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Európa Europe
Magyarország
2024. év 14. hét. Tájékoztató a légúti figyelőszolgálat adatairól (2024. április 1 - 7. közötti adatok). A légúti figyelőszolgálat keretében kijelölt 24 kórház adatai alapján e héten 128 beteget vettek fel kórházba súlyos, akut légúti fertőzés (SARI) miatt, közülük 13-an részesültek intenzív/szubintenzív ellátásban. A 128 SARI beteg közül 6 betegnél influenza A, 28-nál RSV, 3-nál SARS-CoV-2 vírus okozott megbetegedést. Az RSV-pozitív betegek közül 19-en 2 évesek vagy annál fiatalabbak, a COVID-19 fertőzöttek közül 2-en 60 évesnél idősebbek. Influenza okozta SARI megbetegedést a gyermekek és az idősek között diagnosztizáltak. A figyelőszolgálatban résztvevő orvosok jelentései alapján végzett becslés szerint az országban 10 800-an fordultak orvoshoz influenzaszerű, 120 800-an pedig akut légúti fertőzés tüneteivel. Influenzaszerű megbetegedés esetén a betegek közel 24%-a 0-14 éves gyermek, több mint 36% 15-34 éves fiatal felnőtt, több mint 27% a 35-59 évesek, közel 13% pedig a 60 éven felüliek korcsoportjába tartozik. Influenzás tünetekkel orvoshoz fordulás gyakorisága egy vármegye kivételével valamennyi közigazgatási területen csökkent az előző hét adataihoz viszonyítva. Laboratóriumi vizsgálattal igazolt, influenzavírus által okozott megbetegedéseket Budapesten és 6 vármegyében - Bács-Kiskunban, Fejérben, Győr-Moson-Sopronban, Hajdú-Biharban, Somogyban és Veszprémben - diagnosztizáltak. Akut légúti fertőzés esetén a betegek korcsoport szerinti megoszlása: több mint 42%-uk 0-14 éves gyermek, több mint 26% a 15-34 éves fiatal felnőtt, közel 20% a 35-59 évesek, közel 12% a 60 éven felüliek korcsoportjába tartozó. Akut légúti megbetegedés halmozódásáról nem érkezett jelentés. Légúti minta 113 betegtől érkezett a Nemzeti Népegészségügyi és Gyógyszerészeti Központ (NNGYK) Nemzeti Influenza Referencia Laboratóriumába. A sentinel kórházak által beküldött 9 minta közül 4 betegnél RSV-t azonosítottak. A sentinel orvosok által beküldött 86 minta közül 4 betegnél az influenza A(H1pdm09), 1 betegnél az influenza A(H3), 5 betegnél az influenza B, 7 betegnél az RSV, 12 betegnél a human metapneumovírus, 1 betegnél a SARS-CoV-2 vírus kóroki szerepét igazolták. Az influenza pozitivitási arány 11,6%, az RSV pozitivitási arány 8,1%, a HMPV pozitivitási arány 14,0%, a SARS-CoV-2 pozitivitási arány 1,2%. Hagyományos diagnosztikus célú vizsgálat keretében érkezett 18 légúti minta közül 1 influenza A(H1pdm09), 2 RSV, 2 human metapneumovírus, 2 rhinovírus, 1 parainfluenza vírus volt pozitív. A 2023. év 40. és a 2024. év 14. hete között összesen 6 541 vizsgálati anyagot dolgoztak fel az NNGYK Nemzeti Influenza Referencia Laboratóriumban. Kilencszáznegyvenöt influenza A[756 influenza A(H1pdm09), 187 influenza A(H3), 2 influenza A(NT)], 68 influenza B, 334 RSV, 1 069 COVID-19 fertőzést igazoltak. Ötvenhárom megbetegedést rhinovírus, 8-at parainfluenza, 6-ot adenovírus, 146-ot human metapneumovírus, 5-öt bocavírus okozott. (Forrás: nnk *)
* 'Nemzeti Népegészségügyi Központ'
European Commission
April 1, 2024 6:00 am CET Top European prosecutors are in connection with vaccine negotiations between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer. A European Commission official said the Commission had no knowledge about possible proceedings other than from press articles. Investigating allegations of criminal wrongdoing, European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) take over Belgian probe into affair dubbed 'Pfizergate', looking into text messages between European Commission (EC) President, von der Leyen and boss of Pfizer, Bourla in the run-up to the EU’s biggest vaccine deal at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. The deal was originally seen as a triumph for von der Leyen. But the sheer amount of vaccines purchased has since raised eyebrows. Late last year there were at least €4 billion worth of wasted doses. The vaccine contract with Pfizer has since been renegotiated. Investigators from the EPPO are investigating von der Leyen over 'interference in public functions, destruction of SMS, corruption and conflict of interest." No one has yet been charged in connection with the case. EPPO leads pan-European investigations into financial crimes, and in theory could seize phones and other relevant material from Commission offices or in other countries in Europe such as von der Leyen's native Germany. In 2022, EPPO announced it was looking into the EU’s vaccine procurement more generally, but this is the first time that the office has been linked with Pfizergate explicitly. The probe was originally opened by Belgian judicial authorities in the city of Liège in early 2023 after a criminal complaint lodged by local lobbyist Baldan, 36, with ties to vaccine-skeptic group Bon Sens. The addition of European governments to his complaint adds weight to what might otherwise have been seen as a personal crusade. He was later joined by the Hungarian and Polish governments. Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán, filed a complaint in connection to the Commission president’s role in vaccine negotiations with Pfizer. The complaint centers on the text message exchange. Poland lodged its own complaint along the same lines last November. Following the election of Tusk in December, Poland is in the process of withdrawing its complaint after the election win by a government led by Tusk. The New York Times, which first revealed that the exchange had taken place as the two leaders hashed out the terms of the deal, has launched a parallel lawsuit against the Commission after it refused to disclose the content of the messages following an access to documents request. The case risks putting further scrutiny on the Commission president's role in the mega vaccine deal, which had an estimated value of over €20 billion. The EU’s chief navigates the transition to what will be a second term at the head of the EC. The Commission has so far refused to reveal the content of the text messages, or even confirm their existence, von der Leyen has so far avoided addressing the case. The case now being looked at by EPPO brings together several different legal, political and financial strands - and it intersects with lawsuits that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer brought against Hungary and Poland. Both Hungary and Poland are being sued by Pfizer over missing payments for vaccine doses after stopping deliveries, citing oversupply and the financial strain of the Ukraine war. (Source: politico)
European Union
01/04/2024 14:45 Around '40 per cent of Europeans' said they held a positive view of the EU’s 'fight against the COVID-19 epidemic', according to an exclusive Euronews-Ipsos poll, ranging from 74 per cent in Portugal to a mere 24 per cent holding that view in the Czech Republic ahead of the EU elections in June. The poll was conducted in 18 countries online and by phone between February 23 and March 5. It included a total of nearly 26,000 participants who were of voting age. 'The EU mobilised a massive €800 billion stimulus package amid the pandemic, partly based on joint borrowing, to help economies bounce back from the crisis. They also jointly procured vaccines against the virus, securing up to 4.6 billion vaccine doses worth some €71 billion by the end of 2021, according to a report by the European Court of Auditors. While the vaccine rollout was initially criticised as slower than those in the US and UK, the auditors' report found that the European Commission had 'limited leverage' to overcome supply challenges. The bloc ended up hitting its target of vaccinating 70 per cent of adults against COVID-19 in July 2021. Portugal had the world’s highest vaccination rate by the end of that year'. In Portugal, Finland, Spain, Belgium, and Denmark, more than half of respondents held a mostly positive view of the EU’s impact on that fight. There were differences based on age. Around 47 per cent of respondents aged 65 and older held a positive view of the EU’s handling of the pandemic, compared to 41 per cent of those aged 18 to 29 and 36 per cent of those aged 30 to 49. In Greece, Italy, Sweden, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Poland, and the Netherlands, Europeans surveyed had a more positive than negative view of the EU’s impact on the fight against COVID-19. More than half of the respondents who intended to vote for parties in the Green, Social Democratic, and pro-EU Renew groups were positive about the bloc’s efforts during COVID-19. In all countries, the percentage of respondents who held a negative view was fewer than half of those surveyed. Respondents with the most negative views of the EU’s role during the pandemic were in Romania (42 per cent), Slovakia (41 per cent), and Austria (40 per cent). Around 38 per cent of people in Hungary held a negative view of the EU’s impact on the fight against COVID-19 while 36 per cent of people in the Czech Republic did. The Euronews-Ipsos poll found that those who intend to vote for right-wing populist and eurosceptic parties in the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament held a more negative view of the EU’s response to the pandemic. Some 49 per cent of those surveyed who intend to vote for ID parties held a negative view compared to just 22 per cent of those voting for ID parties who hold a positive view of the bloc’s impact on the pandemic. Around 32 per cent of Europeans polled said they had neither a positive nor negative view while 28 per cent had a negative view. (Source: euronews)
Europe
Tue, 9 April 2024 You can live a very good life with hepatitis B and you can also get support from your partner. Hepatitis B can be prevented through vaccination. Hepatitis C can be cured in most people through treatment. Hepatitis B and C viruses can be spread through sexual transmission, sharing needles, or during pregnancy from mother to foetus and cause inflammation of the liver. If left untreated, these viruses could lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death. The viruses can also impact mental health, with over a third of survey participants reporting moderate or severe emotional distress such as anxiety and depression. Half of Europeans living with hepatitis B or C struggled to tell other people about it due to the stigma surrounding the virus, according to a new survey that will be presented at the World Hepatitis Summit in Lisbon this week. The survey showed that people with hepatitis B and C experience stigma that can lead them to avoid check-ups. The survey included 547 participants from the UK, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia, with responses collected in February and March 2024. Nearly half of people living with hepatitis C and more than a quarter of people living with hepatitis B said they were not treated well in healthcare settings, according to the survey. Conducted by the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the survey found that a quarter of participants in seven European countries had not told their friends about living with hepatitis B or C. Nearly the same amount had not told their families about living with the virus either. According to the ECDC, roughly six million people are living with chronic hepatitis B and C infection in EU/EEA countries. Yet it’s likely that the number is higher, as many cases go undiagnosed. It can be hard to find survey participants because of the stigma around hepatitis. This is in part because the virus often impacts people who are already in marginalised communities. “I think it's very disappointing that in Europe we're still seeing this level of discomfort with accessing healthcare,” James, chief executive of the World Hepatitis Alliance, told. “I think in Europe, we sometimes think that we are a liberal Western society and that healthcare systems treat everyone the same, and I think, unfortunately, this data really shows that for people living with hepatitis, that isn't their experience,” he added. One takeaway of the survey’s results is the need for more training for medical professionals, not just at medical school, but throughout people's medical career, he said. So they understand the impact that it has on people who are living with it so they can be more sensitive to their mental health concerns, he added. (Source: yahoo)
5 April 2024 In recent months, pertussis cases - or more commonly known as whooping cough - have increased by leaps and bounds across Europe. It is a retro-infection - the latest disease of the Victorian era, returning in the West after the rise of measles, syphilis, gout, leprosy and malaria. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the Czech Republic has reported the highest number of cases in the last 60 years and a shortage of vaccines against whooping cough. The current epicenter of whooping cough in Europe is Croatia, where 6,261 cases were reported in the first two and a half months of this year. There have been four deaths in recent weeks in the Netherlands, more than double the usual annual rate. In recent months, the number of cases has also risen sharply in Belgium, Denmark, Spain and the United Kingdom. While whooping cough can be very uncomfortable for adults, pertussis can have serious complications in babies. In most European countries, babies receive the first two doses of the combined pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus vaccine between 2 and 12 months, another dose at 2 years of age, and the final dose between 3 and 7. According to the ECDC, 15- and 19-year-olds account for the majority of current cases, but "virtually all deaths" in the EU and European Economic Area (EEA) this year have occurred in babies under the age of three months. In 2023, a total of 853 cases were registered in England. According to the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA), there were 913 cases in February this year alone. The British Medical Journal reports that the spread is partly due to declining vaccination rates. Pregnant women may be offered the pertussis vaccine to protect newborns from the disease. In England, among this group, it fell from more than 70 percent in September 2017 to 58 percent by September 2023. In the UK, five regional health services reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had adversely affected vaccination rates in a longer term decline. "We've seen a lot of misinformation from the anti-vax lobby during this outbreak, and I think there's a lot of concern on the part of some of us that this misinformation will translate into hesitancy around routine immunization," said Head, a senior researcher on global health at the University of Southampton. Head also pointed to the measles outbreak in Europe, which is also largely attributed to declining vaccination rates. (Source: politico)
North America
United States
Monday, April 1, 2024 A person in the United States has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus (“H5N1 bird flu”), as reported by Texas and confirmed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This person had exposure to dairy cattle in Texas presumed to be infected with HPAI A(H5N1) viruses. The patient reported eye redness (consistent with conjunctivitis), as their only symptom, and is recovering. The patient was told to isolate and is being treated with an antiviral drug for flu. This infection does not change the H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public, which CDC considers to be low. However, people with close or prolonged, unprotected exposures to infected birds or other animals (including livestock), or to environments contaminated by infected birds or other animals, are at greater risk of infection. CDC has been monitoring for illness among people exposed to H5 virus-infected birds since outbreaks were first detected in U.S. wild birds and poultry in late 2021. This is the second person reported to have tested positive for influenza A(H5N1) viruses in the United States. A previous human case occurred in 2022 in Colorado. H5 bird flu is widespread among wild birds in the U.S. and globally. These viruses have caused outbreaks in commercial and backyard poultry flocks, and sporadic infections in mammals. HPAI in dairy cows was first reported in Texas and Kansas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on March 25, 2024. Unpasteurized milk from sick cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas, as well as a throat swab from a cow in another dairy in Texas, tested positive for HPAI A(H5) viruses of the genetic clade 2.3.4.4b, which is the same clade that is widespread among birds globally. On March 29, 2024, USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed HPAI in a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cows from Texas. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is providing regular updates on detections in dairy herds, as well as information on epidemiological findings and biosecurity guidance for farmers and veterinarians. CDC is working with state health departments to continue to monitor workers who may have been in contact with infected or potentially infected birds/animals and test those people who develop symptoms. CDC also has recommendations for clinicians on monitoring, testing, and antiviral treatment for patients with suspected or confirmed avian influenza A virus infections. Human infections with avian influenza A viruses, including A(H5N1) viruses, are uncommon but have occurred sporadically worldwide. Human illnesses with H5N1 bird flu have ranged from mild (e.g., eye infection, upper respiratory symptoms) to severe illness (e.g., pneumonia) that have resulted in death in other countries. Preliminary analysis of A(H5N1) viruses has not found changes that would make these viruses resistant to current FDA-approved flu antiviral medications, so these are believed to be effective against these viruses. Candidate vaccine viruses (CVVs) developed against related clade 2.3.4.4b viruses are available for vaccine manufacturing if necessary and preliminary analysis indicates that they may provide reasonable protection against H5N1 influenza viruses. Seasonal flu vaccines do not provide protection against these viruses. Analysis of virus samples is ongoing, influenza viruses constantly change, this is a developing situation, continued surveillance and preparedness efforts are critical. According to CDC’s interim recommendations, people should avoid unprotected exposures to sick or dead animals including wild birds, poultry, other domesticated birds, and other wild or domesticated animals (including cattle), as well as with animal carcasses, raw milk, feces (poop), litter, or materials contaminated by birds or other animals with confirmed or suspected HPAI A(H5N1)-virus infection. People should not prepare or eat uncooked or undercooked food or related uncooked food products, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk, or products made from raw milk such as cheeses, from animals with confirmed or suspected HPAI A(H5N1)-virus infection (avian influenza or bird flu). According to FDA and USDA, there are not concerns with the safety of the commercial milk supply at this time because products are pasteurized before entering the market. Pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. People exposed to birds or other animals with confirmed or suspected HPAI A(H5N1) virus infection should be monitored for any signs and symptoms of illness for 10 days after the last known exposure, including people wearing recommended personal protective equipment (PPE). /Source: cdc/
Globalization
April 3, 2024 Yesterday, Texas reported that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, had been detected in a person who had contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the virus. To date there has been no sustained human-to-human transmission observed and bird flu transmission from infected animals to humans is rare. The number of bird flu outbreaks has been lower so far this season but it spread geographically, including to Antarctica, and to an increasing number of mammals. In addition to poultry and dairy cows reported in the United States, mammals hit by the virus include goats, cats, foxes, racoons, skunks, polar and grizzly bears and elephant seals. Some 887 cases of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza were reported globally between January 2003 and Feb. 26 this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in its latest report. Of these 462 were fatal, accounting for a rate of 52%. The majority of human cases were detected in people with unprotected exposure to sick or dead poultry, live poultry markets or a contaminated environment. Companion animals, such as cats living in households and with access to the outdoors, could also be a potential vehicle for transmission, it added. The spread of bird flu is a concern for governments and the poultry industry due to the devastation it can cause to flocks, and a risk of human transmission. The EU's Food Safety Agency (EFSA) warned today of a large-scale bird flu pandemic if the virus becomes transmissible between people as humans lack immunity against the virus. These viruses continue to evolve globally, with the migration of wild birds new strains carrying potential mutations for mammalian adaptation could be selected and wild mammals could act as bridge hosts between wild birds, domestic animals and humans, EFSA said. It called for enhanced surveillance for humans and animals, ensuring access to rapid diagnostics, promoting collaboration between the animal and human sectors and implementing preventive measures such as vaccination. (Source: reuters)
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