What’s Really Going on With Bird Flu Wastewater Data

Wastewater, which can measure how much virus humans excrete, has become a valuable disease-tracking tool.

But using that tool to track our current viral threat, the H5N1 bird flu that has begun circulating in cows, is much trickier. Finding even high levels of bird flu in wastewater does not necessarily mean an area is experiencing an outbreak. Rather, it sets off a hunt for the source.

Bird flu pandemic risk high as cow cases appear and officials warn of humans’ role USDA report finds transmission likely happening when workers, cows, vehicles and equipment go to multiple farms The Guardian

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Study identifies female sex, heart disease as long-COVID risk factors, vaccination as protective Women and adults with preexisting conditions such as cardiovascular disease are less likely to recover from COVID-19 within 3 months, while vaccination and Omicron-variant infection were linked to a quicker recovery, reveals a study posted yesterday in JAMA Network Open. It also showed that more than one in five adults had protracted recoveries. CIDRAP

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We aren’t doing enough about the risk of bird flu – but we can | CNN

The United States’ response to H5N1 – “bird flu” – has been fragmented and inadequate. With three cases reported in people in the United States and clusters from Michigan to Texas, it’s clear that the virus is widespread among animals. To protect people, animals, and our economy, and to restore trust in public health, we need to get this right....

We have a lot to learn and no time to lose. First, states and national authorities must work with one another. This will require multiple federal agencies – including CDC, USDA, APHIS – and their state counterparts to share information transparently and in real time with each other and with the public. Second, Congress needs to provide resources to respond to the next pandemic and also for systems, workforce, and infrastructure so we are prepared to stop new and unknown events before they become epidemics. Third, and perhaps most importantly, we must quickly build relationships with farm owners and workers by being responsive to their needs and addressing questions and concerns.

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Pasteurization may not clear bird flu virus from heavily infected milk | Reuters

How to protect yourself during a heat wave if you can't stay indoors FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (AP) — It’s hot and getting hotter for workers and everyone else outdoors as the first significant heat wave of the year makes its way eastward across the United States. More than 70 million people were under extreme heat alerts Monday. What's more, the heat will move in and sit. Excessive humidity will make it feel even more oppressive. “The duration of this heat wave is notable and potentially the longest experienced PBS NewsHour

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Surgeon General demands warning label on social media apps | CNN Business Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in an op-ed in the New York Times Monday said the threat social media poses to children is an emergency, and he urged Congress to put a label on the apps as with cigarettes and alcohol. David Goldman CNN

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Micro communities for the homeless sprout in US cities eager for small, quick and cheap solutions In downtown Atlanta, shipping containers have been transformed into an oasis for dozens of previously unsheltered people who now proudly call a former parking lot home. AP News

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Bird flu tests are hard to get: Researchers warn US could be caught off guard by a pandemic Stanford University infectious disease doctor Abraar Karan has seen a lot of patients with runny noses, fevers, and irritated eyes lately. Such symptoms could signal allergies, COVID, or a cold. This ... Medical Xpress

Former CDC director predicts bird flu pandemic Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield said he predicts a bird flu pandemic will happen — it’s just a matter of when that will be. Redfield joined NewsNati… lirwin The Hill

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“I really do think it’s very likely that we will, at some time, it’s not a question of if, it’s more of a question of when we will have a bird flu pandemic,” Redfield said.

FDA modifies strain recommendation for fall COVID vaccine amid variant shifts, uptick in cases Though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week recommended that vaccine companies switch to the JN.1 variant for updated shots for the fall, yesterday it urged companies to focus on the KP.2 lineage if possible, based on recent shifts and a national rise in cases. CIDRAP

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