Situation Report

FDA modifies strain recommendation for fall COVID vaccine amid variant shifts, uptick in cases Though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week recommended that vaccine companies switch to the JN.1 variant for updated shots for the fall, yesterday it urged companies to focus on the KP.2 lineage if possible, based on recent shifts and a national rise in cases. CIDRAP

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High-risk health workers can get routine Ebola vaccine, says Gavi A global stockpile of Ebola vaccines can be used to protect frontline health workers in high-risk countries routinely, rather than just as an emergency measure during outbreaks, international vaccine group Gavi said on Thursday. Jennifer Rigby Reuters

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WHO Calls For Intensified Surveillance Of Animals As Avian Flu Spreads In US Cattle; Urges Global Attention For Sudan - Health Policy Watch Global surveillance of influenza viruses in animals needs to be intensified to “rapidly detect any changes to the virus that could pose a greater threat to Health Policy Watch

Global surveillance of influenza viruses in animals needs to be intensified to “rapidly detect any changes to the virus that could pose a greater threat to humans”, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus told a media briefing on Wednesday.

H9N2 avian flu infects children in India, China The child in India had been exposed to poultry, which are known to carry the virus in multiple countries. CIDRAP

India has reported an H9N2 avian flu case involving a child in West Bengal state who was exposed to poultry, marking the country's second such case since 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in a statement, and China confirmed another pediatric H9N2 infection.

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