Survey on the prevalence of Nipah virus in Pteropus medius bats from non-outbreak regions of India.

Cruise ships and other confined travel settings remain highly vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks. During 2025-2026, multiple norovirus outbreaks and the rare Andes hantavirus outbreak associated with the MV Hondius cruise highlighted the continuing public health challenges posed by both highly transmissible enteric viruses and emerging zoonotic pathogens. This review summarises recent cruise-associated viral outbreaks with particular emphasis on indirect transmission pathways, environmental persistence, and the limitations of conventional outbreak-control strategies. Norovirus outbreaks continued to occur despite implementation of enhanced sanitation and infection-control measures, highlighting the difficulty of interrupting transmission in environments where contaminated surfaces, aerosolised particles, and shared spaces may contribute to viral spread. In contrast, the Andes virus outbreak emphasised the additional risks associated with expedition-style travel, delayed symptom onset, zoonotic exposure, and complex international surveillance requirements. Current outbreak responses remain largely dependent on reactive measures such as cleaning, disinfection, passenger isolation, and contact tracing. However, the repeated occurrence of these outbreaks suggests that these approaches alone may be insufficient for long-term prevention in highly interconnected environments. Emerging environmental intervention strategies, including advanced air decontamination systems, antiviral surface coatings, self-disinfecting smart materials, and peptide-based antiviral technologies, have demonstrated promising antiviral activity against a range of respiratory and enteric viruses. These technologies may offer complementary passive protection approaches capable of reducing environmental contamination and minimising indirect viral transmission. Collectively, this review highlights the need to move beyond conventional reactive sanitation measures towards integrated and multidisciplinary preparedness strategies for future outbreak prevention in cruise ships and other crowded, closed, and interconnected settings.

The 2026 Bundibugyo virus outbreak: a test of global outbreak preparedness.

With the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the rational use of medications and clinical profiles in the afflicted children-a particularly susceptible group-warrant further investigation. This paper analyzed the rationality of medicinal treatments and clinical characteristics in children with COVID-19. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of pediatric inpatients with COVID-19 admitted to the Fifth Hospital of Xiamen from January 2025 to December 2025. Clinical classifications, symptoms, outcomes, complications and the use of therapeutic drugs were statistically analyzed. The rationality of medication was assessed by indication consistency and administration routes. The clinical cure and improvement rate reached 99.22% in the 129 confirmed pediatric cases of COVID-19. They were categorized into a mild group (69 cases, 53.49%), a moderate group (59 cases, 45.74%), and a critical group (1 case, 0.77%). Clinical manifestations mainly included fever, cough, and runny nose. A significant difference was evident between the mild group and the moderate group in age, weight, outcomes, and clinical symptoms (e.g., coughing, runny nose, and nasal congestion) (P < 0.05 for all). Compared with the mild group, the moderate group reported a significantly higher reception of expectorants, nebulized inhalation medication, antihistamines, glucocorticoids, and antibiotics (P < 0.05 for all). In the mild and moderate groups, the irrational use of medications involved 3 types of drugs in 15 pediatric patients, including 2 cases (3.39%) of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), 8 cases (13.11%) of antibacterial drugs, and 5 cases (5.43%) of interferon alpha 1b for injection. The irrationality of the first two types was attributed to inconsistent medication indications and that of the last type to mismatched administration routes. One rare complication, specifically multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), was identified in the critical group. The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in children are predominantly mild and moderate, with an overall favorable prognosis. The moderate group presents more pronounced respiratory symptoms (cough, runny nose, nasal congestion). The risk of complications in children with mild to moderate symptoms is similar, emphasizing the importance of early screening and prevention of complications. In clinical care for children with COVID-19, medication irrationality, such as indication inconsistency and mismatched administration routes, still exist in the administration of antiviral drugs, glucocorticoids, and antibiotics in some children with mild to moderate symptoms. The findings indicate a need for further optimizing real-world clinical practice and provide some insights for rational drug use.

Banked serum samples from ferrets previously immunized with the Ebola virus vaccine revealed a prominent but limited humoral immune response that cross-reacted with Bundibugyo virus. The supporting immunogenicity data we report may help guide the ongoing response to the current outbreak of Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Counting everyone onboard is not enough: modelling lessons from the MV Hondius Andes virus outbreak.

BackgroundIn Australia, high pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) coverage has been achieved, yet invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) continues to cause a significant burden of disease. The epidemiology of IPD was altered by the nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) used to control the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to analyze this impact on the clinical characteristics associated with IPD in Australian children.MethodWe systematically evaluated the clinical and microbiological characteristics of IPD in children (<18 years) presenting to 4 Australian children's hospitals 2 years before (2017–2018: prepandemic) and after (2021–2022: postpandemic) the implementation of NPIs to mitigate COVID-19. Case counts and proportions were used to compare clinical presentations.ResultsWe identified 220 cases of IPD: 116 in 2017–2018 and 104 in 2021–2022. Causative serotypes were available for 176 cases (80%), with serotype 3 most frequently identified (26% of serotyped IPD, 46/176). One-quarter of cases were due to serotypes included in newer PCVs. Postpandemic cases had a higher proportion of meningitis (13.5% vs 3.4%, P = .001) and test-confirmed associated viral infections (63.8% vs 36.2%, P = .008) compared to prepandemic cases. Children with viral co-infections were significantly more likely to have prolonged fevers (>14 days; 13% vs 1%, P = .001).ConclusionsAlternations in the prevalence of respiratory viral transmission influence the epidemiology and clinical presentation of IPD. Newer PCVs and the implementation of immunization programs that target viral pathogens associated with IPD may reduce the ongoing burden of IPD in children.

Characterizing the molecular signature of obesity through urine metabolomics in a large Chinese population.

Preparing for exotic foot-and-mouth disease virus outbreaks in the European neighbourhood: cross-neutralisation of internationally available vaccines against South American serotype O and serotype A field isolates.

Emerging lipids-based adjuvant delivery technologies for vaccines.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor BTKi-2 inhibits mpox virus and vaccinia virus infection.

Bundibugyo virus outbreak: when a concerning pathogen meets a humanitarian emergency.

Neutralising antibody responses to MPXV clades Ia, Ib, and IIb after infection or vaccination: a multicountry observational study.

Rapid maternal death surveillance and response during a hepatitis E virus outbreak in Madani, Al Jazera state, Sudan.

Injectable vaccines seldom establish durable mucosal immunity in airways, permitting recurrent outbreaks of respiratory viruses. Although inhalation targets the respiratory mucosa directly, effective inhalable vaccines remain limited due to a size mismatch: pulmonary deposition favors micron-scale aerosols (∼1-5 μm), while mucosal penetration and antigen-presenting cell uptake require nanoscale carriers (<100 nm). In this study, we presented an inhalable viromimetic polymeric nanoparticle vaccine (iVPNVax) based on biocompatible PEG-b-PLA. Building on our previously established VPNVax platform, a microfluidic assembly was employed to reduce the particle size from ∼100 nm to ∼75 nm, thereby improving size uniformity and stability. During aerosolization, the iVPNVax nanoparticles were carried within micron-scale droplets that enabled efficient pulmonary deposition, after which they re-dispersed into nanoscale particles in the lung to support uptake by pulmonary cells. This delivery-driven pulmonary retention supported coordinated mucosal and systemic immunity, including robust BALF IgA production and the establishment of lung tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells with a Th1/Th17 phenotype. In a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 challenge, iVPNVax conferred superior protection compared with soluble antigen formulations. These findings reveal an inhalable nanoparticle vaccine platform that overcomes the key challenges associated with mucosal vaccination and provides a practical path for advancing respiratory vaccine development.

Outbreak preparedness and response in a globalized world: are we ready?

Update on the Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo.

Quantum dot-FRET viral biosensors: Materials, surface chemistry, and recognition architectures.

Viral nervous necrosis (VNN), caused by the nervous necrosis virus (NNV) of the genus Betanodavirus, is a significant threat to global aquaculture, resulting in substantial economic losses in both marine and freshwater fish farming. The virus demonstrates considerable genetic diversity, encompassing multiple genotypes and reassortant strains that affect host susceptibility and disease severity across a wide array of fish species. Environmental factors strongly influence viral transmission and outbreak dynamics. Advances in diagnostic methodologies have enhanced the speed and sensitivity of detection. Although commercial vaccines are available for selected host species and production settings, their availability remains limited across fish species, viral genotypes, geographic regions, and early developmental stages. This review summarizes the current knowledge on Betanodavirus virology, host tropism, epidemiology, molecular diagnosis, microbiome, and control. Furthermore, it focuses on advanced disease manipulation via the microbiome and emerging molecular diagnostic platforms.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b continue to spread globally, causing major outbreaks in wild birds and poultry. In Africa, however, genomic data remain limited, restricting understanding of viral introduction routes and circulation patterns. Here, we report the whole-genome characterisation of an HPAI A(H5N1) virus detected in a common tern (Sterna hirundo) found dead on the Namibian coast during the most recent avian influenza outbreak recorded in the country. Viral RNA was subjected to whole-genome sequencing using the Illumina Viral Surveillance Panel v2 on a NextSeq 1000 platform. Complete or near-complete sequences were obtained for all eight genome segments and deposited in GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses, performed using African clade 2.3.4.4b H5Nx sequences and the closest related sequences identified through database searches, showed that the Namibian virus belonged to clade 2.3.4.4b and clustered within the EA-2024-DI.2 subgenotype. Across all segments, the virus grouped with contemporary European EA-2024-DI.2 viruses circulating during the 2024-2025 epidemic wave, supporting a likely Eurasian origin. For six of the eight segments, it also clustered closely with an EA-2024-DI.2 virus detected in a gull-billed tern in Uganda in December 2024. Molecular analysis identified a polybasic haemagglutinin cleavage site consistent with high pathogenicity and a mutational profile broadly similar to contemporary EA-2024-DI.2 viruses. The HA substitution, associated in previous studies with increased binding to mammalian-type α2-6 receptors, may warrant further investigation. These findings highlight the role of migratory seabirds in H5N1 dissemination and reinforce the need for strengthened genomic surveillance in African wild birds and poultry.