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H5N1 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Update for Nurses and Other Health Providers

Influenza is a clever virus and one that deserves respect. Current concerns with the H5N1 avian influenza virus strain demonstrate why public health around the world continues to watch and monitor for impact on human health. Although the situation is not one that currently affects us on a day-to-day basis, it is important that we have a basic understanding of why this remains newsworthy.

Spread and evolution of H5N1.

Since its emergence, H5N1 has spread across multiple continents, affecting wild birds, poultry, and mammals. In late 2023, the virus was detected in Antarctica for the first time, raising concerns about its impact on native wildlife. By 2024, H5N1 had been reported in various regions, including Europe, Asia, and the Americas, leading to significant poultry losses and economic challenges.

In the United States, H5N1 has been detected in wild birds, poultry, and mammals across all 50 states. As of early 2025, nearly 70 human cases have been confirmed, primarily among individuals with direct exposure to infected animals. In December 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first severe human case of H5N1 in Louisiana, involving a patient hospitalized with severe illness.

We have seen H5N1 move across nonhuman animal species, to situations where humans have become mildly ill after contact with animals, and now to situations where animal contact has resulted in severe human illness.

Since this particular strain of influenza has been detected in a variety of animals, but rarely in humans, what is the concern? The concern […]

2025-02-13T12:42:43-05:00February 13th, 2025|infection control, infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments
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Human Metapneumovirus: Another Important Cause of Respiratory Illness

Photo by Maria Kovalets/Unsplash

Respiratory viruses are part of our surrounding ecology, with rates increasing and decreasing across seasons and in accordance with the individual virus environmental preferences and human interactions. The SARS-CoV2 pandemic heightened international concern regarding respiratory virus presence and continues to serve as a stark reminder that illness anywhere in the world can have a profound impact on health in the United States. Recent surveillance information from East Asia and the United States have recognized an increase in a respiratory virus that may not be familiar to many, human metapneumovirus (hMPV or HMPV).

Human metapneumovirus is a respiratory virus that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family, the same family as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza viruses. Although hMPV was first identified in 2001, it has not gained as broad name recognition as other respiratory viruses and may still be unfamiliar to many.

This virus causes respiratory tract infections in people of all ages, but it is most common in young children, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals. hPMV infections are common in late winter and early spring. By the age of 5, most children have been exposed to the virus; reinfections can occur throughout life, though they are generally less severe in healthy adults. This […]

2025-02-03T13:49:44-05:00February 3rd, 2025|Nursing|0 Comments
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‘Man Enough to Care’: The Growing Trend of Men in Nursing

When you hear the word “nurse,” what are the first three words that come to mind? There is no doubt that “caring” is one of them. Maybe “compassion,” “trusted,” or “hardworking.” But what about the nurse’s gender? It’s OK if you thought “female,” because you wouldn’t be alone.

Longstanding societal stereotypes have made it such that we associate women with the nursing profession. I myself fell prey to this stereotype early on in life. When I graduated from college, I was working at a hospital in New York City where I worked closely with both doctors and nurses, and even though my gut was telling me that nursing could be the right profession for me, every nurse I worked with was female. So instead of applying to nursing school, I decided to take post-baccalaureate premedical courses and went the physician route.

It wasn’t until I turned 28 in 2010 that I decided nursing was in fact the right profession for me. It was the obvious choice because I knew I had the attributes that make a great nurse. Knowing that I could make a real difference, I disregarded the fact that only 9% of nurses were male at the time, and I pursued an accelerated second […]

2025-01-28T09:56:44-05:00January 28th, 2025|Men in nursing, Nursing|1 Comment
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What’s On Your Mind? AJN Seeking Short, Persuasive Opinion Essays for Viewpoint Column

Call for Viewpoints!

Image from Thought Catalog at Unsplash

The American Journal of Nursing (AJN) is seeking submissions for our Viewpoint column – an opinion column that presents a clear point of view in a distinctive voice on a topic that may or may not be controversial. Opinion, reflection, debate, and musing are all acceptable in this column. First-time writers welcome.

See our guidelines here: https://edmgr.ovid.com/ajn/accounts/Viewpoint.Guidelines.AJN.Dec.2022.doc

2025-01-17T11:14:49-05:00January 17th, 2025|Nursing|0 Comments
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Norovirus, a Formidable and Underappreciated Hazard: What Nurses Need to Know

Norovirus, a highly contagious virus that causes acute gastrointestinal illness, is making its presence known across the United States. Symptoms typically begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure and last one to three days and include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain.

During the last half of 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported close to 500 norovirus outbreaks, a significant increase when compared to the same time period in 2023. These outbreaks have occurred in health care facilities, restaurants, schools, and cruise ships and are continuing to occur in 2025. Norovirus is also the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, but it is not simply a foodborne or food contamination issue. In fact, norovirus transmission is more complex—and therefore often underappreciated in its impact on human health, including patients and health care workers.

The vulnerability of health care settings to norovirus.

Based on electron microscopic imagery, this illustration provides a 3D, graphical representation of a number of norovirus virions. CDC/ Jessica A. Allen

Let’s look at some of the reasons why norovirus […]

2025-01-10T12:10:31-05:00January 10th, 2025|infectious diseases, Nursing, patient safety, Public health|0 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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