flu

Oct. 5 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1918, Germany’s Hindenburg Line was broken as World War I neared an end.

In 1921, the World Series is broadcast on the radio for the first time.

In 1935, Ethiopia asks the League of Nations to act against Italy to halt Italy’s conquest of the country.

In 1947, President Harry Truman delivers the first televised White House address.

In 1955, the doors to the Disneyland Hotel are thrown open to the public.

In 1970, The Public Broadcasting Service, PBS, is founded.

In 1989, the Dalai Lama, who advocated non-violent struggle against Chinese domination of his homeland, Tibet, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1994, authorities said 53 members of a secretive religious cult called the Order of the Solar Temple were found dead — the victims of murder or suicide — over a two-day period in Switzerland and Canada.

In 2001, Barry Bonds hit his 71st home run, most by a player in one season, breaking Mark McGwire’s 1998 Major League Baseball record. The San Francisco Giants slugger finished the season with 73 homers.

File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI

In 2005, scientists announced that for the first time they were able to genetically sequence the strain of avian flu that was behind the 1918 pandemic that killed up to 50 million people worldwide.

In 2010, Faisal Shahzad, who left an explosives-laden vehicle in New York’s Times Square, planning to detonate it on a busy night, was sentenced to life in prison.

In 2023, a Russian strike on a supermarket in the village of Hroza, in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, killed dozens of people.

The federal government has paid California dairy farms more than $230 million to subsidize losses in milk production resulting from bird flu, records show, an amount that the dairy industry expects to climb higher as more claims for damages are processed.

The H5N1 bird flu has swept through more than 75% of California’s 1,000 dairy farms since August 2024, sickening cattle and leading to steep dropoffs in milk production.

Farmers were able to get relief under a U.S. Department of Agriculture program known as the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program, or ELAP. The program usually provides assistance for farmers impacted by wildfires, drought and flooding but was opened up for dairy farmers last year as bird flu began ravaging their cows.

U.S. Department of Agriculture records show that 644 payments were made to 359 California dairy farms between November 2024 and June 2025 totaling $231 million. The average per farm payment was about $645,000, and ranged from $2,058 to the Pereira Dairy Farm, in Visalia, to $4.4 million to Channel Islands Dairy Farm, in Corcoran.

Those payments are expected to go much higher, however, as more claims are submitted and processed. Many of the payments issued in May and June were for outbreaks in 2024, suggesting there are more to come.

The relief payments were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by Farm Forward, a nonprofit group that advocates against factory farming. The group asserts that the subsidies help prop up industrial-scale dairy operations that perpetuate the spread of bird flu.

“These are mega industrial operations that are fueling an outbreak,” said Andrew deCoriolis, Farm Forward’s executive director. “Bird flu spreads in exactly the kinds of environments that we’re paying to preserve.”

Anja Raudabaugh, the chief executive of the industry’s largest state trade group, Western United Dairies, said the payments have “ensured our dairy communities and their workers stay employed and healthy. Until we get approval of a dairy cow vaccine, weathering this storm has only been possible with the assistance of the milk loss payments.”

Jonathan Cockroft, managing partner of Channel Islands Dairy Farms, said while the payments helped with the roughly 30% drop in milk production his farm experienced, his losses exceed the $4 million he received.

He said the virus caused cows to abort their pregnancies, and often prevented them from getting pregnant again. A dairy cow that doesn’t give birth doesn’t produce milk. In other cases, he said the udders were so scarred by the disease that the cows were unable to produce milk at levels prior to infection.

“There’s a whole other version I’m not sure the public understands, which is the huge impact on reproduction,” he said.

He also noted many animals died — especially when the outbreak first hit last fall, and the newness of it combined with the blazing heat of the Central Valley felled 10% to 15% of many California herds.

Joey Airoso, a dairy farmer in Tipton, received a $1.45-million subsidy for an outbreak at his farm last October.

He said the outbreak has cost him more than $2 million “just on milk income and that does not include the over $250,000 of extra care costs” required to treat cows with medicines, extra staffing and veterinary consultations.

And it doesn’t cover the cost of the cows that died — which can’t produce milk or be sold for meat. The average dairy cow costs about $3,500, Cockroft said.

Jay Van Rein, a spokesperson for California’s Department of Food and Agriculture, said the loss payments are “the most realistic way for producers to recover and to avoid huge disruptions in the food supply of these products.”

USDA officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but a former top USDA official who left the agency in January said it was important to provide dairy farmers relief once the agency identified H5N1 bird flu in a handful of Texas herds in March 2024. By then the disease had been spreading for weeks, if not months, making containment to one state impossible.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we knew that we were going to need to support producers, and we knew that the quicker we could get some assistance out to them to help them test, the better off we were going to be, and the faster we’d be able to bring the infection under control,” he said.

Farm Forward’s DeCoriolis and others, however, say these programs perpetuate an agricultural industry designed around containing hundreds, if not thousands, of genetically similar animals into confined lots — veritable playgrounds for a novel virus. He also noted the federal relief programs don’t come with any strings attached, such as incentives for disease mitigation and/or biosecurity.

Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Canada, said handing out subsidies to farms without trying to understand or investigate the practices they are using to quash the disease is a mistake.

“What are they doing on the farms to prevent reinfection?” she said.

The USDA payments were based on a per cow milk production losses over a four-week period. According to Farm Forward’s data, several farms received more than one subsidy. While roughly half received just one payment, 100 farms received two payments, 58 received three, 19 received four and two received six separate payments.

At one farm in Tulare County, four USDA payments were submitted once a month between November 2024 and February 2025. At another, payments stretched from December 2024 to May 2025.

Rasmussen said the multiple payments most likely stemmed depending on specific circumstances at the dairies involved.

Cockroft of the Channel Islands Dairy said he and other farmers have seen waves of reinfection and milk tests that remain positive for months on end. He said he knew of a farm that was in quarantine for nine months.

When herds are quarantined, animals are not allowed to be transferred on or off site. In California, a farm is under quarantine for 60 days after initial virus detection. It can’t move out of quarantine until tests show its milk is virus-free — for three weeks in a row.

Van Rein, the state agriculture spokesperson, said the average time under quarantine is 103 days. He said that of the 1,000 herds in California, 940 are not under quarantine; 715 of those had previously been infected and released from quarantine.

A quarantined farm can still sell milk, however, even if the milk tests positive. Pasteurization has been shown to kill the virus.

The relief payments are another sign of how the U.S. government supports the agricultural industry, which is considered by some to be vital to the national interest.

“We’ve decided politically that this is an industry that we want to support, that was hit by something that obviously wasn’t their fault, and we’re going to help them, because it was a disastrous thing that hit the industry,” said Daniel Sumner, an agricultural economist at UC Davis. “If we thought about these payments as we’re using our tax money to help somebody who’s in need, because their family is poor, that’s not the case.”

Pharmacologist Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology at the University of Bristol, warned travellers they risk importing dangerous conditions from abroad

A health expert has delivered a chilling alert that tourists returning from abroad must never overlook three key warning signs that could signal serious disease. Pharmacologist Dan Baumgardt emphasised that jet-setters face the danger of bringing back hazardous illnesses – and should never simply brush off the red flags.

The senior academic from the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience at the University of Bristol highlighted three critical symptoms demanding immediate medical care – fever, stomach upset and yellowing of the skin. Penning his advice on the Conversation website, he declared: “International travel poses a risk of catching something more than a run-of-the-mill bug, so it’s important to be vigilant for the tell-tale symptoms.

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“Here are the main ones to look out for while away and when you return.”

Fever

Mr Baumgardt explained: “Fever is a common symptom to note after international travel – especially to tropical or subtropical regions. While a feature of many different illnesses, it can be the first sign of an infection – sometimes a serious one.”

He warned it might indicate Malaria which is a deadly condition triggered by parasites transmitted to people via bites from contaminated female Anopheles mosquitoes.

The disease poses a major worldwide health threat, affecting over 200 million individuals and causing hundreds of thousands of fatalities each year, reports the Daily Record.

Malaria remains especially widespread across tropical and subtropical areas globally. Early symptoms of the disease can mimic those of the flu, including headaches and muscle aches, but these can escalate to severe fever, sweating and shaking chills.

Other signs to look out for include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), swollen lymph nodes, rashes and abdominal pain – although these symptoms can vary greatly and can resemble many other conditions.

Mr Baumgardt warned: “Prompt medical attention is essential. Malaria is serious and can become life-threatening. It’s also worth noting that symptoms may not appear until weeks or even months after returning home. In the UK, there are around 2,000 imported malaria cases each year.

“Travellers to at-risk areas are strongly advised to take preventative measures. This includes mosquito-bite avoidance as well as prescribed antimalarial medications, such as Malarone and doxycycline. Although these drugs aren’t 100% effective, they significantly reduce the risk of infection.”

There has also been an increase in Dengue fever, another disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Symptoms include high temperatures, severe headaches, body aches and rashes, which overlap with both malaria and other common viral infections.

Mr Baumgardt warned: “Most people recover with rest, fluids and paracetamol, but in some instances, dengue can become severe and requires emergency hospital treatment. A vaccine is also available – but is only recommended for people who have had dengue before, as it provides good protection in this group.

“Any fever after international travel should be taken seriously. Don’t brush it off as something you’ve just picked up on the plane – please see a doctor. A simple test could lead to early diagnosis and might save your life.”

Upset stomachs

Speaking about dodgy tummies, Mr Baumgardt revealed: “Few travel-related issues are as common – or as unwelcome – as diarrhoea. It’s estimated that up to six in ten travellers will experience at least one episode during or shortly after their trip. For some, it’s an unpleasant disruption mid-holiday; for others, symptoms emerge once they’re back home.

“Traveller’s diarrhoea is typically caused by eating food or drinking water containing certain microbes (bacteria, viruses, parasites) or their toxins. Identifying the more serious culprits early is essential – especially when symptoms go beyond mild discomfort.”

He went on to stress that people should watch out for particular red flags – including large volumes of watery diarrhoea, blood present in stools or urgent toilet trips. He continued: “These may suggest a more serious infection, such as giardia, cholera or amoebic dysentery. These conditions are more common in regions with poor sanitation and are especially prevalent in parts of the tropics.”

In certain instances, antibiotics and antiparasitic treatment may be required.

Jaundice

This ailment, which causes your skin or the whites of your eyes to turn yellow, can signal something severe like liver disease, so urgent medical attention is needed, according to NHS guidelines.

Whilst many people come back from holidays with a tan, it could also be an indication of jaundice.

Mr Baumgardt explained: “Several travel-related illnesses can cause jaundice. Malaria is one culprit as is the mosquito-borne yellow fever. But another common cause is hepatitis – inflammation of the liver.

“Viral hepatitis comes in several forms. Hepatitis A and E are spread via contaminated food or water – common in areas with poor sanitation. In contrast, hepatitis B and C are blood-borne, transmitted through intravenous drug use, contaminated medical equipment or unprotected sex.”

For the full article on the Conversation, click here.

An expert says you should get a jab at least two weeks before you travel to build up immunity

Anyone holidaying in Europe this year is being urged to get a vaccine to prevent falling ill on holiday. The advice comes for holidaymakers travelling to destinations including France, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Turkey and Italy.

Experts say even if you have had a jab earlier this year, it may no longer be effective and you should look into getting another one. Jack Janetzki, l ecturer in pharmacy and pharmacology at the University of South Australia, said anyone travelling in the northern hemisphere should consider getting a flu jab.

That could include holidays outside Europe – in places such as North Africa, the USA and the Far East. Jack said: “I f you had your flu shot in April or May, it may no longer offer enough protection by the time you travel in July or later. Getting a second shot will provide you with optimal protection against the flu while travelling to the northern hemisphere.”

He particularly recommends a jab if you are looking at travel as we head into peak flu season – which will start around the time of half term in October, adding: ” Ideally, get your second shot at least two weeks before your departure, so your body has time to build up protection.”

The NHS flu jab system only operates in the UK during flu season – so from the autumn. Your GP should be able to advise how to get a jab any time of the year if you think you need one.

A flu jab could be essential for some people in the UK looking to travel to Australia or elsewhere in the southern hemisphere now – as it is peak flu season on the other side of the world.

There are some trips where a flu vaccine could be even more essential, Jack said:

Cruises are a prime setting for flu outbreaks. There are hundreds or thousands of people sharing confined spaces, such as restaurants and entertainment facilities, for days or weeks at a time. This creates the perfect environment for the flu virus to spread.

Group tours and large events are also high risk. Bus tours, music festivals and cultural events bring together large crowds, often in indoor spaces or via shared transport. This increases your chance of exposure and catching the virus.

Pilgrimages and religious gatherings such as Hajj, Lunar New Year or Ramadan are also high risk, especially for older travellers or those with health conditions. These events can attract millions of international visitors, often in crowded, shared accommodation, where flu and other respiratory viruses can spread rapidly.

People who are over 65 years of age , have medical conditions, such as severe asthma or diabetes, or are on medications that decrease their immune function, are more likely to become severely ill if they catch the flu. So, if you’re travelling during the northern hemisphere’s flu season, a second shot should be strongly considered.

Jack said: “The flu is more than just a sniffle. It can lead to serious illness, cancelled plans and perhaps a hospital stay in a foreign country. Even if you don’t get sick, you could pass the virus to others more vulnerable than yourself. So before you finish your pre-travel checklist, make sure your flu shots are up to date.

“Not getting the shot could be the difference between sipping Aperol spritz on the Amalfi Coast or spending your trip in bed with a fever.”

This article originally appeared in The Conversation

The vaccine is expected to be out of stock for a number of weeks, Foreign Office website Travel Health Pro today reported

Holidaymakers have been alerted to a disruption in the supply of a crucial vaccine, which is expected to be ‘unavailable’ for the next 2-3 weeks. Sanofi has informed NaTHNaC that there will be a shortage of the yellow fever vaccine Stamaril in the UK.

The Foreign Office’s Travel Health Pro website reported today that the vaccine is anticipated to be out of stock for 2-3 weeks. NaTHNaC (National Travel Health Network and Centre) is a UK organisation dedicated to safeguarding the health of British travellers.

This means individuals travelling to certain regions globally will not be able to receive vaccination against this potentially deadly disease. The NHS warns: “Yellow fever is a serious infection spread by mosquitoes. It’s found in certain areas of Africa and South and Central America. You should have a yellow fever vaccination if you’re travelling to an area where there’s a risk of getting it.

Yellow Fever is a potentially fatal disease transmitted by mosqjuitos and turns wee dark, causes serious stomach pain, yellows the skin and eyes and bleeding from the eyes, nose, mouth or stomach – serious cases can be fatal.The Foreign Office site said: “.

Countries in Africa with Risk of Yellow fever Transmission:

Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Benin, Ethiopia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Nigeria, Burundi, Gambia, the Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Guinea, South Sudan, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, Congo, Republic of Kenya, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mal

Countries in Central and South America with Risk of Yellow Fever Transmission:

Argentina, French Guiana, Suriname, Bolivia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad only), Brazil, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru

The Foreign Office site said: “Where a Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre (YFVC) is unable to provide Yellow Fever vaccine during this vaccine shortage, the YFVC is expected to proactively research alternative supplies in their locality and direct travellers accordingly (this should be done for travellers who ring for advice and for travellers who attend for face to face consultation if vaccination is required promptly).

“YFVCs will help travellers seeking YF vaccine at this time of vaccine shortage by:

• Ensuring an individual risk assessment is undertaken, and that YF vaccination is appropriate
• Signposting the traveller to possible alternative YFVC which are listed on the NaTHNaC YFVC locator database
• Contacting vaccine “distributors on behalf of the traveller. Some vaccine distributors may hold information on YFVC with vaccine availability”

Check if you’re at risk of yellow fever

You can get yellow fever if you’re bitten by an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes that carry the yellow fever virus bite during the day.

Yellow fever is very common in certain parts of the world, including:

• parts of sub-Saharan Africa (the area below the Sahara desert)
• parts of South America, including Trinidad and Tobago
• parts of Central America

Yellow fever is not found in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific Islands.

How to lower your risk of yellow fever

If you’re travelling to an area where yellow fever is found, there are some things you can do to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

• wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs, particularly during early morning and early evening
• use insect repellent on your skin (ideally one that contains the ingredient DEET)
• close windows and doors whenever possible, or use blinds or screens
• sleep under a mosquito net treated with insecticide, including during the day

Symptoms of yellow fever

Yellow fever symptoms usually start 3 to 6 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, but sometimes they can take longer to appear.

Some yellow fever symptoms are similar to flu, such as:

• high temperature
• headache
• feeling or being sick
• aches and pains
• loss of appetite
• feeling generally unwell

These symptoms often last 3 or 4 days. But a small number of people get more serious symptoms within 24 hours of feeling better.

More serious symptoms include:

• yellowing of your skin and eyes (jaundice)
• dark pee
• stomach pain
• bleeding from your eyes, nose, mouth or stomach – you may have blood in your vomit or poo

These more serious symptoms can be fatal.

For more information from the NHS on yellow fever click here.