjOzO1mby0XueYuHdg&s=09
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/texas-measles-outbreak-doubles-48-cases
Weds 12th Feb week 2
Texas rises to 24 cases and 1 in neighbouring New Mexico
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/measles-outbreak-texas-rises-24-cases-new-mexico-reports-illness
7th Feb 2025 week 1
Texas DSHS health alert warning of an outbreak of measles in Gaines County - at least 10 cases with symptoms within the last two weeks.
Eight school-aged children and two cases are under age 5, 7 patients have been hospitalized.
https://www.newsweek.com/texas-measles-cases-hit-double-digits-outbreak-raises-alarm-2028348
New Mexico Measles 19th Feb
https://www.kob.com/news/top-news/eight-measles-cases-now-reported-in-one-new-mexico-county/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/dw9V74kAZY
H9N2 China
2 more H9N2 cases ill in China
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/h9n2-avian-flu-sickens-2-adults-china
https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/2025_avian_influenza_report_vol21_wk07.pdf
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/h9n2-avian-flu-infects-2-more-china
China Reports H9N2 (LOW PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA).Bird Flu Infecting Two Children in Hunan Province, Including 2-Year-Old with Symptoms Starting December 27, 2024, and 15-Year-Old Boy on January 8, 2025.
https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/2025_avian_influenza_report_vol21_wk06.pdf
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/china-h5n1-h5n8-h5n6-h5n3-h5n2-h10n8-outbreak-tracking/1007342-china-h9n2-in-a-2yr-old-15-yr-old-in-hunan-province
3 farms affected bird flu in Australia
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-20/bird-flu-detected-third-farm-euroa-victoria/104962412
https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/5zLOW8aiW1
Bird flu in Australia
https://www.news.com.au/national/strathbogie-victoria-new-detection-of-bird-flu-at-farm-in-northern-victoria/news-story/d399a0bfa37c1b5469eb50d56ebc6083
https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2025/02/australia-victoria-reports-new-outbreak.html
https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/animal-diseases/poultry-diseases/avian-influenza-bird-flu
H5N5 on Canadian backyard farm and 2 UK Seals
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/h5n5-avian-flu-detected-canadian-poultry-flock-uk-seals
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bird-flu-avian-influenza-findings-in-non-avian-wildlife/confirmed-findings-of-influenza-of-avian-origin-in-non-avian-wildlife
Canada reports outbreak of H5N5 bird flu on backyard farm - related to the H5N1
https://archive.ph/QXYWS
https://archive.ph/ZSXLR
Black rats can get H5N1- added to USDA list
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/mammals
https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2025/02/usda-adds-new-species-black-rats-to.html
H5N1
Bird flu in humans USA
Wednesday human H5N1 update Wyoming confirmed still in hospital, Ohio still probable
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html?cove-tab=0
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1892309425828093971?t=X6WdSPyTinijokh5ccmt_g&s=09
US Humans with bird flu Ohio man recovered and discharged from hospital
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-bird-flu-hospitalizations-rise-ohio-discloses-case/
Asked screening questions about livestock
https://www.reddit.com/r/BirdFluPreps/s/sk73CsNzJd
Scientists and medics unhappy about failure to share updates
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/cdc-data-analyses-missing-mmwr-bird-flu-seasonal-influenza/
UK raise threat level July 2024
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a0ff6dfc8e12ac3edb03e4/AH5N1-risk-assessment-july-2024.pdf
First human case in Ohio farm worker deceased poultry
https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/GNd8HOaKVp
Ohio 1st human bird flu
https://x.com/BNOFeed/status/1889818872339161390?t=V8qzFd_1TwOYnEUuS63qrw&s=09
Wyoming bird flu adult female hospitalised severe illness
Can't get link to work
https://health.wyo.gov/wyomings-first-human-bird-flu-case-confirmed/
https://x.com/BNOFeed/status/1890554700321247252?t=02wX1DTOElrQgNs9d4k6_g&s=19
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1890614680399319504?t=CGYWXiq6KFspCc5HKLK-Xg&s=09
Since that time, 67 people have been infected with H5N1 bird flu. In 63 of those cases, workers picked up the virus while working with infected animals; 40 got it working with dairy cattle, 23 with infected poultry. In three cases, the source of exposure was not determined. And in one case, a person got it from handling sick and or dead birds in a backyard flock. That person died.
H5N1 D1.1 in poultry is a game changer
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-176-responding-shock-awe-and-censorship
https://archive.ph/sHTbv
Nevada bird flu person
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-02-09/new-h5n1-variant-found-in-nevada-dairy-worker-as-new-data-shows-changes-in-virus?utm_source=reddit.com
https://news3lv.com/news/local/nevada-confirms-first-human-case-of-h5n1-avian-flu-in-churchill-county
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-02-09/new-h5n1-variant-found-in-nevada-dairy-worker-as-new-data-shows-changes-in-virus?utm_source=reddit.com
Nevada human H5N1 press release health authority
https://www.centralnevadahd.org/community-alerts-2/
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/nevada-reports-h5n1-dairy-worker-usda-fleshes-out-d11-sequencing-affected-herds
Nevada human bird flu dairy worker
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/nevada-confirms-states-first-human-case-bird-flu-dairy-worker-2025-02-10/
Nevada first human H5N1 confirmed
https://news3lv.com/news/local/nevada-confirms-first-human-case-of-h5n1-avian-flu-in-churchill-county
My hospital sent out instructions on how to test but it’s only for people who have flu A and are raw milk drinkers, direct exposure to sick birds, and poultry workers. So definitely got my attention but there’s no indication they think it’s spreading human to human.
I went to the walk-in clinic last week and they recently added questions of exposure to avian flu during intake
https://www.reddit.com/r/BirdFluPreps/s/yigBvmATgV
https://www.reddit.com/r/BirdFluPreps/s/miAoBItVWt
Poultry infections USA State of emergency in Ohio
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/michigan-cats-may-have-caught-h5n1-dairy-workers-ohio-counties-declare
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/commercial-backyard-flocks
CDC finds avian flu antibodies in 3 vets working with cows.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7404a2.htm
https://archive.is/Ebeyu
3 veterinarians had recent H5N1 infections but didn't know they had been exposed
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/cdc-3-veterinarians-had-recent-h5n1-infections-didnt-know-they-had-been
H5N1 Poo dust
https://archive.is/YZO6D
Bird flu cattle Texas refuse to test
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/push-detect-virus-milk-supply-testing-bird-flu-cows-rcna188612
Nevada bird flu cows H5N1 D1.1
https://www.2news.com/news/bird-flu-affects-50-000-cows-in-the-state-of-nevada/article_1f968332-e4f5-11ef-a8d6-6797aa597922.html
still haven't, and Texas refuses.
Arizona spillover 3 APHIS
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/program-update/aphis-identifies-third-hpai-spillover-dairy-cattle?s=09
Important to note the 1st spillover was detected in March 2024 (and occurred in Nov-Dec 2023). The 2nd & 3rd were detected today & last week. Will we find another next week?
https://x.com/angie_rasmussen/status/1890651552802541796?t=h-6V3791_s--yIpcaSjLHA&s=09
Arizona bird flu in cattle is 3rd spillover from wild birds
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1890637090100027896?t=Fg7_L9ZxglkollZ1ymm87g&s=09
https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/14/arizona-bird-flu-h5n1-dairy-cows-spillover
Likely true numbers of cattle herds infected with bird flu
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.28.25321250v1.full.pdf
https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/S8AZjYme7r
Antarctica
El Pais Avian flu in antarctica
https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-02-14/worst-avian-flu-crisis-ever-recorded-spreads-across-antarctica.html
Bird flu Antarctic region - migratory routes heading for America
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51490-8?fbclid=IwY2xjawIfmbpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdDVJykoswTh-fnLqokYstxZaVmRi-JaLpidTIsMebn6TGgO4uYOWEihKQ_aem_Fw0NkKudfxOOtPhdQc_AHA
Bird flu in birds USA.
Indiana has declared bird flu the biggest animal health emergency in history
https://www.wdrb.com/news/indiana-declares-bird-flu-the-biggest-animal-health-emergency-in-history/article_dc062106-ee61-11ef-bee8-3302c09eac6f.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/DdtqYH8xiP
As many as 25,000 grebes killed by bird flu within Great Salt Lake, Utah officials say
https://www.ksl.com/article/51249180/as-many-as-25000-grebes-killed-by-bird-flu-within-great-salt-lake-utah-officials-say
10 Kentucky counties
https://eu.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2025/02/06/bird-flu-in-louisville-jefferson-county-geese-infected-as-cases-surge/78259459007/
https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/k4uermkftX
50 wild birds reported infected and poultry farms across 7 states USA weekly CIDRAP
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/avian-flu-strikes-more-poultry-flocks-7-states-and-more-cats
25,000 Grebe killed park stays closed
New Jersey https://www.nj.com/monmouth/2025/02/nj-park-to-remain-closed-after-avian-flu-is-suspected-in-geese-deaths.html
Illinois officials prepare to respond to possible human bird flu cases as virus spreads in animals
https://abc7chicago.com/post/bird-flu-2025-illinois-officials-prepare-respond-possible-humans-spreads-animals-impacts-egg-prices/15891327/
Madison County New York bird flu backyard flock
https://www.newyorkupstate.com/news/2025/02/central-ny-bird-from-backyard-flock-tests-positive-for-avian-flu.html?utm_campaign=newyorkupstate_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0swFFdDDmMTFMD-GXqaOLfvPWWmtXzTNF06tno4AsrMmin_A-nybQAZnw_aem_YMse-4Kfr5ft1t0wVGf3-g
Great-horned owls, bald eagles and red-tailed hawks are dying in increasing numbers in Minnesota
https://www.startribune.com/more-eagles-owls-dying-of-bird-flu-as-persistent-outbreak-circulates-in-minnesota/601225500
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infection of Indoor Domestic Cats Within Dairy Industry Worker Households — Michigan, May 2024
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7405a2.htm
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/jafWZUdwDZ
Cats in India
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/chhindwara-bans-meat-sales-after-cat-samples-test-positive-for-h5n1/articleshow/118155020.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
3rd cat food recall due to H5N1 - human grade raw meat
https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=42075
https://www.oregon.gov/oda/animal-health-feeds-livestock-id/animal-diseases/avian-influenza/Pages/default.aspx
Canada has purchased 500,000 doses of human H5N1 Avian Flu vaccine
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/h5n1-vaccine-canada-1.7462802
Guidance Canada H5N1 vaccinations
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/vaccines-immunization/national-advisory-committee-immunization-statement-rapid-response-preliminary-guidance-human-vaccination-avian-influenza-non-pandemic-december-2024.html#a9.1
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1892360342446977358?t=mzrZ1JEOlKDToAJGtlQYQA&s=09
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2025/02/government-of-canada-purchases-avian-influenza-vaccine-to-protect-individuals-most-at-risk.html
Canada test dairy cattle randomly
https://inspection.canada.ca/en/animal-health/terrestrial-animals/diseases/reportable/avian-influenza/latest-bird-flu-situation/hpai-livestock/milk-sampling-and-testing
US bird flu human vaccinations
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/02/18/bird-flu-spread-vaccine/78612616007/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/em5r4tJUX6
https://www.philstar.com/world/2025/01/18/2415157/us-health-dept-providing-moderna-590-mn-speed-mrna-bird-flu-vaccine
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-secures-h5-influenza-vaccine-to-boost-pandemic-preparedness
Finland: Avian influenza vaccinations for at-risk populations
https://www.poultrymed.com/Templates/showpage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=178&FID=9025&PID=0&IID=90247
Vaccinating poultry against bird flu
Trump preparing a plan to stop culling chickens
https://farmpolicynews.illinois.edu/2025/02/trump-admin-shifting-away-from-depopulation-for-bird-flu/
White House plan for bird flu incoming
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/bird-flu-outbreaks-donald-trump-b2699601.html
US approves vaccines
https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-conditionally-approves-vaccine-protect-poultry-avian-flu
French vaccination chickens
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/french-bird-flu-vaccine-campaign-helps-poultry-output-recover-producers-say-2025-02-18/?utm_source=reddit.com
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/18/health/wind-bird-flu-spread-study/index.html
Uk farmers ask for vaccinations
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6g6q890z8o
US and Canada lift ban on vaccinated French poultry
https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20250121-france-can-resume-poultry-exports-to-us-canada-after-bird-flu-ban-lifted
Gillaine Barre in Pune, India
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-10/paralyzing-disorder-gbs-spreads-in-india-s-pune-in-rare-outbreak
Pune testing results
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/guillain-barre-syndrome-cases-rise-to-207-pune-health-dept-data-hints-at-c-jejuni-bacteria-as-major-trigger-for-outbreak-9836812/
USA 3rd case Mpox Clade 1
Countries reporting Clade 1 Mpox
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/clade-i-mpox-affected-countries
USA 3rd case
New Hampshire is in a person in Merrimack County who recently traveled to eastern Africa, health offici
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/mpox-new-hampshire-2025/3626581/
The US Government have 160m COVID tests and don't know what to do with them.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/02/18/trump-administration-covid-tests-stockpile/?utm_source=reddit.com
Will continue to offer COVID tests by mail for now
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/hhs-maintain-free-home-covid-tests-mail-now
Mass polio vaccination campaign to continue in the Gaza Strip
https://www.who.int/news/item/19-02-2025-mass-polio-vaccination-campaign-to-continue-in-the-gaza-strip?s=09
Egg prices US Turkiye
https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/02/20/why-is-turkey-sending-thousands-of-tonnes-of-eggs-to-us-buyers
Ebola Uganda
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1891931154044916131?t=fALebVJ4OMNBIf9J72CHIw&s=19
https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/18/uganda-ebola-outbreak-last-patients-discharged/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c05mjdgd16po
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/2/10/uganda-battles-new-ebola-outbreak-and-a-vaccine-hesitancy-crisis?s=09.
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1888965928936784088?t=5ERDQL2PYS7QSGBPoDMsRw&s=09
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/2/10/uganda-battles-new-ebola-outbreak-and-a-vaccine-hesitancy-crisis?s=09
H5N1 (D1.1 wild bird / severe human and B3.13 dairy cows / mild human)
-------------------
Press freedom Gulf Of America AP
https://x.com/volcaholic1/status/1889427546430738524?t=dDvztso1duAN1tAvo6nb3Q&s=09
Doge locked out
A U.S. court has restricted the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the federal payment processing system. The decision follows a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 19 states.
https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/1888516652989563075?s=09
Four IT professionals lay out just how destructive Elon Musk’s incursion into the U.S. government could be
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/02/elon-musk-doge-security/681600/?gift=bQgJMMVzeo8RHHcE1_KM0bQqBafgZ_W6mgfrvf8YevM&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share&s=09
"America provides way too much funding to the UN and associated entities" Elon Musk quote.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1888973842187501703?t=qXSzV9mzv44wWxJJwvgAgA&s=09
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