News Scan for Oct 07, 2022

Kids with preexisting illness at highest risk for severe COVID-19, death

Children who had an underlying illness were at greatest risk for severe COVID-19 and death, but those who were vaccinated were fairly well protected, according to an observational study presented this week at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition in Anaheim, California.

Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas analyzed the electronic health records of US COVID-19 patients aged 0 to 18 years from Mar 12, 2020, to Jan 20, 2022.

Of 218,759 pediatric COVID-19 patients, 8,717 (4.0%) were hospitalized, admitted to an intensive care unit, needed ventilation, or died. The strongest risk factor for a severe outcome was a preexisting illness (odds ratios [ORs], 2.27, 4.21, and 5.33 for ages 0 to 2, 3 to 10, and 11 to 18 years, respectively). The OR of severe disease among recipients of at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose relative to no vaccination was 0.55 in the vaccine-eligible group, indicating 45% effectiveness.

Children who lived in the southern United States were more likely than those in the Midwest to become severely ill (ORs for the Midwest, 0.28, 0.18, and 0.18 for ages 0 to 2, 3 to 10, and 11 to 18 years, respectively). Other risk factors were unknown health insurance status, infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant, and Black race.

“Given the variance in child vaccination rates in the United States, we hope our research can inform outreach and other efforts to increase vaccination rates in children and adolescents, particularly in vulnerable regions and populations,” lead author Lyndie Ho, a medical student, said in an AAP press release.
Oct 7 AAP press release

Pakistan and Mozambique report more wild poliovirus cases

Six countries reported more polio cases this week, including Pakistan and Mozambique, which both reported more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases, according to the latest weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

Pakistan’s latest WPV1 case is from the ongoing hot spot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and raises its total for the year to 20. Mozambique reported its seventh case of the year, in Tete, and the GPEI said reporting the new cases with little lag time is a signal that stepped-up surveillance is working.

Meanwhile, five countries reported more vaccine-derived polio cases. The Central African Republic reported three circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases in two areas, its first cases of 2022. The Democratic Republic of the Congo reported six circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) cases, all in Haut Lomami province, raising its total for the year to 10. It also reported 13 more cVDPV2 cases from four different areas, lifting its total for 2022 to 133.

Elsewhere, Mozambique reported 3 cVDPV1 cases, all in Zambezia, making 8 cases so far this year. Somalia reported its fourth cVDPV2 of the year, and Yemen reported 6 cVDPV2 cases from four locations, putting its 2022 total at 145.
Oct 6 GPEI update

US flu activity rises slowly, with H3N2 predominant

US flu indicators continue to slowly rise, mainly due to the H3N2 influenza A strain, according to the latest weekly update today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The percentage of respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu at clinical labs rose to 2.5% last week, with nearly 95% of specimens classified as influenza A. At public health labs, of subtyped influenza A samples, 75.9% were H3N2.

Outpatient visits for flulike illness rose to 2.4% but are still below the national baseline of 2.5%. The CDC emphasized that the outpatient visit metric can also include people with other respiratory illnesses, including COVID and respiratory syncytial virus. Last week the highest levels of flulike illness visits were in kids ages 0 through 4, followed by those ages 5 to 24 years old.

Four areas reported high flu activity, a metric that also reflects clinic visits for flulike illness. They are Texas, Georgia, the District of Columbia, and the Mariana Islands. Three states reported moderate activity: South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

One pediatric flu death was reported in a child who died in late March, raising last flu season’s total to 40.
Oct 7 CDC FluView report

CWD finding prompts quarantine at Wisconsin deer farm

Wisconsin agriculture officials this week reported chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a white-tail buck from a deer farm in Vernon County, located in the southwestern part of the state.

In a statement, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) said the 1-acre farm that housed the deer has been placed under quarantine and that it and the US Department of Agriculture will conduct an investigation.

CWD is a fatal prion disease that can spread among cervids such as deer, moose, and elk through contaminated environments, antler velvet, and body fluids and tissues. The disease isn’t known to infect humans, but some experts fear it one day could cause a disease similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”). CDC officials warn against eating meat from infected animals.
Oct 5 Wisconsin DATCP press release