Publications by authors named "Seth Eckel"

Between March 2024 and October 2024, 46 human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) had been detected in the United States. The persistent panzootic spread of HPAI A(H5N1) viruses and continued detection of human cases presents an ongoing threat to public health. In this study, between November 2024 and May 2025, an additional 24 cases have been reported for a total of 70 human cases of HPAI A(H5N1): 41 were exposed to dairy cows, 24 to commercial poultry, two to backyard poultry and three had an unidentified source of exposure.

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Since March 2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses have caused outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry in the United States, and they continue to spill over into humans. However, data on human immune response to those viruses is limited. We report neutralizing antibody responses in 2 dairy farm worker H5N1 cases.

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Background: Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses have caused widespread infections in dairy cows and poultry in the United States, with sporadic human cases. We describe characteristics of human A(H5N1) cases identified from March through October 2024 in the United States.

Methods: We analyzed data from persons with laboratory-confirmed A(H5N1) virus infection using a standardized case-report form linked to laboratory results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention influenza A/H5 subtyping kit.

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As of September 21, 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had resulted in 6,786,352 cases and 199,024 deaths in the United States.* Health care personnel (HCP) are essential workers at risk for exposure to patients or infectious materials (1). The impact of COVID-19 on U.

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Article Synopsis
  • Since February 2020, the U.S. has reported about 6.5 million COVID-19 cases and approximately 190,000 deaths, with a focus on individuals under 21 years old.
  • Among the 121 deaths in this age group during the early pandemic, 63% were males, and most were aged between 10-20 years, with a significant percentage being Hispanic and Black.
  • About 75% of those who died had underlying medical conditions, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and effective prevention strategies as schools reopen.
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Background: Increases in fatal drug poisonings and hepatitis C infections associated with the opioid epidemic are relatively well defined, because passive surveillance systems for these conditions exist. Less described is the association between the opioid epidemic and skin, soft-tissue, and venous infections (SSTVIs), endocarditis, sepsis, and osteomyelitis.

Methods: Michigan hospitalizations between 2016 and 2018 that included an International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification, code indicating substance use were examined for codes indicative of infectious conditions associated with injecting drugs.

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During January 1, 2020-May 18, 2020, approximately 1.3 million cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 83,000 COVID-19-associated deaths were reported in the United States (1). Understanding the demographic and clinical characteristics of decedents could inform medical and public health interventions focused on preventing COVID-19-associated mortality.

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Article Synopsis
  • Influenza spread in the U.S. is affected by travel patterns, climate, and local socioeconomic factors, and understanding these influences could help explain seasonal trends.
  • A study analyzed data from over 35,000 influenza hospitalizations to assess how socioeconomic status impacts the timing and intensity of flu outbreaks across different counties.
  • Results showed that while socioeconomic factors affected hospitalization rates, the synchronization of influenza phases between different locations was influenced more by the year and less by these socioeconomic variables.
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Background: Rates of influenza hospitalizations differ by age, but few data are available regarding differences in laboratory-confirmed rates among adults aged ≥65 years.

Methods: We evaluated age-related differences in influenza-associated hospitalization rates, clinical presentation, and outcomes among 19 760 older adults with laboratory-confirmed influenza at 14 FluSurv-NET sites during the 2011-2012 through 2014-2015 influenza seasons using 10-year age groups.

Results: There were large stepwise increases in the population rates of influenza hospitalization with each 10-year increase in age.

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Background: Hospitalized immunocompromised (IC) adults with influenza may have worse outcomes than hospitalized non-IC adults.

Methods: We identified adults hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza during 2011-2015 seasons through CDC's Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network. IC patients had human immunodefiency virus (HIV)/AIDS, cancer, stem cell or organ transplantation, nonsteroid immunosuppressive therapy, immunoglobulin deficiency, asplenia, and/or other rare conditions.

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Background: Rapid reporting of human infections with novel influenza A viruses accelerates detection of viruses with pandemic potential and implementation of an effective public health response. After detection of human infections with influenza A (H3N2) variant (H3N2v) viruses associated with agricultural fairs during August 2016, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services worked with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify infections with variant influenza viruses using a text-based illness monitoring system.

Objective: To enhance detection of influenza infections using text-based monitoring and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the system for use in future outbreaks of novel influenza viruses.

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Background: The severity of the 2017-2018 influenza season in the United States was high, with influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominating. Here, we report influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) and estimate the number of vaccine-prevented influenza-associated illnesses, medical visits, hospitalizations, and deaths for the 2017-2018 influenza season.

Methods: We used national age-specific estimates of 2017-2018 influenza vaccine coverage and disease burden.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the impact of socioeconomic factors at the census tract level, like poverty and household crowding, on the risk of influenza hospitalization, in addition to individual-level factors.
  • - Analysis of over 33,500 confirmed influenza hospitalizations from 2009 to 2014 shows that certain individual demographics, such as age and race, significantly influence hospitalization risk, with people aged 65 and older at the highest risk.
  • - The research concludes that socioeconomic factors in the community can explain 11% of the differences in hospitalization rates, emphasizing the role of neighborhood characteristics in public health.
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(See the Editorial Commentary by Martin on pages 368-9.)Using population-based surveillance data, we analyzed antiviral treatment among hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Treatment increased after the influenza A(H1N1) 2009 pandemic from 72% in 2010-2011 to 89% in 2014-2015 (P < .

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On August 3, 2016, the Ohio Department of Health Laboratory reported to CDC that a respiratory specimen collected on July 28 from a male aged 13 years who attended an agricultural fair in Ohio during July 22-29, 2016, and subsequently developed a respiratory illness, tested positive by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) for influenza A(H3N2) variant* (H3N2v). The respiratory specimen was collected as part of routine influenza surveillance activities. The next day, CDC was notified of a child aged 9 years who was a swine exhibitor at an agricultural fair in Michigan who became ill on July 29, 2016, and tested positive for H3N2v virus at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Laboratory.

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