Category: Viruses & Health

Chikungunya virus disease continues to spread across multiple regions globally in 2026. The Americas remains the hardest hit area, accounting for the majority of ongoing outbreaks with nearly 198,000 reported cases and 87 deaths. Brazil alone has reported over 127,000 cases, with the disease affecting most federal units across all regions. Other significantly affected countries include Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Argentina, where cases have been reported from multiple jurisdictions.

Asia and Africa are also experiencing notable outbreaks. Asia has reported approximately 45,600 cases with no deaths, with India, Pakistan, and the Philippines among the most affected countries. Africa has documented roughly 6,900 cases without deaths, with Mauritius reporting the highest number of cases on the continent. In Europe, locally acquired cases have been confirmed in France and Italy, including cases in French overseas territories. Overall, the virus demonstrates continued transmission across diverse geographical regions worldwide.

Source: Read the full story at ECDC

This summary was written with AI assistance from the linked source.

A new study published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases found that adjuvanted and high-dose flu vaccines provide similar protection against confirmed influenza infection and hospitalization in older adults. Both vaccine types are designed to strengthen immune responses in people aged 65 and older, who face greater risks from severe flu complications. Adjuvanted vaccines contain an ingredient that enhances immune response, while high-dose vaccines contain increased amounts of viral antigen.

Researchers analyzed data from over 37,000 American adults aged 65 and older who received one of these two vaccines during the 2023–24 flu season. Among those who sought care for acute respiratory illness and were tested, approximately 8.5% tested positive for influenza. The study found no statistically significant difference in effectiveness between the two vaccine types, with results consistent with previous research from the 2022–23 season and a meta-analysis of 10 additional studies.

Source: Read the full story at CIDRAP

This summary was written with AI assistance from the linked source.

A livestock crossing between New Mexico and Mexico reopened after being closed for 18 months due to concerns about New World screwworm importation from Mexican cattle. The US Agriculture Secretary stated that while the pest has not been eliminated from the United States, the crossing will remain open only if Mexican authorities continue following a joint surveillance and treatment plan. This year, the disease has been detected in 49 animals across Texas and New Mexico, including cases in horses.

Three counties in west-central Florida declared states of emergency to address rising dengue fever cases, with 177 confirmed cases reported in Hillsborough County as of late September, including one death. The emergency declarations will enable officials to take actions to control mosquito populations and seek federal reimbursement for expenses. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health launched an artificial intelligence tool called Linked Discoveries to help researchers better understand how individual research findings connect to broader biomedical evidence, currently linking over 29 million publications.

Source: Read the full story at CIDRAP

This summary was written with AI assistance from the linked source.

Eight new H5N1 avian flu outbreaks have been reported in US poultry, six of them in Minnesota, with one each in Montana and Wisconsin. The largest was at a commercial turkey farm in Barron County, Wisconsin, with 79,100 birds. Two commercial turkey farms in Stearns County, Minnesota, accounted for 51,500 birds. Over the past 30 days the virus has been confirmed in 20 flocks, 13 commercial and seven backyard, affecting about 560,000 birds.

Minnesota has also recorded at least 40 detections in wild birds in the past 10 days, most of them in the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The affected birds include mallards, Canada geese and three bald eagles. Separately, a study reported that three dead polar bears in Alaska tested positive for highly pathogenic H5 avian flu during 2023 and 2024. The authors described it as a possible emerging threat to polar bears in the Alaskan Arctic, while noting that immunity may be building in the population.

Source: Read the full story at CIDRAP

This summary was written with AI assistance from the linked source.

After a quiet summer, H5N1 avian flu has returned to commercial poultry farms in the United States. Four new outbreaks were reported in the past week: two turkey farms in Stearns County, Minnesota, with 77,200 and 31,200 birds; a commercial duck breeding operation in Jay County, Indiana, with 24,300 birds; and a backyard flock of 140 birds in Boone County, Iowa.

Over the past 30 days, the virus has been confirmed in 14 commercial and seven backyard flocks, affecting about 620,000 birds. Minnesota is the hardest-hit state, with eight commercial and three backyard flocks and 338,650 birds affected, while commercial farms in North and South Dakota account for another 176,900. That compares with a seasonal low of about 150,000 birds in August. Detections in wild birds are also rising, with roughly 40 new cases since the previous week, including birds taken by hunters in Kansas and Iowa.

Source: Read the full story at CIDRAP

This summary was written with AI assistance from the linked source.

Since early September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified seven H5N1 avian flu cases in commercial poultry operations across North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Idaho. Turkey facilities were particularly affected, with operations in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota each reporting tens of thousands of birds infected. Additional cases were confirmed at a commercial poultry breeding operation in South Dakota and two backyard flocks in Idaho.

Over the past month, a total of eight commercial poultry flocks and six backyard flocks have contracted avian flu, impacting approximately 360,000 birds. The outbreak has also spread beyond poultry to livestock, with two new dairy herds in Idaho recently testing positive for H5N1. Idaho and Texas have reported infections in five dairy herds combined within the past 30 days, bringing the year-to-date cattle infection count to 88 cases.

Source: Read the full story at CIDRAP

This summary was written with AI assistance from the linked source.