Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-persp...an-dec-13-2016
News Scan for Dec 13, 2016
H7N9 case in Macao; Texas Zika funding; Saudi MERS case; Northern Hemisphere flu uptick
Filed Under:
H7N9 Avian Influenza; Avian Influenza (Bird Flu); Zika; MERS-CoV; Influenza, General
Macao announces its first-ever H7N9 avian flu case
Macao has reported its first human H7N9 avian influenza case, involving a 58-year-old man who owns a poultry market stall, according to a Xinhua report today in Chinese translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary (AFD), an infectious disease news blog. AFD said there are multiple media outlets reporting the finding, which was announced in an early morning media briefing by the local health department.
The announcement of Macao's first human case comes just after local agriculture officials announced that H7 avian influenza was detected in poultry imported from mainland China (see the related news story).
Health officials are testing and monitoring the man's contacts, and the man is reported to be in stable condition, according to Xinhua, China's state news agency.
The new H7N9 case follows the announcement of eight infections from China over the last several weeks, part of a fifth wave of activity for the novel virus that was first detected in humans in 2013 and has often been found Chinese poultry in the past few years.
Macao's case lifts the global total from H7N9 to 816 cases, according to a case list maintained by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.
Dec 13 AFD post
FluTrackers H7N9 case list
CDC gives $5 million to Texas for Zika preparedness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded Texas $5 million to support Zika preparedness efforts, the state announced yesterday. The Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) grant come a few weeks after the Rio Grande Valley confirmed local transmission of the mosquito-borne virus.
Texas has already dedicated $18 million to fight the Zika virus by implementing the state's Preparedness and Response plan. The CDC's grant is part of the supplemental Zika funding Congress awarded to states this fall.
"Now that Texas has confirmed cases of local transmission of the Zika virus, this money will be crucial in our efforts to contain and combat further transmission of the virus," said Gov. Greg Abbott in a statement.
Dec 12 Texas statement
Saudi Arabia reports new MERS case
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced one new case of MERS-CoV today. The patient had direct contact with camels.
The 72-year-old Saudi man from Taif is in critical condition because of his Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.
Contact with camels is a known risk factor for contracting the disease. Scientists do not yet understand how camels transmit the respiratory virus to humans, but drinking raw camel milk, raising camels, and eating their meat have all been linked to MERS cases.
The development raises Saudi Arabia's total number of MERS-CoV cases to 1,508 cases, 625 of them fatal. Fourteen people are currently recovering from infections.
Dec 13 MOH report
Northern Hemisphere flu activity picks up in several regions
Flu activity is rising slightly in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, with H3N2 as the dominant strain, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its latest global flu update, dated yesterday. In Europe, the flu season has started earlier than usual, with northern countries most affected.
Other areas seeing upticks include North America, though levels are still below seasonal thresholds. Countries in East Asia are also reporting small increases, the WHO said, with some South Asian countries, such as Iran and Sri Lanka, reporting similar rises. Both northern and southern parts of China are reporting higher percentages of hospitalizations for flulike illness compared with previous years.
Flu levels are low in Southeast Asia, except for Vietnam, which is reporting an increase in 2009 H1N1 virus detections. In Africa activity is generally low, though Morocco reported an increase, mainly from H3N2, as did Ghana, mainly from influenza B.
In most Southern Hemisphere regions flu has dropped to inter-seasonal levels.
Globally, of respiratory samples that were positive for flu during the last half of November, 90.7% were influenza A, and of the subtyped samples, 97.1% were H3N2, the WHO said.
Dec 12 WHO global flu update
News Scan for Dec 13, 2016
H7N9 case in Macao; Texas Zika funding; Saudi MERS case; Northern Hemisphere flu uptick
Filed Under:
H7N9 Avian Influenza; Avian Influenza (Bird Flu); Zika; MERS-CoV; Influenza, General
Macao announces its first-ever H7N9 avian flu case
Macao has reported its first human H7N9 avian influenza case, involving a 58-year-old man who owns a poultry market stall, according to a Xinhua report today in Chinese translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary (AFD), an infectious disease news blog. AFD said there are multiple media outlets reporting the finding, which was announced in an early morning media briefing by the local health department.
The announcement of Macao's first human case comes just after local agriculture officials announced that H7 avian influenza was detected in poultry imported from mainland China (see the related news story).
Health officials are testing and monitoring the man's contacts, and the man is reported to be in stable condition, according to Xinhua, China's state news agency.
The new H7N9 case follows the announcement of eight infections from China over the last several weeks, part of a fifth wave of activity for the novel virus that was first detected in humans in 2013 and has often been found Chinese poultry in the past few years.
Macao's case lifts the global total from H7N9 to 816 cases, according to a case list maintained by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.
Dec 13 AFD post
FluTrackers H7N9 case list
CDC gives $5 million to Texas for Zika preparedness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded Texas $5 million to support Zika preparedness efforts, the state announced yesterday. The Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) grant come a few weeks after the Rio Grande Valley confirmed local transmission of the mosquito-borne virus.
Texas has already dedicated $18 million to fight the Zika virus by implementing the state's Preparedness and Response plan. The CDC's grant is part of the supplemental Zika funding Congress awarded to states this fall.
"Now that Texas has confirmed cases of local transmission of the Zika virus, this money will be crucial in our efforts to contain and combat further transmission of the virus," said Gov. Greg Abbott in a statement.
Dec 12 Texas statement
Saudi Arabia reports new MERS case
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced one new case of MERS-CoV today. The patient had direct contact with camels.
The 72-year-old Saudi man from Taif is in critical condition because of his Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.
Contact with camels is a known risk factor for contracting the disease. Scientists do not yet understand how camels transmit the respiratory virus to humans, but drinking raw camel milk, raising camels, and eating their meat have all been linked to MERS cases.
The development raises Saudi Arabia's total number of MERS-CoV cases to 1,508 cases, 625 of them fatal. Fourteen people are currently recovering from infections.
Dec 13 MOH report
Northern Hemisphere flu activity picks up in several regions
Flu activity is rising slightly in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, with H3N2 as the dominant strain, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its latest global flu update, dated yesterday. In Europe, the flu season has started earlier than usual, with northern countries most affected.
Other areas seeing upticks include North America, though levels are still below seasonal thresholds. Countries in East Asia are also reporting small increases, the WHO said, with some South Asian countries, such as Iran and Sri Lanka, reporting similar rises. Both northern and southern parts of China are reporting higher percentages of hospitalizations for flulike illness compared with previous years.
Flu levels are low in Southeast Asia, except for Vietnam, which is reporting an increase in 2009 H1N1 virus detections. In Africa activity is generally low, though Morocco reported an increase, mainly from H3N2, as did Ghana, mainly from influenza B.
In most Southern Hemisphere regions flu has dropped to inter-seasonal levels.
Globally, of respiratory samples that were positive for flu during the last half of November, 90.7% were influenza A, and of the subtyped samples, 97.1% were H3N2, the WHO said.
Dec 12 WHO global flu update