News Scan for Apr 02, 2020

News Scan for Apr 02, 2020 Jim Wappes Thu, 04/02/2020 - 15:17 Bullet points Dengue returns to Guam Avian flu in Europe Body Guam records first locally acquired dengue cases since 1944 A study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ( MMWR ) details the first evidence of locally acquired dengue infections on Guam in more than 75 years. In September of 2019, a Guam resident with no travel history suffered dengue-like symptoms and tested positive for dengue serotype 3, prompting a public health emergency, as this was the first locally acquired dengue case documented in Guam since 1944. A public health campaign focused on identifying other cases was soon launched, and from Sep 9 to Nov 25, scientists identified 249 suspected cases, of which 17 (7%) were confirmed, including 13 locally acquired and 4 travel-associated cases. Two patients were hospitalized, but no deaths were reported. From 1988 to 2019, Guam tracked 45 travel-related dengue cases. After a Japanese encephalitis outbreak in 1947, the US military eradicated the Aedes aegypti mosquito from the island, which is a common dengue vector. "Current mosquito surveillance on Guam has identified Aedes albopictus , another DENV [dengue virus] vector, but not A. aegypti . This outbreak provides evidence that autochthonous transmission of DENV is possible on Guam and likely transmitted by A. albopictus ," the authors of the study concluded. "It is important that future arboviral preparedness addresses gaps in detection and response exposed by the reemergence of dengue on Guam." Apr 3 MMWR study Hungary, Germany, and Poland report H5N8 avian flu outbreaks in poultry Three European countries reported more highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu outbreaks in poultry, part of a small but steady stream of activity under way during the past cooler-weather months, according to notifications from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Hungary, in two separate reports, noted 39 outbreaks. Two outbreaks occurred at commercial duck farms in Csongrad county in the south, where the birds had subclinical illness. All 195,652 birds were slated for culling. The country also reported 37 outbreaks at poultry farms, all in Bacs-Kiskun county, also in the south. The events began between Mar 22 and Mar 30, killing 4,261 of 282,742 susceptible birds. The survivors will be destroyed to curb the spread of the virus. Though the source of the virus isn't known, investigators suggest that wind, high humidity, and human contact contributed to its spread. Germany reported one more H5N8 outbreak, this time at a turkey-fattening farm in Saxony-Anhalt state. The event began on Mar 27 and killed 137 of 20,087 birds, with the rest culled as part of the outbreak response. In Poland, animal health officials reported an outbreak at a commercial poultry farm in Lubuskie province in the west of the country, which began on Mar 23, killing 300 of 94,206 birds. The remaining ones were culled. Apr 1 OIE report on subclinical H5N8 in Hungary Apr 1 OIE report on H5N8 in Hungary Apr 1 OIE report on H5N8 in Germany Mar 31 OIE report on H5N8 in Poland Infectious disease topic Dengue Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Date Thu, 04/02/2020 - 09:00