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CDC confirms 2 new cases of variant flu in Iowa
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today confirmed two new cases of the influenza variant in Iowa, according to its weekly Fluview update.
One case concerns the influenza A variant H3N2 (H3N2v) and the other the influenza A variant H1N2 (H1N2v). Both infections are in children. Neither was hospitalized and both have made a full recovery, the CDC said.
One patient’s household members kept or cared for pigs, while the other child had direct contact with pigs. No human-to-human transmission was associated with these two cases.
The CDC said: “When an influenza virus that circulates normally in pigs (but not in humans) is detected in a person, it is called a ‘variant influenza virus’.”
So far this year, the CDC has recorded 9 variant flu cases, including 2 H3N2v, 2 H1N2v, and 5 H1N1v. Five cases involved children and four adults, all in direct or indirect contact with pigs. No case of human-to-human spread has occurred.
Sep 10 FluView report
Plague epidemic reported in Madagascar
Thirty cases of pulmonary plague have been reported in Madagascar, according to the latest report on communicable disease threats from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The cases, 12 of which have been confirmed, were reported on August 29 by health authorities in Arivonimamo district in Madagascar’s Itasy region. Seven cases were fatal, all in the municipality of Miandrandra.
According to media reports, the first case involved a patient who died in the week of August 23 and a second person from the same family died a week later. Active case finding and preventative drugs for high-risk contacts are ongoing.
Plague, which is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis and is transmitted mainly to humans by bites of infected fleas, is endemic in Madagascar. The last major plague epidemic in the country, in 2017, resulted in 2,417 confirmed, probable and suspected cases and 209 deaths. Seventy-seven percent of these cases were classified as pulmonary plague.
10 Sep ECDC threats of communicable diseases report
Nigeria reports more vaccine-related polio cases
Nigeria was the only country to report more polio cases this week, according to the latest weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GEPI).
The 18 cases of circulating poliovirus derived from a vaccine strain type 2 (cVDPV2), reported in seven states, bring Nigeria’s total for 2021 to 141 cases. Nine of the cases were reported in Borno, 3 in Kano, 2 in Jigawa and 1 each in Gombe, Katsina, Tarabe and Yobe.
Earlier this week, at a meeting in Rome, G20 health ministers reaffirmed their commitment to eradicate polio.
Sep 10 GEPI Weekly update
5-6 Sept. G2o health ministers declaration
H5N8 avian influenza outbreaks reported in Europe and Pakistan
France has reported highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in poultry in the northeast of the country, following similar outbreaks in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Ducks, chickens, turkeys and pigeons at an outbreak in the Ardennes region of France were all slaughtered after the detection of H5N8, Reuters reported.
Earlier this week, Luxembourg reported its first detection of high-route H5N8 in wild birds in a farmyard after the introduction of new animals, according to a report from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). In the outbreak, which began on September 2, 14 of 60 birds died and the rest were culled to prevent the spread of the disease.
According to Reuters, the French Ministry of Agriculture said: “The health situation regarding highly pathogenic avian influenza is worrying. Since August 1, 25 cases have been detected in Europe in wild and captive birds.
Last winter, France had to cull 3 million birds in its duck-breeding region after wild birds spread H5N8 to poultry flocks, among other factors.
In Pakistan, an outbreak of H5N8 was reported in poultry on a farm in Punjab province. The virus killed all 3,000 birds at the facility, according to the OIE. This epidemic began on August 4.
Sep 10 Reuters story
Sep 7 OIE Luxembourg report
Sep 8 OIE Pakistan report
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