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While the ending of the 2022-2023 flu season in the United States is good news for many, it also indicates that ever-evolving influenza viruses are heading to the Southern Hemisphere.
On May 3, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) published Influenza Update N° 444, which confirmed influenza detections decreased further in the Northern Hemisphere, while some countries in the South reported increased detections in recent weeks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorized the first over-the-counter (OTC) at-home diagnostic test to differentiate between flu viruses.
And this innovative test can detect the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and results are produced in about thirty minutes.
Furthermore, the test can be purchased without a prescription ($99) and performed completely at-home.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported two (2) human infections with avian influenza A H5N1 (H5N1 bird flu) has been confirmed by the Cambodian Ministry of Health.
The CDC wrote on February 25, 2023, based on preliminary genetic sequencing, the Cambodian Ministry of Health has identified these cases as being from the H5 clade 2.3.2.1c, which have circulated locally among birds/poultry for many years.

According to local media, there have been two confirmed cases of bird flu recently reported by the Kingdom of Cambodia.
On February 24, 2023, BNO News reported the father of an 11-year-old Cambodian girl who recently died of H5N1 bird flu had tested positive for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HAPI) virus.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Health, the girl is the first person to die of H5N1 since 2014.

As the current flu season in the Northern Hemisphere comes to an early end, there is preliminary good news regarding the 173.02 million influenza vaccines distributed during 2022 – 2023 in the U.S.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine committee met today (online and in Atlanta) and reviewed a new analysis indicating this flu season's flu shots effectively reduced related hospitalizations.

Since the avian influenza outbreak began in the U.S. in early 2022, millions of birds have been detected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HAPI) influenza type A viruses.
The Eurasian H5N1 strain initially appeared in North America in January 2022 and has impacted 47 states, leading to the loss of over 58.3 million various types of birds as of February 11, 2023.
And this HAPI outbreak has crossed over into mammals.

A clinical-stage biotechnology company commercializing a novel vaccination platform announced a potential solution for millions afraid of needles. 
This vaccine innovation is essential as researchers estimate that fear of needles affects up to 25%  of adults and may lead to many people skipping standard vaccinations.
Vaxxas confirmed today it initiated a Phase I clinical trial with the first needle-free inactivated seasonal influenza vaccine quadrivalent (IIV4) candidate delivered using the Company's proprietary high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) technology.

While Influenza virus infections declined globally during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent study found an increased risk of household transmission of influenza A(H3N2) in the 2021-2022 flu season compared with prepandemic seasons.
More frequent interaction with an infected person would be expected to increase infection risk, and in 2021-2022, household contacts reported spending more time in the same room with others.

The Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) recently confirmed three juvenile grizzly bears tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus during the fall of 2022.
These were the first documented cases of HPAI in grizzly bears in Montana.
The three bears were observed to be in poor condition and exhibited disorientation and partial blindness, among other neurological issues.
They were euthanized due to their sickness and poor condition.  

Ginkgo Bioworks today announced that they had expanded their support for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program to include a study monitoring influenza viruses.
Traveler-based pathogen monitoring represents a novel approach to influenza surveillance, complementing CDC's ongoing efforts by providing early insights into global trends in influenza virus evolution.