In Focus
H5N1 Bird Flu continues to take its toll in the United States, also affecting British Columbia
Clade 2.3.4.4b of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus causing outbreaks in wild and domestic birds around the world, continues to spread in dairy cows, poultry and other animals across the United States. Since April, the U.S. CDC confirmed 55 human cases through genome sequence analysis. In three of these cases, the amino acid substitution NA-S247N was identified that may slightly reduce susceptibility to the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir in laboratory tests. The CDC also identified a different change in the polymerase acidic (PA) protein of a virus collected from a recently confirmed human case of H5N1 bird flu in California.
On 15. November, specimen data of British Columbia's first human case, a teenager who remains in critical condition, with an unknown route of exposure to H5N1 bird flu, has been shared via GISAID’s EpiFlu by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (EPI_ISL_19548836) in addition to specimen data from poultry, collected on 7. November and shared by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
A case of Mpox Clade Ib confirmed in California
Since November 2023, the Eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to see a significant number of cases of the mpox virus Clade Ib that is also spreading through regional travel to neighboring countries incl. Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Outside of Africa, the number of imported cases is increasing and reported in Canada, Germany, India, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States.
GISAID EpiPox currently provides access to 158 genome sequences and associated metadata of the mpox virus Clade Ib. According to the CDC, early data indicate that a large proportion of Clade Ib cases among adults are associated with intimate human contact, including via ongoing transmission believed to be occurring in some countries where the virus is not normally found. The phylodynamics of Clade Ib can be monitored on GISAID’s up-to-date phylogenetic trees.
Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2025 Southern Hemisphere Influenza Season announced
(Melbourne, Australia) An advisory group of experts taking part in a meeting organized by the WHO Global Influenza Programme between 23-26 September 2024 analyzed influenza virus surveillance data generated by the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS), and issued on 27 September 2024, recommendations on the composition of the influenza vaccines for the following influenza season.
These recommendations are used by the national vaccine regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical companies to develop, produce and license influenza vaccines.
Brazil and Indonesia conclude the first Arbovirus Summit
(Bali) Indonesia's Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Brazil's Minister of Health, Dr. Nísia Trindade Lima convened a two-day summit to gather policy makers, experts in global health and leading researchers of arboviruses, to respond to the significant increase in cases of Dengue virus infections across South America and Southeast Asia. The Arbovirus Summit discussed the urgent need to strengthen integrated arbovirus surveillance and management.
Held at the recently inaugurated GISAID Academy 22-23 April 2024, the Summit showcased innovations in vector control strategies, breakthroughs in antivirals and vaccine development and explore the implementation of global genomic surveillance of arbovirus as a tool for monitoring the effectiveness of intervention strategies as well as viral spread and evolution.
GISAID joins the G20 Joint Finance & Health Ministerial Meeting
Yogyakarta, 20-21 June. Under the motto ‘Strengthening Global Health Architecture’ a delegation from GISAID attended the G20 Finance and Health Ministers meeting hosted by Indonesia, to discuss with G20 Member States’ and its partners their vision for GISAID+ (GISAID plus).
Global leaders reflected on the need to coordinate and strengthen resources during future pandemics. In particular Member States stressed the essential role GISAID plays in global health security, and discussed how global leaders could support GISAID’s expansion as a global resource to respond to other priority pathogens with major impact and pandemic-potential.
CBD Study finds 'GISAID might provide useful lessons and insight to ABS discussions'
A peer-reviewed fact-finding and scoping study on digital sequence information on genetic resources in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol, highlights key advantages of GISAID’s sharing mechanism and a fair and equitable benefit-sharing resulting from access to data.
With the core principals of timely international sharing of health data for protecting populations against lethal infectious disease outbreaks and adherence to scientific etiquette of acknowledgement of the source of data has resulted in global trust and confidence in GISAID.
Public-Private Partnerships of the GISAID Initiative
The GISAID Initiative involves public-private partnerships, among them the partnership with the Federal Republic of Germany, and governmental public-health and academic institutions in Argentina, Brazil, China, Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, and the support by Friends of GISAID, a registered non-profit association and administrative arm of the Initiative.
GISAID Resources
Data Acknowledgement Locator
