Monkeypox can persist in household environments, according to CDC study.

 

Monkey pox can persist in household environments, according to CDC study. The zoonotic monkey pox virus (MPXV), which is endemic to Africa, is typically transmitted through direct contact with an infected person or animal or through the inhalation of infected respiratory secretions. 

 Infection with MPXV often leads to the development of lesions with exudates that contain viable virions that can be shed during infection. As compared to other enveloped viruses, MPXV virions are more tightly bound with the fibrin matrices of the scab/crust, thereby allowing for them to persist within the environment for longer periods. 

 A recent study conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases assessed the viability and viral load of MPXV on household objects and surfaces. Samples were collected from frequently used objects in the household of an individual who had been infected with MPXV. 

This sampling was conducted 15 days after the infected individual had left their home to be admitted to the hospital. These samples were then incubated to allow for virus isolation and the detection of viable viruses. Importantly, any potential contamination with bacteria or fungi was prevented by treating all incubated samples with penicillin/streptomycin, amphotericin B, and gentamicin.

Monkey Pox:CDC recommends masking despite evidence that its sexually transmitted.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study Friday suggesting that people wear masks to protect themselves from monkey pox despite growing evidence the virus is transmitted sexually. The CDC’s Friday Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), its internal journal, included research on the spread of monkey pox via contaminated surfaces. 

Researchers in Utah sampled 30 different samples from the home of two monkey pox patients, and found that 21 of the surfaces yielded positive real-time PCR results, but none tested positive for viral cultures. Still, despite the lack of live virus found in the samples, the paper still warns that monkey pox can spread through surface contact. The agency also recommends wearing masks at the bottom of the paper, even though little evidence has emerged that monkey pox is an airborne virus 

 “Monkey pox virus primarily spreads through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact with the rash, scabs, lesions, body fluids, or respiratory secretions of a person with monkey pox; transmission via contaminated objects or surfaces (i.e., fomites) is also possible,” the paper reads. 

 “Persons living in or visiting the home of someone with monkey pox should follow appropriate precautions against indirect exposure and transmission by wearing a well-fitting mask, avoiding touching possibly contaminated surfaces, maintaining appropriate hand hygiene, avoiding sharing eating utensils, clothing, bedding, or towels, and following home disinfection recommendations.”

Most rabies infections in the United States come from bats, CDC says.

 

Most rabies infections in the United States come from bats, CDC says.In the United States, the culprit behind most rabies cases has shifted from dogs to bats. The flying mammals now cause 7 out of 10 US rabies cases, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

 Researchers looked at rabies trends in the United States over the span of 80 years, from 1938 to 2018. They found that most infections came from dog bites until 1960, when wildlife species -- specifically bats -- became the primary source for human infection. 

This followed nationwide efforts in the 1950s to mandate pet vaccines and implement leash control laws, the report stated. "Reducing rabies in dogs is a remarkable achievement of the U.S. public health system, but with this deadly disease still present in thousands of wild animals, it's important that Americans are aware of the risk," CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in a news release. 

From 1960 to 2018, 125 human rabies were cases reported . From 1960 to 2018, 125 human rabies were cases reported in the United States. Of these, 28% came from contact with dogs outside the United States, where rabies vaccines may not be required or readily available. 

The cases acquired in the United States came from wildlife species, with 70% resulting from bat bites or scratches and the rest due to human contact with raccoons, skunks or foxes. In the United States, most human deaths from rabies occur because people don't seek medical treatment, probably because they are unaware of the animal contact. 

For example, bat bites can be smaller than the top of a pencil eraser, the CDC said. "We've been seeing cases in people in the United States who seem to not really be aware that rabies can be transmitted by wildlife, especially bats," Pieracci said. "A lot of times, bat bites and scratches are very tiny. So a lot of people will try to hold a bat and they don't realize that bat has bitten."

 If you happen to wake up with a bat in your immediate surroundings, you should assume rabies exposure and seek medical care right away, the CDC recommends.

US had 5 rabies deaths last year, highest total in a decade.

 

Five Americans died of rabies last year — the largest number in a decade — and health officials said Thursday that some of the people didn't realize they had been infected or refused life-saving shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on three of the deaths, all stemming from contact with bats. 

CDC officials said the deaths were tragic and could have been prevented. One, an 80-year-old Illinois man, refused to take life-saving shots because of a longstanding fear of vaccines. An Idaho man and a Texas boy did not get shots because of a belief that no bat bite or scratch broke their skin. In all three cases, people “either trivialized the exposure (to bats) or they didn't recognize the severity of rabies,” said Ryan Wallace, a CDC rabies expert who co-authored the report. 

 Two other deaths occurred earlier in 2021. One was a Minnesota man bitten by a bat. He got the shots, but an undiagnosed immune system problem hampered their effectiveness, CDC officials said. The other victim was bitten by a rabid dog while traveling in the Philippines and died in New York after returning to the U.S.

 Rabies is caused by a virus that invades the central nervous system and is usually fatal in animals and humans. It’s most commonly spread through a bite from an infected animal, with most U.S. infections in recent years traced to bat encounters.

Nearly Eradicated in Humans, the Guinea Worm Finds New Victims: Dogs.

 

For 30 years, scientists have fought to eliminate a horrifying parasite. Suddenly, it has begun infecting dogs in Chad, threatening to undo decades of progress. Martoussia, the celebrity of the moment in this remote fishing village, pants heavily under the awning where he lies chained. Still, he remains calm and sweet-tempered as the crowd presses in. 

 Children gawk as volunteers in white surgical gloves ease a foot-long Guinea worm from the dog’s leg and American scientists quiz his owner, a fisherman, about how many worms Martoussia has had. The village chief, Moussa Kaye, 87, is asked the last time one of his people had a worm. 

A Guinea worm, which must be pulled an inch or so a day, being extracted from Djalibe, a village dog. Photo credit. Jane Hahn of The New York Times.

“Not since 40 years ago,” he says. In this arid central African country, the long global struggle to eliminate a horrifying human parasite has encountered a serious setback: dogs. They are being infected with Guinea worms, and no one knows how. Scientists are desperate to solve the puzzle. If the answer isn’t found soon, or if the worms begin to spread widely into other species — a handful already have been found in cats and even baboons — then 32 years of work to end the scourge may crumble, said Mark L. Eberhard, a parasitologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

 Once a pathogen runs wild in an animal population, there is little chance it can be wiped out. “An animal reservoir is the kiss of death for eradication,” Dr. Eberhard said. It has happened before. In the 1930s, the drive to eradicate yellow fever died when scientists realized monkeys carried the virus. 

 This setback has come just as the decades-long campaign edges tantalizingly close to victory. In 1986, when the Carter Center — the global health philanthropy in Atlanta founded by President Jimmy Carter — launched the eradication drive, an estimated 3.5 million people in 21 countries had worms.

RABIES : WHAT CAN TRAVELERS DO TO PREVENT RABIES.

 

RABIES : WHAT CAN TRAVELERS DO TO PREVENT RABIES. 

 For some travelers, it may make sense to get the rabies vaccine before your trip.The rabies vaccine is three doses. The second dose is given seven days after the first dose. The third shot is given 21 to 28 days after the first dose. 

Even if you are vaccinated against rabies, if you are bitten or scratched by an animal while traveling, you need to seek medical care immediately and get two booster doses of the vaccine. 

 Travelers can protect themselves from rabies by taking the following steps:

 1)Don’t touch dogs, puppies, or other animals. This goes for strays as well as pets. Not all countries

 require pets to be vaccinated against rabies. Even animals that appear healthy can spread rabies.

 2)Supervise children closely, especially around dogs and puppies, cats and kittens, and wildlife.

 3)If you travel with your pet, watch it closely. Do not allow it around other local pets or wild animals.

 4)Avoid bringing new animals home. Dogs and cats may be infected with rabies but not show signs

 until several days or months later. If you do decide to bring an animal with you be aware animal importation regulations. 

 5)If you are traveling to work with animals, bring and wear appropriate protective gear.

 Act quickly if you are bitten or scratched by a dog or other animal :

1)Immediately wash all bites and scratches well. Use plenty of soap and running water. 

 2)Seek medical care immediately, even if you don’t feel sick or the wound does not look serious.

 3)To prevent rabies, start treatment immediately. 

 4)Treatment for rabies includes getting a vaccine after you have been bitten. 

Even if you were vaccinated before your trip, you still need to seek care if you get bitten or scratched by an animal.

Meat processing facilities take action to protect workers.

Meat processing facilities take actions to protect workers. The Covid-19 pandemic is affecting all sectors of the economy but the greatest impact is in the meat /poultry processing sector.

In the wake of the Corona virus pandemic a lot of workers in abattoirs and meat processing plants had the virus which led to closure of such plants.

 A lot of biosecurity protocols was adopted in all abattoirs and meat markets to stem the spread of the virus. In Nigeria,the use of masks is compulsory, hand washing before you enter the abattoir  is also compulsory and physical distancing .

The government also  ensured supervised slaughtering such that operations in abattoirs was on elected days. see

Rabies found in cattle.

Rabies found in cattle in 3 states Minnesota and Texas have reported one case each of rabies in cattle this year, and Oklahoma has reported two.

Veterinarians do not recommend vaccinating all cattle for rabies, but Oklahoma State University Extension veterinarian Barry Whitworth says dairy cows, show animals, horses and other animals with regular human contact should be vaccinated. Full Story: Bovine Veterinarian

Kissing your puppy could send you to the hospital; CDC says virus is spreading.

Kissing your puppy could send you to the hospital; CDC says virus is spreading. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that 16 more Americans have been diagnosed with Campylobacter, an infection commonly found in puppies. The bacteria strain can be transmitted through close contact such as cuddling and kissing. According to the CDC, the latest report further marks a sweeping outbreak across the country, which has now affected 55 people in 12 states. Thirteen of these cases have required hospitalization due to severe diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, fever and cramping, the CDC adds. "Outbreaks of Campylobacter have most often been associated with unpasteurized dairy products, contaminated water, poultry, and produce. Most people who become ill with campylobacteriosis get diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism. The diarrhea may be bloody and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The illness typically lasts about one week. Some infected persons do not have any symptoms. In persons with compromised immune systems, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a serious life-threatening infection,” the CDC stated in a Miami Herald report. According to the CDC, 35 people have reported purchasing a puppy from a Petland store prior to getting sick. The were also found to have either visited a Petland chain or lived in a home with a Petland puppy. The federal agency has also reported that 14 infected people are Petland employees. The federal agency has admitted to difficulties in containing the outbreak and has urged the general public to report any cases of infection. Likewise, the CDC has issued safety guidelines for dog owners. “Talk to your doctor if you think you have a Campylobacter infection and let them know if you recently purchased a puppy at a pet store, visited a pet store, or visited or live in a home with a puppy sold through a pet store before illness began.

RAPID MUTATION OF THE ZIKA VIRUS.

According to Times report,Scientists are questioning how the zika virus spreads. Until recently, experts believed Zika was a relatively benign virus spread by mosquitoes. But now that it’s been linked to more than 1,000 microcephaly cases, scientists have taken a closer look, recently declaring it “scarier than we initially thought,” as one U.S. health official put it this week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced it is now absolutely confident that Zika causes microcephaly—a connection that was suspected but not proven. It also appears to be linked to other disorders like Guillain-Barré syndrome and other autoimmune syndromes. The virus, experts now know, can be transmitted through sex. In a new twist, experts are questioning the idea that mosquitoes are the primary cause of transmission. In a new study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), looked at sequences of the Zika virus over decades and found notable changes in the virus over time, suggesting that the virus’ ability to mutate is a reason why it is able to trigger different types of disease. They also noticed that the sequenced strains of Zika from mosquitoes do not match all the strains in humans from this outbreak. This suggests that more people than was expected may be getting the virus some other way. The UCLA team partnered with Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College in Beijing and compared 40 strains of Zika from past outbreaks as well as strains from the current one. The researchers analyzed some strains collected from people, some from monkeys, and some from mosquitoes. When sequences of the viruses were compared, the scientists noted a variety of differences between them. The curious angle, the researchers note, is that the strains of the virus collected from humans in this outbreak haven’t matched the strains seen in mosquitoes.“We haven’t found any human sequences in the mosquito in recent history, noted the researchers. The team thought they haven’t been looking hard enough. and If we can’t find them, it brings into question whether the mosquito is the primary mode of transmission in the current epidemic. The researchers suggest, that other modes of transmission, like sex, may play a bigger role. The cases of sexually transmitted Zika— was revealed it can be spread via anal sex as well as vaginal sex The CDC released precautions that people who are in areas of active Zika transmission need to practice safe sex, and abstinence may be recommended during pregnancy. There are currently no areas of active Zika transmission in the U.S., but the virus is spreading locally in Puerto Rico. The researchers of the current study say there’s much more that needs to be done before scientists will fully understand Zika. The team plans to continue studying the strains involved in the ongoing outbreak as a way to identify possible targets for drug and vaccines. The need to broaden our thinking about how this disease can be transmitted and how to stop it is very vital. culled from time.com

PREVENTION OF SEXUAL TRANSMISSION OF ZIKA VIRUS.

Men who have traveled to an area with ongoing Zika virus transmission should consider abstaining from having sex with their pregnant partners or should “consistently and correctly use condoms” for the duration of the pregnancy, researchers cautioned. The recommendations came days after the CDC confirmed the virus had been spread through sexual contact.In two separate reports, the CDC published interim guidelines for the prevention of sexual transmission of Zika and updated interim guidelines for health care providers caring for pregnant women and women of reproductive age with possible exposure to the primarily mosquito-borne virus. The linkage between Zika and microcephaly is stronger with each passing day, In addition, the linkage between Zika and Guillain-Barré syndrome also appears stronger the more we learn because it’s new and can be so severe, it’s scary, especially for women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy. The CDC continues to urge the use of condoms and safe sex practices to protect against the virus.Men with pregnant sexual partners who are living in areas where Zika is active or who have traveled to those places should either abstain from sexual activity or correctly use condoms during all oral, anal and vaginal sex, according to the recommendations. Men who are living in or have recently traveled to an active Zika area who are concerned about transmitting the disease to their non-pregnant partners also should consider the same precautions. The couples considering sex should take into account that most Zika infections do not have symptoms and any illness is usually mild. The CDC noted that Zika might persist in semen even after it is no longer detectable in blood. Zika testing in men is recommended to establish diagnosis of infection in groups including pregnant women. However, testing for men for the purposes of assessing their risk for sexual transmission is not recommended. Serologic testing is recommended within 2 to 12 weeks for pregnant women without symptoms who have returned from traveling to areas with ongoing Zika transmission. Testing is recommended within the first week for pregnant women with clinical illness consistent with Zika. story source;Helio infectious disease news.

ELEPHANT INFECTED 7 ZOO WORKERS WITH TUBERCULOSIS.

Seven employees of an Oregon zoo contracted tuberculosis from three elephants in their care in 2013, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.The staff members at the Oregon Zoo in Portland were infected with a latent form of the respiratory illness and therefore displayed no symptoms and were not contagious, a report published by the CDC said. The CDC report on the outbreak pointed to a lack of research about tuberculosis in elephants. It also called for improved screening to detect the disease because the present method of detection – taking cultures – may miss some cases or result in false positives.Jennifer Vines, deputy health officer for Multnomah County, whose office worked with the CDC on its report, said the investigation did not conclude that tuberculosis is highly transmissible between elephants and people. About 5 percent of captive Asian elephants in North America, like the ones in Portland, are believed to have tuberculosis, the CDC said. Human-to-elephant transmission was first identified in 1996 and there have been a handful of cases in recent years in Tennessee and elsewhere.The outbreak prompted the Portland zoo to say it would conduct more frequent tuberculosis tests of both animals and staff through at least June 2016. The outbreak was identified in May 2013 when a routine annual check of elephants found that a 20-year-old bull named Rama was infected.Rama’s father, 51-year-old Packy, also tested positive as did Tusko, a 44-year-old former circus performer. Public health officials do not know the cause of the outbreak. The CDC said it was possible that a zoo volunteer diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2012 may have spread the disease to the elephants.The zoo’s other elephants were not infected, nor were another roughly 100 people who were near the three sickened bull elephants. story source;http://newsdaily.com/2016/01/elephants-infected-seven-oregon-zoo-workers-with-tuberculosis-cdc/

RABIES AND DOG IMPORTATION.

Dog breeders and pet lovers and owners have been warned continuously of dangers associated with dog importation.The breeders are supposed to ensure the dogs get the necessary vaccinations before they are sold and shipped off, but some mischievous breeders/puppy mill merchants dont vaccinate these pets thus exposing the pet lovers to a risk.The pets that are shipped branding certificates are often times discovered to be fake, thus strict documentation laws must be ensured and vaccination records verified to ensure safety. There has been cases of shipping off animals to other countries which were incubating various pathogens, a recent case is the rabid dog shipped to the US from Egypt (as reported by STAT http://www.statnews.com/2015/12/17/rabies-dog-cdc/) The rabid dog was transported into the country in May by an animal rescue organization. It was later discovered the dog’s rabies vaccination certificate was a fake, CDC officials said .It’s the fourth time — that officials know of — in the last 11 years that a rabid dog has been imported to the United States. Ten people who had substantial contact with the animal were advised to get post-exposure rabies treatment and eight more involved in its importation opted to get vaccinated as a precaution, CDC and state health department officials wrote in a report on the incident published in this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a journal operated by the CDC.‘There’s no shortage of adoptable dogs in the US’ Dr. Nicky Cohen said the CDC issued guidelines last year to spell out what is needed, from a rabies control standpoint, to import companion animals to the United States. Chief among them: an authentic rabies vaccination certificate. It also pointed out some red flags to look for on rabies vaccination certificates to spot fakes — things like multiple dogs in a shipment having identical certificates or evidence that a dog’s name has been whited out. “It’s pretty basic,” Cohen admitted. “There have been four incidences where rabid dogs have been imported. But we do know that more dogs than just these four have been imported with falsified records. This was issued in response to the recognition of imported dogs with falsified vaccination records.”The dog from Egypt was part of a shipment of eight dogs and 27 cats. It was the only animal in the shipment that was infected.