[Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

[Smoove_B]

I still maintain these masks are the best, but so much of masking comes down to face shape - especially if it's fogging your glasses. For reference, I had the same problem and these masks (when using tightening clip around back of head, not just over the ears) solved the problem completely.

[stessier]

Thanks, I'll take a look.

[Max Peck]

I still maintain these masks are the best, but so much of masking comes down to face shape - especially if it's fogging your glasses. For reference, I had the same problem and these masks (when using tightening clip around back of head, not just over the ears) solved the problem completely.

Yeah, that's the "trifold" style I was talking about. I buy mine here. They have them with either head straps or ear loops. I have some of each design, using the ones with head straps if I need to keep the mask on for extended periods and ear loops if I'm going to be putting it on and taking it off repeatedly.

[Holman]

I still maintain these masks are the best, but so much of masking comes down to face shape - especially if it's fogging your glasses. For reference, I had the same problem and these masks (when using tightening clip around back of head, not just over the ears) solved the problem completely.

My biggest mask problem is finding one that doesn't exhale out of the top, which fogs my glasses.

(My eyes are bad enough that glasses are non-negotiable. They can't make contacts strong enough to match my prescription.)

[Smoove_B]

In a world where no one is masking against disease, I think you can ethically argue it's acceptable to wear an N95 exhalation valve - like this - that will also keep your glasses from fogging.

[Holman]

In a world where no one is masking against disease, I think you can ethically argue it's acceptable to wear an N95 exhalation valve - like this - that will also keep your glasses from fogging.

Thanks for the tip!

[Smoove_B]

I like to wear them while mowing the lawn in the Spring and Fall to deal with pollen and/or dust while riding my lawn tractor around.

[Isgrimnur]

https://bsky.app/profile/amymaxmen.bsky ... cu3vp47c2l

[Smoove_B]

Everything is fine:

All poultry activities have been suspended in Georgia after bird flu was confirmed in a commercial poultry operation, officials said Friday.

The positive bird flu case in Elbert County was confirmed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Agriculture, a news release said. This marks the first time bird flu has been confirmed in a commercial poultry operation in Georgia since the nationwide outbreak began in 2022, and the fifth time the virus has been detected in the state.

All poultry exhibitions, shows, swaps, meets and sales in Georgia have been suspended until further notice, the state’s agriculture department announced. Also, all commercial poultry operations within a 6-mile radius have been placed under quarantine and will undergo surveillance testing for at least two weeks.

[stessier]

I still maintain these masks are the best, but so much of masking comes down to face shape - especially if it's fogging your glasses. For reference, I had the same problem and these masks (when using tightening clip around back of head, not just over the ears) solved the problem completely.

Used these today and they were fairly comfortable. Didn't have a clip for behind my head, so there was some air leaking, but otherwise did well and I was able to wear it the full five hours without issue.

Biggest problem now is it's sunny but somehow -5F with a wind that makes it even colder. I do not miss this.

[Smoove_B]

Seems counterintuitive, but if you can find a clip, definitely try it out - I found the masks to be even more comfortable that way.

Unrelated, I hesitate to share the article - not because of the information but because they're using "quad-demic". Stop trying to make that happen, please:

The spread of influenza A, COVID and RSV is "high" or "very high" across much of the U.S. at the same time norovirus cases are well above normal levels, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wastewater surveillance data shows.

...

The simultaneous threats are straining some hospitals to capacity and leading administrators to recommend masking among staff, ABC News reports.

The surge follows what was a slow start to the respiratory virus season.

"Predictions for this respiratory virus season were that we would see peak January 1 and that it would likely mirror previous respiratory virus seasons. We're obviously seeing it peak a little bit later," Saskia Popescu, a member of APIC's Emerging Infectious Diseases Task Force, told Axios.

I'll just wait for my CDC updates this morning and see what the latest data is along with their guidance.

[Max Peck]

Yeah, the clips relieve pressure on the ears so it definitely makes wearing the mask more comfortable if you have it on for an extended period, in addition to allowing you to improve the overall fit.

If you search for "ear saver" it should be easy enough to find something.

[Smoove_B]

Interestingly, the one I use is more like a guitar pick or an RPM adapter for a vinyl record - just a tiny piece of plastic with a set of hooks. I think they came with one of the 37 different types of masks I tried so I have a pile of them sitting around.

[Max Peck]

The ones I have are like a plastic strap that you hook the ear loops onto, so it sort of converts the ear loops into a jury rigged headband. I haven't used them much since the early days of the pandemic, but they worked reasonably well until I was able to source masks with proper headbands.

[stessier]

Oh great irony - I spent all my flights and time in the airports fully masked. I avoided crowded spaces during the trip and ate at slow times of the day to avoid crowds. Washed my hands religiously.

Today my wife tells me her boss tested positive for COVID - they spent the week working together in a small toy store. My wife feels fine, but if SHE's the one that gets sick after all this...

[Smoove_B]

Well...I do hope things are going well.

In less than great news, wind blown feces is potentially how H5N1 is spreading:

Flu expert says bird flu virus may be spread by infected feces blowing in the wind.

Dr. Michael Osterholm is a medical detective and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, or CIDRAP, at the University of Minnesota. Osterholm has nearly 50 years of investigating infectious disease outbreaks and public health threats.

Osterholm hosts a podcast at the University of Minnesota called “Osterholm Update,” where he discusses latest disease and outbreak news headlines.

On episode 175 titled, “Drinking From a Fire Hose: Are We Drowning?,” Osterholm and his co-host, Chris Dall, discuss growing concerns regarding bird flu — or H1N1 — making the jump from animals to humans.

According to Osterholm, there has been an additional 89 confirmed flocks with high path avian influenza within the last 30 days alone. Areas affected include Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, California, New York, Minnesota and Maryland.

Osterholm says that the primary kind of birds impacted by the flu is migratory waterfowl, like geese and ducks, and these birds often hang out in farm fields where they defecate. Then, the wind picks up particles of the infected feces, spreading the virus far and wide.

...

“Today, I am certain that we are seeing clouds of dust with bird feces in that, and we are beginning to see what I would consider to be almost an environmental type disease, similar to the transmission that we see with Coccidioidomycosis, what we call Valley fever, where in fact that’s a fungus that grows in the environment. And then on windy days it blows with the dust and you inhale it. I think we’re going to see the same thing with H5N1. That’s why so many of these barns are now positive,” said Osterholm on his podcast.

So here's his theory then:

Now that the virus has gone airborne, Osterholm believes we’re going to start seeing more and more cases in humans with no explanation for why they occurred. Meaning, people are going to get sick without even coming in contact with the infected animal.

[Blackhawk]

The bird flu my friend
Is blowing in the wind
The feces is blowing in the wind

[Kraken]

The bird flu my friend
Is blowing in the wind
The feces is blowing in the wind

You beat me to it.

[Isgrimnur]

Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is now America's largest in recorded history

As of Jan. 17, public health officials reported that they had documented 66 active cases and 79 latent infections in the Kansas City, Kansas, metro area since 2024. Most of the cases have been in Wyandotte County, with a handful in Johnson County.

https://everythingistb.com/

[Smoove_B]

I feel like...we're about to round the corner on bird flu into something much worse:

Highly pathogenic H5N9 avian flu has been identified for the first time in US poultry, on a duck meat farm in California that experienced an outbreak in November 2024, according to a notification today from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).

Both H5N9 and H5N1 were detected at the duck farm in Merced County, according to tests conducted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory. The event began on November 23, with clinical signs that included increased deaths in the ducks.

State officials quarantined the affected farm, and a culling operation of the facility's nearly 119,000 birds was completed on December 2. Scientists with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), state partners, and wildlife officials are conducting a comprehensive epidemiologic investigation.

Also:

In an update that covers the past few days, APHIS reported several more H5N1 detections in poultry flocks, both commercial and backyard birds, including several in the Northeast.

In events that could worsen egg shortages, more layer farm outbreaks were reported in Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, and Washington state, totaling at least 1.5 million birds. The virus also struck turkey farms in Minnesota and Ohio, as well as broiler farms in Arkansas and Missouri.

Above and beyond human health concerns (which I get we totally don't care about), our food supply is being stressed in ways that I don't think has been seen in our lifetimes. I'm not sure that's going to work out for us, collectively.

[Smoove_B]

Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is now America's largest in recorded history

I'd really like to know more about this - specifically about the patients and how it managed to spread to so many people. If only there was some type of document that came out - maybe weekly - that could give us all some more details. Maybe some day...

[LawBeefaroni]

Public Health 2025. What we don't know can't hurt us....in public opinion polls.

[Isgrimnur]

Measles cases reported in Texas as vaccine rate against the disease has fallen

At least four cases of measles, including two involving school-aged children, have been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, putting state health agencies on alert.

For some communities, this is the first case of measles in more than 20 years.

Laura Anton, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said the agency sent out an alert to health providers statewide once measles were confirmed to be found in two adult residents in Harris County last week.

The alert stated that both individuals reside in the same household and were unvaccinated against measles. These were the first confirmed cases of measles reported in Texas since 2023, when two were reported.
...
Houston Health Department officials say the cases of measles were associated with the pair’s recent international travel and released a list of possible locations and dates where members of the public might have been exposed.

The state health agency also confirmed two measles cases in the South Plains, both involving school-aged children who were not vaccinated. Anton said they were hospitalized and have since been discharged.

Katherine Wells, the Lubbock Health Department's health director, said the children were treated at a Lubbock health care facility. They were from the area, but not Lubbock residents. Wells said at this time, there are no known sites of exposure outside the health care facility where they were tested. Since Lubbock is the medical hub for the South Plains, they traveled to Lubbock for testing.

[Punisher]

Everything old is new again!
Can't wait for the return of the black plague.
I'll have to borrow my sons Plague Doctor costume.

[Smoove_B]

Not getting news nearly as quickly (wonder why) but when you hear "spillover" and "H5N1" it's never good:

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced a new spillover of H5N1 avian flu to dairy cattle, which involves the D1.1 genotype currently circulating in wild birds and has been implicated in human infections, including the fatal case in a Louisiana resident who had contact with sick backyard birds.

Until now, all dairy herd H5N1 detections have involved the B3.13 genotype, thought to be the result of a single spillover from wild birds in late 2023 or early 2024. The genotype has been linked to mild infections in dairy workers, along with some poultry cullers, with conjunctivitis the main symptom.

...

University of Minnesota epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, said, "We shouldn't be surprised about a new spillover to cattle, given the very significant activity in waterfowl across much of the United States."

He added that the virus is not going away, contrary to those who thought B3.13 would burn itself out. Osterholm is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, which publishes CIDRAP News.

The USDA said it is working with Nevada agriculture officials on the ongoing investigation to better understand the detection and to limit further spread. It added that it will publish a technical brief on the findings and will post the sequence on GenBank in the coming week.

[stessier]

My daughter tested positive for Flu A on a home test on Tuesday and it's been kicking her butt - cough is manageable, but the body aches and shaking from the fever are rough. 0 tentacles - do not recommend.

[Hrdina]

My daughter tested positive for Flu A on a home test on Tuesday and it's been kicking her butt - cough is manageable, but the body aches and shaking from the fever are rough. 0 tentacles - do not recommend.

I started having some symptoms on Dec 26, and tested positive for Flu A not long after that. I ended up being ill on-and-off all the way through the end of January although the worst of it was over by late December. I still have a slight lingering cough and mucus but figure that's the more normal winter crud.

[Smoove_B]

My daughter tested positive for Flu A on a home test on Tuesday and it's been kicking her butt - cough is manageable, but the body aches and shaking from the fever are rough. 0 tentacles - do not recommend.

I thought I saw something (everything is a mess right now) that in NY they were doing additional testing on Flu A folks to see if it was H5N1 - like if you had to go to a doctor or hospital. I'm not sure if it was a secret recommendation from the CDC or something the NY state HD was doing themselves (based on what they were seeing with Flu A and dead birds in the state) but...well....that sucks. Wish I had better info for you where you are.

[Smoove_B]

TB is going to be big in 2025 - you heard it from me first:

Tuberculosis cases are on the rise, including in North Carolina.

The Kansas City area is currently at the epicenter of an unusual tuberculosis outbreak, where 67 people are being treated for the highly contagious disease

...

While we don't yet have numbers for 2024, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), there were 215 confirmed cases in our state in 2023.

Wake County was the second-highest in the state, with 25 confirmed cases, followed by Mecklenburg County, with 37 confirmed cases.

NCDHHS contract tracing and surveillance showed the last time the numbers were that high were in the 1980s, when North Carolina saw over 1,000 cases.

So what's happening? We're still not exactly sure but:

Part of the rise is a product of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We do think the COVID period impacted our rates because, in general, there was a reduction in people's ability to access preventative services," Turner said.

Thankfully we have a robust health public health system here in the United States so I'm sure we're going to get right on top of things.

[LordMortis]

None for me thanx. I just got rid of mine in 2024.

[Max Peck]

I'm confident that RFKjr can Great Barrington his way through a TB outbreak. Super easy, barely an inconvenience.

[Smoove_B]

None for me thanx. I just got rid of mine in 2024.

Tuberculosis is often spread through coughing and singing and can spread in big indoor group gatherings like workplaces, arenas and churches.

"It's usually spread indoors," Turner said. "Anything that gets a large number of people in same room is a hotspot for outbreaks."

Just avoid all those things and you'll be fine!

[LordMortis]

None for me thanx. I just got rid of mine in 2024.

Tuberculosis is often spread through coughing and singing and can spread in big indoor group gatherings like workplaces, arenas and churches.

"It's usually spread indoors," Turner said. "Anything that gets a large number of people in same room is a hotspot for outbreaks."

Just avoid all those things and you'll be fine!

The only indoor gathering for me all of 2023 was a hospital stay and surgery for getting hit by a car and physical therapy. And I was still in all masks all the time mode back then. I'm pretty certain it was PT where lots of people, myself included, were working hard and breathing heavy and I was the only masked person and stuff was in pretty close quarters. The ID pro said that this wasn't likely and there were no other reports in the area but I have to get tested every year, so I know it was contracted after November of 2022 and wasn't some long standing problem that just happened to get diagnosed.

[Jeff V]

Today my daughter asked about a virus she heard is killing kids, but couldn't remember the name. I offered measles, but that didn't particularly ring a bell with her. She would know Covid or Flu, she was recently vaccinated for both. Any other ideas what she might be referring to?

[gilraen]

Today my daughter asked about a virus she heard is killing kids, but couldn't remember the name. I offered measles, but that didn't particularly ring a bell with her. She would know Covid or Flu, she was recently vaccinated for both. Any other ideas what she might be referring to?

Whooping cough?

[gilraen]

TB is going to be big in 2025

There's also an active TB case in a high school in Michigan.

[Jeff V]

TB is going to be big in 2025

There's also an active TB case in a high school in Michigan.

I rather doubt that it, but I'll ask her. Fun fact: in the Philippines, they vaccinate against TB so the test they use in the US always shows them positive. Usually they must produce a chest x-ray (for immigration especially) or in many clinical settings, they are simply exempted from regular testing (when I worked at a hospital, I had to be tested regularly). My wife had the TB vaccine (her mother caught it though, recovered enough to pass immigration on one of her visits), and always tests positive on the stick test.

[Blackhawk]

Did she hear about it from another kid, or from a teacher? At that age, it's just as likely that it's something known (RSV, bird flu) that's being talked about and exaggerated from kid to kid until it's an impending doom. Half understood stories are passed between kids like a horrific game of telephone all the time.

[Isgrimnur]

Did you hear that Marilyn Manson had a rib removed?

[LordMortis]

Today my daughter asked about a virus she heard is killing kids, but couldn't remember the name. I offered measles, but that didn't particularly ring a bell with her. She would know Covid or Flu, she was recently vaccinated for both. Any other ideas what she might be referring to?

Whooping cough?

AKA pertussis, which I also contracted shortly before it came cool again around 2010, maybe... from a doctor's office... Likely from unvaccinated children. Looking back, I'm very surprised, given my health history that the clinic I was going to never updated that vaccine nor my pneumonia vaccine while always asking about the flu shot every year. My TB was latent but the whooping cough was debilitating for many months.

Both TB and Pertussis are playing greatest hits here. I want to say Hep is also making a comeback.