New Circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus and Wild Type Poliovirus Cases

Recently, there has been new cases of Circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus 2 (cVDPV2) reported in the Manono and the Ankoro districts of in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the onset dates where November 9^th and November 17^th (one reported case in each) according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). There had been no cVDPV2 cases for months now, and for the year, the total number of cases of cVDPV2 in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now reached 12 cases, which will probably be the number for the year considering how close this year is to ending (about time). So how exactly do cVDVs occur in the first place? Well, in the DNC, oral polio virus vaccine made from a weak live-attenuated vaccine is used where the virus replicates in the intestines. In the intestines, the poliovirus is excreted for 6-8 weeks, and during that time, some of the excreted virus may not be the same as the vaccine poliovirus. What ends up happening is that this new vaccine-derived poliovirus, if given the right environment where a population has immunization rates that are low, the vaccine-derived poliovirus can circulate, mutate, and potentially retain its original neurovirulence. These polioviruses that have reobtained their pathogenicity are the cVDPVs.

Additionally, the GPEI has made a report this week regarding wild poliovirus 1 in Pakistan. As a side note, the three remaining countries where wild-type poliovirus is still endemic around the globe are Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. This case took place in the Kila Abdullah district, where the total number of WPV1 cases in Pakistan have now reached 8 cases for 2017, where the total number of cases for the year is now 20.

Sources:

http://outbreaknewstoday.com/polio-democratic-republic-congo-reports-two-additional-cvdpv2-cases-53735/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4967708/

-Daniel Gutierrez

Top 10 Infectious Disease Outbreaks of 2017

Before the year end let’s rewind and go over the 10 biggest infectious disease outbreaks of 2017.

10. Multidrug Resistant Camplybacter Infections harbored by puppies

            12 US states (Utah, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Florida, etc.) were affected and 97 people were infected. Puppies are the outbreak source and the bacteria is resistant to first-line antibiotics, making infection difficult to treat.

9. Legionnairses’ Disease outbreak at the “happiest place on earth”

            Legionella, is found in water. The Disneyland outbreak was caused from 2 cooling towers at the New Orleans Square Train Stations part of the park. 12 people infected, 1 death.

8. H7N9 Avian Influenza returned to China

The 5^th epidemic of Asian H7N9 hit China again. 764 human cases reported and H7N9 is rated to have the greatest pandemic potential

7. Diphtheria in Bangladesh

Through not common in the US, Diphtheria, caused by bacteria, is common around the world. Outbreak occurred in Bangladesh in Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. There are over 804 suspected cases and 15 deaths.

6. E coli O157: H7 Infections linked with SoyNut Butter in the US  

E coli outbreak in 12 states, 32 individuals affected, no deaths reported. Source of outbreak was the I.M. Health brand SoyNut Butter.

5. Cholera in Yemen

WHO reported 994,751 suspected cases in Yemen, 1069 confirmed, and 2,226 deaths.

4. Marburg Virus in Uganda

This zoonotic virus causes Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever, and although rare, it broke out in Easter Uganda on October 17, infecting and claiming the lived of 3. No vaccine or specific treatment is available.

3. Salmonella Infections linked with Maradol papayas in the US

23 US states affected, salmonella found in papayas imported from Carica de Campeche farm in Tenabo, Mexico. 220 individuals infected and one resulting death. All outbreaks have been resolved in the US.

2. The Black Death in Madagascar

Appeared August 2017, 335 cases of bubonic plague, 1 septicemic plague, and 207 cases are unclassified but WHO had reported on December 4, 2017, that the outbreak is no contained.

Last but not least at number 1, 

Hepatitis A in the US

Biggest Hepatitis A outbreak occurred September 2017 in San Diego, most of whom infected are homeless or illicit drug users. In response to controlling the outbreak, health officials have increased vaccination efforts to at-risk individuals. Latest update of the outbreak was on December 19 2017, reporting 571 cases and 20 deaths in San Diego. Other cities such as Los Angeles and Santa Cruz have also bene affected.

On a sidenote, Happy New Year everyone! 

Source

http://www.contagionlive.com/news/the-10-biggest-infectious-disease-outbreaks-of-2017

Jessica Ngo

Is a Virus Making me Sick?

We’ve all been there – we feel sick but we don’t know what’s causing it. Since upper respiratory illnesses are common and its causes are varied and bountiful, it has been quite difficult to identify the primary virus responsible. Well, scientists from Yale University have developed a new test to identify whether your respiratory illness is caused by virus. Created by lead researchers and MDs Ellen Foxman and Marie Landry, the test involves a simple nasal swab and measures RNA or protein molecules activity in response to viral presence in human cells. The two lead researches where able to create such a test that used RNAs to predict viral infection with 97% accuracy by using genetic sequencing techniques to screen human cells and successfully identify three RNAs and two proteins that were turned on in the presence of a virus.

Unlike many existing tests today, this test is different because it does not test for individual viruses, but whether the body is fighting a virus. The researchers plan to implement this new tests into a rapid gene and protein tests for physicians and doctors to easily and accessibly use to treat patients in 1-5 years. With this test, there is a great increase in potential to diagnose viral infections more quickly and accurately, avoid using more time-consuming and costly tests, and reduce the misuse of antibiotics to treat infections.

Source

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171221101351.htm

Jessica Ngo

Lift of Federal Ban Allows for Creation and Research on Lethal Viruses

Ladies and gentlemen, a significant development has taken place in the area of research concerning lethal pathogens in the US as of late. Specifically, a federal ban prohibiting research on dangerous pathogens such as SARS has been lifted. SARS, coronavirus that caused an outbreak in 2004 in 29 countries, resulted in 8,096 reported infections where 774 deaths related to SARS were recorded according to the CDC.  Viruses such as Ebola are also fair game for research in laboratories now, where it has been discussed that creation of an airborne Ebola strain could possibly aid in preventing a pandemic. Research studies were intentional mutations of viruses are induced for the sake of finding a cure new versions of these pathogenic viruses are now in the horizon. In fact, all viruses that could potentially cause a pandemic are fair game from the uplifting of this federal ban.

It seems a little counterintuitive correct? Well, assuming that the laboratories adequately maintain an environment with highly trained personnel that will place an emphasis on preventing the escape of these novel strains from the laboratory, it would be helpful to know how bioterrorists could potentially change a lethal virus in their attempts to create a pandemic. If we created these new lethal strains first, we would be able to create vaccines or treatments for these non-existent strains currently in the globe, in case of their introduction into the globe, once again through bioterrorism (or through an outbreak of the pathogen from a lab). We would thus be ahead of the bioterrorists and would thus be safer. That is what the people on top believe, but I have my reservations, as I know others do. In 2014, the CDC accidentally exposed its workers to anthrax, and accidently sent a dangerous flu virus strain, instead of a benign one to a laboratory.  This was the same year that all federal funding was halted towards making dangerous viruses more lethal for our protection.

Is this plainly a bad idea, or is this a justified preventative measure? I can’t really seem to decide, but one thing I’ve learned throughout my life is that you don’t just play with fire and expect to come out unscathed, eventually someone is bound to get burned. For the sake of the safety of individuals here in the US, I hope human error is not the cause of the introduction of a new lethal strain here in the US. On the other side of the coin, if a bioterrorism group decides to hit us with a modified strain of a lethal virus such as SARS, we might be ready to thwart their efforts, saving thousands of lives in the process.

Which side do you lean to?

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/health/lethal-viruses-nih.html

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5249a2.htm

-Daniel Gutierrez

You’re making me batty!

Recent studies on fruit bats in Australia have shown that humans are encroaching on bat habitats and risking exposure to Hendravirus. Researchers from the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, and the State University of New York have been studying the effects of human pressure on these bat habitats and have seen an increase in the incidence of hendra virus spillover.  

Fruit bats are essential to their ecosystems both as pollinators and seed distributors, but they’re also natural reservoirs for some incredibly deadly emerging zoonotic diseases, such as Hendravirus, Nipah virus, and Ebola. In eastern Australia, there has been an increasing expansion in suburban areas which encroached on the bats’ natural habitats. As Australians continue to expand into these environments, bats will continue to shift into suburban areas and increase the risk of transmission of their deadly viruses. According to the research conducted from 2000-2015, this shift correlates with an increase in the spillover events.

Just last week, there were complaints of a “plague of bats” in the Northern Queenland suburban area. In the area, there were approximately 200,000 bats taking root in the town - which led to the closing of major parks in the area. In the Northern area of Queenland, there are many flowering eucalypts that the bats are naturally drawn to. As the habitats continue to merge, the public should make sure to be vaccinating their horses to protect them from the deadly hendra virus and should be attempting to avoid bat bites at all costs!

-Meley Gebresellassie

Sources:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-08/charters-towers-bats-concern-residents/9239638

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-08065-z

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170815095124.htm

2 years later, the Zika babies of Brazil

When Zika virus first emerged, there was concern for the pregnant women in the affected regions as researchers didn’t know what effect Zika would have on the pregnant women and their babies. Two years ago, a picture of twins with microcephaly from Zika virus made worlwide news - but where are they now?

A recent article was published following up on the Zika babies of Brazil looking at the changes in development of these children and things haven’t been going so well. The report discusses how these babies are at an increased risk for multiple serious conditions such as vision problems, siezures, and cerebral palsy. The babies, aged 19 months to 2 years old, were given clinical exams and a neurological exam to see if they were reaching the developmental milestones. What they found was that the babies were unable to complete developmental activities that are expected at 6 months of age, such as sitting up by themselves. As the babies continue to grow, clinicians are unsure of whether they will be able to catch up to their peers, but some don’t seem very hopeful about this possibility. With this being the first time we are learning about Zika’s effect on babies both in utero and as they grow, we’re not sure what the long-term effects of the viral infection are. We are just beginning to learn what it will take to take care of these children and learn how the virus will continue to impact children.

-Meley Gebresellassie

Source:

https://www.statnews.com/2017/12/14/zika-babies-two-years/

“Come on, World. We can do this”

Polio has been eradicated! - or has it? As the World Health Organization reports, polio is endemic still in 3 countries: Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. However, hopefully soon we’ll be seeing that number go down by 1- Pakistan! In the coming week, the last big anti-polio campaign of the year will be happening in Pakistan as they gear up to vaccinate 4 million children against polio. Teams from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Expanded Program on Immunization, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation met recently to finalize the campaign. Vaccinations are set to be conducted in 17 districts of Pakistan and focused on making sure that the children who weren’t able to be vaccinated previously could be now. One of the biggest factors behind this push for polio eradication is a very low transmission rate this year in Pakistan! WHO reported that this year there were only 16 cases of polio, worldwide - a decrease from the 37 cases reported in 2016. Of the 16 reported in 2017, 7 of those cases came from Pakistan and the campaign team is hoping that this will be the final push to eradicate the wildtype poliovirus!

-Meley Gebresellassie

Sources:

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/12/15/final-arrangements-of-anti-polio-drive-reviewed-in-meeting-in-peshawar/

http://www.kiro7.com/news/local/polio-nearly-eradicated-according-to-gates-foundation-annual-report/663761650

Kentucky Schools to change vaccination requirements

As Hepatitis A outbreaks have seemed to be increasing over the past year, many education departments have been discussing the need for vaccinations prior to the school year. As of June 26th, Kentucky state legislature passed a new state regulation that kids must have the Hepatitis A vaccine before the start of the next school year. For many districts, that is around mid-August, however the Hepaitis A vaccine is administered in series of two doses at 6 months apart, so the very latest that parents can vaccinate their kids for the upcoming school year is in mid February. Even home schooled children must be vaccinated if they belong to any school club/sport/activity.

-Meley Gebresellassie

Sources:

http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/education/article189985794.html

http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article163717663.html

Suspension of Dengue vaccines in the Philippines

Sanofi, the big French pharmaceutical company, made an announcement earlier last month that their Dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia) was successful in preventing repeat infections in those who have had dengue. For patients who haven’t had a dengue infection, the vaccine may make them more susceptible to worse symptoms if they were to be infected with a different strain after getting the vaccine. This announcement caused the Philippines to suspend their vaccination program that had previously been a school-based program. The Philippines experiences a high rate of dengue infection every year, with about 25,000 people dying every year from the disease. The school program had already vaccinated approximately 740,000 school children, but now plans to wait for a review from the pharmaceutical company. Health advocates of the Philippines had worried about the government’s rush to implement a program in school for administering Dengvaxia as it was a relatively new vaccine that health officials didn’t know the long term effects of, but the government pushed ahead. The clinical trials of the vaccine have now shown that the danger of severe dengue infection after vaccination are confirmed, and now, we wait on the Philippine government’s next move.

-Meley Gebresellassie

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/world/asia/philippines-dengue-vaccine.html