Ken Lemon

Serology for HPAI in carnivores in Ireland: 24.6% in foxes, 22.2% in mink, 1% in badgers. In foxes, 82.5% of positives H5. No antibodies against H7.
👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A single shot of a flu drug could outperform vaccines—and protect for an entire season One injection of a long-lasting drug showed up to 76% efficacy in a large trial

“This is one of the most exciting recent advances for influenza prevention." www.science.org/content/arti...

Do adults who recieved seasonal flu vaccine have antibodies agaisnt HPAI? In 61 adults in the UK, H5 virus neutrilisation blunted or absent.
👉 wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/...

Our new issue is out! It includes a paper describing four severe coxsackievirus-linked neonatal infections in Northern Ireland, one of which was fatal.

Read it here 🗞️ www.eurosurveillance.org/content/euro...

YouTube video by RAZOR Science Show Bird flu - the next pandemic?

This documentary covers the current bird flu situation. Clearly presented, realistic and where necessary with nuance. Interviews by Neil Cairns & team with @linekebegeman.bsky.social, Tom Frieden, @jw132.bsky.social, Jim Paulson and myself.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5XK...

ANSES Reports A `New' Swine Flu Virus Has Taken Over Other Genotypes in France #18,725 China's EA H1N1 `G4' swine influenza virus leads the CDC's IRAT list of riskiest zoonotic influenza viruses (see CDC Selected S...

AFD Blog `ANSES Reports A `New' Swine Flu Virus Has Taken Over Other Genotypes in France' #H1N2 afludiary.blogspot.com/2025/05/anse...

High Prevalence of Influenza D Virus Infection in Swine, Northern Ireland Influenza D Virus in Swine, Northern Ireland

Out now in EID, we report an unusually high prevalence of influenza D virus in pigs and identify candidate mutations in the HEF protein that may play a role in swine adaptation.

wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/...

Avian influenza HPAI H5N1 is catastrophic and will likely have negative consequences for Australian wildlife.
Great to write this one with Sara, Toby, Marcel.
👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Influenza A virus RNA localisation and the interceding trafficking pathways of the host cell Viruses have evolved to efficiently navigate host cells to deliver, express, and replicate their genetic material. Understanding the mechanisms underlying viral RNA localisation is paramount to design...

Checkout our review article at PLOS. Happy to see the thoughts of Stefano and myself on influenza virus RNA trafficking published in PLOS Pathogens a few days ago. A topic we are both greatly interested in. dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...

Emergence and interstate spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy cattle in the United States Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses cross species barriers and have the potential to cause pandemics. In North America, HPAI A(H5N1) viruses related to the goose/Guangdong 2.3.4.4b hemagg...

Emergence and interstate spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy cattle in the United States. Peer-reviewed article now published in Science. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Finished it last night. Incredible series.

Oro-respiratory infection of pigs using bovine HPAI H5N1 B3.13 virus = productive replication in lower resp tract. BUT, contact pigs remained negative (no serconversion), so virus does not transmit between pigs.
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Interim 2024/25 influenza vaccine effectiveness: eight European studies, September 2024 to January 2025 The 2024/25 influenza season in Europe is currently characterised by co-circulation of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and B/Victoria viruses, with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 predominating. Interim vaccin...

How well did/is the flu vaccine holding up against influenza in the UK and Europe? - interim estimates are in showing still protecting against disease but for some subtypes some hints of vaccine mismatch www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2...

Europe needs a sustainably funded influenza research and response network Influenza viruses have caused four pandemics during the last century.1 The 1918 H1N1 pandemic claimed 20–50 million lives, the 1957 H2N2 pandemic and the 1968 H3N2 pandemic claimed 1–4 million lives e...

New comment:

Europe needs a sustainably funded influenza research and response network

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Development of avian influenza A(H5) virus datasets for Nextclade enables rapid and accurate clade assignment The ongoing panzootic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) viruses is the largest in history, with unprecedented transmission to multiple mammalian species. Avian influenza A viruses of t...

Our lab's 2nd preprint is now on bioRxiv! Led by Jordan Ort, we made H5 datasets that enable rapid clade assignment with Nextclade. We released these builds in the spring (due to cow flu) & finally wrote the paper! TLDR: it's fast, easy, accurate, and we hope, useful www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Situation update H7N6 bird flu detection Otago – 4 December 2024 | NZ Government Biosecurity New Zealand is taking further action today to stamp out a high pathogenic strain of avian influenza, H7N6, detected on a commercial egg farm in rural Otago. "Work started this morning to h...

Amazing work by the NZ MPI team - the full genome from the HPAI H7N6 detection is now available on GISAID.

Further information on the impacts and control actions can be found here:
bit.ly/4iy3O8n

Comprehensive review of HPAI in mammals, with mutations, phenotypes, clinical consequences, spill over assessments. Super useful.
👉https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/zph.13194

Quantitative source apportionment of faecal indicator bacteria from anthropogenic and zoogenic sources of faecal contamination Recreational bathing waters are complex systems with diverse inputs from multiple anthropogenic and zoogenic sources of faecal contamination. Faecal c…

Our paper quantifying fecal contamination of Dublin Bay beaches by birds, dogs and urban streams polluted by sewage is out!

Dog and sewage fouling are the main contributors to fecal indicator bacteria loading.

🧪🦠

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti....

The beautiful thing of science is that it’s always exciting..

What we thought what was impossible, even unknowable, years ago, is now a reality..

Exploring new frontiers using new technologies and novel insights..

What we can do now in 2023 was pure science fiction just a few decades ago..

🧪

Post showing precipitous decline of share of deaths in Massachusetts from diseases for which vaccines are now available, from 70% in 1840 to low digits % by 1950-60 where it is stayed. Caption: There are not many places on earth where we have detailed cause-of-death data from before the era of widespread vaccination. Massachusetts is one of those places. From 1842-1877, 70% of all deaths were from diseases which we today have vaccines to prevent.

Anyone who is anti-vax is pro-death. Period. The science and data do not lie. And they don’t care about your podcast.

Avian influenza rears its head all over Europe - Poultry World For this winter season in many European countries, the first cases of avian influenza in commercial poultry flocks have already been discovered.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza not gone from Europe. Experts have provided clear advice (see for example three-monthly EFSA reports: www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/to...), but governments and poultry sector seem slow to follow up. www.poultryworld.net/health-nutri...

1. California's Dept of Public Health reports a #birdflu case in a child with no known contact with infected animals. They're looking into possible wild bird exposure.
Oddly, the press release doesn't say which type of bird flu (there are many). I'm assuming #H5N1. Specimen being sent to #CDC.

Bird flu (avian influenza): latest situation in England Find out about the latest bird flu situation in England and guidance for bird keepers and the public.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been confirmed in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, St. Ives, Cornwall, United Kingdom. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Bird flu: near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire (AIV 2024/02) Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N5 was confirmed in commercial poultry on 5 November 2024.

5 November 2024: highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N5 confirmed in a commercial poultry unit near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom. www.gov.uk/animal-disea...

Last week, a teenager in British Columbia contracted H5N1, the first human case acquired in Canada. The BC CDC and and Canadian Food Inspection Agency have released sequences from this infected person and domestic and wild birds sampled in BC, which we've just added to Nextstrain. A thread:

Read "Potential Research Priorities to Inform U.S. Readiness and Response to Avian Influenza A (H5N1): Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief" at NAP.edu Read chapter Potential Research Priorities to Inform U.S. Readiness and Response to Avian Influenza A(H5N1): Proceedings of a Workshop - in Brief: Avian I...

Report of the National academy of sciences on avian Influenza A H5N1 and pandemic risk, with research gaps and priorities. Good to see: importance of understanding how to bridge the divide between stakeholders and public health actors as we have witnessed nap.nationalacademies.org/read/28581/c...

13 November 2024: Highly pathogenic avian influenza reported in one Antarctic tern found dead at Hookers Point, Surf Bay, Falkland Islands. One of six reports in Falkland Islands just this month. The others involved gentoo penguins and a southern elephant seal. www.falklands.gov.fk/agriculture/...

Crabeater seal

Active Sound, Antarctica.

15 November 2024: Report of unusual mortality of crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) on fast ice at Active Sound (Antarctic region, 56.42°W 63.55°S), at the north tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Important to rule out highly pathogenic avian influenza. scar.org/library-data...

Transmission dynamics of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus at the wildlife-poultry-environmental interface: A case study Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) regularly circulate between wild and domestic bird populations. Following several high-profile outbreaks, highly pathog…

Fascinating case study if #H5N1 #influenza in Canada, monitoring environmental samples and wildlife around an infected premises. 🧪 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...