About  |  Subscribe
 
Today's Headlines: January 17, 2017
 
Zika Virus

How the Response to Zika Failed Millions ( New York Times) The WHO ended the emergency status in November, but the consequences of the outbreak will be with us for years to come. So maybe now is a good time to ask: How'd we do? Not so great, according to more than a dozen public health experts who were asked to reflect on the response. Go to article

Possible Roles of New Mutations Shared by Asian and American Zika Viruses ( Molecular Biology and Evolution) The goal of this paper is to find a biologically acceptable evolutionary tree of ZIKV strains and try to identify critical mutations. For this purpose, we consider somerepresentative ZIKV with complete genome sequences and exclude partially sequenced African strains and many completely sequenced American strains without losing generality. Go to article

Zika Virus Infection: Step-by-Step Guide to Risk Communication and Community Engagement ( H5N1) This document provides technical content on ZIKV, its manifestations, complications, modes of transmission, and prevention measures to be used in answering frequently asked questions and conveying messages in information and communication materials, community talks, press conferences, etc. Go to article


Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases

Dangerous Superbug Appears to Be Spreading Stealthily in US Hospitals ( STAT News) A dangerous type of superbug has more tricks up its sleeves than we may be giving it credit for, a new study suggests. The researchers found that this class of bacteria, CREs - that's short for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae -- has more ways to evade antibiotics than have been currently identified, and that these bugs share their tricks readily across the families of bacteria that make up this grouping. Go to article

Nigeria Records 273 Lassa Fever Cases, 149 Deaths in 2015-16 -- NCDC ( Today) Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Chief Executive Officer of NCDC, said this in a statement in Lagos. Ihekweazu said the cases were reported from 23 states. He said following this the Minister of Health inaugurated a Lassa Fever Eradication Committee, under the leadership of Prof. Oyewale Tomori. Go to article

The Fog of Bird Flu ( Avian Flu Diary) Unlike the dramatic diaspora of H5N1 in 2005-2006 - when a single HPAI virus jumped from 15 Southeast Asian countries to more than 60 nations across Europe and the Middle East - we're watching more than a half dozen subtypes (H5N1, H5N8, H5N6, H7N9, H7Nx, and H5Nx) spreading around the world. Go to article


Government Affairs & National Security

Outgoing CDC Chief Talks About Agency's Successes--and His Greatest Fear ( Washington Post) Tom Frieden, the director of the CDC, has been a central player and one of the most public figures in fighting infectious diseases in the US. Appointed to his position in 2009 by President Obama, the 56-year-old New York native has led the Atlanta-based CDC longer than any director since the 1970s. Go to article

Tragedy Would Unfold if Trump Cancels Bush's AIDS Program ( The Atlantic) A questionnaire from the president-elect's transition team asked whether the extraordinarily successful PEPFAR had become a "massive, international entitlement program," and whether it was worth the investment. Go to article

US: Surprising Contenders Emerge for Trump's NIH Chief ( H5N1) Current NIH chief Francis Collins and Representative Andy Harris (Republican, Maryland), both front-runners for job, met separately with Trump on 11 January, as did billionaire surgeon Patrick Soon-Shiong on 10 January. Several people familiar with the Collins and Harris meetings described them as job interviews. Go to article


Global Health Security

Completing the Development of Ebola Vaccines ( CIDRAP) At a time when public attention is diverted from Ebola and the sense of urgency that propelled a rapid public health response in 2014 and 2015 has faded, the push to bring an Ebola vaccine to licensure and fully prepare the world for the next outbreak must not abate, according to the third report from the Ebola Vaccine Team B, a partnership between the Wellcome Trust and CIDRAP. Go to article

See Also: We're Not Prepared for Future Ebola Outbreaks, Experts Warn ( STAT News) Despite recent headlines declaring the success of an experimental Ebola vaccine, the world is not fully prepared for future epidemics--and not in position to use vaccines to prevent another deadly outbreak, a report published Tuesday warned. The report raised serious concerns about the work that remains to be done on Ebola vaccines. Go to article


Medicine & Public Health

Characteristics and Outcomes of Pediatric Patients with Ebola Virus Disease Admitted to Treatment Units in Liberia and Sierra Leone: A Retrospective Cohort Study ( Clinical Infectious Diseases) Consecutive children aged <18 years with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed EVD were enrolled retrospectively in 5 Ebola treatment units in Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014-2015. Data collection and medical management were based on standardized International Medical Corps protocols. Go to article

Infectious Diseases Society of America Position Statement on Telehealth and Telemedicine as Applied to the Practice of Infectious Diseases ( Clinical Infectious Diseases) The use of telehealth and telemedicine offers powerful tools for delivering clinical care, conducting medical research, and enhancing access to infectious diseases physicians. The IDSA has prepared a position statement to educate members on the use of telehealth and telemedicine technologies. Go to article

Increased Antiviral Treatment Among Hospitalized Children and Adults with Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza, 2010-2015 ( Clinical Infectious Diseases) Using population-based surveillance data, we analyzed antiviral treatment among hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Treatment increased after the influenza A(H1N1) 2009 pandemic from 72% in 2010-2011 to 89% in 2014-2015 (P < .001). Go to article

Use of Neuraminidase Inhibitors for Treatment of Severe Influenza: Times Are Changing ( Clinical Infectious Diseases) Oseltamivir and zanamivir, the first neuraminidase inhibitors, were licensed for therapy in 1999 and put into greater use in the late 2000s following widespread resistance to amantadine and rimantadine. In 2009, the CDC issued recommendations for neuraminidase inhibitors as alternatives. Go to article

Emerging Public Health Challenges of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Related to Changes in the Pathogen, the Population, and the Environment ( Clinical Infectious Diseases) Emerging public health challenges of Shiga toxin (stx)-producing Escherichia coli include the occurrence of more frequent or severe disease and risk factors shifts associated with changes, often interconnected, in the pathogen, the population, and the environment. Go to article


Other 21st Century Threats

Did Sudan Use Chemical Weapons in Darfur Last Year? ( Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) After nearly 14 years of war, the most recent violence to ravage the western Sudanese region of Darfur came in the form of a large-scale military offensive last year in the area of Jebel Marra, a 5,000-square-kilometer volcanic massif that's home to about 1,500 villages. Go to article

Delivered first thing each Tuesday morning, Preparedness Pulsepoints provides a snapshot of each week's USG action on readiness and response. Read | Subscribe
STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH OUR NEWSLETTERS

Health Security Headlines: Daily news related to US and global health security.
   
Preparedness Pulsepoints: Weekly updates on USG action on readiness and response. 
  
Clinicians' Biosecurity News: Analysis of advances and challenges in clinical biosecurity.


Published by JHSPH Center for Health Security | 621 East Pratt Street, Suite 210 | Baltimore, MD 21202
Visit us on the Web: www.HealthSecurity.org