Pandemic Watch News Brief: The news you need to know

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As we continue our work in HIV, in COVID and among multiple pandemics in a changing global health architecture, we are delighted to expand our news brief to Pandemic Watch, a new, weekly round-up of pandemic-related news. Pandemic Watch folds COVID-19 news into a curated digest that expands beyond COVID to reflect the evolving field of pandemic prevention preparedness and response.
"An international agreement that commits states to share technology and support distributed manufacturing, rather than a focus on sharing doses, could address the predictable domestic and international political forces during a pandemic that undermine equitable access among countries."
-- Matthew M. Kavanagh and Renu Singh in Global Policy ([link removed])

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** Table of Contents
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* If You Are in a Hurry (#If You Are in a Hurry)
* China Releases Genomic Data from Wuhan Market (#China Releases Genomic Data from Wuhan Market)
* Marburg Outbreak (#Marburg Outbreak)
* Mpox Risk and Outbreaks (#Mpox Risk and Outbreaks)
* Covering Pandemics (#Covering Pandemics)
* COVID-19 Orphans (#COVID-19 Orphans)
* COVID-19 Treatment News (#COVID-19 Treatment News)
* Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promise (#Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promise)
* Spillover Viruses (#Spillover Viruses)
* Drug Resistant Fungal Infections (#Drug Resistant Fungal Infections)
*
* Cholera Vaccine Drive in Mozambique (#Cholera Vaccine Drive in Mozambique)
* Combatting COVID-19 Misinformation with Music (#Combatting COVID-19 Misinformation with Music)

Even as we still deal with COVID-19, efforts are underway to ensure a better response to the next pandemic – whatever it will be and whenever it will come. The Pandemic Accord ([link removed]) is one such global effort. Negotiations on the treaty resumed this week, and Health Policy Watch ([link removed]) (Switzerland) reports the negotiators will turn to several “potentially tricky issues including the global supply chain, One Health, technology transfer and know-how and pathogen sharing.” It is still unclear how these tricky issues and other issues will be resolved to the satisfaction of all member states. Meanwhile, Matthew Kavanagh and Renu Singh lay out needed policy changes to ensure vaccine equity in the next pandemic in research article in Global Policy
([link removed]) (US). They note, “Barring significant geopolitical changes, a shift to include open/supply-focused policies will be necessary to achieve equity in future pandemics…. An international agreement that commits states to share technology and support distributed manufacturing, rather than a focus on sharing doses, could address the predictable domestic and international political forces during a pandemic that undermine equitable access among countries.”

Health Policy Watch also notes, “alongside the negotiations, there has been an escalation of misinformation claiming that a pandemic accord will rob member states of their sovereignty, spread mostly by the same sources that pushed COVID-19 anti-vaccine messages. ‘We continue to see misinformation on social media and in mainstream media about the pandemic accord that countries are now negotiating. As I said last week, the claim that the accord will cede power to WHO is quite simply false. It’s fake news,’ said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom during the body’s weekly press briefing last Friday.”



** If You Are in a Hurry
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* Read Science ([link removed]) on the release of more genetic data that may link the start of the pandemic to the Wuhan market.
* Read New York Times ([link removed]) for the latest on Marburg outbreaks in two African countries and STAT ([link removed]) on concerns that Equatorial Guinea is being slow to report cases.
* Read CBS News ([link removed]) on concerns of a possible mpox resurgence in the US and Evening Standard ([link removed]) on concerns about an outbreak in France among people who are vaccinated.
* Read Reuters ([link removed]) on a promising early human trial of a new COVID-19 treatment and CNN ([link removed]) on the promise of studies of nasal vaccines.
* Read NBC News ([link removed]) and The Atlantic ([link removed]) on online conspiracy theories linking COVID-19 vaccines to deaths that either didn’t occur or were in no way caused by vaccines.
* Read Health Policy Watch ([link removed]) on a Tanzania program that uses music to combat vaccine misinformation.




** China Releases Genomic Data from Wuhan Market
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Science ([link removed]) (US) reports, “In the face of intense pressure and criticism from many in the scientific community, Chinese researchers today released a trove of new genetic data that may offer fresh clues to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also substantially revised a related study they first posted online 13 months ago to include this evidence, which some scientists say gives more credibility to the thesis that SARS-CoV-2 could have jumped into humans from raccoon dogs or other mammals illegally sold at a Wuhan market.



** Marburg Outbreak
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New York Times ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Two concurrent outbreaks of the Marburg virus, a close cousin of Ebola that can kill as many as 90 percent of the people it infects, are raising critical questions about the behavior of this mysterious bat-borne pathogen and global efforts to prepare for potential pandemics…. There are no treatments or vaccines for Marburg, but there are some candidates that have shown promise in Phase 1 clinical trials. However, these candidates must be tested in active outbreaks to prove they work, and so far, no vaccine supplies have been delivered to test in the current outbreaks.

News.com ([link removed]) (Australia) reports, “Three people in the landlocked nation of Burundi have lost their lives over three days to a yet-to-be formally identified disease, which has forced dozens of people into strict quarantine. Symptoms of the disease mimic those of the highly dangerous ebola and marburg viruses, however the Burundian Ministry of Health has ruled out both illnesses.”

STAT ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The Marburg outbreak in Equatorial Guinea continues to grow, the World Health Organization said [last week], as the global health agency stated that it knows of confirmed cases that the country has not yet reported. To date Equatorial Guinea has acknowledged nine laboratory-confirmed cases, seven of whom have died. In addition, 20 other people with links to the confirmed cases died without being tested; they are considered probable cases. Throughout this outbreak, which is believed to have begun in early January, the government has been slow to release updates; last week the WHO expressed fears ([link removed]) there may be undetected chains of transmission.



** Mpox Risk and Outbreaks
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CBS News ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The US could see a renewed surge of mpox infections even worse than last year, new federal modeling has concluded, based on data showing most American communities remain far short of vaccination rates needed to fend off outbreaks in at-risk groups. With ‘moderate confidence,’ the CDC's modelers said in a report published Thursday ([link removed]) that most parts of the country have a ‘greater than 35 percent risk of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, resurging over the coming months….’It's not us saying get more people vaccinated because we think it's a good idea. We need to get more people vaccinated because we know there's a linear relationship between how many people are vaccinated and the chance of not having an outbreak,’ Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, deputy coordinator for the White House's mpox response [said].”

MTL Blog ([link removed]) (Canada) reports, “Just over a month after Quebec declared an end to its mpox outbreak, officials have confirmed two more cases in the Montreal area. Montreal public health says the two positive test results date to March 17. Both individuals are men who have sex with men (MSM) "who acquired the disease through sexual contact while travelling in countries where local transmission is documented," a statement ([link removed]) from public health reads. The men were both vaccinated against mpox and are displaying what officials describe as ‘typical symptoms.’"

Evening Standard ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “French health authorities have launched an investigation after 59 per cent of people in a new mpox cluster said they were fully vaccinated…. The cluster in France’s Centre-Val de Loire comes despite the region having a high vaccination rate, with experts warning of a potential mutation in the virus…. France’s public health body, Sante Publique France, have said they are investigating the cluster and are waiting for ‘robust data’ on the efficacy of the vaccine.”

Japan Times ([link removed]) (Japan) reports, “Health ministry statistics show that the number of mpox patients in Japan has crept up this month, in contrast with many other countries where the number of cases has recently declined. As of Tuesday, Japan had reported 80 cases of mpox, an infectious viral disease that is primarily transmitted through men having sex with men.”



** Covering Pandemics
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In a recent webinar Bhekisisa ([link removed]) (South Africa) looked at lessons learned by journalists covering the COVID-19 pandemic for the future. Among the highlights: “When the next pandemic hits, journalists in Africa should make sure they carefully listen to the concerns of their consumers about life-saving medicines (such as vaccines) instead of making assumptions about what their concerns might be…. Ayoade Alakija, who is the co-chair of the African Union’s African Vaccine Delivery Alliance, told attendees that the press played a crucial role in shaping government policy — and saving lives — during the pandemic. She explained: ‘It’s time for journalists to recognise their own power.’”



** COVID-19 Orphans
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COVID-19, like other pandemics, can devastate families and the large number of deaths among adults left many children around the world missing parents and caregivers. CNN ([link removed]) (US) looks at children in the US orphaned by COVID-19. There are “an estimated 238,500 COVID-19 orphans in the United States whose lives have been upended in the past three years by the loss of a parent or primary caregiver, according to the Imperial College London COVID-19 Orphanhood Calculator. Globally, there have been more than eight million COVID-19 orphans since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020. Orphanhood increases the likelihood of poverty, abuse, delayed development, mental health challenges and reduced access to education, according to the [US CDC].”



** COVID-19 Treatment News
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MedPage Today ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for vilobelimab (Gohibic) to treat critically ill adults with COVID-19. In the EUA for the first-in-class monoclonal anti-human complement factor C5a antibody, the agency specified that the therapy be initiated within 48 hours of invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)…. In a press from drugmaker InflaRx, the company said it currently has a supply of vilobelimab available and is ‘working to ramp up production at its third-party manufacturer to roll out supply in the US as soon as possible.’"

Reuters ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “Gilead Sciences Inc on Tuesday unveiled data from the first human study of its experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral, saying the results in healthy volunteers cleared the way for two large Phase III trials of the drug that have begun enrolling patients. The drug, obeldesivir and previously known as GS-5245, is designed to keep the coronavirus that causes COVID from replicating in the body and overwhelming a patient's immune system. Once metabolized, it works in the same way as Gilead's older intravenous COVID treatment Veklury (remdesivir), which targets virus replication through inhibition of the viral RNA polymerase…. For standard risk patients, Gilead believes the new drug could help resolve symptoms earlier and is evaluating any association with symptoms of long COVID…”



** Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promise
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CNN ([link removed]) (US) reports on a potential nasal vaccine for COVID-19 that has shown promise in early animal models and also note other nasal vaccines in later stage research. “As long as the virus continues to spread among people and animals, there’s always the potential for it mutate into a more contagious or more damaging version of itself. And while COVID-19 infections have become manageable for most healthy people, they may still pose a danger to vulnerable groups such as the elderly and immunocompromised. Researchers hope next-generation COVID-19 vaccines, which aim to shut down the virus before it ever gets a chance to make us sick and ultimately prevent the spread of infection, could make our newest resident respiratory infection less of a threat…. At least four nasal vaccines for COVID-19 have reached late-stage testing in people, according t
([link removed]) o the World Health Organization’s vaccine tracker.”



** Spillover Viruses
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Reuters ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “Chile detected the first case of bird flu in a human, the country's health ministry reported on Wednesday…. Chilean health authorities noted the virus can be transmitted from birds or marine mammals to humans, but there is no known human-to-human transmission…. Earlier this year, Ecuador confirmed its first case of human transmission of bid flu in a 9-year-old girl. Global health officials have said risk of transmission between humans is low, but vaccine makers have been preparing bird flu shots for humans ‘just in case.’"

Toronto Sun ([link removed]) (Canada) reports, “The first case of avian influenza in a dog in Canada has been identified in Oshawa, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada…. The agencies say the number of documented cases of avian influenza H5N1 in non-avian species, such as cats and dogs is low, even though this virus has caused large avian outbreaks globally over the last few years.”

South China Morning Post ([link removed]) (Hong Kong) reports, “Chinese health authorities have reported a new human case of the H3N8 strain of bird flu – the third known infection since the virus was first detected in humans in China last year. A 56-year-old woman in Zhongshan, a city in the south of the country, tested positive for the virus after she was exposed to live poultry, the Guangdong Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Monday…. According to the experts’ studies and conclusion, the human infection [with H3N8] is a sporadic case and the risk of transmission of the virus is low at this stage.”

NPR ([link removed]) (US) reports on concerns that influenza D, a virus that has been shown to move from cows to humans who work with cows might mutate to become more adept at moving between people. “Now, no one knows yet if influenza D causes any symptoms in people. But altogether, these studies indicate influenza D is likely what's called an emerging virus, Leibler says. It's jumping into people who work with animals, such as dairy farmers, but it's not likely spreading much beyond that. ‘This doesn't seem to be something, right now, that the general public is exposed to in a large way,’ she says. ‘But it's something that's a concern for these front-line workers exposed on farms.’ That's because there's a real risk that the virus could adapt to people as more and more workers are infected, she says. ‘Influenza viruses mutate rapidly and frequently. So, over
time, influenza D can evolve. It could increase its ability to infect humans and be more easily transmitted among humans or it could become more virulent’ and start making people sicker.”



** Drug Resistant Fungal Infections
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Scientific American ([link removed]) (US) reports, “As the US health care system weathered blow after blow of the COVID-19 pandemic, diseases of all kinds, from HIV to congenital syphilis, surged across the country. Last week a national survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that outbreaks of emerging drug-resistant fungi also grew at an “alarming” rate in hospitals from 2019 to 2020…. Infectious disease experts say that the COVID-19 pandemic likely exacerbated the already growing fungal outbreak by diverting the focus and resources needed to slow C. auris transmission. In some instances, the practices necessary to protect health care workers and patients from COVID, such as reusing high-demand masks, may have increased the risk of spreading the fungus.”



** “Died Suddenly”: Disinformation Continues
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NBC News ([link removed]) (US) reports on “Died Suddenly” a “widely debunked anti-vaccine film.” The film purports to show several people who died as a result of receiving COVID-19 vaccines. “McDonald, like a half-dozen other people whose medical events are shown in the trailer for the anti-vaccine conspiracy theory film, did not die as a result of the Covid-19 vaccine. Many of them now live their lives with a strange internet notoriety ([link removed]) , the kind that didn’t exist even just a few years ago.… The hashtag “#DiedSuddenly” trended on Twitter after the film’s release and has become a consistent internet trope, reappearing when high-profile medical events occur on television or in public…. Interest in the film was renewed in the last month when an Idaho state senator and a representative introduced a bill ([link removed]
atoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/02/21/idaho-mrna-covid-19-vaccines/11316055002/) that would make the administration of MRNA vaccines (the type used against COVID-19) a misdemeanor in the state.”

Billy Ball writes in The Atlantic ([link removed]) (US), “My 6-year-old boy died in January. We lost him after a household accident, one likely brought on by a rare cerebral-swelling condition…. Strangers online saw in our story a conspiracy—a cover-up of childhood fatalities caused by COVID-19 vaccines, a ploy to protect Big Pharma. To them, what happened to my son was not a tragedy. It was karma for suckered parents like me.” Ball notes unsuccessful efforts to get the conspiracy posts about his son’s death removed and argues, “Social-media companies will have to make a choice about the kind of space they want to create. Is it a space to connect, as Facebook solemnly promised in one 2020 commercial? Or is it a space where the worst behavior imaginable is not only tolerated but amplified?”
STAT ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The coordinator of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 response team called on doctors to take a leadership role with patients to battle medical misinformation and disinformation, linking the continuing death toll in part to such erroneous messaging. Speaking to an audience of physicians at a conference near Boston Friday, Ashish Jha reminded them they are skilled at dealing with uncertainty, just as when they explain to a patient they don’t know whether what a medical scan shows will be terrible or not, but that they will guide them through it. The uncertainty of the pandemic is no different, he said, but since people have so many different sources of information to consult now, doctors need to step up.”



** Cholera Vaccine Drive in Mozambique
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VOA ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Health officials in Mozambique are set to hold a massive cholera vaccination campaign in Quelimane, a city hit hard by Cyclone Freddy earlier this month. The director of health in Zambézia province, Blayton Caetano, told state radio Tuesday that the two-week vaccination drive is aimed at bringing down the soaring number of cholera cases in the aftermath of the historic storm.”



** Combatting COVID-19 Misinformation with Music
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Health Policy Watch ([link removed]) (Switzerland) reports on a new initiative to combat COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation in Tanzania. “Tanzania has repeatedly struggled to counter misinformation and people’s reluctance to be vaccinated. To quell growing skepticism against COVID-19 vaccines, Tanzania’s Ministry of Health embarked on community mobilisation campaigns that included community influencers. Community health workers, musicians and others have become part of the government-led communication strategy to share reliable information about the pandemic, dispel the tide of misinformation and boost the vaccine numbers…. At the Mziki Mnene music festival, Man Fongo – dressed in a slim-fit leopard skin outfit – spat out lyrical verses containing positive messages about the COVID-19 vaccine. As disco lights filtered through scented smoke, his music took the
audience by storm with its hard-to-hate vocals and repetitive verses about issues that resonate with the reality of life in slums. One of the myths Man Fongo has addressed is the myth that the jab causes infertility.”
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