Infectious Disease Tracker
@hmpxvt.bsky.social
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.
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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
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.
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.
January 17, 2025 at 11:14 PM
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.
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.
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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.
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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.
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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.
“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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
“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.
and has been working with Moderna to tee up an mRNA vaccine in case the virus mutates again and becomes more transmissible.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
and has been working with Moderna to tee up an mRNA vaccine in case the virus mutates again and becomes more transmissible.
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,
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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,
“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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
“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.
OPPR also worked with states to expand the surveillance of batches of milk coming out of dairies, to help detect signs of infected cows.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
OPPR also worked with states to expand the surveillance of batches of milk coming out of dairies, to help detect signs of infected cows.
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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.
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.”
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.”
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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.
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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.
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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.
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.”
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.”
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.
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.
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.”
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.”
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.”
January 17, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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.”