Bird Flu, MonkeyPox or the next Potential Pandemic Thread

[China]

Russia Reports First Cases of H5N8 Bird Flu in Humans

 

Russia said it found the world’s first cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza in humans though the virus isn’t yet spreading between people.

 

Authorities have sent information on the seven cases detected in workers at a poultry farm in southern Russia to the World Health Organization, Anna Popova, the country’s public-health chief, said in televised comments on Saturday.

 

“It is not transmitted from person to person. But only time will tell how soon future mutations will allow it to overcome this barrier,” she said. The discovery of this strain now “gives us all, the whole world, time to prepare for possible mutations and the possibility to react in a timely way and develop test systems and vaccines.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

Edited July 8, 2022 by China

[China]

Russians infected with crossover flu virus suggests possibility of another pandemic

 

Two virus researchers in China are recommending security measures after seven Russian farm workers became infected with a crossover flu virus last year. In their Perspectives piece published in the journal Science, Weifeng Shi and George Gao, both of whom are affiliated with multiple institutions in China, suggest that the makeup and history of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza virus threaten the possibility of another pandemic.

 

As Shi and Gao note, the new strain of influenza virus was first discovered in a duck in China back in 2010. By 2014, outbreaks had been seen in Japan and South Korea in both domestic and wild birds. And by 2016, it had been found in birds in India, Russia Mongolia, the U.S. and parts of Europe. By 2020, outbreaks had been seen in 46 countries. Shi and Gao note that this history indicates that the virus is able to spread very rapidly. Even more concerning was a report of crossover infections in seven Russian farm workers this past December. The authors note that the infected workers did not have any symptoms (they were tested for safety reasons) and there was no indication that the virus was transmissible from one person to the next. But they point out, that once a crossover has been made, it generally does not take a virus long to adapt to spread to other victims—they note how quickly the virus mutated to jump from duck to duck and then to other bird species. They also note that the virus has been found to be quite lethal, with massive die-offs in multiple outbreaks. The Russian workers were tested, for example, after 101,000 hens died.

 

On a more optimistic note, Shi and Gao note that it is not too late to take preventive measures that could prevent a pandemic.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[PokerPacker]

No.  Just... ****ing no.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Excellent. Truth be told, this has been the greatest year of my life. I’m not an attractive man but I do have nice blue eyes. When I’m wearing my mask and a hat to cover the undiagnosed skin inflammation on my bald head, my only good feature is all that the ladies are seeing. I’ve never done better honestly. ****ing scientists and their goddamn vaccines…

Edited May 22, 2021 by Sacks 'n' Stuff

[Xameil]

Gotta say....

Since the pandemic, I've lost 40+ pounds, been kicking ass at work, and have had lower stress....

 

Bring it on Russia...

[China]

4 hours ago, Xameil said:

Gotta say....

Since the pandemic, I've lost 40+ pounds, been kicking ass at work, and have had lower stress....

 

Bring it on Russia...

 

[Destino]

Nope.  No more than one pandemic per generation.  Those are the rules.  

[China]

New pandemic fears as China sees spike in cases of deadly bird flu with 50% death rate

 

While the overall number of cases of H5N6 bird flu in humans remains low, the number of confirmed cases in China’s Guangxi province has risen sharply in the past few months

 

A new, deadly variant of bird flu with a 50% fatality rate has been described as as a “serious threat” by China’s Centre for Disease Control.

 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says a recent spike in the number of human cases of H5N6 bird flu in China is cause for concern and requires “increased surveillance”.

 

While only 48 people have been infected with H5N6 bird flu since the first reported case in 2014, a third of those confirmed cases were identified in China’s Guangxi province during the past 3 months alone.

 

While infection numbers so far are low, the severity of the disease is a significant worry. Half of the people who are confirmed to have caught the virus have died, and the remainder have all suffered serious illness.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[The Sisko]

On 5/23/2021 at 1:33 AM, China said:

 

Lol. We're old.

[China]

Why The World Should Be More Than A Bit Worried About India's Nipah Virus Outbreak

 

In 2018, we reported on how the southern Indian state of Kerala beat back the deadly Nipah virus. Local filmmakers and musicians even made a celebratory music video about it. Three years later, the state is faced with yet a new case of Nipah — its third outbreak since 2018 — and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Kerala, known for its palm-lined beaches on the Arabian Sea, is still reeling with a caseload of 4 million coronavirus infections since the pandemic began.

 

The Nipah virus is making news again after tragic reports that a 12-year-old boy died from the virus on Sept. 5 in Kerala's Kozhikode district. He had been admitted to a private hospital after running a high fever and showing symptoms of encephalitis — swelling of the brain.

 

While figuring out how to prevent and treat Nipah virus infection is very much a work in progress, there have been advances.

 

Nonetheless, Nipah remains a concern, not just in India but for the entire planet. The World Health Organization classifies it as a "virus of concern" for future epidemics because "each year it spills over from its animal reservoir into humans," says Dr. Stephen Luby, a professor of infectious disease at Stanford University. And when humans are infected, it can be transmitted from person to person.

 

But the virus is not as transmissible as some other viruses. "There are occasional Nipah superspreaders who infect a lot of people," says Luby. "But the average transmission rate is less than one person per infection.

 

"However, each time a person is infected, the virus is in an environment that selects for human adaptation and transmissibility. The risk is that a new strain that is more efficiently transmitted person to person could generate a devastating outbreak. Indeed, since 70% of people who are infected with Nipah virus die, such a strain could represent the worst pandemic humanity has ever faced."

 

That's why, he says, it's important to "continue to invest in strategies to reduce the risk of spillover and to develop countermeasures across a range of high-risk pathogens.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Spaceman Spiff]

Jesus ****ing Christ.

 

Well whatever, you know what?  At least we're not responsible for it.  I'm taking some sort of solace in that.  It's not like Billy Bob and Jethro down in Mississippi decided to have a three-way with a chicken and started some next level virus ****.  

[LD0506]

14 hours ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

Jesus ****ing Christ.

 

Well whatever, you know what?  At least we're not responsible for it.  I'm taking some sort of solace in that.  It's not like Billy Bob and Jethro down in Mississippi decided to have a three-way with a chicken and started some next level virus ****.  

 

Yet

[The Sisko]

15 hours ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

Jesus ****ing Christ.

 

Well whatever, you know what?  At least we're not responsible for it.  I'm taking some sort of solace in that.  It's not like Billy Bob and Jethro down in Mississippi decided to have a three-way with a chicken and started some next level virus ****.  

Yeah, they had a three way with a chicken but didn’t start some next level virus ****. Either that or they’re relying on incest instead. 

[China]

16 hours ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

Jesus ****ing Christ.

 

Well whatever, you know what?  At least we're not responsible for it.  I'm taking some sort of solace in that.  It's not like Billy Bob and Jethro down in Mississippi decided to have a three-way with a chicken and started some next level virus ****.  

 

More likely they'd have a 3-way with a pig, and we'll get the next level swine flu.

[LD0506]

5 hours ago, The Sisko said:

Yeah, they had a three way with a chicken but didn’t start some next level virus ****. Either that or they’re relying on incest instead. 

 

The chicken wuz his cuzzin

[Simmsy]

3 hours ago, LD0506 said:

 

The chicken wuz his cuzzin

Get away from my freedom!

[China]

Fast spreading bird flu puts Europe and Asia on alert

 

Several outbreaks of severe bird flu in Europe and Asia have been reported in recent days to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), in a sign the virus is spreading quickly again.

 

The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has put the poultry industry on alert after previous outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds.

 

It is attracting the attention too of epidemiologists as the virus can be transmitted to humans. China has reported 21 human infections with the H5N6 subtype of avian influenza so far this year, more than in the whole of 2020.

 

South Korea reported an outbreak at a farm of around 770,000 poultry in Chungcheongbuk-do, the OIE said on Monday, citing a report from the South Korean authorities. All animals were slaughtered.

 

Also in Asia, Japan reported its first outbreak of the 2021 winter season, at a poultry farm in the north-east of the country, the OIE said, confirming a statement last week by Japan’s agriculture ministry. The serotype in this outbreak was H5N8.

 

In Europe, Norway reported an H5N1 bird flu outbreak in the Rogaland region in a flock of 7,000 birds, the OIE said.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Rare monkeypox case reported in Maryland

 

A Maryland resident who recently returned to the country on a flight from Nigeria has tested positive for monkeypox, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. It is the second confirmed case of the rare disease in the U.S. since an outbreak infected 43 people in 2003.

 

The infected person is experiencing mild symptoms. They are not hospitalized but remain in isolation in Maryland, the Maryland Department of Health said in a press release. The CDC said lab tests confirmed the case is the same strain of the virus that has been re-emerging in Nigeria since 2017. The Nigerian strain is generally less severe, the state's health department said.

 

"Public health authorities have identified and continue to follow up with those who may have been in contact with the diagnosed individual," deputy secretary for public health at Maryland's Department of Health Dr. Jinlene Chan said in a statement. "Our response in close coordination with CDC officials demonstrates the importance of maintaining a strong public health infrastructure."

 

While the disease can spread through respiratory droplets, the CDC said the risk is low since passengers on the flight with the infected person were required to wear masks. The state health department said that no special precautions for the general public are recommended.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Massive New Bird Flu Outbreak Could Be 2022’s Deadly Pandemic

 

Israel’s National Security Council has assumed control of a massive bird flu outbreak in the Galilee, which scientists warn could become a “mass disaster” for humans.

 

Over half a billion migrating birds pass through the area every year, heading for warm African winters or balmy European summers, making this a catastrophic location for a major bird flu outbreak—right at the nexus of global avian travel.

 

The virus can be deadly if it infects people. The World Health Organization says more than half of the confirmed 863 human cases it has tracked since 2003 proved fatal. Most strains or variants of avian flu, H5N1, are relatively difficult to transmit to people.

 

Yossi Leshem, one of Israel’s most renowned ornithologists, told The Daily Beast, however, that it is the ability of these viruses to mutate into new strains that poses such a threat, as we have seen with the coronavirus.

 

“There could be a mutation that also infects people and turns into a mass disaster,” said Leshem, a zoologist at Tel Aviv University and director of the International Center for the Study of Bird Migration at Latrun.

 

So far, at least 5,400 wild cranes have died infected with the new H5N1 avian flu, which Israeli authorities fear could expand into a global emergency.

 

Of the 30,000 Eurasian cranes passing this winter at the Hula Nature Reserve, 17 percent are dead, and scientists fear the worst for their surviving brethren, at least 10,000 of which appear to be ailing. The infection of the cranes is the same strain of avian flu which infected chicken coops throughout northern Israel, and led to the cull in recent days of nearly 1 million birds.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

China reports 5 new human cases of H5N6 bird flu

 

Five more people in mainland China have tested positive for H5N6 bird flu, leaving two dead and three others seriously ill, officials say. It adds to a growing number of human cases which has led to urgent calls for increased surveillance.

 

The Hong Kong Health Department said in a statement that it was notified about five new cases in humans in Sichuan province, Zhejiang province, and the Guangxi Autonomous Region. The cases occurred during the past few weeks and were not immediately made public by local officials.

 

Only 65 people have been infected with H5N6 bird flu since the first confirmed case in 2014, but more than half of those were reported during the past 6 months. The most recent case was announced on January 7, when health officials in Guangdong province said a 43-year-old woman had been hospitalized in critical condition.

 

Chinese officials are providing only limited information about human cases of H5N6 bird flu and it often takes weeks before cases are publicly reported to WHO. Most cases are first reported by the Hong Kong Health Department, which is closely monitoring human cases.

 

H5N6 bird flu is known to cause severe illness in humans of all ages and has killed nearly half of those infected, according to WHO. There are no confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission but a woman who tested positive in July 2021 denied having contact with live poultry.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[PokerPacker]

Don't make me repeat myself.

[China]

Bird flu found on poultry farm in Indiana, nearly 30,000 turkeys killed to contain spread

 

An outbreak of the bird flu has been reported on a turkey farm in southern Indiana and nearly 30,000 turkeys have already been euthanized in efforts to control the spread. This does not present an immediate concern to public health, federal officials said, but it does have agriculture and industry folks worried.  

 

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the confirmed case of the H5N1 strain of avian flu at a farm in Dubois County. It is a highly pathogenic strain, meaning it is lethal to all poultry that contract the disease. 

 

This is the nation’s first confirmed case of the flu in a commercial operation since 2020 and six years since it was last found on farms in Indiana, when hundreds of thousands of birds were killed as a result. 

 

“This is a foreign animal disease and shouldn’t be on our landscape,” said Denise Derrer Spears, the spokeswoman of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. “That flips the switch and makes this a big deal right off the bat, and we need to stamp it out before it gets out of control.” 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Suffolk bird flu: 82,400 ducks to be culled after outbreak

 

More than 82,000 ducks are to be culled amid an outbreak of bird flu, Suffolk Trading Standards said.

 

The H5N1 strain was found at the Gressingham Foods site at Debach, near Woodbridge, over the weekend.

 

The company's Redgrave site was affected earlier this month, and 35,000 ducks had to be culled there.

 

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has urged poultry keepers in Suffolk to "step up their efforts" as the UK faces its "largest outbreak".

 

Chief veterinary officer Dr Christine Middlemiss said the UK was seeing its "worst" ever avian flu outbreak.

 

Dr Middlemiss said Suffolk in particular had seen a large increase in infections amongst wild birds.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Case of deadly Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever detected in UK

 

A woman in the UK has been diagnosed with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever following travel to Central Asia, health officials said.

 

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCFH) is a viral disease usually transmitted by ticks and livestock animals in countries where the disease is endemic.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus can lead to epidemics and has a high case fatality ratio of 40%.

 

Click  on the link for the full article

[China]

Nebraska Department of Agriculture canceling all poultry events due to spreading bird flu

 

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture will be canceling all poultry events across the state due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

 

NDA says this order prohibits birds of any type at events such as fairs, expositions, swap meets, exotic sales, and live bird auctions. NDA says the order is effective immediately and will be in effect until May 1st, where it will be reevaluated.

 

“The decision to cancel poultry events was not taken lightly but is a necessary step to assure we are doing everything possible to protect our poultry producers, both small and large,” said NDA Director Steve Wellman. “Poultry producers should continue to take biosecurity measures on their farms to help prevent the spread of the disease into their flock.”

 

Click on the link for the full article