New-onset atrial fibrillation identified in about one in 20 patients hospitalized with COVID-19
Persistent Pulmonary Dysfunction Seen in Children After COVID-19
Persistent pulmonary dysfunction seen for those who have recovered from COVID-19 and with long COVID
Canada to Remove All COVID-19 Border Restrictions Oct. 1
Country is also discontinuing quarantine, isolation, and symptom-monitoring policies
Real-World Data Show Cell-Based and Adjuvanted Flu Shots Can Reduce Influenza Burden
New data announced today from four real-world studies shows the impact that cell-based and adjuvanted influenza vaccines can have in reducing the burden of seasonal influenza on hospitals and health systems.
The data from CSL Seqirus were presented at OPTIONS for the Control of Influenza (OPTIONS XI), being held in the United Kingdom.
Substance Use Disorder Treatment Admissions Down During Pandemic
Largest decreases seen in Native American, Black, and Hispanic individuals
CDC Says Universal Masking Can Be Dropped in Some Nursing Homes, Hospitals
Masking ‘remains recommended’ during an outbreak among patients or ‘when caring for patients who are moderately to severely immunocompromised’
Pfizer, Moderna Seek Approval of New COVID-19 Boosters for Children
‘Bivalent’ shots target both the original coronavirus and the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants
Total Number of HPV Vaccination Encounters Down During Pandemic
However, there was an increase seen in vaccinations per encounter, with seasonal variation
America’s Emergency Medicine Physicians Alarmed by Rising Violence From Patients
Two-thirds of emergency physicians reported being assaulted in the past year alone
4.4 Million Americans Have Gotten Updated COVID-19 Boosters
Public health officials expect demand for the new booster to surge in the next few weeks
Real-World Data Show Cell-Based and Adjuvanted Flu Shots Can Reduce Influenza Burden
New data announced today from four real-world studies shows the impact that cell-based and adjuvanted influenza vaccines can have in reducing the burden of seasonal influenza on hospitals and health systems.
The data from CSL Seqirus were presented at OPTIONS for the Control of Influenza (OPTIONS XI), being held in the United Kingdom.
Should Flu Shots Wait for Influenza's Arrival
The latest influenza data published by the U.S. CDC today collaborates recent findings announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.K.
'The current influenza surveillance data should be interpreted with caution as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has … likely played a role in reducing influenza virus transmission,' says the WHO.
The CDC's new FLUVIEW report focused on the 2021-2022 Influenza Season and clinical laboratory data, revealing whether influenza activity is increasing or decreasing in the USA.
Will the Flu Arrive by October 2022?
According to the latest U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, the 2022-2023 influenza viruses have yet to arrive in the USA.
While seasonal influenza (flu) viruses are detected year-round, the exact timing and duration of flu seasons vary. Influenza activity often increases in October, with peak activity between December and February, says the CDC.
Influenza Antiviral Works Before and After Annual Flu Shots
As the flu season approaches from the Southern Hemisphere this year, plenty of U.S. FDA-approved influenza vaccines are available to protect people.
However, anyone can get the flu before they are vaccinated, and occasionally even after.
To help reduce the severity of influenza in children, the FDA recently extended the use of a leading oral antiviral medicine.
Influenza A Could Suppress SARS-CoV-2 Replication
According to research published this week in the Journal of Virology, coinfection of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A viruses changes neither the trajectory nor the severity of influenza A infections, regardless of timing.
But should a person contract the influenza A virus first, the response to that infection can significantly suppress the SARS-CoV-2 impact.
Universal Flu Shot Launches Early Clinical Study
The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, recently announced a Phase 1 clinical trial of a novel influenza vaccine that has begun inoculating healthy adult volunteers.
This innovative study will evaluate the safety of the whole-virus BPL-1357 vaccine candidate’s ability to prompt immune responses.
BPL-1357 was developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Flu Shots Worked Better than Earlier Reports
New influenza vaccine effectiveness data presented at the U.S. CDC’s June 22, 2022 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) show flu shots worked better during 2021 – 2022 than initially reported.
Published on June 23, 2022, this ACIP data shows flu shots reduced the risk of influenza illness by about 35% among vaccinated people.
Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Flu Shot Uptake?
Leading researchers recently hypothesized that Covid-19 vaccination rates could be associated with influenza vaccination rates.
North Carolina Vaccine Facility Certified for the Next Pandemic
If the U.S. government declares an influenza pandemic, a new vaccine production facility located in Holly Springs, North Carolina, is certified and ready to go.
New Jersey-based Seqirus announced today that the company's innovative manufacturing facility has successfully achieved all criteria required to establish domestic manufacturing capability for cell-based seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines as outlined by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
COVID-19 Confirmed More Costly and Fatal than Influenza
According to a recent retrospective cohort study conducted at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain, when adults were hospitalized with COVID-19, they were at a greater risk of death than those with influenza.
After accounting for potential confounders, including age, comorbidities, sex, disease severity, pneumonia, and corticosteroid treatment, these researchers found that COVID-19 patients were more than three times as likely to die after being admitted to hospital than influenza patients.
Sudan Ebolavirus Outbreak Expands in Uganda
In an accelerated effort to scale up the response to the Sudan Ebolavirus outbreak in Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today it is delivering medical supplies, providing logistics, and deploying staff to support the national authorities in halting the spread of the deadly virus.
As of September 22, 2022, seven cases, including one death, have been confirmed to have contracted Sudan Ebolavirus.
And forty-three contacts have been identified, with ten people receiving treatment at the regional referral hospital in Mubende, Uganda.
Africa Acts to Stop Meningitis Outbreaks
With the COVID-19 pandemic delaying meningitis vaccination campaigns for more than 50 million children in Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) region is at a heightened risk of outbreaks of meningitis type A, which has nearly been eliminated on the continent.
In a race against time, the WHO and partners recently launched a roadmap to stop bacterial meningitis outbreaks by 2030.
Based on reports from countries, the WHO found that meningitis control activities were reduced by 50% in 2020 compared with 2019, with a slight improvement in 2021.
Sudan Ebola Outbreak Declared in Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today the Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed a Sudan ebolavirus case after testing a sample taken from a 24-year-old male in Mubende district in the central part of the country.
The confirmation on September 20, 2022, follows an investigation by the National Rapid Response team of six suspicious deaths in the district in September 2022.
Furthermore, the WHO stated eight suspected cases are receiving care in a health facility.
Uganda last reported a Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in 2012.
Long-Ebola Needs Extensive Research
Lingering symptoms have been reported by Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors in Africa over the past few years.
For example, the Liberian Ebola Survivors Cohort study published on September 6, 2022, found headache, fatigue, joint pain, muscle pain, hearing loss, visual loss, and numbness of hands or feet were longitudinally assessed among EVD participants.
At baseline, about 75% reported at least one symptom, and 85% significantly interfered with life.
Measles Returns to Australia in 2022
Australia's NSW Health recently confirmed the first local case of measles since February 2020. This person developed symptoms after returning to Sydney and is now isolated in a hospital.
This adult acquired the infection while traveling in Asia in August 2022.
As of September 13, 2022, NSW Health says the person spent time in the following Sydney locations while infectious with the measles virus:
$18 Billion Needed to Defeat HIV, Malaria, and Tuberculosis
The Global Fund’s 2022 Results Report released today indicates a significant rebound for programs working to defeat HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the fight against these three diseases.
When the pandemic hit countries where the Global Fund works, the partnership rapidly mounted a response to deliver additional resources.
Since March 2020, the Global Fund has invested more than US $4.4 billion to fight the pandemic and mitigate its impact on HIV, TB, and malaria.
New York's Poliovirus Disaster Emergency Could Disrupt Travel
Investigations into wastewater samples continue to reveal poliovirus in unexpected locations worldwide, including another New York county and again in London, England.
As of September 11, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to affirm 'that the risk of international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.'
Africa's Yellow Fever Outbreaks Intensified in 2022
The WHO African Region recently confirmed that the threat of yellow fever outbreaks continues to affect African countries, with twenty-seven countries now classified as high-risk by the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) global strategy.
The WHO's EYE strategy aims to enable every person in yellow fever at-risk countries to be protected against the disease.
Currently, the WHO assesses the risk of an outbreak at the regional level to be high.
USA Returns to Pre-Pandemic Airport Activity
During the Labor Day 2022 holiday weekend, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 8.76 million travelers between Friday and Monday. This airport activity represents 102% of the volume for the same pre-pandemic holiday weekend in 2019.
Friday marked the heaviest travel day when TSA Security Officers screened 2.48 million passengers.
And it is the first time that a holiday weekend TSA passenger screening volume exceeds that of 2019.
Argentina's Pneumonia Outbreak De-Mystified
The Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported a total of eleven cases of pneumonia, including four deaths, with the onset of symptoms between August 18 and 25, 2022.
No secondary cases have been identified of these pneumonia cases linked to the same clinic in San Miguel de Tucumán.
The cluster is limited to eight (8) health care workers and three patients from the private clinic.