COVID-19, Flu, H5N1 Avian Flu, Measles, Vaccinations and other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 9th January 2025

COVID-19, Flu, H5N1 Avian Flu, Measles, Vaccinations and other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 9th January 2025

Hello, I'm back! Happy New Year! I hope your festivities were good ones, ours were great. We got to spend time with 5 of our 6 kids, plus the Grandparents, which was a treat indeed. It's been 4 weeks since the last update and thankfully it's been fairly quiet, but I shall start with something very much personal...

A few days after my last post, my strong, fit and healthy 15 year old became suddenly very unwell. We had swift advice from our GP, a visit to Stranraer A&E, a 90 mile blue light ambulance trip to Glasgow Children's Hospital, a night in the Paediatric ICU and a 2 day stay in the cardiac ward. We also got a diagnosis of a congenital heart condition which we were completely unaware of before, and my son home and safe. 

What was a terrifying experience was made so much easier by every single NHS and hospital employee we encountered. They were amazing. We were all treated with great care, nothing was an inconvenience. Everything was clearly explained and my son was remarkably calm the whole time, even when in a lot of pain and when told his sensible next step is heart surgery. If I live to be 100, I could not thank you all enough.

On my partner's 2 hour drive back from bringing toothbrushes and clean clothes up to Glasgow our car broke, so I also have gratitude to the garage, who fit in a repair 3 days before Christmas. 

So this is me, repeating my heartfelt (and in honesty teary) thanks to ALL of the vital essential workers who keep our loved ones alive and our world turning, often on low wages and with long unsocial hours, and over Christmas and other holidays. You are seen, and you really are valued. Thank you all of you. 

I also want to once again reiterate just how valuable our NHS is.

In the US I wouldn't just have my son's health to worry about, the ambulance alone could have cost us over £10,000, on top of insurance. At one point, at 11pm at night, my son had 5 consultants, 2 doctors and 2 nurses attending to him. He got the very, very best of care, and he is home and well. 

I say it at the end of every single post. Save The NHS.

So... in the UK at least the mega-flu the papers were getting excited about didn't happen - quite the opposite at this point, as the numbers of flu patients in hospital fell for 2 weeks over Christmas, to around half what they were in 2022-23 and 2024-25. I won't get cocky just yet, that's still more than either of the 2023-24 double peaks, and we've a lot of Winter left yet. We are now seeing the effect of all that mixing over Christmas and the colder weather, with a rise of around 9% in latest weekly stats. This is really to be expected, but always unwelcome. Fingers crossed it's just a little bump, not a bounce. The average number of flu patients in hospital beds in England last week was 2,924. 

COVID is also up, but still baseline, and RSV activity shows "mixed trends and is circulating at medium levels". 

 

In the US the flu season didn't arrive early, it's bad and it's still in full upswing. In the week ending 27th December 2025 8.2% of visits to a healthcare provider were for respiratory illnesses (the highest on record) and 33,301 flu patients were admitted to hospital. The US CDC estimates that "there have been at least 11,000,000 illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths from flu so far this season" (since 28th September 2025). This includes 9 children reported to have died.

The US fluview map looks very much brown and purple (bad) this week, and 48 jurisdictions are labelled high or very high. Only Montana, Vermont and the Virgin and North Mariana Islands have 'low' activity. Over 9,850 patients with influenza-like symptoms visited New York emergency rooms during the week ending 20th December - the busiest week in the past decade. Fingers crossed the peak will come soon. 

On 2nd January the UK NHS rolled out the chickenpox jab. The MMR becomes the MMRV vaccine - covering measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox - with two doses at 12 and 18 months. There are also catch-up doses for children up to age 6.

This is a vaccine that's been widely used around the world for some considerable time, it prevents around 98% of cases in children, and should save the NHS and UK businesses £39 million yearly. Currently over 100 UK and NI children each year become severely ill from varicella (chickenpox) and around 6 die. Many of those who are not severely ill are left with scars. Receiving the chickenpox jab has also been proven to reduce the risk and severity of shingles in later life. It may also reduce the risk of meningitis from varicella - the cause of my partner's illness in 2013. 

Also on 2nd January the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved zapomeran (Kostaive) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for adults 18+.

This has upset the conspiracy theorists because it is a "self-amplifying messenger RNA (sa-mRNA)". It actually tells specific cells to temporarily make the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein - not the whole virus, just a recognisable harmless bit of it. That spike protein is then attacked as foreign by the immune system and remembered, the same way as traditional vaccines work.

Clearly zapomeran wouldn't have been approved without thorough testing (initially in Vietnam beginning 2021), which found it safe and effective. Furthermore it's been approved in the EU since February last year, and Japan have been using it since November 2023. 

Benefits are that sa-mRNA can be stored and transported as a powder at regular fridge temperature, only a tiny dose is needed, it stimulates the immune system for longer therefore creating a robust longer-lasting memory and needing less boosters, it is very quick to manufacture and is really easily tailored specifically - making it an excellent candidate for treatment against conditions like HIV, rabies and some cancers. The future of sa-mRNA does look promising. 

Meanwhile in the USA RFK Jr, head of Health and Human Services, art history and law graduate, known anti-vaxxer and not in any way an educated or qualified scientist or medic, has, as we feared he would despite promises he absolutely wouldn't, made changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. He has made these changes unilaterally, without following the Administrative Procedures Act or taking advice from expert groups (including his own hand-picked ACIP panel), and they are likely to be challenged in court, for all the good that'll do. (US officials don't even get anyone's approval to go to war these days..)

For now US health insurance will still cover all 17 vaccines recommended at the end of 2025, but vaccines are split into 3 categories:

- Just 11 are now recommended for all children: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV and varicella (chicken pox).

- Several are only recommended if high risk: RSV, hepatitis A and B, dengue, and meningitis jabs ACWY and B.

- Some are at your doctor's discretion: COVID, flu and rotavirus.

A record-breaking 288 children died from flu in the US last season (end of September 2024-2025), the highest figure outside of a pandemic - 89% were not vaccinated. How to even begin to assess risk factors for some of these is insanity. Students going to college or uni are one of the biggest risk groups for meningitis, but you can catch or develop it at any time and it can kill you within hours. My partner was 41. He still has memory problems, walks with a limp and has chronic hand pain. He's alive, by crikey he's lucky.

Trump made the announcement and declared the changes were "rooted in the gold standard of science". Well, they aren't, and scientists very much disagree with him. 

Dr Elisabeth Marnik PhD (sciencewhizliz), Director of Science Education & Outreach at the MDI Biological Laboratory (University of Maine) is fairly typical, and doesn't swear, so I can share her comments:

"Today's decision to change the recommended vaccine schedule to protect kids against 11 instead of 17 diseases isn't the way to make them more healthy. Pathogens carry real risks. Need some examples?

- Rotavirus may increase risk of type 1 diabetes.

- Infants infected with Hep B have a 90% chance of getting a chronic infection. Which is associated with liver damage and liver cancer.

- 10-15% of Meningococcal disease is fatal. Those that survive face a 20-60% risk of a disability

- Last year 89% of kids who died from the flu were unvaccinated.

I could continue."

The US vaccine changes are said to be modelled on the childhood vaccination schedule used by Denmark. This would be much more suitable if everything else matched Denmark. For starters the US doesn't have free universal healthcare, which means even from before you are born there are differences in access to medical advice, doctors and medication. Denmark has statutory minimum sick pay of 4550DKK (£528/$710), up to 52 weeks of parental leave for babies and often up to 5 days paid leave to care for sick children, so it's easier to stay home when you or the kids are ill - and that disparity only widens the poorer you are. 

The 2 dose measles vaccination was introduced in the US in 1989 when there were around 18,000 cases. In 1990 there were 27,000 cases, and in 1991 the vaccination effect first became noticeable with just over 9,000 cases. Since then cases averaged far less than 1,000 a year, until vaccine-hesitancy came along. In 2025 there were 2,144 confirmed cases of measles in the US, the highest figure since 1991.

Figures were on a downward trend by the end of the year, so looks hopeful it won't be repeated in 2026... 

H5N1 Avian Flu continues on its path of death and destruction. We have sick foxes in Germany, the first infected dairy cattle in Wisconsin, US, the second confirmed fatal case of avian flu in a domestic dog in Canada, and thankfully the good news that although whales and dolphins can catch H5N1, there's no sign of sustained transmission (passing it from one to the whole group/pod/shoal/herd or whatever the collective nouns are). 

In the UK in the past 2 weeks H5N1 has been confirmed in 3rd commercial poultry premises near Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, a commercial backyard flock of poultry near Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and in a flock of non-commercial captive birds near Bridgwater, Somerset.

Sadly the 2025/2026 season (since 1st October) has 83 reported outbreaks, higher than the whole of last season. Totals are (a month ago in brackets):

England - 67 (54)

Scotland - 5 (1)

Wales - 7 (7)

Northern Ireland - 4 (4)

Total - 83 (66)

In the US latest figures for H5N1 show another 68 bird flocks confirmed infected over the last 30 days (16 commercial and 52 backyard), and just the 1 Wisconsin dairy herd. No new human detections thankfully. 

Hedgehog Cabin

Rabies is making the news in the US. Around 4,000 animal rabies cases are detected each year, and 90% are wild. It is fairly unusual for captive animals to become infected, and vaccination is very common - in some areas mandatory for cats, dogs and some other house pets. A South Carolina cow has tested positive, after it was found wandering loose along a roadway, and a Chicago dog tested positive, sadly after visiting a Doggy Day Care used by at least 90 other pet owners and with 13 staff. The dog had been vaccinated, so it's horrific bad luck for everyone involved. The rabies vaccine is at least 88% effective at preventing infection in dogs.

It isn't just in the UK that sexually transmitted infections are on the rise. In the US syphilis has seen a sharp increase since clinics shut during COVID and local health teams more recently had their funding cut. Syphilis is particularly hard on unborn babies, with up to a 40% fatality rate, and a high chance of severe health problems for babies who survive. Maternal syphilis rates in the US tripled between 2016 to 2022 according to CDC figures, reaching 280.4 per 100,000 births in 2022. Mississippi is currently possibly the worst affected state, with almost 4 times that number, 1 in 100 births. It also has a very high rate of poverty and low rate of heath insurance, and in August declared a public health emergency due to high infant mortality rates at almost 1%. 

In some US states and in most countries of the world routine screening for syphilis is part of regular antenatal care. Syphilis can usually be treated with a single course of penicillin. This is a tragedy on all levels.

Baroness Michelle 'Cowardly Thief' Mone seems to have got away with it, as rich people tend to. Her 'husband's' PPE firm 'PPE Medpro' has been asked to repay the UK Government £148 MILLION for supplying unusable PPE, and a £39 MILLION tax bill on top. From the comfort of her luxury yacht and taxpayer-funded hedonism, Michelle informs us that sadly PPE Medpro went into liquidation the day before the money was due, and it has no assets, so unfortunately there's nothing can be done to repay the debt.

I'll try not to remember this next time I read that some impoverished soul is imprisoned for not paying their council tax bill because they prioritised food. 

The World Health Organisation reminds us that it is never all bad news. 2025 really was a great year for disease control here on Earth. Some of the successes:

- The Maldives became the first country to achieve “triple elimination” of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B.

- Burundi, Egypt and Fiji eliminated trachoma.

- Guinea and Kenya eliminated sleeping sickness.

- Niger became the first African country to eliminate river blindness.

- Georgia, Suriname and Timor-Leste were certified malaria-free.

- Brazil eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV

In large part because of the Winter bugs and flu season, and the cold, slippy weather, the UK NHS is expecting it's busiest week and has asked people to please be sensible and helpful. Stay at home if you are ill or the weather is bad. Wash your hands regularly and keep yourself warm, and don't be going dancing in the street in your slippers when there's ice. Only go to A&E or your doctor if you need to - use 111 online or on the phone to find out which is the best service for you. However if you are having an emergency and a life may be in danger, you must always still call 999. 

It is the weekend, hurrah indeed! First week back is always hard work, and makes me think humans were definitely designed to hibernate, or at least sleep much longer in Winter. I shall be treating myself to a lie in tomorrow (as long as the massive puppy agrees), I hope you have some time to treat yourself to something nice too - by crikey you've earnt it! Because I can't say it enough, genuine thanks to everyone who worked over Christmas - you honestly are heroes, and I hope you have made or will make the time to get your own 'festive break', thank you for letting us take ours. 

I should be back in 2 weeks, medical emergencies and power cuts aside. Until next time...

Wear A Hat, Open Windows Regularly, and please, please Save The NHS...

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Sources COVID

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

UK Health Data 

https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/

UK latest COVID cases UPDATES THURSDAY 4pm

https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/respiratory-viruses/covid-19

GP surveillance England Primary Care 

https://www.rcgp.org.uk/representing-you/research-at-rcgp/research-surveillance-centre/public-health-data

UK Norovirus weekly update

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-norovirus-and-rotavirus-surveillance-reports-2025-to-2026-season/national-norovirus-and-rotavirus-report-week-44-report-data-to-week-43-data-up-to-26-october-2025

US CDC respiratory dashboard 

https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/index.html

Reference pages H5N1 

https://bnonews.com/index.php/human-cases-of-h5n1-bird-flu/

https://www.paho.org/en/topics/avian-influenza

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock

https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england

Measles Sit Rep US CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

UK cases Measles 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-epidemiology-2023/confirmed-cases-of-measles-in-england-by-month-age-region-and-upper-tier-local-authority-2025

Canada Measles

https://health-infobase.canada.ca/measles-rubella/

Influenza A and B can cause severe symptoms, Influenza C generally only mild symproms (no vaccines necessary for type C).

H1 - more likely to make you vomit and cough

H3 - more likely to give you a higher fever

Moo flu B3.13 / generally mild human

Wild bird flu D.1.x / generally severe human

Sources for Images

Hedgehog cabin hedgehog food

https://x.com/HedgehogCabin/status/2008649100099551589/photo/2

First signs of the flu WHO image fever muscle ache cough runny nose sore throat

https://x.com/i/status/2008810839848133087

UK HSA spread fun not flu image 

https://x.com/i/status/2005652569469669446

WHO end of year success images

WHO record breaking trial 2025

https://x.com/i/status/2004092311999828236

Ebola defeated in 6 weeks WHO

https://x.com/i/status/2004190521670226097

Measles deaths dropped 88% in 25 years WHO

https://x.com/i/status/2003813270654693397

Thank you NHS staff for working over Christmas

https://x.com/i/status/2004477545505304677

Text sources

UK flu view

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2025-to-2026-season/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-report-8-january-2026-week-2

UK flu bounce BBC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qp47ze35do

UK NHS flu etc warning

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2026/01/bounce-back-in-winter-viruses-as-nhs-top-doctor-warns-the-worst-is-far-from-over/

Flu down in England, Scotland and Wales 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly5z0jz4k4o

Pagel not a superflu year

https://open.substack.com/pub/christinapagel/p/it-was-not-a-super-flu-year?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&shareImageVariant=overlay&r=354hjt

USA Flu View

https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2025-week-52.html

US flu Reuters with comment

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-says-2025-26-flu-season-moderately-severe-cases-hit-11-million-2026-01-05/

Outpatient visits for flu highest on record in US 

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/flu-activity-continues-climb-us-11-million-cases/story?id=128891188&utm_social_post_id=643374289&cid=social_twitter_abcn&utm_social_handle_id=28785486

US flu is 'having a year'

https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/flu-is-up-up-and-away-snap-restrictions?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&shareImageVariant=overlay&r=354hjt

New York record flu numbers

https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/health/spreading-like-wildfire-urgent-cares-out-of-control-as-flu-numbers-peak-in-new-york/

Fluview map

https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/usmap.html

Flu visits highest in 10 years New York

https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/fWvf30TgiW

NYT flu visits 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/nyregion/nyc-flu-cases.html

Free chickenpox jab rolled out for all UK kids

https://x.com/i/status/2007011918830326136

Free chickenpox jab rolled out for all UK kids

https://x.com/i/trending/2006992468810805635

MMRV UK 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/02/chickenpox-vaccine-nhs-varicella-virus

UK severe illness chickenpox

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2066097/

BBC Chickenpox UK

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0rnqj52y5o

UK NHS Chickenpox

https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/chickenpox-vaccine/

Kostaive (zapomeran)

https://x.com/i/status/2007523684291097066

MHRA approves zapomeran (Kostaive) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine - GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-approves-zapomeran-kostaive-mrna-covid-19-vaccine

Kostaive EU

https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/kostaive

sa-mRNA benefits and challenges

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12031284/

US flu season paediatric deaths 2024-2025

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/18/cdc-flu-vaccination

US Childhood immunisation schedule 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTJ8dOyDZlM/?igsh=MTV0MzliNzE1ZWFldg==

Changes to US vaccine schedule 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceqzlvg83wgo

Deep.cuts to vaccine schedule 

https://www.axios.com/2026/01/05/trump-rfk-kennedy-vaccine-schedule-children

Cidrap - changes modelled on Denmark

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-vaccines/hhs-announces-unprecedented-overhaul-us-childhood-vaccine-schedule

Rfk Jr overhauls childhood vaccine schedule 

https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/T9qdngkVRy

RFK Jr universal recommendations

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cdc-childhood-immunization-schedule-removing-universal-recommendation-multiple/story?id=128917497

RFK Jr works unilaterally

https://x.com/i/status/2008324119083786418

And again, unilateral decisions

https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/a-unilateral-change-to-childhood?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&shareImageVariant=overlay&r=354hjt

Rotavirus

https://archive.is/jqBZ2

Denmark paid time off for child's sickness

https://www.oresunddirekt.se/en/working-in-denmark/working-in-denmark/child-care-when-you-work-in-denmark/

Denmark parental leave

https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/family?country=1329&field_hn_topics[1395]=1395

Denmark sick pay

https://lifeindenmark.borger.dk/working/work-rights/leave-of-absence/sickness-benefits/sickness-benefits-for-a-salary-earner?cookiebanner=true

CDC measles update and 2025 total

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

Cases per year US measles

https://x.com/i/status/2008937058824273933

US measles cases record breaking 

https://x.com/i/status/2005271892803166613

US Measles end of year round up 

https://x.com/i/status/2006793854054478082

H5N1

H5N1 in cetaceans - good news, no sustained transmission 

https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/inrYFLeT4V

2 dogs die from avian flu 

https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/Mj7vNdI2fW

Fox with H5N1  - mandatory housing Germany 

https://www.kreis-bad-duerkheim.de/aktuelles/presse/topthema/fuchs-mit-vogelgrippe-aufstallpflicht-wird-verlaengert/

Wisconsin US bird flu cattle

https://eu.jsonline.com/story/news/health/2025/12/14/bird-flu-detected-in-dairy-cattle-for-first-time-in-wisconsin/87764331007/

Wisconsin bird flu dairy herd

https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/SUW2ncCGyZ

H5N1 UK

https://www.thebrickcastle.com/2025/12/covid-19-flu-rsv-norovirus-h5n1-avian.html

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england#latest-situation

Rabies doggy day care chicago

https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/Vr8IKGF81e

S.Carolina cow with rabies 

https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/1uZVKJhVHq

Rabies USA

https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/php/protecting-public-health/index.html

Maternal syphilis US

https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/c6fT9jkVLM

US explosive growth in maternal syphillis 

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/sexually-transmitted-infections/mississippi-experiences-explosive-growth-maternal-syphilis

Mississippi infant mortality rates

https://msdh.ms.gov/page/23,30305,341.html

Michelle Mone-linked PPE firm liquidated and unlikely to repay £148m - BBC News

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80x9gdj159o

2025  amazing year for disease control - WHO

https://x.com/i/status/2003768028916326426

NHS urges people to help ease winter pressure during busiest week - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wxl72re0eo.amp