Detailed seasonal flu information is important to inform which influenza strains should be included in vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere's following winter, experts say.
Seasonal flu vaccines need to be updated each year because the virus changes so frequently. But the U.S. hasn't contributed its information on what's spreading there since January, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said.
For seasonal influenza, which forced schools to shut down in some American states earlier this month, the data isn't being shared, Dr. Wenqing Zhang, head of the WHO's global influenza program, told journalists in a webinar on Wednesday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) normally participate in global discussions hosted by WHO on influenza vaccinations twice a year.
Detailed seasonal flu information is important to monitor outbreaks globally and to inform which influenza strains should be included in vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere's following winter.
"Since 20th January, CDC has not yet reported into the WHO platform of Flunet and FluID," Zhang said, referring to two databases for influenza surveillance. As of last week, the U.S. was publicly releasing some flu information nationally.
When U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20, he called for his country to leave WHO, starting in January 2026.
Former World Health Organization assistant director-general for health security Keiji Fukuda has also worked at the U.S. CDC and attended WHO's influenza vaccine meetings. (Alain Grosclaude/AFP/Getty Image)
A WHO meeting is scheduled for next week in London to discuss the composition of influenza vaccines. So far, WHO says the U.S. has not indicated whether it will attend.
At the meeting, participants look at the data to come to a consensus on if the strains in the previous seasonal vaccine are still thought to work or if they need to be updated.
Kanta Subbarao says the U.S. also contributes expertise on vaccine effectiveness and key material used by vaccine manufacturers.
Subbarao, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist and influenza scientist now working at Laval University in Quebec City, served as director of WHO's Collaborating Centre for Influenza in Melbourne, Australia. It is one of five such centres for human influenza along with the U.S. CDC in Atlanta, England, China and Japan.
WATCH | ERs under pressure:
"I think this is a very bad time for the flu vaccine," Subbarao said.
"The CDC and FDA are very actively involved normally in this process, so it's a little hard for me to fathom what it will look like without them."
Subbarao said the U.S. collaborating centre often receives influenza viruses from Canada and other parts of the Americas as well as Africa and parts of Asia.
U.S. makes a 'big difference'
Dr. Keiji Fukuda, a physician and epidemiologist who has attended influenza vaccine meetings and worked for both WHO and CDC, said it's crucial for U.S. experts to go.
U.S. participation is important to be able to accurately predict which influenza strains are going to be circulating in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, virologists say. (Lou Benoist/AFP/Getty)
"The interpretation of that data is so important," Fukuda said in an interview. "Hearing your peers discuss how they're looking at it may change how you look at it and these kinds of interactions are how we come up with the best formulations for vaccines."
U.S. participation is crucial to be able to accurately predict which influenza strains are going to be circulating in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and principal research scientist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Saskatoon.
"Because the United States is so geographically large, because it is so populous, it really does make a big difference to know which of those influenza strains … are the ones that are going to be predominant and essentially win the race against the other influenza viruses," said Rasmussen. She studies a range of viral pathogens, including flu, and isn't participating in WHO's influenza vaccine meeting.
WHO's influenza surveillance program includes about 130 member states.
The CDC released weekly seasonal flu information on Feb. 14, as well as an update on cases of H5N1 avian influenza that has infected nearly 70 people in the U.S., including a death. Most of those infections have been among farm workers exposed to infected poultry or cows.
Doctors and scientists are watching closely to see if H5N1 or another type of influenza virus gains the ability to spread easily from person to person. That's caused previous global flu pandemics.
On Wednesday, the Canadian government announced the purchase of 500,000 doses of an H5N1 vaccine to help protect those most at risk, such as farm workers and people who handle live avian influenza virus in labs.
WHO said its influenza vaccine meeting will continue whether U.S. delegates show up or not.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
42 minutes ago
- Forbes
CDC Vaccine Advisors To Vote On Thimerosal In Flu Shots. Here's What To Know About Thimerosal
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 05: A podium with the logo for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ... More at the Tom Harkin Global Communications Center on October 5, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is set to vote later this week on the issue of thimerosal in flu vaccines. What exactly is thimerosal and is it actually harmful for people that take vaccines containing the substance? Thimerosal is a mercury-based organic preservative that historically was put in several vaccines in low quantities in order to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi, particularly when multi-dose vials were used. Vaccines can become accidentally contaminated, as may occur with multiple needle punctures with multi-dose vials. Before the late 1990's, infants were recommended to receive three vaccines that contained thimerosal- hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b and diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis. There are no known health risks associated with thimerosal at the concentrations used in vaccines, according to the FDA. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disagrees. In his 2014 book, he states (as reported in Politico), 'there is a virtually unanimous scientific consensus among the hundreds of research scientists who have published peer-reviewed articles in the field that Thimerosal is immensely toxic to brain tissue.' Thimerosal, as a preservative gets metabolized as ethylmercury, which is distinct from the more toxic methylmercury. In large doses, both compounds can be toxic to the brain and kidney, resulting in tremors, memory loss, mood swings, depression, protein in the urine and kidney damage. However, ethylmercury poses a significantly decreased risk for humans because it has a much shorter half-life of less than week compared to methylmercury, which has a half-life of 1.5 months according to the World Health Organization. Ethylmercury is removed from the body fast and actively excreted into the gut, as oppose to methylmercury that can accumulate in the body and result in potential toxic effects. In 1999, because of scientific uncertainty at the time and theoretical concerns about thimerosal, the preservative was removed from nearly all childhood vaccines as a precautionary measure per the FDA, not because it was shown to cause any harm. The only childhood vaccine that still contains thimerosal in some formulations is the flu vaccine. Part of the reason thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines was because an infant in the early 1990s receiving childhood vaccines could be exposed to a cumulative dose of mercury as high as 187.5 micrograms by the age of 6 months, which exceeded the guidelines put forth by the EPA, but not the WHO. Even at a dose of 187.5 micrograms of ethylmercury, no studies have shown adverse health effects or harm to humans, other than local skin reactions at the injection site of the vaccine, as shown in a study published in the journal Pediatrics. Despite what Secretary of HHS Kennedy has suggested, thimerosal has not been shown to cause autism. In fact both the FDA and multiple peer-reviewed scientific studies have asserted and shown no link between thimerosal use in vaccines and autism. The use of thimerosal in U.S. FDA licensed vaccines has significantly declined because of reformulations and the availability of vaccines in single-dose containers. Currently, a couple of flu vaccines are formulated to contain thimerosal, although the majority of flu vaccines that currently exist do not contain thimerosal. The ACIP will convene later this week to hold a vote on the status of thimerosal on vaccines. Even if completely removed from the flu vaccine, the vaccine will not 'become' safer, as decades of research has already shown thimerosal to be safe and effective as a preservative. Experts warn that holding the vote could cast doubt on vaccine uptake. Dr. Jeremy Faust, Editor-in-Chief of MedPage Today, writes, 'Elevating this debunked myth to national policy lends credence to misinformation, and sets the stage for other actions that may undermine vaccine confidence in the United States.'
Chicago Tribune
16 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
US measles count now tops 1,200 cases, and Iowa announces an outbreak
The U.S. logged fewer than 20 measles cases this week, though Iowa announced the state's first outbreak Thursday and Georgia confirmed its second Wednesday. There have been 1,214 confirmed measles cases this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Health officials in Texas, where the nation's biggest outbreak raged during the late winter and spring, confirmed six cases in the last week. There are three other major outbreaks in North America. The longest, in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 2,179 cases from mid-October through June 17. The province logged its first death June 5 in a baby who got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions. Another outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has sickened 996 as of Thursday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 2,335 measles cases and four deaths as of Friday, according to data from the state health ministry. Other U.S. states with active outbreaks — which the CDC defines as three or more related cases — include Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and Oklahoma. In the U.S., two elementary school-aged children in the epicenter in West Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died of measles this year. All were unvaccinated. Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the USMeasles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000. There are a total of 750 cases across 35 counties, most of them in West Texas, state health officials said Tuesday. Throughout the outbreak, 97 people have been hospitalized. State health officials estimated less than 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious. Fifty-five percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 413 cases since late January — just under 2% of its residents. The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of 'what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.' A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6. New Mexico held steady Friday with a total of 81 cases. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque has six cases, Eddy County has three, Doña Ana County has two. Chaves, Curry and San Juan counties have one each. An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care. Oklahoma added one case Friday for a total of 17 confirmed and three probable cases. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases. Arizona has four cases in Navajo County. They are linked to a single source, the county health department said June 9. All four were unvaccinated and had a history of recent international travel. Colorado has seen a total of 16 measles cases in 2025, which includes one outbreak of 10 related cases. The outbreak is linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May. Four of the people were on the flight with the first case — an out-of-state traveler not included in the state count — while five got measles from exposure in the airport and one elsewhere. Health officials are also tracking an unrelated case in a Boulder County resident. The person was fully vaccinated but had 'recently traveled to Europe, where there are a large number of measles cases,' the state health department said. Other counties that have seen measles this year include Archuleta and Pueblo. Georgia has an outbreak of three cases in metro Atlanta, with the most recent infection confirmed Wednesday. The state has confirmed six total cases in 2025. The remaining three are part of an unrelated outbreak from January. Illinois health officials confirmed a four-case outbreak on May 5 in the far southern part of the state. It grew to eight cases as of June 6, but no new cases were reported in the following weeks, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state's other two cases so far this year were in Cook County, and are unrelated to the southern Illinois outbreak. Illinois unveils online tool showing measles vaccination rates by schoolIowa has had six total measles cases in 2025. Four are part of an outbreak in eastern Johnson County, among members of the same household. County health officials said the people are isolating at home, so they don't expect additional spread. Kansas has a total of 79 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but three of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County. Montana had 22 measles cases as of Friday. Fourteen were in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed up — Montana's first in 35 years. Flathead and Yellowstone counties had two cases each, and Hill County had four cases. There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, was up to 34 cases as of June 6, but has held steady since. Two of the people have been hospitalized. All of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated. There were 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state, there were 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, had one case. Measles cases also have been reported this year in Alaska, Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Health officials declared earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania over after six weeks of no new cases. Tennessee's outbreak also appears to be over. Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year. Most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from 'killed' virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don't need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have 'presumptive immunity.' Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to 'herd immunity.' But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
The Triple Threat Draining Workforce Productivity And Mental Health
Productivity and mental health are taking a hit for three reasons. Numbers never lie: it's why CEOs obsess over revenue targets, operational metrics, quarterly growth, and more. Yet beneath the spreadsheets and data dashboards lies an invisible crisis quietly eroding organizational strength and productivity: the deteriorating mental health and emotional resilience of today's workforce. A comprehensive 2025 State of the Workforce Report by meQuilibrium, surveying 5,477 employees across various industries, identified a troublesome "triple threat" that undermines employee performance and well-being: uncertainty, pessimism, and psychological disconnection. These aren't mere HR concerns; they're operational risks with quantifiable financial impacts. The data paints a clear picture: These challenges are silently sabotaging productivity, further inflating turnover costs, and increasingly impacting employee well-being. The Real Cost Of The Triple Threat Uncertainty alone led to a 68% increase in productivity impairment. Employees facing high uncertainty stress experience twice the risk of generalized anxiety disorders and nearly double the rate of burnout, costing American companies between $4,000 and $21,000 per employee annually, according to a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Pessimism compounds this impact significantly. Workers with negative job outlooks report a 64% decrease in productivity, alongside a staggering 128% higher risk of depression and 108% higher risk of anxiety compared to optimistic colleagues. The psychological disconnect further exacerbates productivity losses. Even employees displaying no signs of disconnect report an average productivity impairment of 29%, while severely disconnected employees experience impairment rates of up to 66%. This triple threat isn't fleeting; it's systemic and escalating, making employee mental health and emotional resilience one of your organization's significant, yet often overlooked, financial liabilities. Foundational Strategies To Improve Productivity And Mental Health A company thrives when its people thrive. Amid volatility and continuous disruptions, the greatest threat to any organization is a workforce characterized by stress, negativity, disengagement, and poor health. However, this crisis presents opportunities to cultivate resilience and strength. While each company is unique, these foundational actions can universally elevate employee well-being and productivity: Fitness offers more than aesthetics. It's a strategic investment. CEOs like Bob Iger strongly advocate for fitness because it improves their mood, focus, emotional regulation, executive presence, and resilience. To build a health-driven culture, leaders must actively model wellness practices. Sleep is equally critical. Improved sleep and recovery improve individuals' decision-making and emotional regulation and reduce team volatility. Prioritizing a health-first culture also serves as a strong talent attractor and retention tool. Ambiguity breeds stress, especially with technological disruptions like AI, which create concerns about job stability. Clear and consistent communication significantly mitigates uncertainty. Leaders must frequently reiterate their vision in a way that integrates each person seamlessly. Also key is establishing priorities and performance expectations along with transparency in explaining the rationale behind decisions. Vulnerability and candor strengthen trust, which further reduces speculation and disengagement among employees and investors alike. Soft skills matter significantly, even in the data-driven corporate world. As highlighted in the report, empathetic managers reduce uncertainty stress by 37% and disconnect by nearly 50%. CEOs and senior leaders can actively cultivate empathy through the following: Better Mental Well-Being Equals Improved Productivity Addressing the triple threat isn't merely beneficial—it's critical. The modern workforce faces numerous challenges that threaten employees' mental health and productivity. With ongoing volatility and persistent uncertainty, investing in mental health and resilience becomes not just advantageous but essential. As technology democratizes and ceases to offer unique competitive advantages, the companies that will lead tomorrow are those who invest significantly in their people's well-being today.
