>>>EBOLA 2014-15 >> Latest News and Updates for MERS, Ebola and other spreading nasties<<<

What's with the flesh eating? Bacteria here, amoebas there.

Here is a North Carolina teen who died after swimming in a water park because of amoebas that eat brains.

This is getting bad.

[link to www.rt.com (secure)]

Anyone know of a site that collects these cases? It seems they have been in multiple states now. Not counting community-acquired MRSA, which may be D-listed. Haven't seen a whisper in years, but know people who got it.

U.S. Olympic rowers' unisuits offer protection against polluted Rio waters
[link to edition.cnn.com]

Unless they're swimming with their eyes blinded by a complete head-enclosing glove that is attached to their fully enclosing body suits, no.

Breaking: $1.1 Billion for Zika Aid Blocked in Senate
... The vote came as a Florida hospital reported it first case of a baby born with Zika-related birth defects. The child was born to a Haitian mother who traveled to Florida to deliver the baby.

more [link to www.rollcall.com]

June 10.

[link to allafrica.com]

Liberia Declared Ebola Free for 4th Time

bump.

west nile is the thing spreading like crazy right now in my area.

Are you in the Zika zone?

Yes.
Here lately just working and working more. Trying to get a business off the ground.

Hope it goes well for you -- congratulations and best of luck! Watch out for those skeeters!!

Olympics start August 5 --

Mutilated body washes up on Rio beach to be used for Olympics beach volleyball
It was unclear Wednesday afternoon what conditions may have led to the mutilated body but a policeman standing guard by a security perimeter confirmed its existence to Reuters.

more [link to www.theguardian.com (secure)]

they're kidding, right ?? --

Pregnant women, athletes, type O blood and those who drink alcohol are irresistible targets for mosquitoes
[link to twitter.com (secure)]

Well, I'm not sure how much there is to that LOL

Female here, A+ and a non-drinker and I have always gotten eaten alive even when no one else does. I am concerned about an upcoming vacation in fact. I bought some "natural" insect repellent that I'll be dowsing myself in constantly. On the plus side, my pregnancy days are long over so there's that at least. LOL

Also, does anyone know offhand if dogs can get Zika? I bought them some natural stuff too just in case.

Cheers everyone! Still always checking in here and hope everyone is well!

Well, at least they are consistent!

The 4th time is the charm...

Hello to you all on this thread!

'Invisible' Zika Virus Epidemic Frustrates Health Officials
... "The president calls the situation in Puerto Rico a crisis and it is," Frieden told NBC News.

"But it's an invisible crisis. In Puerto Rico, people are used to seeing dengue, which can kill you, or chikungunya, which can give you terrible joint pain for months."

But Zika doesn't cause symptoms in many if not most people who get infected and even when it does they are mild — a fever, a rash, an eye infection. "I have heard over and over again 'I don't know anyone with Zika'," Frieden complained.

"Well, they don't know anyone who knows they had Zika because four out of five people don't have symptoms."

more [link to www.nbcnews.com]

[link to www.nytimes.com]

Sex May Spread Zika Virus More Often Than Researchers Suspected

An outbreak of the Zika virus in the continental United States could begin any day now. But while there is plenty of discussion about mosquito bites, some researchers are beginning to worry more about the other known transmission route: sex.

Intimate contact may account for more Zika infections than previously suspected, these experts say.

The evidence is still emerging, and recent findings are hotly disputed. All experts agree that mosquitoes are the epidemic’s main driver.

But two reports now suggest that women in Latin America are much more likely to be infected than men, although both are presumed to be equally exposed to mosquitoes.

The gender difference appears at the age at which sexual activity begins, and then fades among older adults.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the evidence “striking.” Like other scientists, he had doubts about aspects of the data, but thought the results justified a more rigorous study, probably in Puerto Rico, of the role of sex in transmitting the Zika virus.

“I can’t say it’s not true that women are more at risk,” he said.

The Zika virus can persist for months in semen, even in men who have had very mild infections. That’s why women who are pregnant or trying to conceive are routinely warned not to have unprotected sex with men who have been in areas where the virus is spreading.

Pentagon nurses take ‘zombie pandemic’ course to train for real life outbreaks
The US Department of Defense is using an animated online course about a zombie pandemic to teach active-duty military nurses about population health. There are actual Pentagon guidelines for a zombie outbreak as well. Do they know something we don’t?

more [link to www.rt.com (secure)]

New strain of flu to contend with. This time, found in domestic ducks. H2N8. If you remember your pandemic history, only H1,H2, and H3 strains of flu have been known to spark a pandemic.

Lots of viruses floating around in china...

Scary stuff with the flu lately. Ticking timebomb's of all sorts all over the globe.

Here we have talk about two distinct genetic groups of H5N1 virus, both circulating currently in West Africa, close to some of the Ebola cases that occurred in 2014-15.

Less than 50% rule

[link to wwwnc.cdc.gov]

To trace the evolution of highly pathogenic influenza A(H5N1) virus in West Africa, we sequenced genomes of 43 viruses collected during 2015 from poultry and wild birds in 5 countries. We found 2 co-circulating genetic groups within clade 2.3.2.1c. Mutations that may increase adaptation to mammals raise concern over possible risk for humans.

In December 2014, a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus responsible for deaths among poultry was detected in southwestern Nigeria, specifically in a live bird market in Lagos State (1). Since then, other outbreaks have occurred in Nigeria, and the HPAI A(H5N1) virus has also been officially reported in Burkina Faso (February 2015) and Niger, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire (April 2015), to date causing the death of &#8776;1.6 million birds (2).

Of note, all the viruses from West Africa display the same genetic constellation of a strain (A/Alberta/01/2014) isolated from a human, a Canada resident who had returned from China. These viruses contain mutations that have been described as being associated with an enhanced binding affinity for &#945;2,6 sialic acid or with increased virulence in mammals.

Comments----

Clade 2.3.2.1c also gets our attention because it has been linked to unusual neurological symptomology in human - infections.

It should be noted that meningoencephalitis was also observed in the fatal human case with Alberta2014, an unusual outcome for infections with H5N1 HPAIV in humans.

-------------------------
Remember the strain of flu in the movie Contagion? Caused severe neurological symptoms, which as mentioned above is quite rare with this virus...Scary stuff

More bird flu...This time H9N2

[link to jvi.asm.org]

Less than 50%

Mutations of polymerase complex (PB1, PB2 and PA) of influenza A virus are necessary for viral adaptation to new hosts. This study reports on a novel and predominant mammalian adaptive mutation PA-K356R in avian H9N2 viruses and human isolates of emergent H7N9 and H10N8 viruses. We found that PA-356R in H9N2 virus causes significant increase in virus replication and severity of infection in human cells and mice, and that PA-K356R cooperates with PB2-E627K mutation, a well characterized human adaptive marker, to exacerbate mammalian infection in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, PA-K356R mutation is a significant adaptation in H9N2 viruses and related H7N9 and H10N8 reassortants towards human infectivity.

Like most pandemic viruses, they evolved over many years sometimes a few decades. H9N2 has been around not only over a large area of the world, but has also been with us for quite a long time.

Below are some important mutations that have occurred prior to the article just posted.

Two years ago, in PNAS: Evolution Of H9N2 And It’s Effect On The Genesis Of H7N9 we looked at research that showed a new, better adapted genotype (G57) of the H9N2 virus had emerged in China – one that evades the poultry vaccines currently in use – and that it has become widespread among vaccinated Chinese poultry since 2010.

Last fall, in EID Journal: Replication Of Avian H9N2 In Pet Birds, Chickens, and Mammals, Bangladesh, we looked at research that found the Bangladeshi version is a novel reassortant that has acquired some mammalian adaptations along the way, finding the virus replicates well in human and swine tissues.

And in May of this year, in Genomic Characteristics Of 2 A(H9N2) Virus Isolates From Humans In Anhui Province - 2015 we saw evidence of multiple human and/or mammalian adaptations, including the PA-K356R amino acid substitution

Among the many host adaptations that pH1N1 acquired prior to jumping to humans, was the PA-K356R mutation. The authors explained.

Thread: Tourist infected with Zika Virus dying from Guillain-Barré on vacation


Zika Virus Map [link to www.zikavirusmap.net]

Thread: Ebola patient admitted at hospital today

here we go. summer time ramp up

From the front page of GLP

Man tests positive for Ebola Virus in India

A man from Delhi has reportedly tested positive for Ebola virus. The details of whether the man had travelled to any Ebola affected country or not are still unknown.

Last Edited by JPOP on 07/13/2016 12:57 AM

Dems don't let the Zika crisis go to waste
... Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid announced on Monday that his caucus in the Senate will continue its silent filibuster against a $1.1 billion bill intended to combat the Zika virus and develop a vaccine against it.

The Democrats' determination to stop what Reid calls "one of the worst pieces of legislation I've ever seen in this body" threatens to leave no emergency funding to stop the virus for the next seven weeks.

more [link to www.washingtonexaminer.com]

Scientists say the Zika epidemic could be over in three years
... Experts believe the virus, linked to a serious birth defect, is set to burn itself out as more people become immune to it.
The less welcome news is that right now the epidemic cannot be contained with existing control measures, the same team has concluded.
more [link to www.irishexaminer.com]


I think they're trying to tone down the level of concern to protect the income revenues from the Olympics -- but heckifIknow.

on the other hand ...

Thread: Zika threat in US getting bigger, experts testify at Senate hearing.

This could be a very bad decision --

Ebola: Sierra Leone ends the mandatory testing of all deaths
[link to www.slateafrique.com]