There is no evidence that mRNA Covid vaccines cause fatal cardiac arrest or other deadly heart problems in teens and young adults, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published Thursday shows.
Ever since the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were authorized in late 2020, anti-vaccination groups in the U.S. have blamed the shots for fatal heart problems in young athletes.
One of the most notorious examples of vaccine misinformation involves Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, 26, who in 2023 collapsed on Monday Night Football as a result of cardiac arrest. Hamlin was resuscitated on the field and eventually recovered. He returned to play for the Bills last season.
When Damar Hamlin went down, immediately comments were getting made that it was possibly vaccine-related, said study co-author Dr. Paul Cieslak, the medical director of communicable diseases and immunizations at Oregon Health Authoritys public health division. This is kind of what we were trying to address with this analysis.
The findings in the new report come from the analysis of nearly 1,300 death certificates of Oregon residents ages 16 to 30 who died from any heart condition or unknown reasons between June 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2022.
During this time period, nearly 1 million teens and young adults in the state had gotten a Covid vaccine, the authors wrote.
The authors refined their focus to people who got an mRNA Covid vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna and died within 100 days of being vaccinated.
Out of 40 deaths that occurred among people who got an mRNA Covid vaccine, three occurred within that time frame.
Two of the deaths were attributed to chronic underlying health conditions.
The third death was recorded as an undetermined natural cause, with toxicology tests returning negative for alcohol, cannabis, methamphetamine or other illicit substances.
The medical examiner could neither confirm nor exclude Covid vaccination as the cause of death; however, none of the death certificates attributed the fatalities to the vaccines.
While it remains unclear whether the vaccine caused the third death, Cieslak noted that the analysis showed that 30 people died from Covid during the time frame, the majority of whom were not vaccinated.
When youre balancing risks and benefits, you have to look at that and go, You got to bet on the vaccine, he said.
Dr. Leslie Cooper, chair of the cardiology department at the Mayo Clinic, who was not involved in the study, said the researchers were actually quite generous in their analysis, adding that the 100-day time frame following vaccination was a large one.
They went above and beyond to try and capture any possible cardiac death from vaccinations, he said.
Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating and pumping blood to the rest of the body. Its not the same as a heart attack, which happens when blood flow to the hearts muscle becomes limited or blocked, or myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle.
For people under 35, the causes of cardiac arrest are often unclear. It could be the result of genetic defects or heart malfunctions, such as problems with the valves of the heart.
Even with the lengthy time frame, Cooper added, the analysis shows that the risk of sudden death in young adults after being vaccinated is significantly lower than the risk of sudden cardiac death from all causes about 1 in 500,000 per year, compared to 1 in 100,000 per year, according to his estimates.
The data shows no signal for any elevation in cardiac deaths associated with the Covid mRNA vaccines, he said. Their conclusions are quite reasonable.
No vaccine has ever been conclusively linked to sudden cardiac death, said Dr. Ofer Levy, the director of the Precision Vaccines Program at Boston Childrens Hospital.
Although the mRNA vaccines have been linked to a small risk of myocarditis, the heart condition tends to be much milder than what is typically seen with traditional myocarditis from Covid infection, he added, and most people fully recover within a few days.
This adds to evidence that people dont drop dead from getting their mRNA Covid vaccines, Levy said of the study.
As Michigan grapples with the bird flu spreading to cows, it has infected another commercial poultry farm.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced Tuesday, April 16 the highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected at a commercial facility in Newaygo County. This is the seventh time the deadly flu has infected a commercial farm in Michigan, coming two weeks after it struck Herbrucks Poultry Ranch, the states largest egg producer headquartered in Ionia County.
And in recent weeks, avian flu was found in four commercial dairy herds throughout Michigan.
Biosecurity remains the best tool available to combat HPAI, and we continue to encourage producers of all sizes to enhance their biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of introducing this disease to their farm, said Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Tim Boring. MDARD is addressing this outbreak from every angle, including working to help mitigate the economic impacts on local communities.
Related: Bird flu spreads to 3 more Michigan commercial dairy farms
The state did not disclose the name of the Newaygo County farm or the number of birds affected.
The avian influenza is highly contagious and spreads easily through wild birds, contact with infected poultry, equipment or on the clothes and shoes of farmers. Its particularly deadly for chickens, carrying a 90% to 100% mortality rate. Farms with one infected bird are required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to depopulate, or kill, their entire flock.
Related: A chicken started gasping for air. Three days later, more than 60 birds were dead.
More than 88 million birds in the United States have died since the flu started spreading in February 2022.
In Michigan, federal data shows roughly 4 million birds were killed at an Ionia County facility this month. Another 118,000 died after the flu was detected three times at Muskegon County turkey farms last year.
Avian flu only recently started to infect to cows after U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the first cases in Texas and Kansas on March 25. It has since been detected in herds across eight states including Michigan at commercial dairy farms in Montcalm, Ionia, Isabella, Montcalm and Ottawa counties.
Infected cattle do not need to be depopulated and will recover within seven to 10 days.
Related: A deadly bird flu raised egg prices. Michigan farms vigilantly protect flocks.
The state is urging farms to tighten their biosecurity measures to keep the flu from spreading. This includes keeping birds inside or a fully enclosed outdoor area, washing hands frequently and disinfecting all equipment, boots and other gear when moving between coops.
As wild birds continue to migrate and the outside temperatures remain cool and temperate, conditions are ideal for the virus to spread, said State Veterinarian Nora Wineland. This is why it is so vital for producers to assess the risks on their premises and tighten protocols. Protecting animal health is of the utmost importance.
Health officials say the risk of humans getting sick from the avian flu remains low, and no infected animals or products will enter the food supply chain.
New research has found that Australias COVID-19 vaccination prevented almost 18 thousand deaths in New South Wales alone between 2021 and 2022. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Brenton Edwards.
It is likely Australias Covid-19 vaccination campaign prevented almost 18,000 deaths in NSW alone between 2021 and 2022, with the mortality rate in unvaccinated individuals almost eight times higher than those who were fully vaccinated, new research has found.
New research from RMIT University and Monash University found Australias Covid-19 vaccination campaign likely prevented the death of 17,760 people aged over 50 in NSW between August 2021 and July 2022.
The research used a data-driven counterfactual approach to ask what death rates from Covid-19 would have been like if no vaccine had been available, said Professor Adrian Esterman, chair of biostatistics at the University of South Australia.
He said the researchers, who focused on those aged 50 and over and only used data from NSW since access to full official Australian government datasets was not possible despite extensive efforts, found that unvaccinated individuals had 7.7 times the Covid-19 death rate compared to those with two or more doses.
This increased to 11.2 times the death rate when comparing the unvaccinated to those who had one or more booster shots, Professor Esterman said.
In the total absence of a vaccination program, they estimated that over the 48-week period, there would have been 21,250 Covid-related deaths six times the actual rate.
One mistake that vaccine sceptics keep bringing up is that the majority of Covid-related deaths are in those who have been vaccinated therefore the vaccines do not work, or even cause death.
The authors rightly point out that a fairer comparison is to look at the death rate in those unvaccinated compared to those vaccinated, which immediately shows how important the vaccination program has been in preventing Covid-19-associated deaths.
Professor Tony Blakely, epidemiologist and public health medicine specialist in the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Melbourne, said the studys number of estimated deaths averted was probably an underestimate, as higher vaccination rates would have had positive spillover effects of reducing transmission.
In future pandemics, we hope that vaccines will be good at both stopping you dying and stopping you transmitting the virus as this would reduce the health loss even more, he said.
That said, for this pandemic with the vaccines we had, an elimination strategy and delaying opening up until most of us had been vaccinated was (clearly) the least worst option we could have pursued.
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Newfoundland and Labrador's top doctor is warning people to stay up to date on whooping cough vaccinations after a small increase in cases this year.
The province usually sees three to four cases of the disease annually. Up to 10 cases have been reported already since January, however, prompting the province's chief medical officer to raise the issue publicly.
The increase "generally means there's a little bit more circulating in the community than what's presenting for care and testing," Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said Tuesday.
While officials aren't overly concerned about a future spike in cases, Fitzgerald said, higher infection rates place infants in particularat risk.
Children under the age of one aren't yet old enough for the whooping cough vaccine and don't have immunity to the disease, Fitzgerald said. Infections in small children can be more severe and lead to pneumonia, neurological issues and hospitalization.
Fitzgerald said parents, grandparents and caregivers should check to ensure their vaccinations are up to date.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, causes a persistent nagging cough that's sometimes severe enough to cause vomiting. Vaccines for the disease are offered in early childhood, during high school and in adulthood. Booster shots should be given 10 years after the high school dose, Fitzgerald said.
"Immunity can wane over time," she said. "Pertussis does circulate on a regular basis in our community."
The small increase in cases isn't yet ringing alarm bells for undervaccination within the general population, she added, noting the province still has a vaccination rate over 90 per cent.
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Updated April 11, 2024 at 4:14 PM ET
The outbreak of bird flu in dairy cattle is still unfolding.
Both North Carolina and South Dakota have detected the virus in dairy herds, bringing the total number of states affected to eight.
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The unlikely spread among cattle and one dairy worker has scientists looking through the data to better understand this spillover. They say the risk to humans hinges on whether the virus can evolve in key ways to better infect mammals.
So far, theres some reassuring news: At a recent meeting, scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the virus is not presenting like a respiratory illness in cattle meaning the animals dont appear to be shedding large amounts of virus from their nose or mouths.
Instead, federal health officials investigating the outbreak suspect some form of mechanical transmission is responsible for spreading the virus within the herd. This may be happening during the process of milking the cows, a theory supported by the fact that high concentrations of virus are being found in the milk.
The samples collected from infected animals and shared publicly do not suggest the virus has undergone radical changes that would be cause for alarm.
But there are certain signs of trouble in the genome of the virus that scientists are looking out for as it finds a way into more mammals.
We really need to keep on top of this, because I think we are at a bit of a precipice where something interesting or unfortunate could happen, says Michelle Wille, a senior research fellow at the Center for Pathogen Genomics at the University of Melbourne.
Genetic sequencing of the virus in the Texas dairy worker showed it had undergone a mutation in a gene, PB2, that commonly gets affected when the virus infects mammals.
This is a clue that the virus is evolving to better replicate inside a mammal, but its not sufficient to make the virus transmit more easily between humans, says Nichola Hill, a disease ecologist at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Sometimes we see these early markers of adaptation, she says, It needs a handful [of markers] coordinated across multiple different gene segments for it to really be this breakthrough and the next pandemic.
And it would need to become better at transmitting through the air, like the seasonal influenza viruses that humans tend to catch. Currently most cases of bird flu in people are linked to direct contact with an infected animal, oftentime when a chicken is being slaughtered, says David Swayne, a poultry veterinarian who used to work for the USDA.
It takes a very, very high dose, he says, Its probably not just exposure to infected poultry its exposure to processes that aerosolized the virus.
But the fear is that could change as the virus spends more time in mammals:
Specifically, the protein that the virus uses to bind to cells could evolve to lock onto the receptors in the upper respiratory tract of humans. This would allow it to easily gain access and churn out copies of itself.
Thats considered basically a main barrier that prevents this from becoming a virus that could spread efficiently between people, says Darwyn Kobasa, head of high containment respiratory viruses at Canadas National Microbiology Laboratory.
When the virus has spilled into mammals, scientists have not seen a lot of evolution in this function over the last few years, says Anice Lowen, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Emory University.
Lowen says previous research has shown the protein on the virus would not only need to recognize the human receptors in our upper airways but also become more stable, presumably so it doesnt fall apart during transmission through the air.
These two changes plus mutations in the PB2 gene to support replication would all need to come together to support efficient spread in mammals, she says. Of course, she adds, theres potentially other factors that we dont yet understand.
There are still big questions about exactly how bird flu plays out in cattle, since its only now being followed closely. There certainly are many mutations that occurred with this jump from wild birds into cattle and we dont necessarily understand what they mean, says Hill.
With millions of birds infected all over the globe, its likely that many mammals are being infected through consuming dead birds or being exposed to feces.
Wille says the virus may have been introduced into dairy cattle in a similar way, perhaps infected birds somehow got into their feed.
Its not that hard to imagine that we have a sort of contaminated feed situation, she says
But this kind of reasoning may not fully explain mass infection events in some mammals, including unprecedented die-offs of seals and sea lions in South America and an outbreak on a mink farm in Spain.
Its still not clear whats driving transmission in those instances, maybe animals were spreading it to each other, says Wille.
Experiments done in labs offer some clues. They have shown mammals can pass on this version of H5N1, and even offer some preliminary evidence suggesting limited airborne transmission.
In one recent study, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed how an isolate of the virus taken from a severe human case in Chile spread among ferrets.
They found that variant had a high capacity to cause fatal disease among the animals and that it showed enhanced ability to replicate in human cells cultured in the lab, but did not exhibit productive transmission in respiratory droplets or via contaminated surfaces when tested in animals.
A separate study by scientists at Canadas National Microbiology Laboratory infected ferrets in the lab with samples of the virus collected from wild animals.
Those experiments found a particular version of the virus, taken from a hawk, could transmit very rapidly from ferret to ferret through direct contact and cause lethal infection in the originally uninfected animals, says Kobasa, senior author of the study which has not yet been published.
They also found evidence the virus had spread through the air between ferrets in different cages, but they didnt see severe illness in the animals who were infected in this way. Its possible there wasnt enough virus being transmitted to overcome the immune barriers that would prevent infection, he says.
The results are very preliminary and what happens under controlled lab conditions isnt necessarily indicative of what can happen in the wild, he says. We certainly dont see any changes that would suggest that theres any way to support efficient airborne transmission.
While helpful, Lowen says experiments on ferrets need to be interpreted with caution, especially in the context of humans.
She says overall theres still very limited evidence for transmission through the air: The fact that ferrets transmit pretty consistently in contact exposure is a bit concerning, but these results dont throw up a lot of red flags for me.
HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a common virus that can cause cancers. It is spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. One can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse with someone who has the virus, even if they dont exhibit signs or symptoms.
The Union health ministry is likely to incorporate HPV testing into the National Cancer Control Programme, to screen women for cervical cancer, this newspaper reported last week. Certain types of HPV lead to cervical cancer and India, in particular, has a population of 511.4 million women who are at risk of developing this cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)'s 2023 Factsheet.
Current estimates indicate that every year 1,23,907 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 77,348 die from the disease. Cervical cancer ranks as the second most frequent cancer among women in India between 15 and 44 years of age. Nearly 5% of women in the general population are estimated to harbour cervical HPV-16/18 infection at a given time, and 83.2% of invasive cervical cancers are attributed to HPVs 16 or 18.
According to the US Centre for Disease Control, most HPV infections (9 out of 10) go away by themselves within two years. But sometimes, HPV infections will last longer and can cause cancers of the cervix, vagina, and vulva; penis; anus; back of the throat (called oropharyngeal cancer), including the base of the tongue and tonsils.
HPV vaccination is meant to prevent cancer-causing infections and precancers. Persons up to the age of 26 years should get the HPV vaccine if they were not fully vaccinated already and it is not recommended for anyone older than 26, as current clinical trial results suggest that the efficacy of the vaccine drops considerably after 25 years. HPV vaccination of adults provides less benefit because more people in this age range have been exposed to HPV already.
Children from ages 1112 years should get two doses of HPV vaccine, given 6 to 12 months apart. HPV vaccines can be given starting at age 9.
Dose number 1: 1112 years (can start at age 9); Dose number 2: 612 months after the first dose
Children who start the HPV vaccine series on or after their 15th birthday need three doses, given over 6 months.
Last year, the Serum Institute of India launched Cervavac, an India-made HPV vaccine priced at 2,200 for persons from nine through 26 years of age. In further impetus to the prevention of cervical cancer in India, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government will encourage HPV vaccination for girls in the age group of nine to 14 years while presenting the interim budget in February.
In the US, HPV infections and cervical precancers have dropped since 2006, when HPV vaccines were first used in the United States. Among teen girls, infections with HPV types that cause most HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped 88%. Among young adult women, infections have dropped 81%. Among vaccinated women, the percentage of cervical precancers has dropped by 40%. The protection provided by HPV vaccines lasts a long time. People who received HPV vaccines were followed for at least about 12 years, and their protection against HPV has remained high with no evidence of decreasing over time.
Over 15 years of data have shown that HPV vaccines are very safe and effective. Like all vaccines, scientists continue to monitor the HPV vaccines. Common side effects are mild and get better within a day or two and include pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where the shot was given; fever; dizziness or fainting (fainting after any vaccine, including the HPV vaccine, is more common among adolescents than others); nausea; headache or feeling tired; muscle or joint pain. As per available evidence, the vaccine does not cause fertility problems.
Rhythma Kaul, national deputy editor, health, analyses the impact of the most significant piece of news this week in the health sector
Unsplash / Geronimo Giqueaux
Two Texas dairy farms have been affected by the H5N1 virus so far.
DSHS officials said they believe the human case is linked to recent detections of the virus found this year in two dairy herds in Texas and two in Kansas. The DSHS report didn't specify where in Texas the affected dairy farms are located.
Avian influenza has rarely been transmitted from person to person, so the risk of the virus spreading to the general public is low, officials with state and federal agencies said. However, people in close contact with animals suspected of carrying the virus have a higher risk of infection, they added.
Signs and symptoms of avian influenza infection present much like usual cases of the flu. The symptoms may include fever, chills, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, fatigue, eye redness and vomiting.
A dairy herd in Montcalm County, Michigan, also tested positive for the virus after receiving infected but asymptomatic cattle transported from an affected farm in Texas. The cattle from Texas exhibited no illness during the point of sale or transit, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Services officials said.
Though initial reports of the virus in cattle indicate it was introduced by wild birds, this new data suggests other pathways to infection.
Transmission between cattle cannot be ruled out, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
Prior to this incident, the last case was detected in Colorado in 2022 by a person who tested positive for the virus after contact with infected chickens. Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.
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Key facts
Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death.
Measles can affect anyone but is most common in children.
Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body.
Being vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with measles or spreading it to other people. The vaccine is safe and helps your body fight off the virus.
Before the introduction of measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred approximately every two to three years and caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.
An estimated 136 000 people died from measles in 2022 mostly children under the age of five years, despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine.
Accelerated immunization activities by countries, WHO, the Measles & Rubella Partnership (formerly the Measles & Rubella Initiative), and other international partners successfully prevented an estimated 57 million deaths between 20002022. Vaccination decreased an estimated measles deaths from 761 000 in 2000 to 136 000 in 2022.*
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic led to setbacks in surveillance and immunization efforts. The suspension of immunization services and declines in immunization rates and surveillance across the globe left millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases like measles.
No country is exempt from measles, and areas with low immunization encourage the virus to circulate, increasing the likelihood of outbreaks and putting all unvaccinated children at risk.
We must regain progress and achieve regional measles elimination targets, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Immunization programs should be strengthened within primary healthcare, so efforts to reach all children with two measles vaccine doses should be accelerated. Countries should also implement robust surveillance systems to identify and close immunity gaps.
Symptoms of measles usually begin 1014 days after exposure to the virus. A prominent rash is the most visible symptom.
Early symptoms usually last 47 days. They include:
The rash begins about 718 days after exposure, usually on the face and upper neck. It spreads over about 3 days, eventually to the hands and feet. It usually lasts 56 days before fading.
Most deaths from measles are from complications related to the disease.
Complications can include:
If a woman catches measles during pregnancy, this can be dangerous for the mother and can result in her baby being born prematurely with a low birth weight.
Complications are most common in children under 5 years and adults over age 30. They are more likely in children who are malnourished, especially those without enough vitamin A or with a weak immune system from HIV or other diseases. Measles itself also weakens the immune system and can make the body forget how to protect itself against infections, leaving children extremely vulnerable.
Any non-immune person (not vaccinated or vaccinated but did not develop immunity) can become infected. Unvaccinated young children and pregnant persons are at highest risk of severe measles complications.
Measles is still common, particularly in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The overwhelming majority of measles deaths occur in countries with low per capita incomes or weak health infrastructures that struggle to reach all children with immunization.
Damaged health infrastructure and health services in countries experiencing or recovering from a natural disaster or conflict interrupt routine immunization and overcrowding in residential camps increases the risk of infection. Children with malnutrition or other causes of a weak immune system are at highest risk of death from measles.
Measles is one of the worlds most contagious diseases, spread by contact with infected nasal or throat secretions (coughing or sneezing) or breathing the air that was breathed by someone with measles. The virus remains active and contagious in the air or on infected surfaces for up to two hours. For this reason, it is very infectious, and one person infected by measles can infect nine out of 10 of their unvaccinated close contacts. It can be transmitted by an infected person from four days prior to the onset of the rash to four days after the rash erupts.
Measles outbreaks can result in severe complications and deaths, especially among young, malnourished children. In countries close to measles elimination, cases imported from other countries remain an important source of infection.
There is no specific treatment for measles. Caregiving should focus on relieving symptoms, making the person comfortable and preventing complications.
Drinking enough water and treatments for dehydration can replace fluids lost to diarrhoea or vomiting. Eating a healthy diet is also important.
Doctors may use antibiotics to treat pneumonia and ear and eye infections.
All children or adults with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A supplements, given 24 hours apart. This restores low vitamin A levels that occur even in well-nourished children. It can help prevent eye damage and blindness. Vitamin A supplements may also reduce the number of measles deaths.
Community-wide vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. All children should be vaccinated against measles. The vaccine is safe, effective and inexpensive.
Children should receive two doses of the vaccine to ensure they are immune. The first dose is usually given at 9 months of age in countries where measles is common and 1215 months in other countries. A second dose should be given later in childhood, usually at 1518 months.
The measles vaccine is given alone or often combined with vaccines for mumps, rubella and/or varicella.
Routine measles vaccination, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with high case rates are crucial for reducing global measles deaths. The measles vaccine has been in use for about 60 years and costs less than US$ 1 per child. The measles vaccine is also used in emergencies to stop outbreaks from spreading. The risk of measles outbreaks is particularly high amongst refugees, who should be vaccinated as soon as possible.
Combining vaccines slightly increases the cost but allows for shared delivery and administration costs and importantly, adds the benefit of protection against rubella, the most common vaccine preventable infection that can infect babies in the womb.
In 2022, 74% of children received both doses of the measles vaccine, and about 83% of the world's children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday. Two doses of the vaccine are recommended to ensure immunity and prevent outbreaks, as not all children develop immunity from the first dose.
Approximately 22 million infants missed at least one dose of measles vaccine through routine immunization in 2022.
In 2020, WHO and global stakeholders endorsed the Immunization Agenda 20212030. The Agenda aims to achieve the regional targets as a core indicator of impact, positioning measles as a tracer of a health systems ability to deliver essential childhood vaccines.
WHO published theMeasles and rubella strategic frameworkin 2020, establishing seven necessary strategic priorities to achieve and sustain the regional measles and rubella elimination goals.
During 20002022, supported by the Measles & Rubella Initiative (now the Measles and Rubella Partnership) and Gavi, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 57 million deaths; mostly in the WHO African Region and Gavi-supported countries.
Without sustained attention, hard-fought gains can easily be lost. Where children are unvaccinated, outbreaks occur. Based on current trends of measles vaccination coverage and incidence, theWHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE)concluded that measles elimination is under threat, as the disease resurged in numerous countries that achieved, or were close to achieving, elimination.
WHO continues to strengthen theGlobal Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network(GMRLN) to ensure timely diagnosis of measles and track the virus spread to assist countries in coordinating targeted vaccination activities and reduce deaths from this vaccine-preventable disease.
The IA2030 Measles & Rubella Partnership
The Immunization Agenda 2030 Measles & Rubella Partnership(M&RP) is a partnership led by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Gavi, the Vaccines Alliance, the Bill and Melinda French Gates Foundation, UNICEF and WHO, to achieve the IA2030 measles and rubella specific targets. Launched in 2001, as the Measles and Rubella Initiative, the revitalized Partnership is committed to ensuring no child dies from measles or is born with congenital rubella syndrome. The Partnership helps countries plan, fund and measure efforts to permanently stop measles and rubella
After a lull, bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in Alappuzha.
Alappuzha District Animal Husbandry officer Sajeev Kumar K.R. said the presence of the H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus has been reported in ducks at Edathua and Cheruthana in Kuttanad region.
Mr. Kumar said that avian flu had affected the birds of three farmers one at Edathua grama panchayat (ward 1) and two at Cheruthana panchayat (ward 3).
Abraham Ouseph at Edathua, who was raising 7,500 ducks, had lost 3,000 birds since April 12. Likewise, Raghunathan Chirayil and Devarajan T., who were raising 2,000 and 15,000 ducks at Cheruthana, lost 238 and 171 birds respectively.
Following the mass death of ducks, the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) sent samples of the dead birds to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease (NIHSAD), Bhopal, for analyses, which tested positive for avian influenza on Tuesday.
District Collector Alex Varghese chaired a meeting to take stock of the situation on Wednesday. AHD Officials said that measures had been initiated to check the spread of the disease.
Culling of birds within the 1-km radius of the hotspots would begin once the Union government issued the notification.
As per the preliminary assessment, as many as 21, 537 birds, mostly ducks, will have to be culled as part of the containment measures. Culling operations will be carried out by rapid response teams. We hope to begin culling on Friday, said an official. The culling and disposal of carcasses will be done as per the standard operating procedure.
Meanwhile, the district administration has issued an order banning the movement of birds to and from within a 1-km radius of the hotspots.
It is the fourth time in three years that avian influenza has been confirmed in the region. In January 2021, avian flu caused by the H5N8 strain of the Influenza A virus was detected in several places in Kuttanad.
Another outbreak of bird flu (H5N1) was confirmed in Thakazhy grama panchayat in December 2021. In October 2022, bird flu (H5N1) was confirmed at Vazhuthanam in Haripad municipality. It later spread to other places with cases being reported till early 2023.
ATLANTA (AP) A poultry facility in Michigan and egg producer in Texas both recently reported outbreaks of avian flu.
The latest developments on the virus also include infected dairy cows and the first known instance of a human catching bird flu from a mammal.
Although health officials say the risk to the public remains low, there is rising concern, emerging in part from news that the largest producer of fresh eggs in the United States reported an outbreak.
Here are some key things to know about the disease.
What Are Experts Saying?
Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press on April 3 that the agency is taking bird flu seriously, but stressed that the virus has already been well studied.
The fact that it is in cattle now definitely raises our concern level, Cohen said, noting that it means farmworkers who work with cattle and not just those working with birds may need to take precautions.
The good news is that its not a new strain of the virus, Cohen added. This is known to us and weve been studying it, and frankly, weve been preparing for avian flu for 20 years.
What Is Bird Flu?
Some flu viruses mainly affect people, but others chiefly occur in animals. Avian viruses spread naturally in wild aquatic birds like ducks and geese and then to chickens and other domesticated poultry.
The bird flu virus drawing attention today Type A H5N1 was first identified in 1959. Like other viruses, it has evolved over time, spawning newer versions of itself.
Since 2020, the virus has been spreading among more animal species including dogs, cats, skunks, bears and even seals and porpoises in scores of countries.
In the United States, this version of the bird flu has been detected in wild birds in every state, as well as commercial poultry operations and backyard flocks.
Nationwide, tens of millions of chickens have died from the virus or been killed to stop outbreaks from spreading.
Recently, U.S. officials said it had been found in livestock. As of April 2, it had been discovered in dairy herds in five states Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico and Texas according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
How Often Do People Get Bird Flu?
This bird flu was first identified as a threat to people during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong. In the past two decades, nearly 900 people have been diagnosed globally with bird flu and more than 460 people have died, according to the World Health Organization.
There have been only two cases in the United States, and neither were fatal.
In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program caught it while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.
Earlier this month, Texas health officials announced that a person who had been in contact with cows had been diagnosed with bird flu. Their only reported symptom was eye redness.
What Are The Symptoms Of Bird Flu?
Symptoms are similar to that of other flus, including cough, body aches and fever. Some people dont have noticeable symptoms, but others develop severe, life-threatening pneumonia.
Can It Spread Between People?
The vast majority of infected people have gotten it directly from birds, but scientists are on guard for any sign of spread among people.
There have been a few instances when that apparently happened most recently in 2007 in Asia. In each cluster, it spread within families from a sick person in the home.
U.S. health officials have stressed that the current public health risk is low and that there is no sign that bird flu is spreading person to person.
What Is The Economic Impact?
While its too early to quantify the potential economic impact of a bird flu outbreak, many of these latest developments are concerning, particularly the transmission of the virus from one species to another, said Daren Detwiler, a food safety and policy expert at Northeastern University.
We dont have a magic forcefield, an invisible shield that protects land and water runoff from impacting other species, Detwiler said. There is a concern in terms of how this might impact other markets, the egg market, the beef market.
If the outbreak is not quickly contained, consumers could ultimately see higher prices, and if it continues to spread, some industries could experience reputational strain, possibly affecting the export industry, Detwiler added.
The egg industry already is experiencing some tightening of supply following detections of bird flu late in 2023 and in early January, coupled with the busy Easter season, where Americans typically consume an average of 3 billion eggs, said Marc Dresner, a spokesperson for the American Egg Board.
Still, even with the outbreak in Texas and the nearly 2 million birds that were killed there, Dresner said there are an estimated 310 million egg laying hens in the United States and wholesale egg prices are down about 25% from a February peak.
