Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Oropouche Virus Spreads; CDC Warns It Might Be Sexually Transmissible
CIDRAP: CDC Issues Interim Recommendations To Prevent Sexual Oropouche Virus Spread
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday said it has received reports of 90 imported Oropouche virus from 5 states, mostly from Florida, and it also issued recommendations for male travelers to prevent possible sexual spread. The group has warned about the risk of infected pregnant women passing the virus to their fetuses and the possibility of poor fetal outcomes. In its latest update, the CDC also acknowledged the risk of sexual transmission, raised in a recent scientific report, but said no sexual transmission cases have been reported. (Schnirring, 10/16)
On covid and flu —
Reuters: US FDA Pauses Novavax's Trial Of Combo COVID-Flu Shot On Safety Concerns
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has put on hold a trial of Novavax's COVID-influenza and its standalone flu vaccines after a participant who took the combination shot reported nerve damage, the company said on Wednesday. (Satija, 10/16)
Reuters: Northwestern Sues Moderna For Patent Infringement Over COVID-19 Vaccines
Moderna was hit with a new patent lawsuit on Wednesday in Delaware federal court from Northwestern University, which accused the company of misusing the school’s innovations to develop its blockbuster COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax. The lawsuit said, Moderna uses Northwestern-developed lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology without a license in Spikevax shots to transport fragile messenger RNA into the human body. (Brittain, 10/16)
On bird flu —
Stat: Vaccine Veteran Adds To Criticisms Of Response To Bird Flu In Cows
Barney Graham, who for decades helped lead U.S. vaccine development efforts, said Wednesday that the lack of cooperation among U.S. agencies is hindering the country’s response to the H5N1 bird flu outbreak among dairy cattle, echoing criticisms that have been building over the past six months. (Joseph, 10/16)
CIDRAP: Michigan Reports Avian Flu In Another Dairy Herd
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) today announced another avian flu outbreak in dairy cattle, its first since early September. The state’s latest outbreak occurred at a farm in Clinton County, which is near Lansing. Michigan has now reported 30 outbreaks in dairy cattle. (Schnirring, 10/16)
