In North America, raccoon rabies virus (RRV) is a public health concern due to its potential for rapid spread, maintenance in wildlife, and impact on human and domesticated animal health. RRV is an endemic zoonotic pathogen throughout the eastern USA. In 1991, an outbreak of RRV in Fairfield County, Connecticut, spread through the state and eventually throughout the Northeast and into Canada.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Older adults often mount a weak immune response to standard inactivated influenza vaccines. To induce a stronger response and better protection, a high-dose (HD) version of the inactivated Fluzone vaccine is recommended for individuals >65 years of age. While better immunogenicity and protection against the vaccine strain has been shown, it is not known if the HD vaccine also induces a robust antibody response to heterologous strains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe response to COVID-19 altered global dispersal of influenza viruses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza A/H9 viruses circulate worldwide in wild and domestic avian species, continuing to evolve and posing a zoonotic risk. A substantial increase in human infections with A/H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses (AIVs) and the emergence of novel reassortants carrying A/H9N2-origin internal genes has occurred in recent years. Different names have been used to describe the circulating and emerging A/H9 lineages.
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