Should Europe be worried? – POLITICO

Digard, meanwhile, says it would be wise to check dairy herds in the U.K. for the new strain even though there’s no evidence yet it has escaped North America. In the EU, EFSA has advised increased surveillance in mammals, especially in those near bird flu-affected poultry establishments. Do we have vaccines against bird flu? There … Read more

Canadian farmers take precautions as bird flu outbreaks hit U.S. dairy cattle

The Dose19:04What’s going on with H5N1 bird flu? H5N1 is in the news again, and this time it has spread to cattle in several U.S. states. It has even infected a dairy worker in Texas. Global health epidemiologist Raywat Deonandan explains how avian flu is spreading, how transmissible it is, what vaccines are available, and … Read more

UN approves updated cholera vaccine that could help fight a surge in cases

The World Health Organization has approved a version of a widely used cholera vaccine that could help address a surge in cases that has depleted the global vaccine stockpile and left poorer countries scrambling to contain epidemics. WHO authorized the vaccine, made by EuBiologics, which also makes the formulation now used, last week. The new … Read more

Don’t assume von der Leyen is coming back – POLITICO

“A big part of it is the arrogance of power,” the EU official continued. “She mistakenly thought she could get away with everything. So some smaller mistakes are now being used against her.” Like other officials quoted in this article, the EU official was granted anonymity to speak freely about the powerful German politician within the … Read more

Canada-China relations committee questions witnesses on Winnipeg lab intelligence breach

Federal Health Minister Mark Holland suggested on Monday that there are gaps in the early stages of screening scientists at secret-level facilities such as the National Microbiology Lab (NML) in Winnipeg.  Holland told the House of Commons special committee on Canada-China relations there is a “responsibility of those individuals to disclose their engagements and affiliations.”  He … Read more

Whooping cough’s back — and it’s Covid’s fault – POLITICO

In Czechia — where there are reports of whooping cough vaccine shortages — case numbers are at their highest in 60 years, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). There have also been sharp rises in Denmark, Belgium, Spain and the U.K. in recent months. “Most of the rise in the … Read more

European prosecutors take over Belgian probe into Pfizergate – POLITICO

Transparency campaigners and some political opponents have sought to put pressure on the Commission to discuss the case, but von der Leyen has so far avoided addressing it. In a reply to a direct question put to her by POLITICO about missing text messages, von der Leyen said: “Everything necessary about that has been said … Read more

Yamagata lineage virus strangely disappeared

NEW DELHI: The flu virus that infected millions, particularly children, has mysteriously vanished from the face of the Earth. Experts are so convinced that it is gone that they believe it should be removed from vaccines altogether. This virus, known as the Yamagata lineage, was one of four flu viruses commonly included in annual influenza … Read more

Ron DeSantis’s Surgeon General Tells Parents It’s Okay to Send Their Unvaccinated Kids to School Amid Measles Outbreak

In 2021, Ron DeSantis appointed Joseph Ladapo the surgeon general of Florida, after Ladapo’s op-eds questioning mask-wearing, COVID-19 vaccines, and other public health measures caught the governor’s eye. In the ensuing years, Ladapo has recommended children should not receive the COVID vaccine, has “weaponize[d] bad science to spread anti-vaccine disinformation as official policy,” and has personally … Read more