Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Focus On Avian Flu's Risk To Humans As It Circulates In Other Animals
Science: From Bad To Worse: How Avian Flu Must Change To Trigger A Human Pandemic
The victims are varied, from thousands of sea lions off the coast of Peru to mink farmed for fur in Spain to grizzly bears in Montana and harbor seals in Maine. For months, the avian influenza virus that has been decimating birds across the world has also sickened and killed a menagerie of mammals, raising fears it might evolve to spread more efficiently between these animals, and ultimately between people. For that nightmare to unfold, however, the virus, a subtype known as H5N1, would have to undergo a major transformation, changing from a pathogen efficient at infecting cells in the guts of birds and spreading through feces-contaminated water into one adept at infecting human lung tissue and spreading through the air. So far, that has not happened. None of the few people who have caught the virus currently wiping out birds, called clade 2.3.4.4b, seems to have passed it on to other people. (Kupferschmidt, 4/6)
CIDRAP: Wyoming Reports High-Path Avian Flu In Cat
The Wyoming State Veterinary Lab (WSVL) said it has diagnosed highly pathogenic avian influenza in a barn cat, the state's first detection of the virus in a domestic cat. In a brief statement on its website, the WSVL said the cat is located near Thermopolis, in the central part of the state. It said that the cat probably contracted the virus from eating meat from wild waterfowl. In recent months, the lab has also detected the virus in other carnivores, including mountain lions and a red fox. (Schnirring, 4/7)
In other health and wellness news —
The Atlantic: A Radical Change To The Flu Vaccine May Be Coming
In March 2020, Yamagata’s trail went cold. The pathogen, one of the four main groups of flu viruses targeted by seasonal vaccines, had spent the first part of the year flitting across the Northern Hemisphere, as it typically did. As the seasons turned, scientists were preparing, as they typically did, for the virus to make its annual trek across the equator and seed new outbreaks in the globe’s southern half. That migration never came to pass. ... (Wu, 4/7)
Fox News: Asthma And Eczema Could Increase Risk Of Osteoarthritis, Study Finds
People who have asthma or eczema could be at a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis, a new study from Stanford University has found. Additionally, researchers postulate that existing allergy medications could block an allergic pathway to help slow the progression of the degenerative joint disease. (Sudhakar, 4/7)
NBC News: Gay Youths Are More Than Twice As Likely To Have Sleep Trouble, Study Finds
Gay, lesbian and bisexual youths are at far greater risk of sleep problems than their straight counterparts, according to a new study published in the journal LGBT Health. Researchers analyzed data on more than 8,500 young people ages 10 to 14, a critical time for mental and physical development. They found that 35.1% of those who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual reported trouble falling or staying asleep in the previous two weeks, compared to 13.5% of straight-identifying adolescents. (Avery, 4/9)
