Background Articles

An H5N1 avian influenza outbreak is affecting gulls across Northern Norway, with detections in multiple Troms and Nordland municipalities. Authorities warn mortality may be undercounted and urge reporting of sick or dead birds and strict biosecurity for poultry.

A tick found on the Avalon Peninsula tested positive for Lyme disease, but provincial health authorities say the risk to residents remains low.

Although Cook Inlet belugas are known to be susceptible to a variety of bacterial pathogens (10), F. tularensis has not been previously detected in this population, or in other cetaceans. The pattern of pathology represents the pulmonary form of tularemia, and the route of exposure was likely inhalation of contaminated water. F. tularensis is primarily a disease associated with freshwater, but the brackish nature of Cook Inlet and nearshore residence of belugas expose them to potentially contaminated freshwater runoff as well as to other reservoirs typically associated with freshwater (e.g., aquatic rodents, mosquito larvae) (1,2). The cause of the infections in a previously unreported host is unknown; however, host factors such as immunosuppression or environmental changes, such as increased runoff, could be considered.

Francisella tularensis Subspecies holarctica in Stranded Beluga Whales, Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA

"The amount we could export would not solve their egg shortage," says the head of the Finnish Poultry Association.

The article recounts the extraordinary 1925 dog sled relay that delivered diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska, amid a severe epidemic, highlighting the centennial of this historic event and the heroic efforts of mushers and their dogs who braved harsh conditions to save lives.