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BackgroundThe PCR quantification cycle (Cq) is a proxy measure of the viral load of a SARS-CoV-2-infected individual.AimTo investigate if Cq values vary according to different population characteristics, in particular demographic ones, and within the COVID-19 pandemic context, notably the SARS-CoV-2 type/variant individuals get infected with.MethodsWe considered all positive PCR results from Cheshire and Merseyside, England, between 6 November 2020 and 8 September 2021. Cq distributions were inspected with Kernel density estimates. Multivariable quantile regression models assessed associations between people’s features and Cq.ResultsWe report Cq values for 188,821 SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals. Median Cqs increased with decreasing age for suspected wild-type virus and Alpha variant infections, but less so, if not, for Delta. For example, compared to 30–39-year-olds (median age group), 5–11-year-olds exhibited 1.8 (95% CI: 1.5 to 2.1), 2.2 (95% CI: 1.8 to 2.6) and 0.8 (95% CI: 0.6 to 0.9) higher median Cqs for suspected wild-type, Alpha and Delta positives, respectively, in multivariable analysis. 12–18-year-olds also had higher Cqs for wild-type and Alpha positives, however, not for Delta. Overall, in univariable analysis, suspected Delta positives reported 2.8 lower median Cqs than wild-type positives (95% CI: 2.7 to 2.8; p < 0.001). Suspected Alpha positives had 1.5 (95% CI: 1.4 to 1.5; p < 0.001) lower median Cqs than wild type.ConclusionsWild-type- or Alpha-infected school-aged children (5–11-year-olds) might transmit less than adults (> 18 years old), but have greater mixing exposures. Smaller differences in viral loads with age occurred in suspected Delta infections. Suspected-Alpha- or Delta-infections involved higher viral loads than wild type, suggesting increased transmission risk. COVID-19 control strategies should consider age and dominant variant.…

BackgroundTimely treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors (NAI) can reduce severe outcomes in influenza patients.AimWe assessed the impact of antiviral treatment on in-hospital deaths of laboratory-confirmed influenza patients in 11 European Union countries from 2010/11 to 2019/20.MethodsCase-based surveillance data from hospitalised patients with known age, sex, outcome, ward, vaccination status, timing of antiviral treatment, and hospitalisation were obtained. A mixed effect logistic regression model using country as random intercept was applied to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for in-hospital death in patients treated with NAIs vs not treated.ResultsOf 19,937 patients, 31% received NAIs within 48 hours of hospital admission. Older age (60–79 years aOR 3.0, 95% CI: 2.4–3.8; 80 years 8.3 (6.6–10.5)) and intensive care unit admission (3.8, 95% CI: 3.4–4.2) increased risk of dying, while early hospital admission after symptom onset decreased risk (aOR 0.91, 95% CI: 0.90–0.93). NAI treatment initiation within 48 hours and up to 7 days reduced risk of dying (0–48 hours aOR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.45–0.59; 3–4 days 0.59 (0.51–0.67); 5–7 days 0.64 (0.56–0.74)), in particular in patients 40 years and older (e.g. treatment within 48 hours: 40–59 years aOR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.28–0.66; 60–79 years 0.50 (0.39–0.63); ≥80 years 0.51 (0.42–0.63)).ConclusionNAI treatment given within 48 hours and possibly up to 7 days after symptom onset reduced risk of in-hospital death. NAI treatment should be considered in older patients to prevent severe outcomes.…

We analysed SARS-CoV-2 PCR Cq values from 3,183 healthcare workers who tested positive between January and August 2022. Median Cq values were lower in symptomatic than in asymptomatic HCW. The difference in Cq values between HCW with mild vs moderate/severe symptoms was statistically significant but negligibly small. To prevent nosocomial infections, all symptomatic HCW should be tested irrespective of symptom severity. This information can support decisions on testing and isolation, in the context of ongoing pressure on healthcare systems.…

The FDA's vaccine advisers lent support to the agency's plan to try to simplify future COVID shots, with an aim of having many people get just one dose in the fall. Medscape Medical News…

New data for the bivalent COVID-19 booster shot shows that it cuts the risk in half for symptomatic infection from the now predominant Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5. WebMD Health News…

The proportion of Californians dying at home, rather than in a hospital or nursing home, accelerated during the pandemic, a trend that has outlasted the rigid lockdowns linked to the initial shift. Kaiser Health News…

Fewer than 11% of eligible Floridians have received an updated booster vaccine, according to the CDC. Research into the efficacy of the bivalent booster in preventing infection continues. Kaiser Health News…

The dollar figures are just part of an emerging picture of how the illness is impacting not just patients, but their employers and the wider labor market. WebMD Health News…

This report describes 2021 data of the percentage of adults with arthritis by sex, race, and Hispanic origin in the United States.

Erratum for MMWR Vo. 70, RR-4…

This report describes a broadened antibody response among nursing home residents who received an updated COVID-19 vaccine.

This report describes lower weekly rates of COVID-19 among nursing home residents who are up to date with COVID-19 vaccination.

This report describes an increase in people with HIV infection receiving PEPFAR-supported antiretroviral therapy in Uganda.

This report describes survey data showing a low proportion of U.S. adults met leisure-time physical activity guidelines.

Avian Influenza H5N1 -- FranceA domestic cat was found to have been infected with bird flu, and ultimately euthanized after suffering severe neurological symptoms. The animal, which lived in Mauléon, Deux-Sèvres in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, picked up the virus from a nearby poultry farm that raised ducks, a report from France's health and food safety agency l'Agence Nationale De Sécurité Sanitaire de l'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et du Travail (Anses) states.This is the first time such a case has been observed…

Undiagnosed -- United KingdomA number of potential causes, including those of any 'notifiable diseases', for the death of 100 cows in Jersey have been ruled out, the island's government said today [26 Jan 2023].The cattle fell ill and died in the space of just a few days in December 2022, after which samples from both the animals and their feed were sent to be analysed to determine the cause of death.The animal tissue samples taken by the farmer's private vet ruled out diseases such as Anthrax, Bovine Spongiform…

Hepatitis A -- United KingdomAn outbreak of Hepatitis A has been reported at an Ipswich primary school, sparking concern among worried parents wondering what precautions will be taken.Hepatitis A is a contagious liver infection that, though commonly does not cause any long-term problems, can be life-threatening if it leads to liver failure. A letter from the UK Health Security Agency was sent to parents of children at The Willows Primary School on [Sat 21 Jan 2023].A consultant in health protection stated: 'We…

Monkeypox -- Andorra / 4 / 0Argentina / 1052 / 2Aruba / 3 / 0Australia / 144 / 0Austria / 327 / 0Bahamas / 2 / 0Bahrain / 1 / 0Barbados / 1 / 0Belgium / 790 / 1Benin / 3 / 0Bermuda / 1 / 0Bolivia / 263 / 0Bosnia and Herzegovina / 9 / 0Brazil / 10 690 / 15Bulgaria / 6 / 0Cameroon / 18 / 3Canada / 1460 / 0Central African Republic / 13 / 0Chile / 1406 / 2China / 1 / 0Colombia / 4062 / 0Costa Rica / 126 / 0Croatia / 33 / 0Cuba / 8 / 1Curacao / 3 / 0Cyprus / 5 /…

Sheep/Goat Pox -- SummaryReport type: immediate notificationStarted: 16 Jan 2023Confirmed: 24 Jan 2023Reported: 24 Jan 2023Reason for notification: 1st occurrence in a zone or a compartmentCausal agent: sheep pox virus and goat pox virusNature of diagnosis: clinical, laboratoryThis event pertains to a defined zone within the country.Outbreak location: Mugan settlement, Hajigabul, AranStarted: 16 Jan 2023Epidemiological unit: farmTotal animals affected:Species / Susceptible / Cases /…

Bovine Pleuropneumonia -- UgandaBovine pleuropneumonia kills 300 cattle in Agago. The disease has been confirmed in 3 sub-counties; Paimol, Laimuto, and Omiya Pachwa, where the majority of farmers were advised to keep their animals in communal kraals [enclosures for cattle or other livestock], to protect them against Karamojong cattle rustlers.--Communicated by:ProMED Rapporteur Mahmoud Orabi['Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a disease of cattle and water buffalo caused by _Mycoplasma mycoides_ subsp.

Other Plant Disease -- MexicoPestalotiopsis is currently causing losses of up to 50% in Michoacan's strawberries. It has been suggested that fewer farmers are now planting strawberries because of this issue.Earlier investigations have shown that the fungus arrived in the country with imported planting material since there are no strawberry nurseries to produce plants in Mexico. Growers are now considering the possibility of establishing a nursery in the country to supply strawberry seedlings free of all relevant…

Other Plant Disease -- United KingdomAnother strain of potato late blight with resistance to a widely used fungicide has emerged. Researchers from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, have shown that 5 geographically diverse isolates from 2022 Danish crops belonging to this genotype, EU_43_A1, were completely resistant to a member of the carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicide group (mandipropamid).EU_43_A1 was first identified in Denmark in 2018 and subsequently accounted for 21% of samples in 2021 and 45% in 2022. It was also…

Undiagnosed -- Saudi ArabiaThe 'Sabq' newspaper reported that a mysterious disease caused the death of about 40 camels, west of the Al-Aflaj region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Sabq quoted the owner of the camels, [M. Al-D], as saying that the disease suddenly spread in the camel herd about 20 days ago and caused the death of more than 40 of them and is still harvesting more.[M. Al-D] continued, 'The doctors at the site started by taking samples and sending them to Riyadh, but the delay in obtaining the…

Strep -- United StatesRiverside County's largest animal shelter is under siege from a contagious pathogen that's causing canines to suffer severe respiratory illness, which has turned fatal in multiple instances, authorities said Tuesday [24 Jan 2023], prompting a call for help from the public to foster healthy shelter pets to lower their exposure risks.An outbreak of the bacterial infection _Streptococcus zooepidemicus_, or 'strep zoo,' began at the start of the month [January 2023], quickly spreading among…

Cholera -- KenyaMandera County is on high alert over fears of a cholera outbreak as the busy bus park slowly turns into a health hazard. Known to locals as Mandera's bus park, a business premises inhabited by 1000 people all in small-scale trading activities, residents are unhappy with the current state of the market. The area has no toilets and water services with piles of garbage scattered in the vicinity, putting residents on the line for a cholera disease outbreak.[MH], a trader in the market, said…

Poisoning -- United StatesDespite a 2016 Blaine County ordinance restricting the planting of noxious plants, including exotic yew, a bull moose was found dead in the backyard of a residence on Tuesday (17 Jan 2023) after eating the toxic plant, north of Ketchum.A field necropsy was conducted by a conservation officer who confirmed the moose had consumed yew found in the backyard of the home. The officer also noted he found the overall body condition of the moose, as measured by the amount of body fat, was…

Meningitis -- NigeriaThe federal government has alerted Nigerians on the rising cases of cerebrospinal meningitis [CSM] in Jigawa state. It disclosed that as of yesterday [23 Jan 2023], preliminary reports indicated a total of 117 suspected cases and 12 confirmed cases.Speaking at the bi-monthly Ministerial Press briefing organised by the Federal Ministry in Abuja, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Ifedayo Adetiba said the Centre has deployed a national response team…

Diphtheria -- NigeriaNo fewer than 38 persons have died out of the 123 diphtheria cases recorded in Nigeria so far, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has said.The states currently facing the disease caused by serious infection of the nose and throat that is easily preventable by vaccine, are Kano, Lagos, Yobe, and Osun.The nation's disease control and prevention agency, which disclosed this at a ministerial press briefing, organised by the Federal Ministry of Health, said more cases of the…

Other Animal Disease -- United StatesThe rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 has been detected in 3 animals in Texas for the 1st time this winter [2022-23].The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said 2 desert cottontail rabbits and 1 black-tailed jackrabbit in El Paso County tested positive for the disease.Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2, or RHDV2, is highly contagious for both domestic and wild rabbits. It causes sudden death, and in less severe cases, rabbits can show dullness, loss of appetite, watery or congested…

Is pivoting to an annual COVID-19 shot a smart move? WebMD Health News…

The co-author of a new study on long COVID is also a long COVID patient. She shares her story as a patient and of her work to study its origins, what we know, and what we need to do. Medscape Medical News…

This report describes how continued monitoring of S-gene target failure and S-gene target presence patterns will likely serve as a useful complement to genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 lineages.

This report describes how a bivalent mRNA booster dose provided additional protection against symptomatic XBB/XBB.1.5 infection for at least the first 3 months after vaccination in persons who had previously received 2-4 monovalent vaccine doses.

Other Animal Disease -- United KingdomAberdeenshire stockman [HE] suffered a cull of 4000 ewes after maedi-visna (MV) was discovered in his flock. He had a soul-destroying autumn sending sheep to the local cull sale at Thainstone after discovering the disease in his lowland sheep in Kinknockie.A batch of breeding ewes bought in autumn 2019 had MV, and because they were housed in close confinement to lamb in the spring, the disease spread through all the indoor lambers. Falling lamb growth rates, elevated ewe mortality, and…

Avian Influenza H5N1 -- CanadaA new avian flu outbreak has been declared in Summerland. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the outbreak was detected on [29 Dec 2022] in a non-commercial poultry flock.The CFIA declared a primary control zone as of [1 Jan 2023] due to the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza.The control zone is bounded by Shingle Creek Road, Bathville Road, Meadow Valley Road, Highway 97, and across Okanagan Lake to Chute Lake Road, Naramata Road, and Sutherland Road.'To prevent…

Salmonella -- IndiaSalmonella bacteria have been found in the samples collected after nearly 106 people consumed food from an eatery in North Paravur in Ernakulam and suffered foodborne illness on [Mon 16 Jan 2023]. The illness was reported in people who ate mayonnaise, 'al-fahm', 'manthi', 'peri-peri manthi' and mixed fried rice from Majlis Hotel near the municipal office building. The infection was found mostly in people who had mayonnaise made from raw eggs.The presence of salmonella was confirmed in the…

Foot and Mouth -- IraqOn Sunday [22 Jan 2023], a member of the Local Union of Peasant Associations, Faisal Al-Dulaimi, revealed that foot and mouth disease [FMD] has returned to the farms of Diyala Governorate. Al-Dulaimi said in a press interview seen by Taqaddum, that 'confirmed infections with FMD were detected in farms located in the Khalis district and Bani Saad district during the past few days, most of which were in buffalo herds.'He added, 'Laboratory tests confirmed the cases, pointing out that the…

Lassa Fever -- NigeriaAt least 369 suspected Lassa fever cases have been recorded in January 2023 by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), according to the director-general of the NCDC, Ifedayo Adetifa, interviewed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday [22 Jan 2023]. According to NAN, Adetifa noted 105 of the suspected cases recorded between 2 and 15 Jan 2023 had been confirmed positive. The positive cases were spread across 10 states, which are Ondo, Edo, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Benue, Kogi, Imo, Oyo,…

Diphtheria -- NigeriaThe Kano State government has confirmed the outbreak of diphtheria in 13 local government areas of the state. The state commissioner for health, Dr Aminu Tsanyawa, stated this at a briefing on diphtheria and Lassa fever outbreaks in the state on Saturday [14 Jan 2023].He said that 100 suspected cases have been recorded, 3 of whom have died. 'As [of] 20 Jan 2023, we have recorded 100 suspected cases from 13 local government areas (Ungogo, Nassarawa, Bichi, Dala, Dawakin Tofa, Dawakin Kudu,…

Nipah/Hendra Virus -- BangladeshEpstein J H, Anthony S J, Islam A, et al. Nipah virus dynamics in bats and implications for spillover to humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2020; 117(46): 29190-29201; .ProMED map of Bangladesh: .][See Also:Nipah virus - Bangladesh http://promedmail.org/post/20230113.87077722021---Nipah virus - Bangladesh, India http://promedmail.org/post/20210910.86605292020---Nipah virus - Bangladesh, India http://promedmail.org/post/20201108.7926733Nipah virus - Bangladesh (02)…

Avian Influenza H5N1 -- The event started on 11 Jan 2023 and was confirmed on 20 Jan 2023. A total of one outbreak (submitted) has been reported to date [23 Jan 2023]. HPAI H5N1 was confirmed in a backyard premises in Aleutskiy rayon [district], Kamchatka.Total animals affected:Species / Susceptible / Cases / Deaths / Killed and disposed of / Slaughtered or killed for commercial use / VaccinatedBirds / 100 / 1 / 1 / 99 / 0 / 0[The location of the outbreak can be seen on the interactive map included in the…

Foot and Mouth -- JordanJan-Jun / 60 260 / 257 680 / 106 719Jul-Dec / 68 715 / 629 864 / 69 252The vaccination rates, particularly in reference to the 3.1 million strong sheep population, are not sufficient to confer satisfactory protection. The higher number of vaccinated sheep during the 2nd semester was probably due to primary vaccinations in lambs.Between late 2021 and spring 2022, Jordan suffered a considerable FMD epizootic caused by FMD virus O/ME-SA/PanAsia-2/ANT-10. The virus, assumed to have been…

Measles -- IndiaDesperate Kerala health department officials are seeking the help of mosques and Muslim organizations for measles prevention in several areas. Last [Thu 19 Jan 2023], 6 new cases were reported from Nadapuram in the Kozhikode district alone. With this, the number of children suffering from illness in the panchayat increased to 32.Health department personnel then found that 355 children in that area had not been vaccinated. Despite vital awareness programs by health workers that the epidemic…

African Swine Fever -- RussiaEvent started on [18 Jan 2023] and was confirmed on [20 Jan 2023]. A total of 1 outbreak (submitted) reported to date [23 Jan 2023]. African swine fever (ASF) was detected in wild boar found in the forest located in Neo Petritsi, Central Macedonia, Macedonia and Trace.Total animals affected:Species / Susceptible / Cases / Deaths / Killed and disposed of / SlaughteredWild boar / - / 1 / 1 / 0 / 0[The location of the outbreak can be seen on the interactive map included in the WOAH…

Researchers found 22 links between viruses and common neurologic conditions often seen in older people. WebMD Health News…

US health officials want to simplify the recommended COVID-19 vaccine protocol. WebMD Health News…

Årets første EPI-NYT ser nærmere på de sygdomsudbrud, der prægede 2022.