H1N1

2010 Meeting Materials of the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee: Transcripts of the February 2010 meeting now posted, includes discussion of strain selection for the Influenza Virus Vaccine for the 2010 – 2011 Season (July 21, 2010)

FDA News Release: FDA Clears First 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus Test Previously Available Under Emergency Use Authorization. Clearance will allow continued use of Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test (May 24, 2010)

Letter: Matsumoto C, et al. Risk for Transmission of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Virus by Blood Transfusion. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 April 16(4).

Draft Guidance for Industry: Recommendations for the Assessment of Blood Donor Suitability, Blood Product Safety, and Preservation of the Blood Supply in Response to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Virus [PDF file] (FDA/CBER, Nov. 2009)

New Flu Victim: Blood Supply - Illness Keeps Donors Away, as Worries Surface About Whether Transfusions Spread Infection (Wall Street Journal, Nov. 10, 2009)

Obama declares H1N1 emergency (CNN, Oct. 26, 2009)

FDA/CBER Information: 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus. (Feb, 2010) Also see: Information about Newly Emerging 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus and Blood Safety (FDA/CBER, June 2009)

Major Human Flu Events in History: Flu strains circulate for years before becoming a pandemic (USA Today, July 14, 2009)

World Health Organization (WHO) EPR:
• H1N1 now in the post-pandemic period (Aug. 11, 2010)

CDC
• H1N1 (Swine) Flu Website (updated August 11, 2010)
• H1N1 Flu: International Situation Update (Aug. 9, 2010)

Avian Flu

Dispatch: Hourfar MK, et al. Blood Screening for Influenza. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Jul. 13(7);1081-3.

Research Article: Simmons CP, et al. Prophylactic and Therapeutic Efficacy of Human Monoclonal Antibodies against H5N1 Influenza. PLoS Med 4(5): e178.

Notice to Readers: Availability of FluWorkLoss 1.0 Software to Estimate Loss of Work Days During an Influenza Pandemic. MMWR Mar. 23, 2007; 56(11);256. Also see: Link to tool and Instruction Manual (Blood donor model example is at the end of the document).

Interim Pre-pandemic Planning Guidance: Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States - Early, Targeted, Layered Use of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions (US DHHS & CDC, February 2007)

World Health Organization (WHO) EPR:

• Global Alert and Response, including Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases (Aug. 9, 2011)
• Timeline of Major Events (July 14, 2011)
• Influenza Virus Tracking System

CDC webpages providing background information about avian influenza, including recent outbreaks, the viruses, and the risk to human health

 

Guidance for Industry: Use of Serological Tests to Reduce the Risk of Transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Whole Blood and Blood Components Intended for Transfusion (FDA/CBER, Dec. 6, 2010)

FDA News: FDA Approves Chagas Disease Screening Test for Blood, Tissue and Organ Donors. (April 30, 2010)

Letter: Stimpert K, Montgomery SP. Physician Awareness of Chagas Disease, USA. Emerg Infec Dis. 16(5) May 2010.

Research: Reisenman CE, et al. Infection of Kissing Bugs with Trypanosoma cruzi, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 March 16(3).

Dispatch: Roellig DM, et al. Molecular Typing of Trypanosoma cruzi Isolates, United States. Emerg Infect Dis. 2008 Jul; 14(7).

AABB Chagas' Biovigilance Network

West Nile cases in U.S. up 19 percent in latest week-CDC (Reuters, Sept. 18)

ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) launches guidelines for invasive mosquitoes’ surveillance (Aug. 29, 2012)

2012 West Nile virus update: as of Sept. 18, 2012 (CDC)

West Nile outbreak largest ever in U.S. (CNN, Aug. 23, 2012)

West Nile Virus Disease and Other Arboviral Diseases — United States, 2011. MMWR. July 13, 2012. 61(27);510-514.

West Nile Virus Activity - United States, 2009. MMWR. July 2, 2010. 59(25);769-772.

West Nile Virus Transmission via Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion -- Louisiana, 2008. MMWR. Nov. 20, 2009 / 58(45);1263-1267.

Guidance for Industry: Use of Nucleic Acid Tests to Reduce the Risk of Transmission of West Nile Virus from Donors of Whole Blood and Blood Components Intended for Transfusion [PDF file ] (FDA/CBER, Nov. 6, 2009)

AABB West Nile Virus Biovigilance Network

Latest West Nile Virus Activity in California (California WNV Website)

2011 UK Funders’ Research Strategy workshop report. Workshop organised by the UK TSE Joint Funders Group to discuss the research required to minimise any future risk to the UK from TSEs. (Medical Research Council, 13 Jan 2013).

Research Article: Lacroux C, et al. Impact of Leucocyte Depletion and Prion Reduction Filters on TSE Blood Borne Transmission. PLoS One. 2012; 7(7): e42019.

Research Article: Andréoletti O, et al. Highly Efficient Prion Transmission by Blood Transfusion. PLoS Pathog. 2012 Jun;8(6):e1002782. Epub 2012 Jun 21.

Article: Gallardo-Godoy A, et al. 2-Aminothiazoles as Therapeutic Leads for Prion Diseases. J. Med. Chem., 2011, 54(4):1010-21.

Full Text Article: Edgeworth JA, et al. Detection of prion infection in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a blood-based assay. The Lancet, 5 Feb. 2011. 377(976): 487-93. Also see: Comment: Gregori, L. A prototype assay to detect vCJD-infected blood,The Lancet, 5 Feb. 2011. 377(976): 444-6 (Free Registration Required). Also see: Blood test for vCJD 'could identify carriers' (BBC News) and A blood test for variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease: briefing note for patients, carers and health professionals (MRC Prion Unit)

CDC removes recommendation for malaria chemoprophylaxis for travel to Greece (CDC, Dec. 21, 2012)

Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Malaria - Haiti, 2010. MMWR. Oct 29, 2010 / 59(42);1372-3.

Research Article: Guerrra CA, et al. The International Limits and Population at Risk of Plasmodium vivax Transmission in 2009. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010 Aug 3;4(8):e774.

Mali S, et al. Malaria Surveillance - United States, 2008. CDC MMWR. June 25, 2010 / 59(SS07);1-15.

Dispatch: Figtree M, et al. Plasmodium knowlesi in Human, Indonesian Borneo. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 April. 16(4).

New malaria 'poses human threat'. An emerging new form of malaria poses a deadly threat to humans, research has shown (BBC News) Also see Article: Daneshvar C, et al. Clinical and Laboratory Features of Human Plasmodium knowlesi Infection. Clin Infect Dis. 2009 Sep 15;49(6):852-60.

Epidemiological update: Outbreak of dengue in Madeira, Portugal (14 Feb 2013, ECDS)

Outbreak Notice Dengue in Madeira, Portugal (CDC Traveler's Health, Dec. 20, 2012)

Outbreak Notice: Ebola in Uganda (CDC Traveler's Health, Nov. 28, 2012)

In the News Update: Dengue, Tropical and Subtropical Regions (CDC Travelers' Health, Nov. 27, 2012)

CDC Announcement: Interactive CDC DengueMap Available Online. MMWR. August 13, 2010 / 59(31);993.

Travel-Associated Dengue Surveillance: United States, 2006-2008. MMWR. June 18, 2010 / 59(23);715-9.

Dengue Fever Among U.S. Travelers Returning from the Dominican Republic - Minnesota and Iowa, 2008. MMWR. June 4, 2010 / 59(21);654-6.

Locally Acquired Dengue - Key West, Florida, 2009-2010. MMWR 21 May 2010. 59(19);577-581.

Perspective: Wilder-Smith A, et al. Threat of Dengue to Blood Safety in Dengue-Endemic Countries. Emerg Infect Dis. 15(1). Jan 2009.

Press Releases: Update on family cluster of novel coronavirus infection in the UK and Case of novel coronavirus identified in the UK (Health Protection Agency, Public Health England, Feb 2013)

Ahead of Print Article: Appassakij H, et al. Viremic profiles in asymptomatic and symptomatic chikungunya fever: a blood transfusion threat?. Transfusion. 2012 Nov 26.

Rapid Communication: Allering L, et al. Detection of Usutu virus infection in a healthy blood donor from south-west Germany, 2012. Euro Surveill. 2012;17(50). 13 Dec 2012.

Epidemiological update: Additional case of novel coronavirus (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Nov. 6, 2012)

Editorial: Anderson LJ and Baric RS. Emerging Human Coronaviruses - Disease Potential and Preparedness. N Engl J Med. 2012 Oct 17. [Epub ahead of print]

Confirmed case of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in the UK (UK Health Protection Agency, October 18, 2012)

Early Release Article: Severe Respiratory Illness Associated with a Novel Coronavirus — Saudi Arabia and Qatar, 2012. MMWR. October 4, 2012 / 61(Early Release);1-2.

New SARS-like virus detected in Middle East (Yahoo! News, Sept. 24, 2012) Also see Press Release: Acute respiratory illness associated with a new virus identified in the UK (Health Protection Agency, UK)

August 2012 - Yosemite National Park Outbreak Notice (CDC, Sept. 4, 2012)

Usutu Virus - Germany 1st Case: For the 1st time human infection with the tropical Usutu virus has been detected in Germany, confirmed in a blood donor. International Society for Infectious Disease, Aug 21, 2012.

Babesiosis Surveillance — 18 States, 2011. MMWR. July 13, 2012. 61(27);505-509.

Original Research: Herwaldt BL, et al. Transfusion-Associated Babesiosis in the United States: A Description of Cases. Ann Intern Med. 2011 Sep 5. [Epub ahead of print].