COVID-19, Measles, HPAI H5N1 Avian Flu, Vaccinations and Other UK and World Virus and Health News Update 6th March 2026
Finally Norovirus in the UK is beginning to drop. This will no doubt be especially good news to anyone who has managed to catch it 2 or 3 times. Flu and RSV are at baseline levels, as is COVID, which is dropping fast. Children have had a disproportionately high number of recent COVID hospitalisations. I'm not entirely sure what happened there, but glad to see it correcting itself.
Next Winter there will be no change to who is eligible for a flu vaccination in the UK:
From 1 September 2026:
- pregnant women
- all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2026
- primary school and secondary school-aged children
- all children aged 6 months+ in clinical risk groups
From 1 October 2026:
- aged 65 years and over
- 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
- long-stay care home residents
- carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
- close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
For the following in some cases it is the employer's responsibility:
- frontline health and social care workers
- social care workers directly working with people clinically vulnerable to flu
Updated GP contracts in England will mean any patient with urgent health needs (confusion, high fever, sick baby etc) should have a same-day appointment. This is already meant to happen, and GPs do reserve a fair portion of appointments for people who ring in the morning, but it isn’t really measured. From April there will be an expected target to see 90% of same-day urgent patients.
The Government are boosting funding by 3.6% over inflation to cover the costs, however the British Medical Association are mentioning they may have unrealistic expectations, what with GP services already stretched to the limit, and the bucket of spare GPs being empty.
Until now UK NHS GP surgeries were awarded a bonus for high vaccination rates, which I've always felt was a stupid way to do things because the surgeries which obviously need the extra help miss out. That's changing. From April surgeries which show improvement to vaccination rates will also be given a bonus, which they can use to improve rates further.
The UK is in a real mess regarding dentists, with 1 in 5 people saying they do not have an NHS dentist. The BBC have discovered that out of the money paid to UK dentists for NHS care, £1 out of every £7 is returned because the work wasn't done.
The contract NHS dentists work to is 20 years old, and it isn’t 2006 any more. Everything is more expensive, and the best treatments aren't what they used to be. Just to break even my dentist daughter tells me she has to see over 20 patients a day, which is fine if they just need a quick check up, but as soon as they need anything more than a simple filling, you are running at a loss. March becomes a rapid-fire conveyer belt of patients in an effort to meet annual targets. This is why so many NHS dentists turn over part of their time to private patients, or give up NHS work all together. The contract needs reform, and Government Ministers claim they are looking into it, so fingers crossed eh...
In a win for campaigners, the UK Government has released new guidance for air quality and ventilation in schools. The horse bolted 6 years ago, so shutting the gate now is a bit late, but if you didn’t already do it, the second best time is now.
Last week on Monday, Dr. Ralph Abraham became the latest through the revolving door at US Health & Human Services, as he abruptly stepped down as Principal Deputy Director of the CDC.
He was only sworn in as second in command in mid December and "unforeseen family obligations" is given as the reason...
A group of at least 15 US State leaders are suing RFK Jr. and the CDC for illegally removing 7 childhood vaccines from the federal list of universally recommended vaccinations.
They include Governor Gavin Newsome (California) and Attorneys General Dan Rayfield (Oregon), Phil Weiser (Colorado), Jennifer Davenport (New Jersey) and Kris Mayes (Arizona).
They claim the overhaul is politically motivated, causes confusion, and is not in line with federal law (The Administrative Procedure Act).
From where I'm sitting it seems a legitimate claim... RFK Jr installed his own ACIP vaccine committee without following the required appointment process, skipped the review of evidence, ignored the science and changed the vaccine schedule to whatever he personally wanted.
New research has found Long COVID is linked to a higher risk of depression and anxiety for years.
The study of Michigan adults found at 3 years after infection 16.9% of sufferers self-reported symptoms of depression, compared to 7.5% who didn’t have Long COVID. 17.2% had anxiety symptoms, compared to 9.3% of people without Long COVID.
Are we surprised by this? Living with a debilitating illness, even if it's relatively mild (tiredness, lower concentration span etc.), has an effect on your mental wellbeing. And the longer it goes on, the more it can grind away at you.
The UK has reported 195 confirmed cases of measles so far this year - 86 in the last 4 weeks. 65% (127/195) in London, 22% (43/195) in the West Midlands, and 5% (9/195) in the North West. Come on people, sort yourselves out. This is embarrassing.
Also embarrassing, according to US CDC data, in just the first 8 weeks of 2026, up to 26th February, there were 1,136 confirmed measles cases in the US, around 6 times the usual 5 year average (before last year's record-breaking total of 2,279 cases). Latest data released today (up to 5th March) shows 1,281 confirmed cases, another 155 in the last week. Only 4% of the patients are fully vaccinated. 5% (62) have been admitted to hospital.
In the whole of 2023 there were 63 cases and in 2024 there were 283.
Canada's measles outbreak shows no signs of stopping. Latest figures are week ending 21st Feb, when 85 new cases were confirmed, for a 2026 total of 339 so far. Manitoba appears to be suffering especially badly, with 139 confirmed cases in February, 215 since the beginning of the year. This is compared to 319 for the whole of 2025.
Mexico really has the saddest of the North American measles outbreaks. It began in February last year, and since then they've reported well over 9,000 cases. At least 28 people have died. There has recently been civil unrest in the most heavily affected area - Jalisco - and this is being blamed for a sudden and substantial increase in cases. In the week to 27th February, Jalisco reported 667 new confirmed measles cases, raising the total just for February from 1,995 to 2,662.
The US will undoubtedly lose it's measles-free status, and that was due to happen early this year, but apparently the deciding meeting by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has been delayed until November while US Health Officials "thoroughly analyse the data". Pffft, any amount of analysis won’t be changing the facts here guys. Mexico will also be discussed and presumably lose their measles-free status at the same meeting.
For every 1,000 measles cases there are an average of 3 deaths and 1 case of encephalitis (brain swelling).
US Head of Health & Human Services RFK Jr said last week "only very, very sick kids should die from measles".
No Bob, NO kids should die from measles. We could have eradicated this. We have a stupendously effective (2 doses, 97% protection for life) vaccination. It's hard to find the full video from where this clip was taken, but RFK Jr appears to be implying doctors should learn how to effectively treat measles instead, and then it'll be fine. Well, they've been working on it for the past couple of hundred years, yet just last year we saw previously healthy American kids die from measles, so how many more should succumb in the name of "learning how to treat patients with measles"?
In an unexpected and very welcome move, the recently installed acting director of the US CDC, Jay Bhattacharya, urged Americans to vaccinate their children against measles.
“There is no cure for measles, which is why prevention is so critical. The MMR vaccine remains the most reliable and effective way to prevent it. Two doses are 97% effective at providing lifelong protection against measles and its complications. Vaccination protects not only individuals but entire communities.”
I don’t imagine this is what his boss RFK Jr was expecting when he appointed him, and Mr Bhattacharya is taking a big risk to his career speaking out, but only until common sense returns. The scientific and medical world, while taking a sigh of relief, are concerned that after all of the anti-vaccine messaging, and with measles having a fantastic surge, this is too little, too late.
The Yale School of Public Health has done the maths, and estimate if measles vaccination rates in the US continue to drop by just 1% each year, by 2030 the financial cost to the US could be $1.5 billion a year.
They should probably now go and work out the extra cost if you add on whooping cough, mumps (26 cases in Maryland already this year), rubella, hepatitis and all the other things people aren't vaccinating against...
The measles outbreak at Camp East Montana on the Texas/Mexico border (the biggest US ICE detention facility) was not contained. We were told previously that a couple of people had measles and were being isolated. Yesterday press reported the number of confirmed cases is at least 14, and 112 contacts have been put into a group and isolated together (petri dish anyone?). Visitors to the facility have been temporarily barred.
We are often reminded measles is one of the most contagious human diseases, and a recent report from the US CDC demonstrates it well.
An unvaccinated traveller from Europe arrived in Denver, stayed overnight and flew to North Dakota. They had a fever, cough and red eyes, and developed a rash once in N.Dakota.
They infected 5 people on the first flight, 3 on the 2nd flight and 7 at the airport. Those people infected another 2 at home. 17 known cases from 1 person who shouldn’t have been travelling with a fever.
The US CDC has issued a level 2 travel alert for 32 countries over the spread of polio - "Practice Enhanced Precautions". It advises people to ensure they are up-to-date with vaccinations ahead of travel.
Clearly someone somewhere is beginning to realise the potential outcomes of decreasing immunisation rates for other diseases besides measles...
Spain has informed WHO of a single suspected human to human transmission of H1N1 swine flu, in a person with no contact with pigs. All close contacts were tested and no other cases have been detected.
Pigs get flu often and occasionally infect their keepers. Human to human transmission is very rare, but we all remember the swine flu pandemic in 2009, so it's reassuring when they are immediately on top of any newly detected strains and cases.
The 2009 swine flu was caused by a pig/human/avian mix of H1N1, which probably originated in Mexico. Another variant of H1N1 swine flu (with an avian origin) was responsible for the 1918 'Spanish Flu' which originated in Kansas and killed an estimated 25-50 million people.
At least 51 swans have died from H5N1 Avian Flu at West India and Millwall Docks in London. Last month almost 50 swans died near Windsor. Public are reminded not to handle sick or dead birds, and report 3 or more small birds, or any large waterfowl or bird of prey, to DEFRA (search 'report dead wild birds').
H5N1 Avian Flu in the Northern hemisphere is expected to slow right down now, as migrating birds have migrated and Summer is on it's way. In the last week the UK report just one newly infected captive bird premises near Pickering, Yorkshire. In the US no new dairy herds have been infected in the last month, but they do report another 66 infected captive bird flocks (34 commercial, 32 backyard).
H5N1 Avian Flu has killed many millions of captive and wild birds, and Vultures are a species which suffer tremendously heavily. Researchers from University of Georgia tested 134 dead Black Vultures from 7 states in 2022 and 2023. Over 84% tested positive for HPAI H5N1.
In January of this year 101 vultures died and 17 became ill in a single Florida park - Blue Spring State Park. Initial testing has proven positive for H5 Avian Flu.
Vultures feed on dead animals and birds, and when they become sick and die, other birds feed on them, so seasons and migrating birds become almost irrelevant, the cycle can keep going all year round - consequently their numbers have reduced dramatically.
Researchers find this all particularly worrying for another reason. The reduction in vultures means more dead animals are left lying rotting, which generally leads to more disease among local wildlife, which leads to more disease among local humans.
Yesterday UK trials for a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) vaccination began in a small flock of turkeys. Currently HPAI vaccinations of birds are not allowed and many countries will not accept imports of vaccinated poultry (dead or alive). Because of H5N1 and the huge losses poultry farmers have endured, this situation is changing.
Annual outbreaks cost the UK Government and industry up to £174m each year, and it's devastating for any farmer or backyard keeper to see their entire flock die.
Turkeys have been selected as a priority species for further research as they are highly susceptible to avian influenza, with rapidly visible symptoms and high mortality rates.
And here's an example of how susceptible turkeys are... H5N1 avian flu last weekend struck a Danish turkey farm. Farmers noticed sick birds in one shed of 4,000 turkeys on Sunday. Some birds stopped eating and drinking, and a few died. By Monday evening when test results came back, around half the birds had already died. Any remaining birds were culled on Tuesday morning. That is truly heartbreaking for all concerned.
There was a lot of press coverage for 72 captive tigers which died between 8th and 19th February at 2 tourist parks in Thailand. Authorities and keepers raced to find out the cause, at first suspecting avian flu or accidental poisoning because the deaths were so quick. Tests revealed they died from feline parvovirus, which is, quite obviously, highly contagious and quick acting. Autopsies also detected canine distemper virus (CDV) and Mycoplasma bacteria.
It has raised a lot of discussion regarding transfer of virus from humans to animals, and housing naturally solo animals so close together in such a big group.
Trump of the week:
It's Trump's nomination for Surgeon General - Casey Means. Casey is not a physician, she doesn’t even have a licence to practice medicine, but she's made several comments against vaccinations and has a podcast, so in this crazy mixed up world she's an ideal candidate. Here is a highlight from her Senate questioning:
Senator Kaine: “Do you believe that there’s no evidence that the flu vaccine has efficacy in reducing serious injury and hospitalisation?”
Means: *pauses*
Senator Kaine: “This is an easy one, doctor.”
And from her podcast:
“The more specialties we invent in healthcare the sicker we are getting.”
That's from the same school of thought as "if you don't test, you don't get cases". I see why Trump likes her...
Can't think why, but a team from Stanford University School of Medicine, led by Jake Scott MD, have reviewed flu vaccine effectiveness data from the 2023-2024 season onward.
They found that the flu vaccine reduced a child’s risk of flu hospitalisation by 67%. Among kids who developed acute necrotizing encephalopathy from the flu, 84% were unvaccinated. Of the 11 who died, 10 were unvaccinated.
For adults, hospitalisation risk was reduced by 42-48%. "A major US network study found it reduces the risk of in-hospital death by 50%."
'Someone' suggested there was no evidence, so Dr Scott delivered...
Six members of a family from East London have been found guilty of charges related to bogus COVID loans for fake businesses. They falsely claimed money which was meant to be keeping the country going and people in employment, and used it maintain their own fancy lifestyle, including paying private school fees and doing home improvements. 3 have been jailed and 2 received suspended sentences. Rightly so.
Obviously their main error was not being as posh as Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband, who will never repay the NHS the £148 Million they stole, and get to keep their yacht and portfolio of properties.
Huge congratulations to Chile for being the first country in the Americas and only the 2nd country globally to have eliminated Leprosy.
Leprosy is caused by a bacteria and it can take 20 years before symptoms show. It affects skin, nerves and eyes, and most of us first heard of it in bible stories. Nowadays it is treatable using a cocktail of drugs for 6 to 12 months, and it is much rarer, although around 200,000 case still occur each year across 120 countries. To prove eradication no locally acquired cases have been detected in Chile since 1993.
March is Long COVID Awareness Month. I know a lot of you folk have Long COVID, and I know an awful lot more people are more tired, sicker, have less concentration, and don't even consider COVID might have anything to do with it... COVID affects our bodies in ways we are only just beginning to understand. It leaves traces and damage in kidneys, hearts, brains, lungs, blood, immune system and elsewhere. I've said it far too many times, but repeatedly catching COVID is not good for your health. The good news is that it IS being taken seriously now, with researchers finding causes and trialling treatments. If you want an idea of how much research is happening, Google search 'LitCOVID' for a database of all COVID research in one place, and then put 'Long COVID' into the search bar on the site. There are over 20,000 scientific papers from around the world. Never give up.
It's the weekend - hurrah! I don't have anyone to pick up from work tonight, so I'll be treating myself to a glass of pop in a minute, and a movie later, and maybe a long walk with the giant puppy tomorrow - it's stopped raining and everything! We all need things to look forward to and break up the week, so don't forget to be kind to yourself too - you've earned it. Do something nice for you.
I'll be back in 2 weeks, until then...
Play Outdoors, Look After Your Head, Save The NHS...
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Repeat Sources COVID/measles/H5N1/flu
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
GP surveillance England Primary Care
UK Norovirus weekly update
US CDC respiratory dashboard
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
UK h5N1
Measles Sit Rep US CDC
UK cases Measles
Canada Measles
Image sources
MMRV all 4 viruses can cause encephalitis UKHSA image
MMRV vaccines used elsewhere for decades UK HSA image
WHO Long COVID images
Mpox is rising. Get vaccinated UK HSA
WHO each infection raises the risk of Long Covid image
WHO Long COVID isn’t rare image
Canadian public health messaging vaccinate against measles image
Chile eradicates Leprosy image
The cover of The Lancet last week
UK HSA playground rumours spread fast, but illnesses spread faster image
US vaccinations have prevented image
Text sources
The Lancet editorial 28th February 2026
COVID hospitalisations steep rise in children
Flu jab eligibility UK 2026-2027
GPs same-day patients
GP surgeries to be given vaccination bonus for improvement.
UK Dentists
Air quality in schools
Statement on the Resignation of the CDC Principal Deputy Director | CDC Newsroom
States sue CDC and RFK Jr over changes to vaccination schedule
Governor Newsome Vaccines coalition sue CDC
Governor Josh Shapiro
https://x.com/i/status/2026417905621938490
Attorney General Dan Rayfield (Oregon)
https://x.com/i/status/2026371979645755735
Attorney General Phil (Colorado)
https://x.com/i/status/2026378466359390398
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport (New Jersey)
https://x.com/i/status/2026379180091248650
Attorney General Kris Mayes (Arizona)
https://x.com/i/status/2026381932351684976
CONTEXT: According to federal law (The Administrative Procedure Act)
Context post for Newsome and vaccine law
https://x.com/i/status/2026417464440139971
Long COVID and mental health
Long COVID depression study
Mexico measles
Jalisco Mexico measles
Canada measles Manitoba
Manitoba measles
US Measles Post
Comment
NYork Times article
US Measles to last Friday US
More measles cases in US in Jan and Feb than up to June last year - which was a record-breaking year. So it's going well...
Chart
US measles cases in 8 weeks surpass 2023 and 2024 totals with graph
CDC measles tracker
John's Hopkins measles tracker
RFK Jr says only very sick kids should die from measles
Jay Bhattacharya urges measles vaccinations
Jay Bhattacharya CDC video
US measles elimination status meeting postponed
Text of NYT article
Measles forecast cost
The cost of measles
Measles is not the only disease on the rise. Mumps also may be making a comeback | CNN
ICE Detention centre measles outbreak
Measles contagiousness flying traveller
CDC Issues Travel Advisory for 32 Countries Over Spread of Paralyzing Disease
CDC travel alert regarding Polio
Spain informs WHO of possible human swine flu case with low transmission risk | Reuters
Spain swine flu
1918 swine flu Spanish flu pandemic
Spanish flu pandemic US CDC
H5N1
H5N1 dead swans London
Where to report dead wild birds UK England Wales Scotland
H5N1 Danish turkey farm
Black vultures University of Georgia
Black vultures
101 vultures die of suspected bird flu at Florida state park: FWC | WFLA
H5N1 vaccine trial Turkeys UK
Tigers deaths parvo
East London family claimed £150K in bogus Covid loans to pay for lavish lifestyle - My London
Sen Kaine questions Casey Means - prospective US Surgeon General
As a former U.S. Surgeon General who held an active medical license and practiced medicine while in the role (at Walter Reed and aboard the USS Comfort) it is incomprehensible that the Senate is even considering a nominee for this role who lacks any active license and has never practiced unsupervised.
Jerome Adams MD
US surgeon general again
Anyone who says there is “no evidence” the flu vaccine prevents serious disease or death is just wrong.
Jake Scott MD, board-certified infectious diseases specialist and Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at Stanford
https://x.com/i/status/2026760793547747370
Study
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa2514268
Leprosy factsheet WHO
Chile eradicates Leprosy
LitCOVID
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