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U.S. Agencies Monitoring Avian Influenza While Measles and Mpox Demand Attention, Too

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May 6, 2024

Influenza A/H5 Subtyping Diagnostic Tests Being Licensed for Free

Since identifying a human case of A/H5 influenza in Colorado in 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Influenza Division (ID) has collaborated with other CDC offices and external commercial manufacturers to prepare the U.S. for commercial manufacturing of A/H5 assays in case a public health outbreak response is needed. One step is providing royalty-free licenses to manufacturers of diagnostic tests.

On April 15, 2024, the CDC hosted a Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS) call that included a situational update and testing guidance for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus.

The CDC will not be providing its inventory of A/H5 tests to commercial diagnostic companies. Commercial developers of diagnostic tests that are interested in a royalty-free license to the CDC’s FDA 510K cleared Influenza A/H5 Subtyping Diagnostic assay design can contact [email protected] for further information.

Human Confirmed Infected With Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus

The CDC has issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) message about a recently confirmed human infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus in the United States after exposure to presumably infected dairy cattle. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently reported detections of HPAI A(H5N1) in dairy cattle across multiple states.

The current risk posed by these viruses to the public remains low. CDC continues to work with the USDA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state health departments to monitor people exposed to animals infected with HPAI A(H5N1) viruses. Patients who meet epidemiologic criteria AND either clinical OR public health response criteria should be tested at state or local public health departments for influenza A(H5N1) virus infection by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using H5-specific primers and probes.

For more information, including specific recommendations, review the HAN in detail.

Online Avian Influenza Resources

Measles Cases Increase in U.S. and Around Globe

The CDC has issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) message to inform clinicians and public health officials of an increase in global and U.S. measles cases and to provide guidance on measles prevention. Clinical laboratories are advised to review the Lab Tools for Measles for information on collecting and shipping specimens from suspected measles cases.

Suspect and confirmed measles cases are immediately reportable to public health officials, given the need for rapid initiative of case and contact investigations to prevent further spread.

Emergency after-hours (24/7) on-call contact information for all states can be found at cste.org/page/EpiOnCall.

Biosafety Laboratory Guidance Updated for Handling and Processing Mpox Specimens

The CDC has updated the Biosafety Laboratory Guidance for Handling and Processing Mpox Specimens webpage to include information about clade I and to clarify select agent requirements.

CDC also has updated the How to Report Results from Orthopoxvirus, Non-Variola Orthopoxvirus, and Mpox Virus Diagnostic Testing webpage to reflect the preferred names and identification of the clades.

Online Mpox Resources

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