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Tests detect flu, cold viruses among sick passengers on Emirates flights
Tests on 10 people on a flight from Dubai to New York, hospitalized thereafter, revealed no disease except for the flu and cold viruses, announced today the Department of Health and Hygiene of New York City. 10 people to go out soon.
The Emirates Airline flight stopped in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, en route to New York, raising fears that some passengers may be suffering from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
At a press conference yesterday, Oxiris Barbot, MD, the city's acting health commissioner, said that 106 people in flight carrying 521 people had initially reported symptoms such as cough, fever or vomiting. She said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state health department controlled each person, reducing the number of active patients to 10, including 7 crew members and 3 passengers.
Barbot noted that flu is present in the Arabian Peninsula and that, given the incubation period, it would not be surprising that some people get sick during a long flight. Barbot added that many of the initially many people who reported symptoms probably reflected "anxiety".
As CIDRAP News was about to go to press today, Reuters reported that passengers and crew members of two flights to Philadelphia International Airport had been retained to investigate. on reports of 12 influenza symptoms.
NYC Health Twitter food
September 5 NYC Health media briefing
September 5th CIDRAP News story "Diseases at the flying scene Flight Emirates to New York, 10 driving to the hospital"
Sept. 6 Reuters story
BioCryst Receives CDC Contract to Add Peramivir to Domestic Stock
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals announced today that the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded the company a $ 34.7 million contract to provide up to 50,000 doses of injectable antiviral Rapivab (peramivir) on the national strategic stock of the country. .
In late 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved peramivir to treat influenza in adults and, in 2017, it expanded the indication for children 2 years and older. The drug is a neuraminidase inhibitor that can be used when patients, like those with serious infections, do not tolerate oral or inhaled antivirals.
According to BioCryst's statement, located in Research Triangle Park, N.C., peramivir is administered by intravenous infusion for at least 15 minutes. Neuraminidase inhibitors are the gold standard for the treatment of seasonal influenza, as well as infections caused by zoonotic strains, including those with pandemic potential.
Jon Stonehouse, CEO of BioCryst, said in the release: "We appreciate the fact that the CDC recognizes the value of Rapivab for patients and our national security."
Sep 6 BioCryst Press release
NIAID Announces Trial to Test Immune Enhancement of H5N1 Vaccine with Topical Cream
Federal Health officials yesterday announced the launch of a trial to see if the use of a topical cream could boost the immune response of an inactivated H5N1 avian influenza vaccine approved in 2007 as part of the national stock of pre-pandemic vaccines.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which supports the Baylor College of Medicine laboratory where researchers are studying this approach, says that topical imiquimod cream, commonly used to treat genital warts and some skin cancer, activates the innate immune system. He added that Hong Kong research teams had recently conducted two trials suggesting that imiquimod cream applied prior to seasonal influenza vaccination significantly improved the immune response compared to a control group.
The strategy could expand the supply of H5N1 vaccines because fewer doses would be needed to reach the target immune response, the NIAID said in a press release.
The Phase 1 trial will include 50 healthy adults ages 18 to 50 years old. Participants will receive two intradermal doses 21 days apart, administered by microneedle injection of an H5N1 vaccine manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur. Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups, one of them being Aldara, an FDA approved imiquimod cream, applied on the arm for 15 minutes. before each vaccination. The control group will receive an aqueous placebo cream applied in the same way.
Researchers will monitor injection sites or systemic reactions, and participants will visit the clinic regularly over the next 7 months to conduct blood tests so that the team can assess the immune response. The first subject was vaccinated on June 19 and researchers hope to have preliminary results by the end of the year.
"NIAID is pleased to support a clinical trial evaluating an innovative way to stimulate immune responses to a pre-pandemic vaccine," said Anthony Fauci, director of NIAID, in the statement. He added that the vaccine and treatment evaluation units, which include the Baylor Lab, are a crucial part of the pandemic preparedness efforts in the United States.
Sep 5 NIAID Press release
WHO summarizes sixth wave H7N9 in China and weighs on virus sharing
In an update on human infections with H7N9 avian influenza in China, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that only three cases were reported during the sixth wave of activity in October 2017, a dramatic decline. She also detailed China's efforts to share information on H7N9 flu viruses, following recent reports that China does not share recent isolates to help develop the virus. vaccines and treatments.
The WHO said there had been fewer detections of H7N9 in Chinese poultry and in the environment, according to reports from the mainland and Hong Kong. According to previous reports, following an unprecedented number of diseases during the fifth wave that occurred in 2016 and 2017, China has deployed a new vaccine against H5 and H7 in poultry in all its provinces.
The three cases for the sixth wave were all reported previously and involved patients from Yunnan, Guangdong and Xinjiang provinces. Since March 2013, when the virus was first detected in humans, the WHO received 1,567 laboratory-confirmed cases, including at least 615 deaths. The WHO said that while detections have decreased, as long as the virus is circulating, even at low levels, it is expecting more human cases.
Regarding the issue of virus sharing, WHO reported that China regularly shares H7N9 gene sequence data with the Global Influenza Data Sharing Initiative (GISAID), a public database. He added that a WHO collaborating center at the China Center for Disease Control (China CDC) had shared virus samples with other WHO collaborating centers and was Other laboratories to create and update laboratory tests, reference reagents and high-growth viruses used for vaccine development. production.
The WHO said the China CDC had completed or was processing all applications for the H7N9 virus and noted that 12 high-growth H7N9 viruses were available through the Global Monitoring and Response System. influenza of the WHO.
September 5, WHO update
August 27 New York Times story on virus sharing
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