Dr Klotman’s Week 273 video address has some COVID news as well as information concerning Yellow Fever that may be of value to travelers. The highlights are:

Yellow Fever

  • This is a viral illness transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
  • The infection can be severe and cause death. The mortality rate is about 40%.
  • There have been 221 confirmed cases in South America this year – an 8-fold increase from the same period in 2024; 89 of these infections were fatal.
  • Cases have been recorded in Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru.
  • Other cases have been recorded outside of the Amazon basin raising concerns about infection occurring in urban centers.
  • The Pan-American Health Organization is recommending vaccination levels of 95% among populations living where Yellow Fever has been reported.

Bird Flu (H5N1)

  • China has reported its first 2025 case of bird flu. The patient recovered.
  • This case may have been imported from Vietnam.

COVID

  • There is a new strain of COVID NB.1.8.1 that appeared in April in China, the Pacific Rim, France, the Netherlands and Spain.
  • COVID hospitalizations have increased in these countries.
  • Airport wastewater samples show that about 1/3 of all COVID entering the USA is NB.1.8.1
  • This new variant appears to have resulted from a recombinant event in which two earlier strains shared genetic material to create a new strain.
  • In this case, the recombination has resulted in spike protein changes that improve binding to the human ACE2 receptor. So, NB.1.8.1 is somewhat more infectious but causes illness no more severe than prior strains.
  • Paxlovid should be an effective treatment for NB.1.8.1
  • The upcoming Pfizer and Moderna m-RNA vaccines that target the most common strain in the USA, LP.8.1, should offer protection to NB.1.8.1 as well.
  • This year, COVID has produced about as many deaths as Influenza has (~26K) – despite causing fewer cases than Flu.

Measles

  • The USA has recorded 1168 cases. 97% occurred among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals. Only 3% of the cases occurred among those fully vaccinated.
  • The hospitalization rate has been about 12%. There have been no new deaths.
  • The Measles outbreak seems to be waning.

Dr. Klotman, like many medical experts, expresses concern over the firing of all of the ACIP members. And like many experts, he is cautious about the eight, newly named ACIP panelists at least four of whom have opined negatively on vaccines. My own concern is that the Secretary of HHSC who has no background in medicine or medical research is appointing people whom he likes or with whom he agrees rather than actual experts in infectious diseases, vaccinology, or related fields. That way lies great danger.

By: llcPosted on