Dr. Klotman’s weekly video update this week begins with some news regarding BCM’s work in understanding ancient DNA – specifically the DNA of a 52,000 year-old Woolly Mammoth. In viral respiratory disease news, there is another cluster of H5N1 cases among poultry workers bringing the total of known human cases to nine. All the H5N1 bird flu cases have had symptoms limited to conjunctivitis (aka pink eye) and common upper respiratory infection symptoms like fever, chills, cough, sore throat and runny nose. No patient required hospitalization. All of the individuals infected with H5N1 were working on dairy or poultry farms in direct contact with infected animals.
There is evidence that the H5N1 virus can be transmitted to other animals through the raw milk of infected cows. Examples of transmission through raw milk include lab mice and at least one cat. People should not consume raw cow’s milk since H5N1 is spreading among dairy herds.
In other viral illness news:
- West Nile virus is still being found in wastewater
- SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) in both Texas and national wastewater samples continues to rise
- ER visits, Hospitalizations and Deaths due to COVID are all rising
- The dominant COVID strains continue to be KP.2 and KP.3
- MPox (aka monkey pox) cases continue in Austin and Houston
- Enterovirus D68 and Parainfluenza virus levels continue to rise in wastewater samples
The CDC is reporting COVID levels in wastewater to be high or very high in 26 states. In other COVID news, a recent study suggests that COVID reinfections are likely to have a severity similar to prior infections.
I have gone back to wearing my N95 mask in public places. Yesterday, I went to Batteries Plus to look for a new battery for one of my electronic devices. I was wearing my mask. The store attendant, a big fellow in his late 20s, asked, “What’s with the mask? Do you know something I don’t know?” I answered, “Yeah. I’m a physician, and COVID cases are way up. Didn’t you hear that even President Biden is in isolation for another bout of COVID?”
He looked at me. “Shit!” He said. Where did we put all those N95 masks?” He was searching for the masks as I left the store.