“President Trump has selected Gerald Parker, a veterinarian and former top-ranking federal health official, to head the White House’s pandemic office, two U.S. officials tell CBS News. “”I’ve not been a fan of every choice that Donald Trump has made. And I’ve been very critical of many of them. This one is a very good choice,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID-19 response coordinator under President Biden. Jha said he had consulted with Parker many times, describing him as widely known within the public health community as “deeply knowledgeable, serious, not particularly partisan, but really just very focused on important issues.”” to read the full article go to https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-head-pandemic-office-gerald-parker/
“Tracking Bird Flu Is Largely Left to States. Under Trump, the Federal Government Might Step Even Further Back.” by Nina B. Elkadi ““I’m sure that this administration does not want another pandemic as it moves forward. My concerns are that we might be taking our focus off of infectious disease in general, and then off of H5N1, when we actually need a lot more focus,” she says. “We need to remember that there are really important roles that government plays in protecting human health.”” to read the full article go to https://sentientmedia.org/tracking-bird-flu-trump-federal-government/
“Travelers and health-care providers should be on alert due to Ebola disease outbreak in Uganda, CDC warns” By Jen Christensen https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/06/health/cdc-warning-ebola-disease-outbreak-uganda/index.html?cid=ios_app
By Brenda Goodman, CNN “This is the second known instance of avian flu being introduced into cattle herds by birds, and experts say it marks a turning point in the nation’s efforts to contain the virus. “It’s much easier to control virus spread when you’re talking about a virus spreading from cow to cow than controlling spread from birds to cows,” said Dr. Scott Hensley, a microbiologist who studies the evolution of flu viruses at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.” to read the full article go to https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/05/health/bird-flu-cattle-nevada/index.html
“US officials detect second bird flu strain in dairy cattle” ““If this turns out to have been something that crossed into cattle a couple months ago, a couple months is a long time not to detect it,” said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona who has studied the H5N1 virus in cattle. He added that it’s important for federal officials to share promptly information about a virus that has the potential to trigger a pandemic that could “make Covid seem like a walk in the park”.” to read the full article go to
“USDA confirms spillover of 2nd H5N1 avian flu genotype into dairy cattle’ By Lisa Schnirring ‘University of Minnesota epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, said, “We shouldn’t be surprised about a new spillover to cattle, given the very significant activity in waterfowl across much of the United States.” He added that the virus is not going away, contrary to those who thought B3.13 would burn itself out. Osterholm is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, which publishes CIDRAP News.’ to read the full article go to
By Alice Park “One promising method is sampling wastewater. The technique continues to prove useful for monitoring COVID-19; since most people now self-test and formal data collection has diminished, wastewater is the most reliable way of tracking upticks and changes in infections since it doesn’t require people to report results. Scientists are now figuring out how to apply the same principle to test wastewater on farms for H5N1, the avian influenza virus.” to read the full article go to https://time.com/7212477/wastewater-testing-farms-bird-flu/
‘‘US reports 1st outbreak of ‘highly pathogenic’ H5N9 virus in poultry. Should we worry?’’ By Emily Cooke ‘A strain of bird flu never seen before in the United States has been detected among poultry at a California farm. The virus, called highly pathogenic H5N9, is a type of avian influenza, otherwise known as “bird flu.” This is not the same type of bird flu that’s already been spreading on dairy cow and poultry farms in the U.S., causing at least several dozen infections in humans. That virus is called H5N1. So what is H5N9? How does it differ from H5N1, and should we be equally concerned about it?’ to read the full article go to https://www.livescience.com/health/flu/us-reports-1st-outbreak-of-highly-pathogenic-h5n9-virus-in-poultry-should-we-worry
By Adriel Bettelheim “Dozens of newly confirmed cases of avian influenza in wild birds and the first verified U.S. case of a new strain of the virus are raising concern the bird flu crisis may be entering a troubling new phase. Why it matters: While the developments don’t necessarily raise the risk of a pandemic, they could create more havoc for farmers, exacerbate egg shortages and expose more gaps in government disease surveillance.” to read the full article go to https://www.axios.com/2025/02/03/bird-flu-crisis-new-phase
“Understanding the H5N1 Threat” By Stephanie Vine “With new cases of avian influenza appearing, what does this mean for global health and what are drug developers doing about it?” “Scientists are calling for tests, vaccines, and drugs that can control the spread of the virus in poultry and livestock, as well as close surveillance. Efforts are also ongoing across the industry to develop pandemic influenza vaccines and therapeutics.” to read the full article go to https://themedicinemaker.com/manufacture/understanding-the-h5n1-threat
“Could the Bird Flu Become Airborne?” “Scientists were slow to recognize that Covid spreads through the air. Some are now trying to get ahead of the bird flu.’ By Carl Zimmer to read the full article go to https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/health/bird-flu-airborne-covid.html
“Skepticism About Vaccines and Response and Response to Bird Flu” By Irving Washington and Hagere Yilma “In addition to misrepresenting data, online narratives often raise concerns about vaccine ingredients, reiterate resistance to bird flu vaccines, and oppose future public health measures. Some users also share anecdotes about alleged vaccine injuries from COVID-19 vaccines to argue that bird flu vaccines would cause similar harm.” to read the full article go to https://www.kff.org/the-monitor/skepticism-about-vaccines-and-response-to-bird-flu/
By KFF Health News “The Trump administration has intervened in the release of important studies on the bird flu, as an outbreak escalates across the United States. One of the studies would reveal whether veterinarians who treat cattle have been unknowingly infected by the bird flu virus. Another report documents cases in which people carrying the virus might have infected their pet cats. The studies were slated to appear in the official journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The distinguished journal has been published without interruption since 1952.” to read the full article go to https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250130/Trump-administratione28099s-halt-of-CDCe28099s-weekly-scientific-report-stalls-bird-flu-studies.aspx
“Will bird flu spark a human pandemic? Scientists say the risk is rising” By Max Kozlov https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00245-6
“”The combination H5N9 is not new and other versions, like H5N5 also exist. Just because this was now detected, doesn’t mean trouble necessarily,” said virologist Florian Krammer, professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in an email. Krammer pointed to recent detections of the H5N5 strain spreading from Europe, and then jumping from birds to be able to infect mammals across Canada as prompting more worry for him.””
By Regina G. Barber, Will Stone, Rachel Carlson, and Rebecca Ramirez
“”This is like some brush burning around your house,” …”You better pay attention because it could turn into something else.”” to read the full article go to https://www.npr.org/2025/01/27/1263339284/bird-flu-update-influenza
“Will bird flu spark a human pandemic?” By Max Kozlov .“Here, Nature talks to infectious-disease specialists about what they’re learning about how humans get sick from the virus, and the chances of a bird-flu pandemic.” to read the ful larticle go to https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00245-6
“How will federal health ‘black out’ affect bird flu response?” By Safia Samee Ali
“President Donald Trump ordered a “blackout” for federal health agencies, which bans them from publishing external communication, but this cut-off could leave health care professionals and the public unable to appropriately respond to the increasing spread of bird flu.” to read the full article go to https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/federal-health-black-out-bird-flu/
“What to Know About the CIA’s Conclusion that COVID-19 Came From a Lab” By Jeffrey Kluger “The debate is more than an academic one. If the virus indeed spilled over in a Wuhan wet market, the resulting seven million deaths worldwide make a strong case for better regulating the way we interact with the ecosystem, such as in outdoor food bazaars. If, instead, the pandemic was the result of what went on in a laboratory, then China, the U.S., and any other country that performs such biological tinkering are gravely in need of more oversight to make these labs safer.” to read the full article go to https://time.com/7210348/covid-19-cia-lab-leak-conclusion/
