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Mpox is a zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV) and previously found primarily in forested areas of Central and West Africa (2,2). In May 2022, a multicountry outbreak of [...]

Following the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019, transmission expanded globally and on 30 January 2020, COVID-19 was declared as a public health emergency of international concern. (1) Analysis of [...]

Summary This season has been characterized by influenza A viruses, the dominant subtype differing by country. Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses predominated or co-circulated with influenza A(H3N2) viruses in most countries in North America, the European transmission zones and in eastern and western Asia, the proportion of influenza A(H3N2) viruses increasing over time. Influenza A(H3N2) predominated in several countries in southwestern Europe and northern Africa. The timing of the onset and peak of the 2018-2019 influenza season in the northern hemisphere was similar to those in previous years, but the duration of the season was notably longer, especially in the USA, and influenza viruses continued to circulate in parts of eastern and western Asia through May 2019. Influenza B viruses circulated in some countries in eastern and western Asia but were generally rarely detected in other transmission zones of the temperate northern hemisphere. Increasing genetic diversity among the influenza A(H3N2) viruses was noted during the season, with a larger proportion of clade 3C.3a viruses detected towards the end of the season. Influenza A(H3N2) viruses remained difficult to characterize antigenically. Few estimates of VE against outpatient illness with influenza A(H3N2) were available, but they were generally low, as in previous seasons. Very low levels of antiviral resistance were reported. Less genetic diversity was detected among the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses characterized, and nearly all were well covered by the cell-propagated influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus included in the seasonal vaccine. VE against illness due to influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in outpatients of all ages was generally moderate. Morbidity and mortality rates during the 2018-2019 season were generally comparable to those in previous seasons and lower than those in the countries that experienced unusually high intensity and hospitalization rates in the 2017-2018 season, when a substantial proportion of the circulating viruses were influenza B viruses. The exceptions included Japan, which experienced its highest peak in reported influenza cases per sentinel site, and France, where the proportion of hospitalizations due to influenza was the highest in the previous 4 seasons. Member States collect an extraordinary amount of information, which is used as a basis for vaccine composition and interventions for seasonal influenza epidemics. Countries are encouraged to continue to improve and respond to influenza epidemics and be prepared for a potential new pandemic. From data reported to regional and global platforms, global assessments can be made to put local situations into perspective. Cette saison a ete caracterisee par des virus grippaux A, dont le sous-type dominant differait selon les pays. Les virus de la grippe A(H1N1)pdm09 predominaient ou cocirculaient avec les virus de la grippe A(H3N2) dans la plupart des pays du Nord, dans les zones de transmission europeennes et en Asie orientale et occidentale, la proportion des virus de la grippe A(H3N2) augmentant avec le temps. La grippe A(H3N2) predominait dans plusieurs pays d'Europe du Sud-Ouest et d'Afrique du Nord. L'apparition et le pic de la saison grippale 2018-2019 dans l'hemisphere Nord ont ete similaires a ceux des annees precedentes, mais la duree de la saison a ete nettement plus longue, en particulier aux Etats-Unis, et les virus grippaux ont continue a circuler dans certaines regions d'Asie orientale et occidentale jusqu'en mai 2019. Les virus de la grippe B ont circule dans certains pays d'Asie orientale et occidentale mais, de maniere generale, ils ont rarement ete detectes dans d'autres zones de transmission de l'hemisphere Nord temperee. Une diversite genetique croissante parmi les virus de la grippe A(H3N2) a ete observee au cours de la saison, avec une plus grande proportion de virus appartenant au clade 3C.3a detectes vers la fin de la saison. Les virus A(H3N2) ont ete difficiles a caracteriser sur le plan antigenique. Peu d'estimations de l'efficacite vaccinale contre les affections touchant les patients externes atteints de la grippe A(H3N2) etaient disponibles, mais elles etaient generalement faibles, comme lors des saisons precedentes. De tres faibles niveaux de resistance aux antiviraux ont ete enregistres. Une moindre diversite genetique a ete detectee parmi les virus de la grippe A(H1N1)pdm09 caracterises, et presque tous etaient bien couverts par le virus de la grippe A(H1N1)pdm09 propage en culture cellulaire inclus dans le vaccin saisonnier. L'efficacite vaccinale contre la grippe A(H1N1)pdm09 chez les patients externes de tous ages etait generalement moderee. De maniere generale, les taux de morbidite et de mortalite au cours de la saison 2018-2019 etaient comparables a ceux des saisons precedentes et inferieurs a ceux des pays ayant connu une intensite et des taux d'hospitalisation exceptionnellement eleves au cours de la saison 2017-2018, ou une proportion substantielle des virus en circulation etaient des virus de la grippe B. Parmi les exceptions figurent le Japon, ou le nombre de cas de grippe signales par site sentinelle n'avait jamais ete aussi eleve, et la France, ou la proportion d'hospitalisations dues a la grippe etait plus elevee qu'au cours des 4 saisons precedentes. Les Etats Membres collectent une quantite extraordinaire d'informations qui servent de base a la composition du vaccin et aux interventions pour lutter contre l'epidemie de grippe saisonniere. Les pays sont encourages a continuer d'ameliorer et de repondre aux epidemies de grippe et a se preparer a une nouvelle pandemie potentielle. A partir des donnees transmises sur les plateformes regionales et mondiale, des evaluations mondiales peuvent etre realisees pour mettre les situations locales en perspective., Bilan de la saison grippale 2018-2019 dans l'hemisphere Nord This report summarizes the chronology, epidemiology and virology of the 2018-2019 influenza season in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere [...]

This report summarizes the chronology, epidemiology and virology of the 2018 influenza season in the temperate regions of the southern hemisphere, based on influenza activity data collected between January and [...]

This report summarizes the chronology, epidemiology and virology of the 2017-2018 influenza season in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. It is based on data on influenza activity collected [...]

IFITM3-specific antibody reveals IFN preferences and slow IFN induction of the antiviral factor IFITM3 in humans Keywords: IFITM3; IFN; myeloid cells; innate immunity; viral restriction EN IFITM3 IFN myeloid cells innate immunity viral restriction 742 745 4 03/05/21 20210301 NES 210301 Using a specific antibody, we found that expression of the viral restriction factor IFITM3 differs across cell types within the immune compartment with higher expression in myeloid rather than lymphoid cells. (B) Expression of IFITM3 in myeloid and lymphoid cells in adult blood samples following 48-h stimulation with 100 U/mL IFN. (A) Expression of IFITM3 was measured by CyTOF in primary human cells from adult blood samples (n = 3) following 48-h stimulation with 100 U/mL IFN. [Extracted from the article]

Interferon-induced transmembrane 3 (IFITM3) is known to restrict the entry of a range of enveloped viruses. The single nucleotide polymorphism rs12252-C within IFITM3 has been shown to be associated with severe influenza A virus infection. It has been suggested that rs12252-C results in expression of a truncated IFITM3 protein lacking the first 21 amino acids. By performing high-throughput RNA sequencing on primary dendritic cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from pandemic H1N1 influenza and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infected patients we show that full-length IFITM3 mRNA is dominantly expressed (>99%) across all rs12252 genotypes. Full-length IFITM3 protein can be detected in all genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nervous and immune systems influence each other, allowing animals to rapidly protect themselves from changes in their internal and external environment. However, the complex nature of these systems in mammals makes it difficult to determine how neuronal signaling influences the immune response. Here we show that serotonin, synthesized in Caenorhabditis elegans chemosensory neurons, modulates the immune response. Serotonin released from these cells acts, directly or indirectly, to regulate G-protein signaling in epithelial cells. Signaling in these cells is required for the immune response to infection by the natural pathogen Microbacterium nematophilum. Here we show that serotonin signaling suppresses the innate immune response and limits the rate of pathogen clearance. We show that C. elegans uses classical neurotransmitters to alter the immune response. Serotonin released from sensory neurons may function to modify the immune system in response to changes in the animal's external environment such as the availability, or quality, of food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In May 2022, several countries with no history of sustained community transmission of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) notified WHO of new mpox cases. These cases were soon followed by a large-scale outbreak, which unfolded across the world, driven by local, in-country transmission within previously unaffected countries. On July 23, 2022, WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Here, we aim to describe the main epidemiological features of this outbreak, the largest reported to date., Methods: In this analysis of global surveillance data we analysed data for all confirmed mpox cases reported by WHO Member States through the global surveillance system from Jan 1, 2022, to Jan 29, 2023. Data included daily aggregated numbers of mpox cases by country and a case reporting form (CRF) containing information on demographics, clinical presentation, epidemiological exposure factors, and laboratory testing. We used the data to (1) describe the key epidemiological and clinical features of cases; (2) analyse risk factors for hospitalisation (by multivariable mixed-effects binary logistic regression); and (3) retrospectively analyse transmission trends. Sequencing data from GISAID and GenBank were used to analyse monkeypox virus (MPXV) genetic diversity., Findings: Data from 82 807 cases with submitted CRFs were included in the analysis. Cases were primarily due to clade IIb MPXV (mainly lineage B.1, followed by lineage A.2). The outbreak was driven by transmission among males (73 560 [96·4%] of 76 293 cases) who self-identify as men who have sex with men (25 938 [86·9%] of 29 854 cases). The most common reported route of transmission was sexual contact (14 941 [68·7%] of 21 749). 3927 (7·3%) of 54 117 cases were hospitalised, with increased odds for those aged younger than 5 years (adjusted odds ratio 2·12 [95% CI 1·32-3·40], p=0·0020), aged 65 years and older (1·54 [1·05-2·25], p=0·026), female cases (1·61 [1·35-1·91], p<0·0001), and for cases who are immunosuppressed either due to being HIV positive and immunosuppressed (2·00 [1·68-2·37], p<0·0001), or other immunocompromising conditions (3·47 [1·84-6·54], p=0·0001)., Interpretation: Continued global surveillance allowed WHO to monitor the epidemic, identify risk factors, and inform the public health response. The outbreak can be attributed to clade IIb MPXV spread by newly described modes of transmission., Funding: WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies., Translations: For the French and Spanish translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interest., (This is an Open Access article published under the CC BY 3.0 IGO license which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In any use of this article, there should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organisation, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. This notice should be preserved along with the article's original URL.)

Background: Globally, since 1 January 2020 and as of 24 January 2023, there have been over 664 million cases of COVID-19 and over 6.7 million deaths reported to WHO. WHO developed an evidence-based alert system, assessing public health risk on a weekly basis in 237 countries, territories and areas from May 2021 to June 2022. This aimed to facilitate the early identification of situations where healthcare capacity may become overstretched., Methods: The process involved a three-stage mixed methods approach. In the first stage, future deaths were predicted from the time series of reported cases and deaths to produce an initial alert level. In the second stage, this alert level was adjusted by incorporating a range of contextual indicators and accounting for the quality of information available using a Bayes classifier. In the third stage, countries with an alert level of 'High' or above were added to an operational watchlist and assistance was deployed as needed., Results: Since June 2021, the system has supported the release of more than US$27 million from WHO emergency funding, over 450 000 rapid antigen diagnostic testing kits and over 6000 oxygen concentrators. Retrospective evaluation indicated that the first two stages were needed to maximise sensitivity, where 44% (IQR 29%-67%) of weekly watchlist alerts would not have been identified using only reported cases and deaths. The alerts were timely and valid in most cases; however, this could only be assessed on a non-representative sample of countries with hospitalisation data available., Conclusions: The system provided a standardised approach to monitor the pandemic at the country level by incorporating all available data on epidemiological analytics and contextual assessments. While this system was developed for COVID-19, a similar system could be used for future outbreaks and emergencies, with necessary adjustments to parameters and indicators., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© World Health Organization 2023. Licensee BMJ.)

After the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019, transmission expanded globally, and on January 30, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a public health emergency of international concern.* Analysis of the early Wuhan, China outbreak (1), subsequently confirmed by multiple other studies (2,3), found that 80% of deaths occurred among persons aged ≥60 years. In anticipation of the time needed for the global vaccine supply to meet all needs, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) Values Framework and a roadmap for prioritizing use of COVID-19 vaccines in late 2020 (4,5), followed by a strategy brief to outline urgent actions in October 2021. † WHO described the general principles, objectives, and priorities needed to support country planning of vaccine rollout to minimize severe disease and death. A July 2022 update to the strategy brief § prioritized vaccination of populations at increased risk, including older adults, ¶ with the goal of 100% coverage with a complete COVID-19 vaccination series** for at-risk populations. Using available public data on COVID-19 mortality (reported deaths and model estimates) for 2020 and 2021 and the most recent reported COVID-19 vaccination coverage data from WHO, investigators performed descriptive analyses to examine age-specific mortality and global vaccination rollout among older adults (as defined by each country), stratified by country World Bank income status. Data quality and COVID-19 death reporting frequency varied by data source; however, persons aged ≥60 years accounted for >80% of the overall COVID-19 mortality across all income groups, with upper- and lower-middle-income countries accounting for 80% of the overall estimated excess mortality. Effective COVID-19 vaccines were authorized for use in December 2020, with global supply scaled up sufficiently to meet country needs by late 2021 (6). COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective in reducing severe COVID-19, hospitalizations, and mortality (7,8); nevertheless, country-reported median completed primary series coverage among adults aged ≥60 years only reached 76% by the end of 2022, substantially below the WHO goal, especially in middle- and low-income countries. Increased efforts are needed to increase primary series and booster dose coverage among all older adults as recommended by WHO and national health authorities., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

We present a global analysis of the spread of recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 variants and estimate changes in effective reproduction numbers at country-specific level using sequence data from GISAID. Nearly all investigated countries demonstrated rapid replacement of previously circulating lineages by the World Health Organization-designated variants of concern, with estimated transmissibility increases of 29% (95% CI: 24-33), 25% (95% CI: 20-30), 38% (95% CI: 29-48) and 97% (95% CI: 76-117), respectively, for B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1 and B.1.617.2.