The Danger of ‘Invisible’ #Biolabs Across the U.S.

Opinion by Dan Greene, August 31, 2023

"Recently, many #California residents were disturbed to learn that a small, privately-operated bio lab in the #CentralValley town of #Reedley was shut down by Fresno County Department of Public Health officials after they found that it had been improperly managing almost 1,000 laboratory mice and samples of infectious diseases including #COVID19, #rubella, #malaria, #dengue, #chlamydia, #hepatitis, and #HIV. The lab was registered to a company called #PrestigeBiotech that sold a variety of medical testing kits, including for pregnancy and COVID-19, and it was likely storing disease samples for the purpose of developing and validating its testing kits. Government authorities are still investigating the company’s history, but it appears to have previously operated a lab in Fresno under the name Universal MediTech, where city officials flagged it for investigation regarding improperly stored chemicals.

"From what is publicly known, the Reedley lab should likely have followed proper biosafety practices to minimize the risks of an #outbreak, and it apparently failed to do so. It could have caused illness, disruption, or even death among local communities and beyond depending on the circumstances of an outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (#CDC) maintains a system of four 'Biosafety Level' standards that are used worldwide for work with dangerous pathogens. Based on the pathogens that were being used at the Reedley lab, it probably should have followed Biosafety Level 3, which involves controlling the airflow inside the lab as well as a host of other practices, equipment, and facility design requirements.

"Yet, astonishingly, the U.S. government seems to not have even known that the Reedley lab existed until it was discovered by chance by Jesalyn Harper, an observant local city code enforcement officer—the only such officer working full-time in the entire city. Once discovered, the Fresno County and California Departments of Public Health found it to be in violation of local and state codes, including those for registering clinical labs and managing medical waste. Based on our reading of available information, it was likely also in violation of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations for protecting workers from bloodborne pathogens. But these codes require proactive reporting, and the lab simply never reported any issues to regulators. In slightly different circumstances, it would likely have continued to operate unnoticed for a long time."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/the-danger-of-invisible-biolabs-across-the-u-s/ar-AA1g2xoJ?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=63e1f402a65c4defaf12a4efa4962d12&ei=7

#BioHazard #LabSafety #Pathogens
Potential #Pandemic #LabLeak

“Hepatitis screening during pregnancy is an opportunity to promote a dialogue between pregnant patients and their clinicians about #hepatitis transmission; ongoing and new risk factors; and, if not previously vaccinated, hepatitis B vaccination in #pregnancy"

New guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - #Obgynodon & #IDMastodon.

https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2023/08/acog-releases-new-guidance-on-viral-hepatitis-in-pregnancy?utm_source=higher-logic&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Aug-18&utm_campaign=acog2023-rounds

#Ensenada #BC #Ens #4T #GOBMX #AMLO #FiestaCallejera #Taller #BajaCalifornia #CEARTEnsenada #CEART #Danzón #Hepatitis #ISSSTE #Cultura

Robinson SJ, Borland J, Himsworth CG, Pearl DL, Weese JS, Dibernardo A, et al. Rat #hepatitis E virus in Norway #rats, #Ontario, #Canada, 2018–2021. Emerg Infect Dis. 2023 Sep [date cited]. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2909.230517 #research #EID #zoonoses

A large study of #hepatitis C perinatal transmission in this month's "Green Journal." Rate of transmission 6 % - "A viremic threshold for perinatal transmission could not be established."

#obgynodon & #idmastdon
https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Fulltext/9900/Risk_Factors_for_Perinatal_Transmission_of.827.aspx

RT WHO/Europe - VPI
#DYK? Most of the people living with hepatitis B in the @WHO European Region are adults born before the #hepatitis B #vaccine became available in the 1990s.
#VaccinesWork

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/WHO_Europe_VPI/status/1685233411630280705

Some of the ways #hepatitis
C can be passed on are:

*sharing injecting equipment for any type of drug
* from drug paraphernalia, like injecting equipment, bank notes or straws to snort with, spoons or pipes
*unsterilised tattoo, piercing or acupuncture equipment
*sharing things like razors, toothbrushes or hair clippers that may have blood on them
*sex without a condom with someone with hepatitis C (but the chance is low unless it's sexual activity that might expose someone to blood)
*If you are pregnant and have hepatitis C, there is a small chance of it being passed on to the baby.

Get tested for free (England only) hepctest.nhs.uk

#stis #nhs #health

RT Eurosurveillance
Our new issue marking #WorldHepatitisDay2023 is out with data on #HCV and #HBV in 🇬🇪 and updated #hepatitis B prevalence estimates for the 🇪🇺🇳🇴🇮🇸 🇱🇮 🇬🇧
👉🏽https://bit.ly/EUS2830
#WHD #HepatitisDay23 #NoHep #OneLifeOneLiver #publichealth #epidemiology #SDG3

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/Eurosurveillanc/status/1684582287776555009

RT Eurosurveillance
Re @ECDC_EU @eHealth_EU @EU_Health @emcdda @Hep_Alliance Research from 🇬🇪
a 📈 in #Hepatitis C #prevalence 2015-2021 indicates that the elimination programme has effectively tackled the country's #hepC #epidemic
Walker et al. validate & update projections of #HCV prevalence & incidence
➡️https://bit.ly/EUS2830HCV
#HepatitisDay23

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/Eurosurveillanc/status/1684843887280754688

Re SURVEILLANCE
➡️ Countries should continue to improve their information systems to understand the national burden of #ViralHepatitis and be able to monitor progress towards the elimination target.
#WorldHepatitisDay #Hepatitis

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/ECDC_EU/status/1684858097162964993

Re The aim of #WorldHepatitisDay marked on 28 July each year, is to increase the awareness and understanding of #ViralHepatitis and the five known #hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Read more about the campaign here: https://bit.ly/HepDay2023

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/ECDC_EU/status/1684858099935363072

"The prevalence of maternal #hepatitis C virus infection has significantly increased in the U.S. since the start of the opioid epidemic in 1998" - I think I may have already posted this #ObGynodon & #IDMastodon but #WorldHepatitisDay was last week. https://www.healio.com/news/womens-health-ob-gyn/20230731/hcvpositive-pregnancies-in-us-increased-16fold-from-1998-to-2018

The Lancet Microbe's August editorial>

Hoping for #hepatitis C elimination https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(23)00224-0/fulltext

#HCV

Good morning 🌞

We are close to 6.000 received Hepatitis C tests in just a couple of months!

Hep C is a hidden condition and anyone can have it without symptoms, so if you are living in England please get your home 🏠 test kit on https://hepctest.nhs.uk/

#nhs #hepatitis #stis

On #WorldHepatitisDay, let’s come together to eliminate #hepatitis:
📌 step up screening
📌 facilitate vaccination
📌 improve access to effective treatments
#NoHep #OneLifeOneLiver

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/EMA_News/status/1684892955989925888

⌛ It’s time to act. Make your voice heard!
We’re #NotWaiting to increase access to the latest #hepatitis therapies and support those who need it🤝
Learn more about the EU's commitment to improving healthcare 👉 https://health.ec.europa.eu/health-security-and-infectious-diseases/hivaids-hepatitis-and-tuberculosis_en
#WorldHepatitisDay

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/ECRepMalta/status/1684926759052222465

The August issue of The Lancet Microbe is now online:

https://thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/issue/current

The journal is #OpenAccess 🔓, so you are free to explore all of its content, but these hashtags offer a flavour:

#COVID19 #SARSCoV2 #AMR #Paenibacillus #hydrocephalus #BNT162b2 #HCV #hepatitis #tachykinins #tuberculosis #TB #OA

More evidence for AAV-2 as cause for severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children

#Science #hepatitis #medicine #MedMastodon #virology #antibody #serology

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adh9917

> AAV-2–reactive antibodies and evidence of AAV-2 helper virus infection are associated with pediatric severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology.

Cada 28 de julio se celebra el día Mundial contra la Hepatitis Vírica, con el objetivo de reducir en un 90% la probabilidad de nuevas infecciones de hepatitis en cualquiera de sus presentaciones.

https://somosdisca.es/dia-mundial-contra-la-hepatitis-virica-2023/

#Hepatitis #hepatitisvirica #salud #enfermedad #prevencion #cuidados #disability #discapacidad #yosipuedo #YosoyTitanico #gentetitanica #Somosdisca

„Lassen Sie sich von Ihrer Ärztin bzw. Ihrem Arzt beraten, ob eine #Hepatitis-Impfung bei Ihnen sinnvoll ist. Denn klar ist: Wer geimpft ist, schützt sowohl sich selbst als auch andere.“
Bayerns Gesundheitsminister Klaus Holetschek zum Welt-Hepatitis-Tag.

https://www.stmgp.bayern.de/presse/holetschek-und-die-landesarbeitsgemeinschaft-impfen-lagi-raten-zur-ueberpruefung-des/