Category: Flu Virus

Chickens on a poultry farm in Tepatitlan, Jalisco State, Mexico, on June 6, 2024. Outbreaks of H5N2 avian influenza have recently been reported in poultry in Mexico. Ulises Ruiz / AFP via Getty Images

A 59-year-old man in Mexico who was infected with H5N2 avian influenza has died, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Its the first time any person has tested positive for H5N2 and the first time a person in Mexico has tested positive for an H5 bird flu virus.

The patient had multiple underlying medical conditions and was bedridden for three weeks for other reasons before his acute symptoms began, per the WHO. Mexicos health ministry says in a statement that the man died as a result of chronic conditions, not because of the virus. He had chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

None of the patients close contacts near his residence or at the hospital where he died have tested positive for the virus, per the WHO. The agency says the current risk to the general population posed by the virus is low.

The prompt follow-up in health care professionals and family members in contact with the infected patient provides reassurance at present this is an isolated case, Ian Brown, the avian virology group lead at the Pirbright Institute in England, says to BBC News Michelle Roberts.

The case was a different strain of avian influenza from the H5N1 strain that has spread in dairy cattle across the United States and recently caused infections in three people.

It is concerning that a new virus subtype has infected a human, Troy Sutton, who studies avian influenza at Pennsylvania State University, tells NBC News Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

The WHO does not know how the person in Mexico became infected with H5N2. Infections have been reported in poultry in Mexico, but the patient had not been exposed to poultry or other animals.

The fact there was no reported contact [with an infected bird] does raise the possibility that he was infected by someone else who visited him, but its premature to jump to those conclusions, Richard Webby, a flu researcher at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, says to Mike Stobbe of the Associated Press (AP).

Ed Hutchinson, who studies influenza at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, tells BBC News that the person probably caught the virus from an infected animal.

In the U.S., two dairy farm workers in Michigan and one in Texas have tested positive for H5N1 following direct contact with infected cows in recent months. The most recent person to test positive, in Michigan, experienced a cough and eye discomfort, and their symptoms are resolving, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The other two people only reported symptoms in their eyes.

Meanwhile, infections have been detected in cows across 83 herds in nine states, including recent infections in Minnesota and Iowa identified for the first time.

Most H5 viruses are classified as low pathogenic, meaning they cause either asymptomatic or mild infections in poultry, per the CDC. The spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 in birds around the world has led to the deaths of tens of millions of birds over the last couple of years, either through fatal infections or preventative culling.

Sporadic H5 infections have occurred in humans, according to the CDC. Since 1997, such infections in 23 countries have resulted in death in about half of cases. Avian influenza in poultry can infect humans through direct exposure to the animals or from contaminated areas. There has not been historical evidence of a sustained spread of H5 viruses between humans, the WHO says.

The patient in Mexico developed fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea and general malaise on April 17, according to the WHO. He was hospitalized in Mexico City on April 24 and died later that day. Follow-up testing later found the person was infected with H5N2 at the time of his death.

The person may have already been quite sick, Sutton tells NBC News. That changes the calculation a little bit more than, say, a healthy farm worker getting infected.

Officials detected an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N2 in a backyard poultry farm in a state neighboring the patients state of residence in March, per the WHO. Other outbreaks of low pathogenic H5N2 were reported in Mexico in March and April.

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Man Infected With H5N2 Bird Flu in Mexico Dies. Here's the Latest on the Virus - Smithsonian Magazine

The discovery of bird flu virus particles in the muscles of a dead dairy cow last month came as a shock to Dr. Carol Cardona, a bird flu scientist and a professor at the the University of Minnesotas College of Veterinary Medicine.

It was an eye-opener for me, Dr. Cardona said.

Most reports about the H5N1 virus, the strain of avian flu that appeared in U.S. cattle earlier this year, have described relatively benign symptoms in affected dairy cows: Drops in milk production, dehydration, and fever. To Cardona, those symptoms suggested that the virus spread was minimal within each infected cow.

The number of organs infected, affected, etc., that is directly correlated with the amount of clinical signs you see in an animal, Cardona says. Thats why I was assuming this was restricted to certain parts of the body.

The fact that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had found viral particles in muscle tissue of this one dairy cow, however, toppled that assumption.

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The discovery opens up new routes of transmission of the virus, both to humans and to animals of other species that might come into contact with beef.

The USDA says the beef supply remains safe and the finding doesnt mean a broader outbreak is imminent. But Cardona says its a moment to readjust our expectations around what might be possible with the outbreak.

The failure to stop big events is not the failure to be able to stuff the genie back in the bottle, Cardona says. Its the failure to imagine what could be true.

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To me, its a significant deal, Cardona says. They found this animal, they tested it, thank goodness, and it didnt enter the food chain. Thats a great thing. But that was luck. Now, you have to go through and say, would we have missed any of these?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to say that the current public health risk is low. There have only been three identified cases of infection in humans since the dairy cow outbreak was discovered in March, despite the widespread presence of the virus on dairy farms and in unpasteurized milk.

And, so far, the highly sensitive PCR tests that the USDA uses to search for H5N1 in beef has only found viral particles in the muscle of one of 109 dairy cows tested. All of those cows had been pulled by USDA inspectors from the food supply at slaughterhouses because they appeared sick.

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The report on the viral particles found in the dead dairy cows muscle last month has drawn split reactions from food safety experts and virologists. Food safety experts, in particular, dont seem concerned by the latest finding.

You would expect to find some particles of virus in some of those samples, and the fact that weve theyve only found one cow that they even detected particles so far is actually pretty amazing, said Keith Belk, head of the Center for Meat Safety and Quality at Colorado State University.

So far, H5N1 is only known to be present in dairy herds, not in the cattle herds raised solely for beef. Belk said that he is confident that inspectors with the USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), who are based at commercial slaughterhouses, will catch all the infected dairy cows before they enter the food supply.

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Of the roughly 2.5 million cattle slaughtered at federally inspected plans in the U.S. each month, around 10% are dairy cattle. Dairy cows, Belk says, are generally sent to specialized slaughterhouses, where the volume is lower and the oversight by federal inspectors is more stringent.

Any cow that has symptoms of being infected with the virus is going to be detected, and then subsequently tested, Belk said.

The USDA, in a statement, said it was confident in its inspection process. The cow that tested positive was identified as having signs of illness by FSIS personnel, providing further confidence that the food safety system we have in place is working, a spokesperson said.

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But bird flu scientists had a different take. It is not reasonable to assume that FSIS inspectors will identify and condemn all H5N1 infected cows, said Jrgen Richt, director of the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases and a professor at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. For me, this is concerning.

Milk is pasteurized before its sent to consumers, Richt wrote in an email to Barrons. Beef is not.

Cardona, who is trained both as a veterinarian and a scientist, says that she will continue to eat beef, because proper cooking will kill the virus. But she said she was concerned about other animals contracting the virus from beef.

According to a CDC report, half of a group of 24 cats fed milk from sick cows on one dairy farm got sick and died.

The pathways are there, Cardona says. We really have to wake up and start paying attention, because the mitigation strategies are there, too.

Write to Josh Nathan-Kazis at josh.nathan-kazis@barrons.com

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Bird Flu in Beef Begins to Worry Some Scientistists. Heres Why. - Barron's

A 59-year-old male resident of Mexico died after being infected with a bird flu subtype never before confirmed to have spread to humans, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

The man, who suffered from other underlying health conditions, had no known exposure to poultry or other animals before being formally diagnosed by a laboratory with the H5N2 subtype of avian flu. The case marks the first time a human has been confirmed to be infected with this subtype, and the first time an avian H5 virus was confirmed in a person in Mexico.

Due to the constantly evolving nature of influenza viruses, WHO continues to stress the importance of global surveillance, WHO said in a statement. This case does not change the current WHO recommendations on public health measures and surveillance of influenza, it added, rating current risks to the general population as low.

The man had been bedridden for three weeks for other reasons, before the onset of acute symptoms, according to WHO. His symptoms first appeared around April 17 and included fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea and general malaise.

He sought medical attention on April 24 and was hospitalized at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases in Mexico City. He died later that day.

Other subtypes of H5 avian flu have spread to humans, but evidence from previous events have so far suggested that the viruses have not acquired the ability to sustain transmission between humans, WHO said. People who came in contact with the man shortly before his death have so far not tested positive for H5N2, it added.

Bird flu in general threatens the international poultry supply and comes with some risk of spreading to humans, typically through direct contact with an infected animal or contaminated environments. There are no known cases of an individual catching bird flu from eating properly cooked meat, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A highly pathogenic form of bird flu was detected in a goat in March, the first confirmed case in the United States involving a domestic ruminant animal (i.e. cattle, sheep and goats). Within days, avian influenza was found in several U.S. cows and rapidly spread across state lines, with a dairy worker in Texas testing positive in April for H5N1, a different subtype than the one detected in the man in Mexico.

Experts have criticized federal agencies in the United States for being slow to track and control the outbreak, with nine states observing outbreaks in cows as of Tuesday. Forty-eight states have recorded outbreaks in poultry, according to the CDC.

Four human cases of avian flu have been reported in the United States since April 1; three of the infections followed exposure to dairy cows in Texas and Michigan, while one followed exposure to poultry in Colorado, the CDC said.

For those in places with known avian influenza outbreaks, WHO recommends avoiding contact with livestock as well as places where animals could have been raised, slaughtered or may have spread their feces. Basic hygiene such as frequent hand-washing is also recommended.

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H5N2 bird flu confirmed in Mexico after man dies, WHO says - The Washington Post

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently said that a case of human infection with bird flu caused by the H9N2 virus was detected in a four-year-old in West Bengal. This is the second documented case in India; the first was found in 2019. Admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) of a local hospital, the child experienced persistent severe respiratory issues, high fever, and abdominal cramps in February, and was discharged three months later after diagnosis and treatment.

While the H9N2 virus typically results in mild illness, the WHO has warned of the potential for sporadic human cases because it is one of the most widespread avian influenza viruses present in poultry.

Lets understand about the illness and how it manifests.

H9N2 is a subtype of avian influenza virus, commonly found in birds. While it primarily infects birds, it can occasionally infect humans, including children, said Dr Saurabh Khanna, lead consultant, paediatrics and neonatology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurgaon.

The risk of getting bird flu is comparatively low unless children come in contact with a contaminated environment, infected birds, animals, or their secretions, said Dr Jagdish Kathwate, consultant neonatologist and paediatrician, Motherhood Hospital Kharadi Pune.

Transmission: Primarily via contact with contaminated environments or diseased birds. Children who are exposed to live poultry markets or farms may contract the virus. The virus can adapt to humans and cause infection, elaborated Dr Khanna.

Like any other viral infection Fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and headache. Other Symptoms: Muscle aches, fatigue, and conjunctivitis.

In some cases, severe symptoms like difficulty breathing and pneumonia can occur.

It is crucial to immediately seek medical guidance if you start to experience symptoms like fever, lack of appetite, cough, sore throat, and breathing problems for prompt diagnosis, urged Dr Kathwate.

Limiting exposure to live poultry and bird markets is essential for preventing H9N2 avian influenza since these types of environments can act as hotspots for viral transmission. Reducing the risk of infection requires adhering to proper hygiene practices, such as frequent hand washing, especially after interacting with birds or their habitats, said Dr Khanna.

Getting the yearly flu shot can provide some cross-protection against H9N2, even if there isnt a specialised vaccination for it, added Dr Khanna. The risk of getting the virus can also be reduced by using protective gear, such as masks and gloves when working with birds, mentioned Dr Khanna.

Multiple laboratory tests are part of the H9N2 avian influenza diagnostic process. According to Dr Khanna, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, or RT-PCR, is frequently used to identify viruses precisely by detecting the presence of viral RNA. Swabs from the throat and nose are also necessary because they are used to isolate and identify viruses, which enables a detailed examination of the infection, said Dr Khanna.

Furthermore, serological studiesblood tests that look for antibodies against the virusare essential for determining immune responses and verifying prior infections. These extensive testing techniques are essential for precise H9N2 avian influenza diagnosis and efficient treatment, Dr Khanna.

Antiviral Drugs: Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Zanamivir (Relenza) may be effective if started early. Supportive Care: Hydration, rest, fever management, and addressing respiratory symptoms. Hospitalisation: In severe cases, hospitalization may be necessary for respiratory support and intensive care.

The impact of H9N2 avian influenza can differ significantly between children and adults, said Dr Khanna. While children often experience milder symptoms compared to adults, they are also more susceptible to severe complications due to their developing immune systems. Additionally, children are more likely to come into contact with birds during play, which increases their risk of infection. This combination of factors underscores the need for heightened vigilance and protective measures for children to mitigate their risk of contracting and spreading the virus, elaborated Dr Khanna.

General advice for parents

Monitor children for flu-like symptoms if theyve been around birds. Keep children away from areas with known bird flu outbreaks. Ensure good hygiene practices.

Understanding these aspects of H9N2 bird flu helps in preventing, diagnosing, and treating the infection effectively, especially in vulnerable populations like children. The annual influenza vaccination during such epidemics can be emphasised, said Dr Khanna.

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WHO confirms H9N2 bird flu in India in 4-year-old; heres how it affects kids differently as compared to adults - The Indian Express

Tony Leys and Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News

Jun 9

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Scientists warn that the bird flu virus could mutate and spread from person to person, like the seasonal flu, which could spark a pandemic. (E+/Getty Images)

Farmworkers face some of the most intense exposures to the bird flu virus, but advocates say many of them would lack resources to fall back on if they became ill.

As of May 30, only three people in the United States had tested positive after being exposed to a wave of bird flu spreading among cows. Those people, dairy farm workers in Texas and Michigan, experienced eye irritation. One of them also had a cough and sore throat.

Scientists warn that the virus could mutate to spread from person to person like the seasonal flu, sparking a pandemic. By monitoring farmworkers, researchers could track infections, learn how dangerous they are, and be alerted if the virus becomes more infectious.

But people generally get tested when they seek treatment for illnesses. Farmworkers rarely do that because many lack health insurance and paid sick leave, said Elizabeth Strater, director of strategic campaigns for the national group United Farm Workers. They are unlikely to go to a doctor unless they become very ill.

Strater said about 150,000 people work in U.S. dairies. She said many worker advocates believe the virus has spread to more people than tests are showing. The method being used to surveil at-risk workers has been very passive, she said.

Federal officials told reporters on May 22 that just 40 people connected to U.S. dairy farms had been tested for the virus, although others are being actively monitored for symptoms.

Federal authoritiesrecently announced they would pay farmworkers $75 each to be tested for the virus as part of a new program offering incentives for farm owners to allow testing of their dairy herds.

Officials of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they recognize the importance of gaining cooperation and trust from front-line dairy employees.

CDC spokesperson Rosa Norman said in an email that the incentive payment compensates workers for their time contributing to the monitoring of how many people are infected, how sick they become, and whether humans are spreading the virus to each other.

She noted the CDC believes the virus currently poses alow risk to public health.

But Strater is skeptical of the incentive for farmworkers to be checked for the virus. If a worker tests positive, theyd likely be instructed to go to a clinic and then stay home from work. She said they couldnt afford to do either.

That starts to sound like a really bad deal for 75 bucks because, at the end of the week, theyre supposed to feed their families, she said.

Katherine Wells, director of public health in Lubbock, Texas, said that in her state, health officials would provide short-term medical care, such as giving farmworkers the flu treatment Tamiflu. Those arrangements wouldnt necessarily cover hospitalization if it were needed, she said.

She said the workers bigger concern appears to be that they would have to stay home from work or might even lose their jobs if they tested positive.

Many farmworkersare from other countries, and they often labor in grueling conditions for little pay.

They may fear attention to cases among them will inflame anti-immigrant fervor, said Monica Schoch-Spana, a medical anthropologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Societies have a longhistory of blamingmarginalized communities for the spread of contagious diseases. Latino immigrants were verbally attacked during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009, for example, and some media personalities used the outbreak to push for a crackdown on immigration.

Bethany Boggess Alcauter, director of research and public health programs at the National Center for Farmworker Health, said many workers on dairy farms have been told very little about this new disease spreading in the cows they handle. Education needs to be a part of testing efforts, with time for workers to ask questions, she said.

These conversations should be conducted in the farmworkers language, with people they are likely to trust, she said.

Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said public health officials must make clear that workers immigration status will not be reported as part of the investigation into the new flu virus. Were not going to be the police, he said.

Dawn OConnell, an administrator at the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a press conference on May 22 that nearly 5 million doses of a vaccine against H5N1, the bird flu virus circulating in cattle, are being prepared. However, officials have not decided whether the shots will be offered to farmworkers when theyre ready later this year.

The CDC asked states in early May to share personal protective equipment with farm owners to help them shield workers from the bird flu virus. State health departments in California, Texas, and Wisconsin, which have large dairy industries, all said they have offered to distribute such equipment.

Chris Van Deusen, a Texas health department spokesperson, said four dairy farms had requested protective equipment from the state stockpile. He said other farms may already have had what they needed. Spokespeople for the California and Wisconsin health departments said they did not immediately receive requests from farm owners for the extra equipment.

Strater, the United Farm Workers official, said protective equipment offerings need to be practical.

Most dairy workers already wear waterproof aprons, boots, and gloves, she said. It wouldnt be realistic to expect them to also wear N95 face masks in the wet, hot conditions of a milking operation, she said. Plastic face shields seem like a better option for that environment, especially to prevent milk from spraying into workers eyes, where it could cause infection, she said.

Other types of agricultural workers, including those who work with chickens, also face potential infection. But scientists say the version of the virus spreading in cows could be particularly dangerous because it has adapted to live in mammals.

Strater said shes most worried about dairy workers, who spend 10 to 12 hours a day in enclosed spaces with cows.

Their faces are approximately 5 inches away from the milk and the udders all day long, she said. The intimacy of it, where their face is so very close to the infectious material, is different.

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Farmworkers Face High-Risk Exposures to Bird Flu, but Testing Isn't Reaching Them - KQED

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Why hasn't the US battled the bird flu virus with vaccines? - Des Moines Register

A four-year-old child from West Bengal was diagnosed with bird flu in late January this year, was admitted to a hospitals intensive care unit for treatment twice for acute respiratory distress and was discharged finally in May, according to the World Health Organisation.

The child was first taken to a paediatrician with fever, abdominal pain and later seizures. The patient was admitted to the ICU of a local hospital due to persisting severe respiratory distress, recurrent high fever and abdominal cramps. The child was discharged from the hospital in February end but was re-admitted on

March 3 due to severe respiratory distress. A swab sample collected was sent to National Institute of Virology, and the virus was sub-typed to be H9N2. The child was finally discharged from the hospital with oxygen support on May 1.

The patient is likely to have contracted the disease from poultry at home and in the surrounding area.

One, with the virus circulating in poultry, WHO expects to see sporadic cases of the infection. In its risk assessment, the inter-governmental agency said: Most human cases of infection with H9N2 viruses are exposed through contact with infected poultry or contaminated environment Given the continued detection of the virus in poultry populations, sporadic human cases can be expected.

Human infection with H9N2 tends to be mild, but there have been some cases where hospitalisation was required like the one from West Bengal. There have been two deaths reported from across the world due to the infection. The WHO added that the current evidence suggests that the virus hasnt acquired the ability to transmit from human-to-human yet.

Two, a case of bird flu reported by Australia is thought to have been exposed to the virus in Kolkata in February this year. The strain of virus in both cases, however, are different H5N1 in the Australian case and H9N2 in the Indian case indicating different sources of infection.

There has been an increased focus on bird flu this year after three dairy farm workers from the US were reported to have been infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1).

There are two types of H5N1 low and highly pathogenic. While the low pathogenic type is usually seen in birds in the region and has in fact caused at least two outbreaks in birds in Kerala the highly pathogenic type is not commonly seen in birds, let alone animals, said Dr E Sreekumar, director of the Institute of Advanced Virology-Thiruvananthapuram.

Dr Sreekumar had said earlier that priority has to be to prevent infection spread. However, it is important to keep an eye on the pathogen for changes that can make it more transmissible.

The WHO has called for strengthened surveillance in both animal and human populations through investigation of every zoonotic infection and pandemic preparedness planning.

With most cases of bird flu being reported by people who handle poultry, it is important that animals and poultry are handled with care. People need to minimise contact with animals and poultry and areas contaminated with their faeces. Contact should be avoided with dead animals.

Those at high risk of severe disease such as children, older people, and pregnant women should avoid participating in slaughtering, collecting eggs, or preparation of these foods. And, everyone should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water as often as possible, especially before and after handling animals.

As for consuming poultry, eggs, and other animal products, cook at proper temperature and prevent cross-contamination between raw and cooked food.

The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the governments management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the countrys space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia Universitys Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelors Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

First uploaded on: 12-06-2024 at 13:13 IST

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First bird flu case in India this year, confirms WHO: Heres what you need to know - The Indian Express

A dairy farm in Rockford (Illinois), US, April 9, 2024. On this farm, several cows have been placed in isolation as a precaution against the avian flu epidemic. JIM VONDRUSKA / REUTERS

A third man infected with the H5N1 virus in the United States, the first human case in Australia and the first person infected with H5N2 in Mexico: In the space of a week, different sublineages of avian flu have caused concern by jumping from animal species to humans. Although these are not the same viruses nor do they involve the same public health issues, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers that in all cases "the current risk to the general population posed by this virus [is] low."

Nonetheless, warning signs are mounting and scientists are intensifying their calls to implement measures to prevent a catastrophic scenario. "I think the current circumstances justify sounding the alarm and mobilizing for vaccine production," Gregory Poland, director of the vaccine research group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told Le Monde.

On Friday, June 7, a two-and-a-half-year-old Australian girl became the country's first official case of H5N1. She is believed to have been infected during a trip to India and developed symptoms when returning home. After more than two weeks in intensive care, she has now recovered. In Mexico, few details have yet emerged from the investigation into the first known human case linked to the H5N2 virus, announced on Wednesday by the WHO. The patient, a 59-year-old man, died a week after the onset of acute symptoms including fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea and nausea. His family and friends reported that he was already suffering from multiple comorbidities and the WHO considers his death to be "multifactorial." Over the past 20 years, it has been estimated that around half of all reported cases of avian flu have resulted in death from acute symptoms but in the absence of large-scale screening that takes into account asymptomatic cases, it is impossible to calculate a mortality rate.

Screening is the key issue in the current epizootic on dairy farms in the United States. With a new infection reported in Minnesota on Thursday, 81 farms in 11 US states are now affected by the virus. However, farmers are not currently required to test their animals except when transferring them from one state to another and they remain reluctant to conduct tests that could force them to quarantine or even cull their herds. At the end of May, it was found that one in five samples of milk marketed in the US contained remnants of the virus, suggesting that the epidemic is more widespread than previously thought.

Three farm workers have already been infected. While the first two suffered only conjunctivitis after their eye mucosa came into contact with contaminated milk, the third man, identified on May 30 in Michigan, showed respiratory symptoms. This important development opens up new avenues for viral transmission. If the virus were to develop the ability to spread between humans, which has not yet been proven, it could circulate more easily. Here again, however, the lack of screening prevents us from grasping the full extent of the phenomenon.

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Avian flu: New human infections reported as epizootic rapidly spreads in the US - Le Monde

An experimental two-in-one vaccine triggered strong immune responses against both the flu and SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, in an advanced clinical trial that included adults ages 50 and older.

The ongoing clinical trial pits this new combination shot, called mRNA-1083, against several licensed vaccines that protect against either COVID-19 or the flu. Compared with these separate vaccines, the combo shot produced "significantly higher immune responses" to three subtypes of flu and to the coronavirus, the pharmaceutical company Moderna, which developed the vaccine, announced Monday (June 10).

These results haven't yet been reviewed by scientists outside of Moderna. The company plans to present the data at an upcoming medical conference and to publish the results in a scientific journal.

Moderna representatives told news outlets that the company aspires to have the new shot approved by fall 2025 so it won't be available by this flu season, but it might be by the next. Pfizer-BioNTech and Novavax are also working on their own COVID-flu vaccines, but Moderna is the first to release late-stage clinical trial data.

Related: A branch of the flu family tree has died and won't be included in future US vaccines

People currently have to get their annual flu shots and updated COVID-19 vaccines separately. One major benefit of a combination vaccine would be that it would streamline that vaccination process, boosting coverage through convenience, Dr. Francesca Ceddia, Moderna's chief medical affairs officer, wrote in a Moderna blog post. Such a shot could also free up doctors' and pharmacists' time by cutting the number of individual shots they'd have to give, she wrote.

Beyond convenience, though, it's possible that the new vaccine could be more protective than the current vaccines that are given individually, Moderna's early data hint.

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"When we think about the combination vaccine, we often only think about the element of convenience, one shot instead of two," Ceddia told CNN. "But what is really, really breakthrough is the fact that you not only offer that advantage, you also offer the proof of clinical benefit."

The combination vaccine includes two components, both made of a genetic molecule called mRNA. Once inside the human body, mRNA instructs human cells to build specific proteins in this case, proteins found on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses. The new vaccine builds upon the Nobel Prize-winning technology used to develop the first COVID-19 vaccines. Since those shots were released, mRNA has been used to develop experimental treatments and vaccines for many diseases, including deadly brain cancers and ultra-rare genetic disorders.

The ongoing trial is testing the new vaccine in two groups of roughly 4,000 adults each: one group of people ages 65 and up, and one group of 50- to 64-year-olds. Participants in the older group received either the new shot alone or Moderna's old COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, along with a high-dose flu shot that's recommended to older adults. Participants in the younger group got either the new vaccine or Spikevax and a standard-dose flu shot.

In both age groups, the combo vaccine elicited a superior immune response against a variant of SARS-CoV-2 called omicron XBB.1.5; two types of influenza A virus called H1N1 and H3N2; and a type of influenza B virus known as the Victoria lineage. The researchers measured this immune protection in terms of the number of protective antibodies that appeared in people's blood.

(Notably, newer versions of omicron have now overtaken XBB.1.5, so the new vaccine's effectiveness against those variants isn't yet known.)

The most common side effects of the new shot included pain at the injection site, fatigue, muscle aches and headaches. These side effects also show up with existing COVID-19 and flu vaccines. However, Moderna hasn't released the full details of the trial so it's not yet known whether the rate of side effects differs between the old and new vaccines.

Between October 2023 and June 2024, up to 810,000 people were hospitalized for influenza in the U.S., and up to 71,000 people died from the infection, the CDC estimates based on preliminary data; firmer figures will be released in coming months. In addition, data recently presented to the Food and Drug Administration suggest that more than 500,000 were hospitalized for COVID-19, and 40,000 died from it, during last autumn and winter, CNN reported.

This past season, the rate of flu vaccination far outpaced that for COVID-19 vaccination among adults, so some experts hope that introducing combination vaccines could help pull that rate up. For now, Moderna is working with regulators to approve the new vaccine for adults but the company hasn't noted when the shot might be tested in younger groups.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.

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2-in-1 shot for flu and COVID shows promise in advanced trial - Livescience.com

CAMBRIDGE - Moderna announced Monday that its combination COVID and flu vaccine showed positive results in a late-stage trial.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company said the mRNA-1083 vaccine produced a higher immune response in older adults than the separate shots that were co-administered in the study.

"Combination vaccines have the potential to reduce the burden of respiratory viruses on health systems and pharmacies, as well as offer people more convenient vaccination options that could improve compliance and provide stronger protection from seasonal illnesses," Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement Monday. "Moderna is the only company with a positive Phase 3 flu and COVID combination vaccine.

The Phase 3 trial involved two groups of about 4,000 adults each. One group consisted of adults between the 50 and 64 years old and the other was just for those above 65. In the older group, the combination vaccine was compared to a higher dose flu shot.

"In both age cohorts, mRNA-1083 also elicited statistically significantly higher immune responses against three influenza virus strains (H1N1, H3N2, and B/Victoria) and against SARS-CoV-2," Moderna reported.

The company said the trial showed the new combination vaccine has "an acceptable tolerability and safety profile." The most commonly reported side effects were injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain and headaches.

Back in early 2022, Moderna said it was planning to have a combination COVID and flu vaccine ready by the fall of 2023. Many months later, it's still not clear when the public will have access to the shot.

Moderna said it "will engage with regulators on next steps" for its combination vaccine. In aletter to shareholders at the start of the year, Bancel said the intention is to have the combination vaccine ready as early as 2025.

Speaking to CBS News last fall as Moderna prepared to begin the late-stage trial, Montclair State University public health professor Dr. Stephanie Navarro Silvera said a combination vaccine would be more appealing for people who don't like getting multiple shots.

"Let's face it, nobody wants to get a shot more than once," she said. "So if we can combine two vaccines into one ... that's going to be a win in terms of public health."

Moderna's competitors are also working on a combination shot. Pfizer and BioNTech said last October that it was preparing a Phase 3 trial after getting "positive topline results" in earlier studies. And Novavax's website says a COVID and seasonal influenza vaccine is in the Phase 2 trial stage.

Neal J. Riley is a digital producer for CBS Boston. He has been with WBZ-TV since 2014. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle. Neal is a graduate of Boston University.

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Moderna says its combination COVID and flu vaccine tested better than separate shots - CBS Boston