Microregistrar Infection Newsletter · Friday 6 November 2026
UKHSA week 45: influenza now above baseline — NHS briefing note issued.
UKHSA’s national flu and COVID-19 surveillance report for week 45 (data to week 44, 26 Oct–1 Nov) was published on 5 Nov at 14:00 GMT. Main messages: influenza activity showed variable trends and is circulating at low levels, but a briefing note has been issued to inform the NHS that influenza activity is now above baseline. Laboratory influenza positivity rose to 7.6% on the most recent Sunday (from 6.8%); weekly influenza hospital admissions rose to 2.83 per 100,000 (from 2.51); ICU/HDU admissions for influenza fell slightly to 0.09 per 100,000 (from 0.11).
COVID-19 activity decreased and remains low (positivity 8.3% from 8.8%; hospital admissions 2.23 from 2.58 per 100,000). RSV activity increased at baseline levels (positivity 2.9% from 1.6%; hospital admissions 0.80 from 0.57 per 100,000 overall; under-5s 11.85 from 7.56 per 100,000). Influenza vaccine uptake versus the same week last season is lower in most listed cohorts except pregnant women (31.1% vs 29.7%).
Check before quoting: figures are from the UKHSA week 45 HTML report. Pharmacy vs GP vaccine attribution remains misclassified (overall uptake still considered accurate). Ebola was eligible to lead (last Ebola lead 24 Oct) but there was no new WHO Disease Outbreak News; the significant WHO Tumaini vaccine news is dated 4 Nov and is covered in Agencies (not used as today’s lead). Compilation cut-off is early morning — see metadata.
Counted without journals (Journal Watch owns journals from 5 Nov 2026). Agency/outbreak tally includes flu week 45, syndromic week 44, UK SMI V 5, outbreaks-under-monitoring week 44, HCID country-risk update note, WHO Tumaini vaccines (4 Nov primary), Wisconsin measles death, APIC27 call, and three in-window CIDRAP items (Ebola, measles, COVID vaccine in pregnancy). MHRA had no newer FSN list than 26–30 Oct.
Also today
The other headlines from today’s issue. Each card links to its source and to the full summary.
V 5 Laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis C virus issued; V 8 withdrawn
UK SMI V 5 issue 8 (issue date 30 Oct 2026) replaces the former “Screening for hepatitis C infection” title and merges withdrawn V 8 (vertical and perinatal transmission). Bulletin 5 Nov 10:42 GMT.
Syndromic surveillance week 44: ARI mostly stable; ILI mixed
Most acute respiratory indicators stable; some rises in infants under 1 year. GP in-hours ILI down; ED ILI attendances up and above expected. Weekend rises in ED acute alcohol intoxication and ambulance overdose/poisoning.
Wisconsin infant measles death — first in the state since 1990
WI DHS (5 Nov): coroner listed measles as immediate cause. 431 cases in 13 counties as of 3 Nov; 9 hospitalisations. CIDRAP notes this as a third US measles-associated death in the week (secondary).
WHO: two Bundibugyo candidates to join Tumaini trial
WHO news 4 Nov: ChAdOx1 (Oxford/Serum Institute of India) and Moderna mRNA-1469 recommended for the ongoing ring-vaccination Tumaini trial in DRC after national approvals. First Bundibugyo-specific vaccines tested in an outbreak.
Outbreaks under monitoring week 44: BVD 10,532 / 5,126 in DRC
As of 1 Nov: +472 confirmed cases and +239 deaths since the prior OUM report. Kenya still 9 cases / 2 deaths (no new since 19 Oct). Nigeria first case noted; contacts followed.
APIC27 abstracts open to 6 Dec 2026; LA 14–16 June 2027
Public call-for-abstracts guidelines (site opened 26 Oct). Deadline 6 Dec 2026; conference Los Angeles. Mail Sorter forward not retrieved from the inbox in this run — public PDF used.
What we could not confirm
Shortened morning window (cut-off 06:15 Europe/London, not 08:10). No new WHO DON (still DON622). ECDC CDTR still week 42. CDC HAN blocked. Ebola case tallies differ: UKHSA OUM week 44 (to 1 Nov) 10,532 / 5,126 in DRC vs CIDRAP citing CDC “today” 10,699 / 5,202 — do not merge. UK healthcare-worker Ebola repatriation remains press/CIDRAP only (Guardian via CIDRAP; FluTrackers relay); no UKHSA/NHS primary page found in this run. HCID change note lists Guinea, Hungary and Myanmar updated — cell-level deltas not re-extracted. Journals intentionally omitted (Journal Watch owns them).
Microregistrar Moodle update
Read from the MoodleCloud Google Sheet Index tab (“Whats new?” column) on the morning of 6 Nov. No new dated rows since yesterday’s issue, which already reported the two 4 Nov entries.
Staphylococcus capitis and NRCS-A
Staphylococcus saprophyticus
C. diphtheriae & C. ulcerans Interactive
Still listed below the 4 Nov entries. Moodle ›
Greenbook vaccine part 1 revision
Unchanged. Moodle ›
Watched pages
Nine standing pages checked on the morning of 6 Nov (before 06:15). Four showed a material infection update inside the post-baseline window (flu week 45; syndromic week 44; outbreaks-under-monitoring week 44; HCID country-risk change note). Bird flu England unchanged after yesterday’s Brigg item.
Flu/COVID surveillance: week 45 report published 5 Nov 14:00 GMT (data to week 44). Week 45 › · Collection ›
Syndromic surveillance: week 44 national summary added 5 Nov 14:00 GMT. Week 44 › · Collection ›
Outbreaks under monitoring: week 44 (ending 1 Nov) published 5 Nov 15:30 GMT. Week 44 ›
HCID country risk: updated 5 Nov 15:30 GMT — change note “Guinea, Hungary and Myanmar updated.” Cell-level deltas not re-extracted here. HCID ›
Bird flu (England): no further case after Brigg AIV 2026/23 (still H5N1 England season count 2 on the situation page; public_updated 4 Nov 19:59 GMT). Situation ›
Green Book collection / ch25: unchanged after 3 Nov 08:37 GMT. Collection › · Chapter 25 ›
UK SMI: V 5 HCV issued (see Agencies); consultations page not re-scraped beyond confirming the issued bulletin. UK SMI › · Withdrawn ›
NICE / Examinations / Measles England / HPR vol 20: no new infection guideline, exam notice, England measles epi update or HPR issue spotted in the shortened window. NICE › · Exams › · Measles › · HPR ›
Agencies & guidance
UKHSA, RCPath UK SMI, MHRA, DEFRA/APHA, ECDC, WHO, CDC-related and CIDRAP items inside the window. Each card links to the primary page we used (CIDRAP marked secondary).
UKHSA / England
National flu and COVID-19 surveillance report: week 45 (5 Nov 2026)
Published 5 Nov 2026 14:00 GMT; data to week 44 (26 Oct–1 Nov). Influenza: variable trends, low level, but above baseline with an NHS briefing note. Positivity 7.6% (from 6.8%); hospital admissions 2.83 per 100,000 (from 2.51); ICU/HDU 0.09 (from 0.11). COVID-19 decreasing (positivity 8.3%; hospitals 2.23 per 100,000). RSV increasing at baseline (positivity 2.9%; hospitals 0.80 per 100,000; under-5s 11.85).
Vaccine uptake vs same week last season lower for ≥65s (59.1% vs 61.5%), clinical-risk <65 (27.9% vs 28.9%), age 2 and 3; higher in pregnancy (31.1% vs 29.7%). Pharmacy vs GP attribution still unreliable; overall uptake said to remain accurate.
Syndromic surveillance summary: week 44 (1 Nov 2026)
Published 5 Nov 14:00 GMT (GovDelivery 14:01). Most ARI indicators stable; rises in infants under 1 year. GP in-hours ILI decreased; ED ILI attendances rose further and remain above expected (rise in adults 45–64). Bronchiolitis attendances up but within expected. Weekend 31 Oct–1 Nov: rises in ED acute alcohol intoxication and ambulance “overdose or ingestion or poisoning”. Next report due 12 Nov.
Week 44 (ending 1 Nov): Bundibugyo virus disease multi-country
As of 1 Nov 2026 in DRC: 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 confirmed deaths (+472 / +239 since prior OUM). 67 health zones / 8 provinces; latest new zone Yakoma, North Ubangi (borders CAR). Contact tracing 84.0%. Kenya: still 9 confirmed / 2 deaths; no new cases since 19 Oct. Nigeria: first confirmed case (Abuja; travel from Uganda via Addis); medically evacuated to Switzerland; 62 contacts as of 29 Oct.
Tally conflict: CIDRAP (5 Nov) cites CDC “today” at 10,699 cases / 5,202 deaths — newer and different from this UKHSA cut at 1 Nov. Quote the source you mean.
HCID country-specific risk updated 5 Nov
Change note at 15:30 GMT: “Guinea, Hungary and Myanmar updated.” We did not re-audit every pathogen cell. Still use the page for country risk checks.
No newer FSN list than 26–30 October
Latest Field Safety Notices list on the alerts page remains 26–30 October 2026 (already noted yesterday). MHRA Safety Roundup: October 2026 also listed. No new infection medicine safety alert spotted in the shortened window.
Bird flu England: Brigg AIV 2026/23 still latest
No new England H5N1 case after yesterday’s Brigg confirmation. Situation page season H5N1 count: England 2, Scotland 1.
UK SMI / RCPath
V 5 Laboratory diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (issue 8) issued; V 8 withdrawn
GovDelivery bulletin 5 Nov 10:42 GMT. PDF issue date 30 Oct 2026; formerly titled “Screening for hepatitis C infection.” Merged with UK SMI V 8 (Vertical and perinatal transmission of hepatitis C), now withdrawn. Review of users’ comments also published.
WHO / global outbreaks
Two Bundibugyo candidates recommended for Tumaini trial (4 Nov)
WHO news 4 Nov 2026: TAG–CVP recommends adding ChAdOx1 (Oxford / Serum Institute of India) and Moderna mRNA-1469 to the ongoing Tumaini ring-vaccination trial in DRC after national approvals — first Bundibugyo-specific vaccines evaluated in an outbreak. Ervebo remains the first vaccine already in the trial. Treatment research (PARTNERS: MBP134, remdesivir; maftivimab to be added) also advancing. Vaccine trial results expected early 2027 (WHO).
Lead decision: significant primary WHO item, but dated 4 Nov (before today’s nominal window start) and yesterday’s issue already closed that morning; used as Agencies coverage rather than today’s lead. No new DON (still DON622, 23 Oct).
Measles · US (primary state)
WI DHS: infant death connected to ongoing measles outbreak
Immediate release 5 Nov 2026. Coroner listed measles as immediate cause; first such death in Wisconsin since 1990. No further identifiers released. As of 3 Nov: 431 cases in 13 counties; 9 hospitalisations. Since 1 Aug, DHS delivered 2,000 MMR doses to local health departments; >42,000 MMR doses administered by providers in that period (DHS).
ECDC
CDTR archive still week 42 (10–16 October)
Weeks 43–45 still missing from the weekly threats archive at this morning’s check.
IPC / conferences
Call for abstracts open until 6 Dec 2026
APIC27 Annual Conference & Expo, Los Angeles, 14–16 June 2027. Submission site opened 26 Oct 2026; deadline 6 Dec 2026 (guidelines PDF). Public source verified; the Mail Sorter Gmail forward cited in memory was not found in microregistrar2021 or microregistrar inboxes during this run.
Guidelines PDF states both “11:59 pm PT” and “11:59 p.m. EST” for the deadline — flag the inconsistency; check the live submission site.
CIDRAP (secondary)
Cases near 10,700; WHO vaccine add; UK HCW repatriation claim
5 Nov piece summarises WHO Tumaini add-ons and cites CDC outbreak total 10,699 / 5,202. Also reports UK government repatriation of a British healthcare worker from DRC (via The Guardian) — not confirmed against a UKHSA/NHS primary page in this run.
COVID vaccine in pregnancy and child neurodevelopment
5 Nov: study finds no difference in neurodevelopmental outcomes for children whose mothers received COVID vaccine in pregnancy versus those who did not (CIDRAP summary).
On X
Friday light check: agency and society accounts (UKHSA, ECDC, WHO, WHO/AFRO, CDC, MHRA, CIDRAP, IDSA, ESCMID) and FluTrackers posts on Ebola, H5N1, measles and related pathogens, from 5 Nov ~08:00 GMT to this morning. Each item links to the post we read.
Agencies and societies
UKHSA: Virus Watch graphs — RSV positivity 2.9% (from 1.6%); COVID PCR positivity in hospital settings 7.6% (from 8.1%); flu positivity 7.6% (from 6.8%). @UKHSA › · @UKHSA ›
CIDRAP: Wisconsin measles death @CIDRAP ›; COVID vaccine in pregnancy @CIDRAP ›; Ebola / Tumaini / UK HCW claim @CIDRAP ›; Canada measles cautionary tale @CIDRAP ›
WHO/AFRO: community trust feature on Bundibugyo response. @WHOAFRO ›
IDSA: Bartlett webinar on influenza complications (30 Nov). @IDSAInfo ›
No new infection posts from ECDC, MHRA or ESCMID in the light-search window. CDC posted on a US–India visit (not outbreak guidance).
Outbreaks (relays)
Ebola: FluTrackers relay of UK arrival for treatment @FluTrackers › — unverified against UKHSA/NHS primary; DRC MoH sitrep relay for 3 Nov (62 new confirmed / 34 deaths) also unverified here. @FluTrackers ›
H5N1 / measles: Mexico Yucatán farm and Iowa exposure relays — unverified. PA sixth death already covered yesterday from PA DOH primary.
Unverified: FluTrackers and press relays were not checked against primary government sources in this light run, apart from stories we already have from UKHSA, WHO, WI DHS or CIDRAP.
What we could not confirm
We want you to know exactly where today’s issue has limits. Journals are intentionally out of remit (Journal Watch). Here are the 12 gaps we couldn’t close, plus reports that weren’t out yet.
| Source | Issue |
|---|---|
| Compilation window | Shortened morning cut-off 06:15 Europe/London (GMT) for 07:00 publication — not the nominal 08:10. Late-morning releases after cut-off are not in this issue. |
| Lead (flu week 45) | Taken from the UKHSA HTML report main points and indicator tables. Graphs PDF linked but not fully re-digitised. Pharmacy vs GP vaccine attribution still misclassified per UKHSA. |
| Ebola tallies | UKHSA OUM week 44 (to 1 Nov): 10,532 / 5,126 in DRC. CIDRAP citing CDC (5 Nov): 10,699 / 5,202. Do not merge. No new WHO DON (DON622). |
| UK Ebola HCW | CIDRAP/Guardian and FluTrackers claim repatriation of a British healthcare worker — no UKHSA/NHS primary confirmation found in this run. Not used as fact. |
| HCID update | Change note “Guinea, Hungary and Myanmar updated” (5 Nov 15:30). Individual cell changes not re-extracted. |
| APIC Mail Sorter | Forward cited in memory (Gmail 1a1ad32d73de58b1) not found in microregistrar2021 or microregistrar inboxes; public APIC PDF/Cvent used instead. Deadline timezone PT vs EST inconsistent in the PDF. |
| X (light) | Friday light check (2 searches). Relay accounts are secondary. |
| CDC | HAN archive Access Denied again. Travel notices page not newly dated for November infection notices in this run. |
| ECDC | CDTR still week 42; weeks 43–45 missing. |
| WHO DON | No new DON since DON622 (23 Oct). Tumaini vaccine news is a separate WHO news item (4 Nov). |
| MHRA | GOV.UK search API errored; alerts landing page scraped instead. No FSN list newer than 26–30 Oct. |
| Moodle / NICE / exams | No new Moodle rows; no new NICE infection guideline or RCPath exam notice spotted in the shortened window. |
Not out yet
- UKHSA: week 46 flu/COVID-19 report (announced for data to 8 Nov) announcement ›; syndromic week 45 (due 12 Nov); HCAI monthly data to October 2026; next England measles epi update.
- ECDC: CDTR weeks 43–45 (overdue).
- WHO: next DON; revised Ebola rapid risk assessment; AFRO situation report with reconciled tallies.
- CDC: HAN (blocked to us); reconciled national measles death tally vs state reports.
- UK primary on HCW Ebola case: awaiting UKHSA/NHS statement if the press claim is accurate.
Sources
What we checked for this issue. Every link in the issue was retrieved and checked during this run. Journals were not scanned (remit change 5 Nov 2026).
- Watched pages (9 of 9 checked on the morning of 6 Nov, before 06:15)
- Microregistrar moodlecloud Google Sheet (Index tab), read directly through the Sheets connector — no new rows since 4 Nov
- UKHSA on GOV.UK: flu/COVID week 45 report and graphs; syndromic week 44; outbreaks under monitoring week 44; HCID country risk; bird-flu England situation; measles collection; Health Protection Report vol 20; Green Book
- RCPath UK SMI V 5 PDF, review-of-comments PDF, withdrawn documents page; Examinations page
- MHRA drug-device alerts landing (FSN lists)
- NICE published guidance landing
- Mail (microregistrar2021@gmail.com): Syndromic Surveillance Summary week 44; UK SMI V 5 issued bulletin; APIC forward not found
- ECDC: CDTR archive
- WHO: Disease Outbreak News API (still DON622); Tumaini vaccines news 4 Nov
- CDC: travel notices / HAN (HAN blocked)
- Wisconsin DHS measles death release (primary)
- APIC27 call-for-abstracts PDF and Cvent event page
- CIDRAP per-topic feeds (Ebola 64, measles 78, avian flu 49, AMS 48, influenza 69, HAI 81141, COVID-19 178636, pertussis 87, mpox 230556, C. auris 232685): 3 in-window items retained
- X (Friday light check): agency search + FluTrackers outbreak search over 5–6 Nov