NPHL Newsletter

February 2025

Edition

CDC Packing and Shipping Class in March

There is still time to register for the March packing and shipping class. This is a free virtual class that offers 7.5 hours of CEU. The class is Tuesday, March 4th and Thursday, March 6th from 12:00-4:00 PM CT.

If you or someone you know is interested, please email nphlab@unmc.edu for more information. The deadline to register is February 27, 2025.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and other Respiratory Updates

At the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) Advisory Meeting, Derek Julian, MPH, from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NE-DHHS), provided an update on the status of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and other respiratory diseases in Nebraska.

National Overview:

As of February 6, 2025, there have been 959 confirmed HPAI-positive dairy cattle herds across 16 states and 137 confirmed HPAI-positive poultry flocks (as of February 7, 2025).
Human H5N1 cases: A total of 69 confirmed cases since early 2024. Of these:
41 had dairy cattle exposure
23 had poultry exposure
2 had "other" animal exposure
3 had an unknown type of exposure
One fatal case has been reported.

Nebraska Update:

No Nebraska dairy farms have tested positive for HPAI as of February 11, 2025.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) continues to collaborate with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) on response efforts.
According to the NDA, an importation order requires all breeding female dairy cattle entering Nebraska to obtain a permit issued by NDA. This order remains in effect until February 28, 2025, at which point it will be re-evaluated.
Poultry flocks: 2024-2025, 9 poultry flocks in Nebraska have tested positive for HPAI (6 backyard flocks, 3 commercial flocks). Local health departments have monitored all individuals exposed to these flocks.
Human cases in Nebraska: No human cases of HPAI have been detected in Nebraska to date. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to assess the public health risk as low.

Other Respiratory Disease Trends:

Seasonal Influenza:
A total of 14,111 influenza A and 1,253 influenza B cases reported this season.
For the week ending February 8, 2025, there were 2,972 influenza A and 266 influenza B cases.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV):
657 positive cases for the week ending February 8, 2025.
3,112 total cases reported this season.
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19):
514 positive cases reported for the week ending February 8, 2025.
7,218 total cases for the current season.

Resources:

Reminder - NPHL Test Request Form

The Nebraska Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) has released a new NPHL Test Request Form. This updated version is designed to enhance usability for both the requestor and the NPHL team.

Whenever possible,the laboratory should utilize NULirt for submitting requests. To sign up for a new NUlirt account, go to http://nulirt.nebraskamed.com and click Register. However, if NULirt is not an option, then the new form is appropriate.

Please discard any old test forms.

** Sentinel Laboratories cannot order Rule-Out-and-Refer testing in NUlirt. Paper requisitions only **

NPHL Website

January Lab Advisory Meeting

NE DHHS EpiLinkNewsletter

NE-DHHS HAN

Do you have something you'd like to submit for the Newsletter? Is there something you'd like presented at the Statewide Laboratory Advisory Meeting?

Email us at NPHLab@unmc.edu.