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Newsletter Volume 5 Issue 20 15 October 2025 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
From the President From the Editor Public Health In the News Food Safety In The News Current Situation: H5N1 and New World Screwworm
Announcements Resources Continuing Education |
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AAFSPHV President, Pamela Abney, DVM |
| From the President Where does the time go?
Another year has flown by, and we are now into October 2025, which means our AAFSPHV Annual Membership Meeting is coming up next week. Save the date and time: Thursday, October 23, 2025, at 1300 (1:00pm Eastern). Every member is invited to attend and to hear from your Governing Board, AAFSPHV Committee members, and our AVMA liaison committee members. In particular you will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions to help improve our member services to you and the profession. Dr. Katherine Waters, Executive VP has sent Save the Date reminders and will soon be sending all members the Zoom link to the annual membership meeting.
Speaking of another year; while changes do occur in government with every new administration, the changes within the last year have been like no other in my memory. For better or for worse, the speed and nature of the changes in our public health programs, particularly oversight and independent agencies, appear to have been hit-or-miss. Figuratively, it’s as if a pickaxe instead of a scalpel has been the tool of choice. We can only speculate where the people and programs so important to food safety, public health, and future well-being will be, but I encourage everyone to stay strong, stay informed, and do whatever you can to preserve the information and true science that has been so hard earned throughout our history. Freedom isn’t free; it is hard won and takes effort to maintain.
And again, my heart goes out to everyone during these changing times. As veterinarians, we are some of the smartest and most versatile scientists around. We are able to compete for and transition into so many career paths: for example, public practice, private practice, corporate practice, NGOs, education, government, and research. Our training makes us creative, flexible, and able to compete for positions in many not-so traditional fields: for example, applied anatomy, biodiversity, biological weapons, pharmacology, public safety, undiscovered zoonotic diseases, etc. Veterinarians are working in amazing and essential positions around the globe. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and follow your passion. No job is perfect but, at least, as I have found in my several career paths, seldom has the work been boring.
Hope to see you at the Annual Meeting via Zoom on October 23rd. Dr. Pamela Abney President, AAFSPHV pabneydvm@msn.com |
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Communications Specialist Mandy Sorensen, DVM, MPH |
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From the Editor Hello members,
In this edition there a updates on H5N1 and New World Screwworm, an invitation to our upcoming annual meeting, new job postings, and more. Also, the search continues for a new Director of Education/Research/Extension! Nominations for the position can be made here. More information can also be found by scrolling down to the announcements section.
Below are some items that might be of particular interest:
AAFSPHV Annual Meeting on October 23, 2025 at 1pm Eastern! - We hope you'll join us for our annual meeting, which will be held via Zoom. We'll be announcing the 2025 Public Health Veterinarian of the Year as well as introducing our 2025 Lafontaine Scholarship winner. It's a great opportunity to learn what's happening from our officers, AVMA Advisory Committee and HOD representatives, and our committee leaders. You can join us at this link. We look forward to seeing you there!
The Cow Udder as a Mixing Vessel for Influenza A - A new study out on the preprint server, BioRxiv, evaluates the potential of cow udder as a site of reassortment for influenza A. From the paper, "We conclude that the US cow influenza outbreak does not simply reflect a unique adaptation of the B3.13 genotype virus; rather, the bovine udder represents a permissive niche for IAV and a plausible site for reassortment, underscoring its potential role in generating novel influenza viruses with pandemic risk." Read the preprint study here.
WHO Global Antibiotic Resistant Surveillance Report 2025 - The WHO has released the latest executive summary and report from their Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS). The report finds that 1 of 6 bacterial infections in 2023 was resistant to antibiotics. Read the summary here, and the full report here.
Job Board - The job board is updated weekly, and there are a number of interesting roles posted currently, such as:
If you're hiring, feel free to send postings to editor@aafsphv.org so I can make sure to share them with fellow members.
One Health Heroes - AAFSPHV has been partnering with Dr. Brittany Lancellotti of Your Vet Wants You To Know to bring public health information to pet owners and veterinary professionals twice monthly in a segment called 'One Health Heroes'. You can listen to episodes here on Apple Podcasts or here on Spotify. It's a great experience and platform, and if you'd be interested in sharing your expertise on a One Health topic on the podcast, please email me at editor@aafsphv.org
If you have news, ideas, CE or job opportunities, or concerns you'd like to share with me, please send them my way at editor@aafsphv.org. I'd love to hear from you and always appreciate feedback on how this newsletter can serve our members better. |
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PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE NEWS |
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Effect of Seasonal Influenza Vaccines on Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus Infection in Ferrets
Sun, X., Subbiah, J., Belser, J. A., Brock, N., Gansebom, S., Li, Z....York, I. A. (2025). Effect of Seasonal Influenza Vaccines on Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus Infection in Ferrets. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 31(10), 1950-1960. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3110.250668.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b viruses have infected >1,000 herds of dairy cattle and hundreds of poultry flocks in the United States since the beginning of 2024. Seventy human cases have been reported during that period, mainly through occupational exposure. Although prior influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection has been shown to confer protection against influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b virus infection in the ferret model, it remains unclear if influenza vaccines, known to elicit a less potent and narrower cross-reactive immune response, can achieve a similar effect. In this article, we demonstrate that immunization with commercially available human seasonal influenza vaccines also confers partial protection against disease caused by H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus in ferrets, which is partially associated with the presence of cross-reactive antibodies targeting H5N1 virus antigens.
Read More |
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H5N1 influenza virus stability and transmission risk in raw milk and cheese
Nooruzzaman, M., de Oliveira, P.S.B., Butt, S.L. et al. H5N1 influenza virus stability and transmission risk in raw milk and cheese. Nat Med (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04010-0
Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses have recently spread to dairy cattle, with high levels of virus detected in milk from affected animals, raising concern about the risk posed by unpasteurized dairy products consumed by humans. Here we evaluated H5N1 virus persistence in raw-milk cheeses (n = 3 per condition) made with milk acidified to pH 6.6, 5.8 and 5.0 before cheese making and validated our findings in raw-milk cheeses (n = 4) inadvertently produced with naturally contaminated raw milk. The pH values tested (6.6, 5.8 and 5.0) reflect the pH range encountered in raw-milk cheeses at the marketplace. We observed pH-dependent virus survival, with infectious virus persisting through the cheese-making process and up to 120 days of aging in cheeses made with raw milk at pH levels of 6.6 and 5.8, whereas at pH 5.0, the virus did not survive the cheese-making process. Notably, while ferrets (Mustela furo) fed H5N1 virus-contaminated raw milk (n = 4) became infected, those fed raw-milk cheese (n = 4) or cheese suspension (n = 4) did not. These results demonstrate that the H5N1 virus can remain infectious for extended periods in raw-milk cheeses under specific conditions, underscoring the potential public health risks associated with consuming raw-milk cheese produced from contaminated milk and highlighting the need for additional mitigation measures in cheese production to prevent human exposure to the virus.
Read More |
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What to know:
To view confirmed cases in poultry, you can view the USDA H5N1 Confirmed Cases in Poultry page.
To view confirmed cases in dairy cattle, visit the USDA HPAI Confirmed Cases in Livestock Page. Updates: September 30, 2025: FDA Requires Cat & Dog Manufacturer Food Safety Plans To Consider H5N1
From FDA - "During the fall migratory season, H5N1 detections typically increase throughout the United States in wild birds, with potential spread to commercial and backyard poultry flocks. Given this seasonal pattern, the FDA is reissuing this CVM Update to remind pet food manufacturers that H5N1 represents a known or reasonably foreseeable hazard when using certain ingredients." Read the full update here.
July 7, 2025: "...CDC streamlined H5N1 bird flu updates with routine influenza data updates and updated reporting cadences to reflect the current public health situation. As such, the following changes were made to this page: Data on the number of people monitored and tested for bird flu are reported monthly.
USDA data on HPAI detections in animals will no longer be reported on the CDC website. These data can be found on USDA's website. CDC will continue to report any additional human cases of H5 bird flu here and in FluView."
Visit the CDC's H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation page |
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New World Screwworm Current Situation and Resources |
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Latest Updates:
On September 30, FDA "...conditionally approved Dectomax-CA1 (doramectin injection) injectable solution for the prevention and treatment of New World screwworm larval infestations, and prevention of NWS reinfestation for 21 days. Dectomax-CA1 is conditionally approved for use only in cattle." Read the news release here. On September 21, USDA published a press release that Mexico had reported a case of New World Screwworm less than 70 miles south of the US Border in Nuevo Leon. Read the full press release here.
Screwworm Resources:
USDA APHIS webinar for veterinarians that is now available to watch on Youtube.
A great, concise article from the AVMA on NWS diagnosis, treatment, and how to report cases can be found here.
The USDA APHIS page on New World Screwworm can be found here.
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension New World Screwworm Fact Sheet can be found here.
USDA APHIS Training Module 41 on New World Screwworm can be found here. This is highly recommended viewing for all veterinarians. |
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Executive Vice President, Katherine Waters, DVM, MPH, DACVPM |
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Call For Nominations for AAFSPHV Board of Directors Seat |
The AAFSPHV is seeking candidates for the following Board of Directors position for a 3-year term from Nov 2025 - Sept 2028:
Director, Education, Research, and Extension
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS: Oct 31 2025
We welcome self-nominations. Information about this position is listed below. Directors are members of the governing board. Meetings are held via Zoom for 1 hour once a month. This Director should plan to participate in our standing committee on Student Outreach.
Members who would like to nominate themselves or another member should fill out the nomination form by clicking here.
AVMA membership is required for our Governing Board members.
Questions? Contact Katherine Waters at executivevp@aafsphv.org
AAFSPHV Bylaws concerning Directors: ARTICLE XI: DIRECTORS
Section 1: The minimum number of Directors of this association shall be six, with one Director from each of the following employment sectors: Federal (Civilian), State/Local, Uniformed Services, Private, Education/Research/Extension, and At-Large.
Section 2: The terms of office for the current Directors shall be three years and their terms shall be staggered.
Section 3: The Directors will serve as members of the Governing Board and will provide specialized employment sector advice, support, and assistance in determining the policies and pursuing the objectives of the association.
Section 7: All members of the Governing Board shall be current AVMA members.
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President-Elect Jane Lewis, DVM, MS, DACVPM |
| Membership and Admissions Committee Seeking Volunteers
This committee shall be responsible for actively recruiting members and determining eligibility for membership. Time commitment: this committee has been inactive and will need to meet via Zoom 1-2 times a month for 3 months to develop a member recruitment and retention strategy. After 3 months, meetings will be as needed. If interested, contact Jane Lewis at jmlvet94@gmail.com |
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Experiencing hardship?
The AVMA offers reduced dues or dues exemption for qualified applicants.
To learn more and apply click here |
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Not One More Vet offers a variety of resources to support veterinary professionals including micro-grants for those experiencing hardship. To learn more about the resources NOMV features, visit them here.
To learn more about micro-grants, click here. |
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ACVPM Continuing Education Webinar- Updates from the One Health Commission on the Global One Health Movement: Where do US Veterinarians fit in?
Dr. Cheryl Stroud will present “Updates from the One Health Commission on the Global One Health Movement: Where do US Veterinarians fit in?” This presentation will outline the progress of the global One Health movement, elucidate, compare and contrast some of the major players in the space, suggest needed actions and highlight where US veterinarians fit into the movement.
When: 20 October at 1pm Pacific Time/4pm Eastern Time
Where: Zoom Webinar
Cost: Free! (a benefit of being an active or emeritus ACVPM Diplomate, an ACVPM candidate, or an active member of AAFSPHV, NAFV, NASPHV, or USAHA)
CE Hours: This webinar has been granted up to one hour of CE credit by RACE. Participants must be active members of the ACVPM or its partner organizations and must participate for at least 50 minutes of the webinar to receive a one hour CE certificate.
To Register for the Webinar: Click HERE
Can't Make an ACVPM Webinar? - If you have to miss an ACVPM webinar, you can still watch many at your leisure by visiting their Youtube page. There is no CE credit for watching after the live the event. You can visit this link to see available recordings.
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Looking for more CE or have a CE event you'd like to share?
View our full calendar here
To share an upcoming event, please email me at editor@aafsphv.org |
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Please follow AAFSPHV on Social Media. We just joined bluesky |
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AAFSPHV News Brief Vol 5 Iss 20 www.aafsphv.org |
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