Viral threats on the rise: Measles and Bird Flu – Nick Landekic

by Nick Landekic, contributing writer

We’re all looking forward to the coming of spring with the beautiful weather that’s especially gorgeous in New England. It’s also a time when the risk of viral infections such as COVID generally declines. 

This year might have some twists: the risks of measles and bird flu are increasing. There have been some recent local developments you may want to be aware of. 

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death. It can affect anyone but is most common in children. Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body.

Before the introduction of measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred about every two to three years and caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths worldwide each year. An estimated 107,500 people still died from measles in 2023 – mostly children under the age of five, despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine. 

Measles is not just a rash. While many children recover from measles, some die of pneumonia caused by the virus. Measles can also lead to deafness and brain damage, and it can wipe out a huge fraction of immune memory to other diseases, like the flu, leading to an increase in all-cause deaths many years later. The risks of infection far outweigh the risks of the vaccine.

Right now there are measles outbreaks that started in Texas but have since spread to 9 other states including Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City – and recently, Rhode Island. Since last month at least 164 people have been diagnosed and 32 hospitalized. In Texas it’s mostly been unvaccinated children. Tragically, one unvaccinated child so far has died – the first measles death in this country in 10 years. 

Last year 40% of those who came down with measles had to be hospitalized for it. This is not a benign infection. 

Measles is not a seasonal virus. Measles is often spread during times of high travel (like spring break) or in situations where unvaccinated people are in close quarters (like summer camp).

“Only” 164 cases might not sound like much but in actuality there are far more cases than that. Those are only the ones that have been reported. Measles is one of the most contagious viruses on Earth. On average each infected person will infect 12 to 18 other people, meaning there are likely thousands of cases already across the states. 

Thanks to widespread vaccination measles was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000. While there have generally been a handful of breakthrough cases each year, what’s happening right now is very different – only two months into the year and we’ve already surpassed what has been a yearly total average.

What can you do?

Measles has been reported in Rhode Island. Anyone who is not protected is at risk. Measles is very contagious. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been. This can happen even up to 2 hours after that person has left.

• Protect yourself with the vaccine. The best way to protect against measles is with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR is safe and effective. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles. If you or your children have not been vaccinated or are unsure, talk with your doctor about the MMR vaccine.

• Some adults may also benefit from a booster dose of vaccine – those who were born after 1957 and were vaccinated before 1968. This is because the earlier version of the measles vaccine used during that time has been shown to not be as effective or provide as durable protection as the later vaccine. Again, talk with your doctor to find out if this could benefit you. 

• Masks work very well to help protect you against any respiratory virus. Many studies have repeatedly shown that a N95 (or equivalent KN95, KF94, or FFP2 mask) worn properly can significantly reduce your risk of becoming infected, and even reduce the severity of illness if you do become infected (by reducing the number of virions inhaled). Consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces and when traveling on planes or public transportation.

• Consider where you get your information. Social media is overflowing with all sorts of toxic and misleading misinformation. For example, the reality is the measles vaccine has never been shown to cause an outbreak, despite falsehoods that may be posted on-line. There are also no ‘health benefits’ to having measles infection. “Measles parties” advocated by some are a terrible idea. 

Avian Influenza (H5N1, commonly called “bird flu”)

You can find some background on bird flu in an article last month here. 

Levels of flu and other viral infections disease like COVID are measured in a community by testing wastewater. This has been shown to be accurate, effective, and real-time because infected people shed the virus which then ends up in wastewater. If a virus is detected, it essentially guarantees there is infection in the area.

Bird flu has been found in animals in all 50 states. Over 166 million birds have died or had to be killed so far in this country. This is the main reason eggs have become so expensive: there are simply far fewer chickens left alive to lay eggs. This is not likely to change anytime soon. 

There are a few pieces of recent news regarding bird flu. First, a new variant of the H5N1 bird fluvirus has emerged and spread into cows. It is now endemic in cattle herds around the country. So far 976 cattle herds around the country have become infected with bird flu. 

There have also been 70 confirmed human infections so far along with one death. The virus has also recently been detected in veterinarians who treat cows. 

All this has increased the risk of bird flu developing into a human pandemic. This has not yet happened and hopefully never will, but the risk of widespread transmission is increasing. 

The second piece of recent news is that bird flu has just been found in wastewater in nearby southern Massachusetts, in the Suffolk/Middlesex/Worcester/Plymouth/Norfolk county area – not far from Rhode Island – which means likely human infection in that area. 

What can you do?

• If you have a backyard flock you should take precautions to reduce the risk of spreading disease. Wear protective clothing like gloves, a mask, and goggles.

Keep your flock contained: isolate your birds from visitors and other birds. Prevent germs from spreading by cleaning shoes, tools, and equipment. Reduce the risk of transmission by avoiding sharing tools and equipment with neighbors.

• Be thoughtful indoors in crowded settings. Bird flu like other respiratory viruses spreads in the air and from infected people. Being in a crowded restaurant or bar, or unprotected on a plane, increases your risk of getting infected.

• Wear a mask which can help protect you against any respiratory virus. Consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces or when traveling by plane, train, or bus. 

• Wash your hands frequently when handling birds, wild animals and livestock, or after being in areas where they live. This includes visiting petting zoos, farms, or areas with water features where geese or ducks are found.

• Don’t handle animals who are sick or who’ve been exposed to bird flu. 

• Take off your shoes before entering your home if you’ve been in areas where birds like waterfowl or chickens live. This reduces the risk of spreading bird droppings around your house. 

• Don’t touch or drink unpasteurized (raw) milk. The bird flu virus has been found in unpasteurized milk, and cats have died from bird flu after drinking raw milk.  

• Watch your pets. Cats and dogs can get H5N1 if they contact a dead or sick bird or even its droppings. H5N1 can survive in bird droppings for up to 18 hours. 

Stay informed. You can track bird flu outbreaks on the webpage from the Centers for Disease Control. However, it’s uncertain how long this will last and what information or support we might get from the federal or state governments going forward.

There have previously been three bird flu vaccines approved in the U.S. but none are currently commercially available. Even if these were now manufactured it’s unclear how effective they might be since the virus has mutated since then. 

In January one of the last actions by President Biden was to award a $590 million grant to support development of new vaccines for bird flu. However, the Trump administration is considering cancelling this program. Combined with the recent major cuts in grants from the National Institutes of Health, it’s uncertain if we will ever have a vaccine to protect us from bird flu. 

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has shown little interest in infectious diseases and has said he wants to ‘take a break from infectious diseases for about eight years.’ It’s too bad infectious diseases won’t be taking a break from us – as the continued rise in bird flu and measles cases demonstrates. It’s clear the responsibility for keeping ourselves and our families healthy is increasingly going to be on us.

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Nick Landekic of Bristol is a retired C.E.O. and biotechnology entrepreneur who has spent more than 35 years working in the pharmaceutical industry.