TRACKING EMERGING VIRUSES – May 19, 2025 – BIRD FLU
“Bird flu in humans hasn’t officially been seen in U.S. in 3 months: “We just don’t know why””
“Health officials are making a renewed call for vigilance against bird flu, but some experts are puzzling over why reports of new human cases have stopped appearing.
Has the search for cases been weakened by government cuts? Are immigrant farm workers, who have accounted for many of the U.S. cases, more afraid to come forward for testing amid the Trump administration’s deportation push? Is it just a natural ebb in infections?
“We just don’t know why there haven’t been cases,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University. “I think we should assume there are infections that are occurring in farmworkers that just aren’t being detected.””
“During a call with U.S. doctors this month, one CDC official noted there is a seasonality to bird flu: Cases peak in the fall and early winter, possibly due to the migration patterns of wild birds that are primary spreaders of the virus. That could mean the U.S. is experiencing a natural — maybe temporary — decline in cases.”
“Resignations at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine could slow the government’s bird flu monitoring, said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bird-flu-humans-cases-us-experts-why/
“Bird flu is continuing to spread in animals across the US. Here’s what you need to know”
ByMary Kekatos
“Dr. Tony Moody, a professor of pediatrics and in immunology at Duke University School of Medicine, said there has been so much transmission of bird flu in animals that he wonders if mass immunity is far off.
“”The thing about this virus is that it mutates every time somebody gets infected, right?” Moody said. “We know that there is an intrinsic rate of mutation that the virus has, and as with most mutations, the vast majority … don’t lead to any additional pathogenicity or transmissibility.”
He went on, “But the more cases that you have, whether that is in chickens or cows or people, the more of those random events are occurring and we know that eventually the virus will probably find a way to increase its transmissibility to people or increase some other property that makes it a problem.”
Moody said he is also concerned about reassortment, which is when a hybrid — or recombinant — virus, is formed. An example is an individual getting infected with bird flu and seasonal influenza at the same time and a hybrid virus forming as a result.
He clarified that there is no evidence this has happened yet, and that he believes the U.S. is in a better position to respond today if a pandemic-like situation arises, “but nature has a way of surprising us.””
to read the full article go to
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/bird-flu-continuing-spread-animals-us/story?id=121481973
“Discover What’s Next in Bird Flu: Must-Know Lessons from Last Year”
By Karen Bohnert
“The introduction of the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus to dairy herds in March 2024 caught the industry by surprise. Since then, more than 1,000 dairy herds have been affected. Thankfully, effective eradication efforts in certain areas raise hopes of completely eliminating the virus from the U.S. dairy cattle population. Jamie Jonker, NMPF’s chief science officer, remains optimistic about this possibility, emphasizing that the timeline is uncertain but achievable.
“I do believe we’re going to eliminate the virus from the U.S. dairy cattle population. I think it’s just a matter of when, not if,” he said.”
“As the dairy industry moves into the second year of combating H5N1, maintaining momentum and commitment to biosecurity remains crucial. While some regions remain unaffected, ongoing education and preparedness are essential in safeguarding against future outbreaks.
The challenge of H5N1 in dairy cattle presents an ongoing test of resilience for the industry. Collaborative efforts, continual learning and proactive biosecurity measures stand as pillars in overcoming this adversity and ensuring a sustainable dairy industry for the future.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.dairyherd.com/news/business/discover-whats-next-bird-flu-must-know-lessons-last-year
“Nebraska-developed vaccine protects against swine, human and bird flu
By Leslie Reed
“Annual flu shots could become a thing of the past under a new vaccine strategy developed and tested by University of Nebraska–Lincoln virologist Eric Weaver and his laboratory team.
Research findings published April 29 in Nature Communications reveal a possible breakthrough. The study, “Epitope-Optimized Vaccine Elicits Cross-Species Immunity Against Influenza A Virus,” describes a vaccine that protects against H1N1 swine flu and can also protect against influenza in humans and birds.
“This research sets the stage for developing universal influenza vaccines so people won’t have to go to the doctor and get a flu shot every year,” Weaver said. “This vaccine will protect you against the different strains that are out there.”
Swine vaccinated with the immunogens designed in Weaver’s laboratory exhibited no signs of illness after being exposed to a commonly circulating flu strain; developed antibodies against a multitude of viruses from several decades and multiple species; and maintained their immune response throughout the six-month longitudinal study. “
to read the full article go to
https://news.unl.edu/article/nebraska-developed-vaccine-protects-against-swine-human-and-bird-flu
“UNL researcher developing long-lasting flu vaccines”
By Andrew Ozaki
“We’re hoping to make vaccines that last for decades, instead of just every year,” Weaver said.
Weaver is taking a different approach to the traditional flu vaccines by using computer data to study how viruses evolve.
We look at how they’re evolving, we’re able to recreate them so that we can recombine those epitopes together so that we can make vaccines that will recognize all the different strains that circulated and have evolved over the last century,” Weaver said.
What they discovered after tests in mice, ferrets, pigs, and cattle shocked even them.
“The biggest discoveries in this vaccine approach was that the vaccine immune response that we create protects against a wide range of diverse influenza strains,” Weaver said.
They reported some of their breakthrough findings in a national publication last month, showing that swine vaccinated with their drug were protected from several flu strains, even avian flu, for a long time.
“So the vaccine technology, these concepts translate across these different animal species. So the likelihood that it’ll translate to humans is very high,” Weaver said.
The research is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, along with the National Institutes of Health.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-researcher-developing-long-lasting-flu-vaccines/64797234
“Staff exodus at US farm agency leaves fewer experts to battle bird flu”
“What makes H5N1 a pandemic risk and how can we stop it?”
By Chinta Sidharthan
“Furthermore, although vaccines and antiviral drugs are available, they often fall short due to the virus’s rapid mutation and reassortment, which allow it to evade immune defenses and treatments. Additionally, high genetic diversity, especially in the virus’s surface proteins, complicates vaccine design, limiting the use of current vaccines to target specific strains. Candidate vaccine viruses (CVVs) for all H5 subtypes are stockpiled, helping to shorten response times to outbreaks. However, H5N1 vaccines have shown poor immunogenicity in trials, even with adjuvants. Antiviral resistance is also growing, making it harder to manage infections and highlighting the need for more innovative strategies to combat IAV infections. The PEARLS article also notes that older individuals may retain partial immunity to H5N1 due to previous exposure to seasonal H1N1 or H2N2 viruses during childhood.”
to read the full article go to
Fast and flu-rious: How to prevent and treat emerging influenza A viruses
By Isabel Sesifredo,Íris Luz Batalha ,Maria João Amorim
“The finding of multiple, antigenically different H5N1 HA clades in over 50 different animal species makes it impossible to predict which clades will be transmitted and maintained in humans, if any [10]. These factors and the virus’ pandemic potential underscore the critical need for effective outbreak control, tight surveillance, impact mitigation, and human transmission prevention, for preparedness in case of H5 establishes in humans [11].”
to read the full article go to
https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1013135
curated by
Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai