Washington State Reports 4 Suspected Bird Flu Cases In Poultry Workers

CIDRAP: Washington Reports 4 Suspected H5 Avian Flu Infections In Poultry Workers
The Washington State Department of Health (WSDH) yesterday reported its first suspected avian flu infections in people, which involve four agricultural workers who tested positive after working with infected poultry at an egg-laying farm in Franklin County. Elsewhere, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on October18 reported 2 more confirmed H5 infections in people who were exposed to sick dairy cattle, raising the state's total to 13. (Schnirring, 10/21)

CIDRAP: Avian Flu Biomarker Was Circulating In Texas Wastewater Weeks Before Outbreaks In Cattle
Wastewater surveillance with an H5N1 avian flu probe retrospectively deployed to investigate unseasonably high influenza A in Texas in early 2024 was able to detect the virus 2 weeks before cases were reported and a month before the virus was confirmed, which may have been able to speed the public health response, according to study results presented at IDWeek. Researchers on the WastewaterSCAN team at Stanford University retrospectively developed and deployed a probe for a biomarker of avian influenza to plants across the United States. WastewaterSCAN monitors the levels of 11 viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 190 municipal wastewater systems three times a week to inform local, regional, and national public health responses. (Van Beusekom, 10/21)

Los Angeles Times: As Bird Flu Outbreaks Rise, Piles Of Dead Cattle Seen In Central Valley
There’s a sickness hovering over Tulare County‘s dairy industry. On a recent 98-degree afternoon, dead cows and calves were piled up along the roadside. Thick swarms of black flies hummed and knocked against the windows of an idling car, while crows and vultures waited nearby — eyeballing the taut and bloated carcasses roasting in the October heat. Since the H5N1 bird flu virus was first reported in California in early August, 124 dairy herds and 13 people — all dairy workers — have been infected. (Rust, 10/20)

On norovirus, covid, and flu —

CIDRAP: Study Shows Wastewater Detections Accurate For Norovirus
Norovirus can be accurately tracked in wastewater samples, which can help identify outbreaks and trends, according to a new study based on California wastewater surveillance published in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Norovirus is one of the leading causes of gastroenteritis in the United States, but surveillance is challenging because many cases are unreported, the authors said. As wastewater surveillance has proved useful and accurate for viral detections, including COVID-19, the researchers assessed its usefulness for norovirus. (Soucheray, 10/21)

Newsweek: COVID Map Update: US States With 'High' Wastewater Viral Activity Revealed 
Coronavirus levels in wastewater remain "high" in certain states, despite low levels of the virus nationwide. Newsweek has revealed this variability in a map based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of October 12, the overall viral activity level in wastewater across the country has been classified as "low" by the CDC, although "high" levels still persist in eight states. "Moderate" levels have been reported in 13 states, and "low" levels are now detected in 18 states, with 10 reporting "minimal" detection levels, the lowest classification in the CDC's system. (10/21)

The New York Times: Mental Illness Raises the Risk of Severe Covid. The Question Is: Why?
It’s been clear since the early days of the pandemic: People with mental illness are more likely to have severe outcomes from Covid. Compared to the general population, they’re at higher risk of being hospitalized, developing long Covid or dying from an infection. That fact puts mental illness on the same list as better-known Covid risk factors like cardiovascular issues, chronic kidney disease and asthma. (Blum, 10/21)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: COVID, Flu Cases Down. It's Perfect Time To Get Vaccinated
Cases of COVID-19 have been dropping and flu cases have yet to appear, making it the ideal time to get vaccines against these and other respiratory viruses before the cases are expected to increase, doctors say. (Munz, 10/18)