Have questions about H5N1? We all do. Attempted to explain what we know and don’t know and some challenges in this Q&A for Scientific American with the brilliant Megan Bartels.

Read here: scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-ne…

Investigations into #birdflu #H5N1 transmission in animals aim at
➡️identifying the various mode of transmission between animals (respiratory, fluid, contacts)
➡️monitoring the changes in the virus
➡️understanding the spread of the disease
Thank you Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 for the link

My #1 data wish for H5N1 is more testing data, including negatives. How many samples have been tested, ideally by week and state. Crucial to know whether there is an ascertainment/throughput issue, or plenty of testing and very few positives. (I suspect the former.)

We are so excited about The Summer Institute in Statistics and Modeling in Infectious Diseases (SISMID) coming to Emory Public Health this summer! Early Bird Pricing ends May 31st! Register here sph.emory.edu/SISMID/index.h…

Pasteurization appears to inactivate #H5N1 so milk continues to be safe, but you might be surprised to learn how prevalent raw milk consumption is in the US.

Raw milk sales are permitted in most states (thanks to Alexes Merritt for the map, data from procon.org)

4/30 at 12-1pm ET: COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar: Leadership in Translational Statistical Research #statsleadershipwebinar Speakers: Sherri Rose, Stanford University and Russell Shinohara, Penn Medicine
Moderator: Jeff Goldsmith, Columbia University. niss.org/events/copss-n…

I cannot stress enough how much syphilis there is…

HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis-in-Pocket (also known as PEP-in-Pocket, or 'PIP') is a patient centered HIV-prevention modality for those with infrequent (eg. 0-4 per year) high risk exposures.

Mia Sapin (grad stuent extraordinaire) presents her work on the cost effectiveness of…

There are reports out of Ranchi, India of 8 human H5N1 cases: 6 poultry farm workers & 2 doctors (which is of particular concern if accurate as canaries of H2H spread)

Clusters of limited H2H H5N1 spread are not unheard of: v. different to sustained H2H.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/bi…

Oropouche virus has been spreading throughout parts of South America for a while.

It causes a dengue-like illness (and is often mistaken for dengue).

Key points below:

tinyurl.com/295ajnem

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 Take aways from Helen Branswell 🇨🇦:
- Explain the iterative nature of science to the public
- Explain that it takes time to get answers
-Explain that guidance make change

Flu A data on our website is from a test that picks up all influenza A viruses, including #H5N1 . However, it cannot distinguish H5N1 or identify animal inputs. We are watching our data nationally, and working with our partners Verily on approaches more specific to this outbreak.

I get a lot of questions about risk to humans from milk

My view: pasteurization is made for this purpose - to kill viruses and bacteria. I do not believe there is anything unique to H5N1 that would enable it to “survive” the process

My real concern is H5N1 rampantly spreading…

How close are we to an H5N1 vaccine?

HHS ASPR's David Boucher said there are 'well matched' shots at ready

'We have completed initial fill of some doses' and now working with U.S. FDA 'to determine if there's an appropriate regulatory pathway' for use

tinalexander.github.io/notes/2024/04#…

Health labs today got an 'urgent' notice from CDC

One lot of agency's Influenza A/H5 Subtyping Kit discovered to have a faulty component

Labs urged to halt use of component when testing suspect bird flu cases, over risk of 'inconclusive results'

tinalexander.github.io/notes/attachme…

1/ Are you struggling to keep track of all the #H5N1 developments in the US?

Together w/ Brennan Klein & Moritz Kraemer, we started an open-access timeline of key events related to the outbreak.

As you can see, the situation is rapidly progressing, so we will keep updating.

From new testing guidance by USDA APHIS

More on cats who now appear to be particularly susceptible to H5N1 infections

'cats with neurologic disease and dead cats on affected dairies are widely reported'

aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/…

H5N1: No new cattle herds have been confirmed since 4/19. We absolutely need data on how many tests are being run, by state.

1) I’m not currently worried about the safety of milk (or eggs). I trust the pasteurization process- for now. H5N1 is far more likely to make a jump into humans by fomite or airborne route.
2) I AM concerned that viral fragments in milk indicate wide transmission in animals.

1 in 5 US retail milk samples test positive for H5N1 avian flu fragments. This suggests extent of infection in dairy cows may be under estimated. ‘Fragments’ does not mean there is an infection risk but this needs confirmation by looking for viable virus. cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenz…