Diseases & Outbreaks News and Discussions

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Time_Traveller
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Diseases & Outbreaks News and Discussions

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This is to differentiate this from the Biology & Medicine and Covid-19 News and Discussions threads, this is mainly for discussing outbreaks of diseases and progress (or lack thereof) controlling and containing said outbreaks, as well as the rising potential existential threat posed by antibiotic resistant superbugs. This is not for discussing the latest in anti-aging research or how a particular experimental drug causes a specific cancer to go into remission in mice.

CDC: All travelers to Pakistan are at risk of getting XDR typhoid fever
May 15, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their travel notice for Pakistan and the outbreak of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid fever this week.

The ongoing outbreak began in 2016 in Sindh province, Pakistan, and spread throughout the country.

Cases of XDR typhoid fever have been reported among people in North America, Europe, East Asian, and the South Pacific who traveled to Pakistan.

All travelers to Pakistan are at risk of getting XDR typhoid fever, they report.
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/cdc-all-tr ... ver-38406/
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Seattle area Shigella outbreak update, Mainly in homeless
May 19, 2021

In a follow-up on the shigellosis outbreak in King County, Washington, Public Health – Seattle & King County report investigating the ongoing outbreak.
shigellosis

Image

Since October 2020, Public Health has identified 117 cases that are considered part of this outbreak. Of the outbreak cases, 84% are among people experiencing homelessness; 62% of cases were hospitalized.

In addition to shigellosis, health officials have also seen an increase in cases of other diarrheal causing infectious diseases among people experiencing homelessness, particularly cryptosporidiosis and different types of E. coli. We have identified at least 25 cases of cryptosporidiosis in people experiencing homelessness, and 10 of these people were infected with both Shigella and Cryptosporidium germs at the same time.
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/seattle-ar ... ess-45224/
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China reports human case of H10N3 bird flu, a possible first
A man in eastern China has contracted what might be the world’s first human case of the H10N3 strain of bird flu, but the risk of large-scale spread is low, the government said Tuesday.

The 41-year-old man in Jiangsu province, northwest of Shanghai, was hospitalized April 28 and is in stable condition, the National Health Commission said on its website.

No human case of H10N3 has been reported elsewhere, the commission said.

“This infection is an accidental cross-species transmission,” its statement said. “The risk of large-scale transmission is low.”
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
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The Pandemic Might Have Killed Off Some Flu Strains for Good

Yesterday 1:20PM

Scientists say that two common strains of the seasonal flu have seemingly vanished from circulation, likely due to public health measures like mask-wearing meant to slow the covid-19 pandemic. Though it will take time to confirm the disappearing act, the unexpected good news could make developing next season’s flu shot all the easier.

Every year, various types of the flu spread across the world, usually following a seasonal pattern of colder and/or drier weather. These flus are divided into two broad categories, A and B viruses, which are further divided into different groups. Both can mutate relatively quickly in a short amount of time, but influenza A viruses are the more dangerous variety, since they originally crossed over from animals like birds and can mutate enough to become the next source of a pandemic.

Scientists globally monitor the evolution of flu viruses by testing samples of confirmed flu cases from people who visit hospitals and doctors’ offices (the flu is always around, but it usually doesn’t cause major outbreaks until the typical season). This allows them to predict the likely batch of common strains that will circulate in the coming year and to then produce vaccines geared to provide immunity to those strains. This prediction process happens twice a year, accounting for the Northern and Southern hemisphere.

But since March 2020, we haven’t detected traces of two common flu strains: influenza B viruses belonging to the Yamagata lineage and a clade of the influenza A H3N2 virus, known as 3c3. So it’s possible, though not certain, that they may have gone extinct.

https://gizmodo.com/the-pandemic-might- ... 1847033924
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How to Make Biomedical Research (and Biosafety Labs) Less Dangerous and More Ethical, Post-COVID-19


https://thebulletin.org/2021/06/how-to- ... -covid-19/

Conclusion:
(Bulletin of Atomic Scientists) Laboratory-acquired infections need to become notifiable diseases to local and state health departments. If ill, researchers and other laboratory workers must notify health care professionals that they work on bioagents in biomedical clinical or research facilities—and federal regulations should be changed to require such reporting. Healthcare professionals should notify local public health officials who would report to the state and ultimately to the CDC working in concert with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Similar surveillance systems should be established in all countries with biomedical clinical and research facilities.

At the international level, the World Health Organization should work with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Implementation Support Unit to create a laboratory-acquired infection surveillance system based on data collected and reported at the national levels. Biomedical research is inherently dual use; it can provide society great benefits also be used for ill. The collaboration between WHO and the BWC would send the message that the international community takes these issues seriously.

The field of biomedical research ethics needs to be created. As with human subject research, Congress should establish a commission to identify doctrine underlying all biomedical research. The National Academies’ “Seven Experiments of Concern” should serve as a framework for the commission’s work.

We don’t know if if gain-of-function* research caused this pandemic or if it was naturally occurring. But the arguments for gain-of-function research can be countered by two points. First, the mRNA vaccines that were developed so quickly in response to the pandemic took decades of prior research and required the sequence of genetic material from the virus’s spike protein. Gain-of-function research was not needed. Second, investments in public health would improve response capabilities much more than any information that gain-of-function research could provide.

With diminishing public trust in science, biomedical scientists should be incentivized to rebuild society’s willingness to support their research. Hubris and a willingness to push the scientific envelope for fame and glory should be replaced with humility and a respect for nature. We don’t need scientists helping nature to make deadlier pathogens in a misguided effort to improve public health. Transparency, public communication and outreach, laboratory-acquired infection surveillance, public health partnerships, and institutionalized ethics would go a long way toward regaining the public’s trust.
*"Gain of function research" explained:
“Gain-of-function” (GoF) is the euphemism for biological research aimed at increasing the virulence and lethality of pathogens and viruses. GoF research is government funded; its focus is on enhancing the pathogens’ ability to infect different species and to increase their deadly impact as airborne pathogens and viruses. Ostensibly, GoF research is conducted for biodefense purposes.
Source of "gain of function" description: https://ahrp.org/what-is-gain-of-functi ... high-risk/

See also:
https://thebulletin.org/2021/05/the-ori ... -at-wuhan/
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Mosquito ‘bacteria hack’ nearly eliminates dengue fever and could save millions of lives
Thursday 10 Jun 2021

Mosquitoes infected with a ‘miraculous’ bacteria have been shown to reduce dengue fever cases by 77%, in a groundbreaking new study.

Scientists released mosquitoes infected with ‘Wolbachia’ bacteria into the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta – but only in certain zones.

In the zones where the modified mosquitoes had been released, cases of dengue fell by 77% and hospitalisations dropped by 86%.

The results of the study, carried out by the World Mosquito Programme (WMP), were ‘better than we could have hoped for’, according to researcher Dr. Katie Anders.
https://metro.co.uk/2021/06/10/mosquito ... i=14749830
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Inside the Anti-GMO Movement’s Obsession With Virology Research and Lab Leaks
June 14, 2021

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 ... lab-leaks/

Inttroduction:
(Mother Jones) The Center for Food Safety is the kind of organization that most progressive foodies can get behind: Its website features photos of graceful monarch butterflies and dairy cows with big, doleful eyes. Its recent campaign slogans implore supporters to “tell EPA to stop this brain-damaging pesticide!” and “protect dolphins and birds from floating factory farms!” It advocates for farmworker rights, humane treatment of animals, and protection of pollinators.

Oh, yes, and there’s one more thing: The 24-person nonprofit, whose revenue in 2019 was about $5.2 million, wants the US government to stop supporting certain kinds of high-level virology research. Last month, the group sued the National Institutes of Health in an attempt to force the agency to reveal information about its funding for what is known as “gain-of-function” research—the term refers to a category of lab work that seeks to understand how viruses create pandemics. Sometimes, but not always, the research involves manipulating viruses to make them more virulent and contagious to study how they evolve.

Virologists say this kind of research is vital and has led to many important medical discoveries, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Center for Food Safety argues that gain-of-function research is too dangerous to pursue. A pathogen released from a lab “could result in catastrophic consequences to the human environment,” CFS staff attorney Victoria Yundt warned in a recent press release about the NIH law suit. Andrew Kimbrell, a public interest attorney who founded the Center for Food Safety in 1997, was also quoted in the release saying, “The NIH’s refusal to make public the research it is funding to enhance the transmissibility, infectiousness, and lethality of potential pandemic viruses is grossly irresponsible.”
The article actually concludes with a criticism of what are labeled as "anti-science" groups. After reading the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists article (see my post immediately above Time_Traveler's post above) I am not so sure who is anti-science and who is not.
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How to Make Sure the Labs Researching the Most Dangerous Pathogens are Safe and Secure
by Joseph Rodgers, Filippa Lentzos, Gregory D. Koblentz, and Minh Ly
July 2, 2021

https://thebulletin.org/2021/07/how-to- ... nd-secure/

Introduction:
(Bulletin of Atomic Scientists) Since 2001, biological risks—from terror attacks involving anthrax letters to outbreaks of new and re-emerging infectious diseases like SARS, Ebola, H5N1 avian influenza, MERS, and Zika—have been galvanizing a global construction boom of research labs meant for work on the deadliest pathogens. These biosafety level 4 labs (BSL-4) are the kind of facilities where researchers have to work in protective gear resembling spacesuits and decontaminate once they finish. Today, 23 countries have built 59 of these state-of-the-art labs, part of a trend that seems unlikely to stop soon. As scientists seek to better understand viruses like the one that causes COVID-19, they will likely need more labs tailor-made for work with risky germs.

The surging number of BSL-4 labs and a corresponding expansion in the research they’re used for is not without risks. While work in the labs generally aims to further scientific knowledge of pathogens and aid in the development of new vaccines and therapeutics, BSL-4 research could also pose significant risks to safety and security. A lab accident could, for instance, lead to workers getting infected and even spreading a disease in their communities. Advanced labs might also engage in so-called “dual use” research of concern—work that is conducted for peaceful, scientific purposes but that generates knowledge or technology that could be readily misused to cause harm, say in the development of a biological weapon. Yet another risk stemming from the proliferation of labs is that adversarial countries could seek to match one another’s investment in advanced research facilities, viewing such spending as an indication of weapons-related research.

As it stands, there is substantial room for improvement in the policies that safeguard against lab accidents and the misuse of research.
Image
A lab worker works with virus particles in a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) lab.
Credit: James Gathany / US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Promising Results for Malaria Vaccine Using Live Parasites Growing in the Liver
By Nana K. Minkah and Stefan H.I. Kappe
June 30, 2021

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01720-6

Introduction:
(Nature) Effective malaria vaccines are urgently needed. Now, clinical evidence indicates that a vaccination approach that uses live parasites growing in the liver can generate high levels of immune protection from infection.

Malaria has long remained among the worst infectious-disease threats to human health. There were 229 million clinical cases of malaria and more than 400,000 deaths from this disease reported during 2019, according to the World Health Organization. Although more than 140 years have passed since Plasmodium parasites were identified as the causative agents of malaria, a vaccine that offers a high level of protection against Plasmodium infection has not yet reached the market. Creation of such a vaccine has been hindered by the genomic complexity of Plasmodium, which has approximately 5,300 genes, and by the parasite’s elaborate life cycle.

Writing in Nature, Mwakingwe-Omari et al. report a vaccination strategy using live, whole Plasmodium falciparum parasites that provides unmatched, high levels of protection against infection. This work represents a major advance in the quest for an effective malaria vaccine.
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https://slate.com/technology/2021/07/ly ... LcbIpoemmc
there are two options for preventing Lyme in the works: one vaccine that works the same way LYMErix did; and one shot that would be taken annually, in advance of tick season (technically a preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, shot). The vaccine is a collaboration between Valneva (a French biotech company) and Pfizer and has already shown promising results in Phase 2 trials. In March, the companies announced that their candidate was going into an additional Phase 2 study that would include a pediatric population of kids over age 5. (LYMErix was never approved for kids under 15—another factor in the low demand for the shot.) Pfizer and Valneva hope for their vaccine to be available by 2025.
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