1. #MPXV 𧡠@WHO has issued an update on the #monkeypox situation. In it they announce they're no longer going to report cases from the outbreak outside of Africa; rather, they're going to report all reported cases of/deaths from MPX together.
2. The rationale is clear: why should #MPXV cases in some countries be treated differently β treated as if they are more important β than #monkeypox cases in other countries? Makes sense & is just.
3. On the other hand, will this make it harder to track the outbreak? Isn't it possible there may be differences in cases that are caused by continuous human-2-human spread rather than animal-2-human events where spread stops after 1 or a few cases? Even if this is a DNA virus?
4. I'll be interested in hearing what the scientific community feels about this policy change.
Moving on: There've been 2103 #MPXV confirmed cases reported so far this year, with one death. 98% of the cases have been since May β ie part of the international outbreak.
5. Here's a chart of the cases by country and region. @WHO also said it is going to focus going forward on confirmed & probable cases/deaths in affected African countries. Will that underestimate the burden of #monkeypox in those countries?
6. @WHO says the ongoing international outbreak of #MPXV is mostly but not exclusively occurring in "men who have reported recent sex with new or multiple partners." New wording, I think.
7. But if #MPXV continues to spread, it isn't going to remain restricted to one group of people (if it is now). For instance, while many of the cases have reported travel, increasing numbers of cases have not, @WHO says.
8. #MPXV cases in this outbreak are often presenting with symptoms that don't match what the textbooks say about #monkeypox β which will complicate the job of finding cases & stopping transmission.
9. @WHO says given the degree of transmission, there's likely going to be more spread, spread into different population groups and within new countries.
The update is here: who.int/emergencies/diβ¦
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1. Some thoughts on #H5N1 #birdflu in cows. A π§΅
A bunch of new herds were announced by a couple of states today βΒ Colorado and Iowa. The former reported +5 & looks like it may have another pending; It now has 18 in total, maybe 19. Iowa reported 2 more, taking it to 10.
2. To the best of my ability to keep up βΒ and that's being challenged β I think there have been 125 herds reported in 12 states since the end of March. This graph combines @USDA's numbers from yesterday with the newly reported herds from Colorado & Iowa.
3. But @USDA threw a wrench into the works today. It updated its exceedingly wonky #H5N1 #birdflu in cows landing site. Some things work better, but the cumulative number of herds was lowered by 4 (from yday) with no explanation. USDA now says 112 herds in 12 states.
1. @USDA posted an FAQ today about the federal order restricting movement of dairy cattle infected with
#H5N1 #birdflu. Interesting information therein.
A π§΅
New to me: USDA says 8 poultry operations in 5 states have had poultry outbreaks with the virus detected in cows.
2. Minnesota hasn't reported #H5N1 #birdflu in cattle, but it has had at least 1 poultry outbreak with the cattle virus, @USDA reveals. More evidence, probably, that the virus is far more widely spread than has been realized. The FAQ is here: aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/β¦
3. The federal order on the movement of dairy cows goes into effect 4/29. @USDA is setting what looks like an ambitious timeline for processing of tests, especially "non-negative" tests that must then go for confirmatory testing at the USDA lab in Ames, Iowa. #H5N1 #birdflu
1. Listening to an @ASTHO - @IDSAInfo - @CSTEnews webinar on #H5N1 #birdflu in cows.
Of interest so far:
β @USDA is monitoring feral swine; no detections of H5 so far.
β in the "small number" of samples tested to date, doesn't look like cows are shedding virus thru feces.
2. @USDA Rosemary Sifford said the infections are "mostly" being seen in lactating herds.
1 herd was found to be positive despite the fact there were no clinical signs among the cows.
Sifford said USDA doesn't yet know how long infected cows shed virus.
#H5N1 #birdflu
@USDA 3. Sonja Olsen from @CDC says there've been 6 infections detected in cats on dairy farms. Not sure I've seen the exact number. #H5N1 #BirdFlu
1. A 𧡠on #flu, #Covid & #RSV (mostly flu). The
#influenza-like illness season is pretty much over. The percentage of people seeking care for ILIs is below 2.9%, that dotted line. You can catch flu at any time of the year, but chances of catching it now thru the summer are low.
2. It's not just #flu. #Covid activity now is at low levels nationally and #RSV activity has declined to the point where @CDCgov says the season is ending. Hallelujah. cdc.gov/respiratory-viβ¦
3. It hasn't been a particularly bad #flu season, but the estimated number of hospitalizations for flu has been pretty high β one of the highest in recent years. (red line) The 2017-18 season, which was harsh, was worse. CDC estimates there were 370K hospitalizations this year.
1. A π§΅on #flu & #Covid activity trends based on reports today from @CDCgov. Most of the data is for the week ending Feb. 3. The #influenza-like illness (ILI) season seems to have peaked at the end of Dec, with declines in flu, Covid & #RSV since then. But the season isn't over.
2. There was a bit of an uptick in #flu activity in the central & south central US. It corresponds with an increase in flu B detections there. Pre-Covid, flu B often arrived in a late season wave. We may see that again this year.
Map on left is the week ending 1/27; right is 2/3.
3. An additional 8 pediatric #flu deaths were reported to @CDCgov in the wk ending 2/3. The season's death toll in kids now stands at 74, which is awful, obviously, but not as bad as most years pre-Covid. But if there's a lot of flu B activity, this number could climb.
1. Traditionally I've done #flu updates on Fridays, but given our new reality β #Covid is here to stay β & the expansion of data on @CDCgov's website, I'm going to broaden the scope going forward. Top line news: Lotta illness out there right now. cdc.gov/respiratory-viβ¦
2. Most parts of the country are ensconced in #influenza-like illness season right now. (Minn, what are you doing to stay so healthy?) This graphic doesn't just represent #flu activity; #Covid, #RSV & other ILIs are also captured here. @CDCgov's FluView: cdc.gov/flu/weekly/
3. #Flu is the most common bug making people sick right now, but there's a lot of #Covid going around too. (I know from recent experience.) #RSV is still fairly active but declining. This breakdown of what's causing most illness is seen both in positive tests & ER visits.