What to know about human cases and vaccines | Wilnesh News

U.S. health officials are monitoring and preparing to respond Avian Influenza in humans, although they emphasize the risk to the public stay low.

The existence of an avian influenza virus called H5N1 has been confirmed dairy cow Spanning nine U.S. states, and Two peopleOutbreaks continue to occur globally in poultry and other animals. The latest case is A dairy worker from Michigan made the announcement Wednesday. one Australian kids The country has also recently been infected with bird flu, it announced on Tuesday.

H5N1 viruses have been circulating in more animal species around the world since 2020, but the detection of H5N1 in U.S. livestock earlier this year was unexpected by health officials. In rare cases, avian influenza viruses can spread to humans and can cause mild to severe symptoms This may require hospitalization.

There is currently no evidence that the H5N1 virus is spreading from person to person. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says the risk of infection is higher The proportion of migrant workers is higher than that of the general population.

Still, the U.S. government and state and local health departments are working monitor Emerging infections in humans and animals. Federal agencies in the United States and elsewhere have also been tracking the H5N1 virus for years to monitor its evolution.

The U.S. government has long-term stockpiles of vaccines and drugs to prepare for a possible avian influenza pandemic. Preparations started last week Nearly 5 million doses The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to CNBC that it expects multiple vaccines to be a perfect match for the H5N1 virus, in addition to other response measures.

Some infectious disease experts told CNBC that the U.S. government appears to be prepared if bird flu begins to spread more widely and easily among humans, especially compared to the country’s equipment to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Experts say most of the necessary tools are already in place, but governments must ensure they are deployed effectively when needed.

“There are a lot of measures that are in place to help us understand how we can respond to this more quickly,” Dr. Andrew PecosProfessor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “But, as always, it’s about the efficiency of our response, right? We know what we can do. We just have to be able to do it effectively.”

Experts and the government say the recent outbreak of human infections among dairy workers in Michigan is not surprising. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that similar cases have been reported in humans can be identified Because high levels of the virus were found in raw milk from infected cows.

The U.S. government has currently Two candidate vaccine viruses It thinks it’s a good match for H5N1. These candidates are Weakened version A virus that triggers a protective immune response in the body against the virus and can be used to produce vaccines.

According to the CDC, both drug candidates are already available to manufacturers. HHS confirmed that the government began producing 4.8 million doses of the human vaccine last week to prepare for any eventuality.

Pecos called the doses “the first line of defense in case we do see some human-to-human transmission.” He said that number would be enough to stop the outbreak in its early stages, which could include vaccinating farm workers and some health care workers.

But he said more than 300 million people in the United States would need more help if the virus spread widely among humans.

“Five million doesn’t really get us very far. It’s just a quick start,” Pecos said.

U.S. health officials said earlier this month that the government could transport More than 100 million doses According to NBC News, a human bird flu vaccine will be administered within three to four months, if needed.

It’s worth noting that people will need two doses of the vaccine, meaning 100 million doses would only be enough for 50 million people. This suggests that if the United States wants to vaccinate its entire population, it will need about 600 million doses of vaccine.

Governments face tough decisions about how many vaccines to prepare, especially since it takes months to make them.

“It’s either too little or too much. For example, if you make too much food, a lot of it will be wasted,” Dr. Peter Jinhong, an infectious disease physician at UCSF Health. “That’s really a big challenge for vaccines any time there’s a potential threat. That’s the high cost and high risk aspect.”

Post-COVID misinformation and vaccine hesitancy have made the decision more challenging, he said. But Jinhong said he believes “you can never really invest too much” in dealing with potential epidemics, especially as climate change, population growth and other factors make them increasingly likely.

Bird flu vaccines require approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before they can be rolled out. But Pekosz said it could be a “fast-track process” because the FDA is Used to clear seasonal influenza vaccinemade using the same manufacturing process as the avian influenza vaccine.

U.S. health officials are also in talks with messenger RNA vaccine makers about a possible bird flu vaccine for use in humans. Few details about those negotiations have been released, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it expected a final announcement soon.

Unlike traditional flu vaccines, mRNA works by directing cells to produce harmless fragments of the virus that trigger an immune response against certain diseases. Both are the same technology Pfizer and modern Already used in their COVID vaccines.

CDC and its partners, including state and local health departments, use Multiple monitoring systems Monitor for seasonal influenza and other illnesses. They also have specialized methods for detecting and monitoring new influenza viruses.

Seasonal influenza spreads primarily among humans and reaches predictable peaks throughout the year, while avian influenza spreads primarily among wild birds and other animals.

The CDC says it is looking for human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus in areas where the virus has been found in animals or humans. So far, the agency has found “no evidence of unusual influenza activity in humans,” including H5N1, according to an update last week on the agency’s website.

CDC also conducts ongoing analysis of seasonal and novel influenza viruses to identify genes that may allow them to cause more severe infections in humans, spread more easily from person to person, or become less susceptible to vaccines and drugs Variety.

Despite robust testing at the federal, state and local levels, it is much more difficult for the average person to self-screen for and diagnose avian influenza like COVID-19. Jinhong said this is “a huge barrier, especially for the populations that are affected right now.”

Chin-Hong was referring to farmworkers, a large portion of whom are immigrants, who can have difficulty adjusting to the U.S. health care system due to language barriers and access to health care.

Some FDA-approved antiviral drugs for seasonal influenza can be used to treat bird flu if people do become infected with the virus. These include Tamiflu, an oral prescription drug that should be taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

A Texas dairy worker diagnosed with bird flu in March was treated with antiviral drugs and recovered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Report.

But Pecos said there may not be enough antiviral drugs in the national stockpile to meet the needs of the vast majority of people, so manufacturers may be asked to expand supplies.

Francesca Torriani, a professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Diego, said that the average person can protect themselves from avian influenza infection by avoiding contact with any live or dead animals that may be infected, such as livestock or chickens.

People who come into contact with these animals should wear appropriate masks and goggles and wash their hands after contact.

Torriani added that pasteurized milk and cheese may be safer than raw dairy products because the pasteurization process kills harmful bacteria.