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Infectious Disease Tracker

@hmpxvt.bsky.social

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Infectious disease news. Sharing reports on outbreaks, from bird flu to Ebola. Follow this account if you want to be the first to know when a novel pathogen appears or a dangerous outbreak is brewing. Support me here: https://ko-fi.com/hmpxvtracker

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

H5 bird flu found in wastewater in New Jersey and Las Vegas, according to CDC's wastewater program.

New Jersey don't have any known cases of H5N1 bird flu in poultry or dairy cattle.

A map of the US showing wastewater sample stations and if H5 bird flu was detected.

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Reposted by Infectious Disease Tracker

Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

H5 bird flu found in wastewater in New Jersey and Las Vegas, according to CDC's wastewater program.

New Jersey don't have any known cases of H5N1 bird flu in poultry or dairy cattle.

35 220 640

Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 18

Thank you HT for donating!

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HT just bought Infectious disease tracker a Coffee on Ko-fi! ❤️

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

Wastewater testing doesn't tell you the source of the positive test.

Could be from infected dairy cattle, wild birds, poultry or a human that is infected. We would probably know by now if it's dairy cattle, since New Jersey is testing all their milk according to USDA's national program.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/wwd-...

Wastewater Data for Avian Influenza A(H5) | National Wastewater Surveillance System | CDCMinusSASstats

www.cdc.gov

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

H5 bird flu found in wastewater in New Jersey and Las Vegas, according to CDC's wastewater program.

New Jersey don't have any known cases of H5N1 bird flu in poultry or dairy cattle.

35 220 640

Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

www.reuters.com/business/hea...

US awards Moderna $590 million for bird flu vaccine development

The U.S. government has awarded Moderna $590 million to advance the late-stage development of its mRNA bird flu vaccine, as the country doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans.

www.reuters.com

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

US awards Moderna $590 million for bird flu vaccine development, according to Reuters.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

time.com/7207599/trum...

White House Pandemic Office May Shrink Under Trump

Trump told TIME in April he would close the White House's pandemic preparedness office. It's losing most of its staff during the transition, according to Biden officials.

time.com

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

Kelly Skully, a White House spokesperson, says preparing for biological threats that could lead to another pandemic was a top priority for the Biden Administration. It “should remain one for the health and safety of the American people,” she adds.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

After Trump is sworn in as President on Monday, the OPPR office will continue to operate, but the kind of staffing and resources it will have remains unclear.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

The White House office has also worked closely with other countries on the global response to outbreaks of the deadly Marburg virus, mpox, and Lassa Fever.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

“The outbreak only highlights the urgency for having an office like this,” said a pandemic expert familiar with the office’s bird flu preparations who requested anonymity to avoid running afoul of Trump officials who may think otherwise.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

and has been working with Moderna to tee up an mRNA vaccine in case the virus mutates again and becomes more transmissible.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

The White House’s pandemic office has also laid the groundwork for a vaccine response to a potential bird flu pandemic. It has overseen payments to pharmaceutical companies to stockpile millions more doses of the standard H5N1 vaccine in case it is needed,

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

“While CDC reports that the risk to the general public is low, keeping communities healthy, safe, and informed remains a top and urgent priority,” Friedrichs said.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

OPPR also worked with states to expand the surveillance of batches of milk coming out of dairies, to help detect signs of infected cows.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

The federal response has included monitoring large farm operations for bird flu outbreaks, reimbursing farmers for killing infected livestock to stop the spread, and sending protective gear to states where there have been outbreaks among livestock.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

Friedrichs, OPPR’s outgoing director, said in a statement to TIME that the office “stood up—and continues to coordinate with—an interagency response team to protect public health, protect our Nation’s food supply, and monitor all trends to prevent the spread of avian flu.”

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

As the bird flu cases have popped up in multiple states, the pandemic office has organized the federal response across multiple government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

Since Congress formally authorized the current version of the office, Trump can’t completely eliminate it on his own, like he did in 2018. But he could starve it of resources and not name senior leaders to run it, which would tank its effectiveness.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

The office cost about $2 million dollars to run last year, according to a Biden Administration official. Last year, Biden called on Congress to appropriate $6.2 million to beef up staffing in 2025.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

OPPR works to coordinate efforts across federal agencies and with state governments to ensure “no balls are dropped,” said a Biden administration official. “Not having a group that focuses on that would be a mistake.”

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

Biden administration officials tell TIME they are concerned that Trump’s White House won’t invest enough time and energy into staving off the next pandemic.

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

Asked if he would once again disband a pandemic office if he returned to the White House, Trump said, “Yeah, I probably would, because I think we've learned a lot and we can mobilize.”

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Infectious Disease Tracker @hmpxvt.bsky.social · Jan 17

Biden’s first executive order as president in 2021 restored the office, and Congress added more resources and formally named it the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. But Trump told TIME in April that he saw that office as a “way of giving out pork.”

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