Category: Flu Virus

Bird flu is currently making its way across the US with over 1,000 outbreaks reported so far, but most Americans have nothing to worry about - at least not for now.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that the risk to the general public is "low" but it is "watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures."

Since 2022, there have been four reported human cases, the most recent three all this year and following exposure to infected dairy cows. The risk is mitigated by the fact that it doesn't spread easily among humans.

However, public health officials are concerned that this could change. Just recently, former CDC director Dr Robert Redfield told NewsNation: "I really do think it's very likely that we will, at some time, it's not a question of if, it's more of a question of when we will have a bird flu pandemic."

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In an article in the New York Times, Dr Jennifer B Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health, warned that the virus "could mutate to gain the ability to infect people more easily." This would "likely cause a new pandemic."

With the disease proving fatal in around half of the nearly 900 people known to have contracted the H5N1 strain of the virus worldwide since 2003, bird flu is "typically more dangerous than the viruses that cause seasonal flu and COVID-19."

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that H5N1 outbreaks have surfaced in 525 counties across 48 states, affecting nearly 97 million birds since January 2022. This marked the first detection of H5 viruses in the US since 2016.

The influenza has also spread to 92 dairy cow herds in a dozen US states. Commonly known as bird flu, avian influenza is an intensely contagious viral disease impacting many species of birds, affecting their respiratory, digestive, and occasionally nervous systems.

While there are numerous strains of the virus, most do not infect humans. The discovery of the H5N1 strain in US poultry and dairy herds has provoked concern because, although rare, it can be transmitted to humans.

Globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveals 889 cases and 463 deaths caused by the H5N1 virus since 2003. Concerns have recently also arisen over the H5N2 strain of bird flu, following the death of a 59 year old Mexican man - the first recorded human death from this strain, confirmed by WHO.

Reacting to the current H5N1 outbreak in the US, WHO stated: "Since the virus has not acquired mutations that facilitate transmission among humans and based on available information, WHO assesses the public health risk to the general population posed by this virus to be low and for occupationally exposed persons the risk of infection is considered low-to-moderate."

"Due to the constantly evolving nature of influenza viruses, WHO continues to stress the importance of global surveillance to detect and monitor virological, epidemiological and clinical changes associated with emerging or circulating influenza viruses that may affect human (or animal) health and timely virus sharing for risk assessment."

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US bird flu outbreak map shows alarming spread of virus as pandemic 'inevitable' - Irish Star

The spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 among animals is unprecedented having been found on all continents except Oceania with the United Nations calling it a global zoonotic animal pandemic.

H5N1 is known to be able to infect over 350 species of birds and close to 60 species of mammals with migratory waterfowl including ducks, swans, geese and gulls being especially susceptible to various avian-borne influenza viruses. H5N1 infected waterfowl are normally asymptomatic carriers, however, these birds can infect other species (including mammals) along their migratory routes. This global transference allows disease to spread, and for virus genetics and virulence to continually adapt.

Alarmingly, evidence indicates that climate change seems to be impacting the emergence of zoonotic viruses like H5N1. As global climate conditions change, avian migratory patterns and routes are also changing. Higher temperatures and extreme weather has resulted in large-scale population shifts in a range of temperate species. These changes have led to diseases emerging in areas and in genetic configurations entirely unique and unprecedented.

H5N1 is a clear indication that disease monitoring and response efforts are an essential part of any climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy.

The ecology and genetics of H5N1 viruses have evolved significantly since first being detected in China in 1997.

The H5N1 virus has been detected in the polar regions and the first confirmed case of a polar bear dying from H5N1 was recorded in Alaska in 2022. Antarctica has seen significant rates of mortality in its native elephant and fur seal populations as a result of viral exposure.

Non-migratory wild birds are highly susceptible to H5N1 infections brought on the wings of their more transitory cousins. There have been approximately 75,000 bird casualties globally as per the World Animal Health Information System. However, efforts to accurately estimate the total number of wild birds which have died as a result of H5N1 are hampered by issues in data quality and availability.

Meanwhile, a 2022 report on the state of wild birds in the United States estimated that over three billion birds have been lost in part due to climate related factors.

On land, the H5N1 virus has been detected in dairy cattle, and in 2024, a Texas agricultural worker was infected with H5N1. These cases suggest that H5N1 is adapting to infect mammalian hosts.

In March of this year, reports began to emerge of unusual deaths in young goats on a farm in Minnesota. That same farm had individuals in its poultry flock test positive for H5N1 and the goats and poultry shared similar spaces and water sources. It was later determined that the H5N1 strains in both the poultry and goats were highly related.

In May of 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the detection of H5N1 in alpacas on a farm in Idaho. Similar to previous cases, this farm also had a backyard poultry population test positive for H5N1 with unusually high amounts of the virus detected across the farm. To date, 12 states in the U.S. have reported outbreaks of H5N1 with 101 dairy herds affected.

Read more: An ounce of prevention: Now is the time to take action on H5N1 avian flu, because the stakes are enormous

The discoveries of H5N1 on farms, alongside recent analysis of viral dispersal patterns, reiterate the importance of climate change shifting the migratory patterns of birds in the spread of viruses around the globe.

There is increasing evidence that climate change is accelerating the global spread and emergence of new H5N1 variants with evidence that wider seasonal variation is enabling the emergence of novel H5N1 variants.

In North America, the warmer winters and earlier onset of spring which global warming is causing could allow some moisture-reliant pathogens to survive and spread more easily. Meanwhile, cooler and wetter conditions can enhance the survival of influenza viruses in bird droppings and contaminated water.

Simply put, the spread of influenza viruses around the globe is dictated by their ability to survive long enough in a place to be able to transmit elsewhere and climate change is, in some cases, making this survival more likely.

The recent cases of poultry-to-human and cattle-to-human transmissions underscore the threats posed by these viruses and the importance of understanding how climate change is affecting their spread.

The H5N1 virus poses a significant threat to public health and the recent cases in the U.S. coupled with H5N1s high mortality rates in humans underscores the need for vigilant monitoring.

Dealing with viruses is always a challenge, however, climate change is upending many conventional understandings as shifting waterfowl migration patterns and environmental conditions force us to change strategies. Strengthening health-care infrastructure, and educating communities about H5N1 risks are essential components of a comprehensive response strategy.

Read more: How climate change influences the spread of disease four essential reads

Promoting sustainable agricultural practices, such as improving biosecurity in poultry and cattle farms, reducing livestock population density and enhancing barn ventilation systems, is crucial. Innovative smart farming technology can also help track viral infections in poultry barns.

Conservation efforts are essential to maintain healthy ecosystems and minimize viral spread. Restoring natural habitats can mitigate the effects of climate change on wild bird populations, thereby reducing the risk of H5N1 spillover.

In the future, global leaders will need to be vigilant with respect to the trajectory of H5N1. International collaboration on disease management will be crucial for implementing climate adaptation strategies to safeguard the health of both our planet and its inhabitants against viruses like H5N1.

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Climate change is helping the H5N1 bird flu virus spread and evolve - The Conversation Indonesia

Jun 18

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Cows wait to be milked at the Faria Dairy Farm in Escalon, California, on June 2, 2009.(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

More than four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be anxiety-inducing to think about another virus causing a similar amount of havoc.

And you may have already seen the headlines, public health officials are now responding to the spread of H5N1: the virus that typically causes avian flu sometimes also called bird flu among birds and other animals, but that has recently spreadacross U.S. dairy farms.

In 2024, three human cases of H5N1 have been confirmed in the United States: two in Michigan and one in Texas. All three infections were reported among dairy workers and the CDC confirms that these workers had direct contact with infected cows. Most of the time, H5N1 only affects birds but in 2024, the virus has mutated enough to cause infections among cattle.

Considering that there are only a handful of confirmed human H5N1 infections in the U.S. right now, public health experts told KQED that having accurate information about a virus is one way we can all better protect ourselves against future potential threats.

H5N1 is really a metaphor for lots of emerging threats in the future where we need to use the lessons weve learned during COVID and apply them again, said Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease physician at UC San Francisco. We are being vigilant but not afraid.

Keep reading for the latest on what researchers know about H5N1 and how you can think realistically about the risks.

Avian flu has existed among different bird species for centuries and is caused by the influenza A virus. Most of the time, the influenza A virus sticks to birds, but some strains can jump to other species. The seasonal flu we see each year, for example, is caused by an influenza A virus strain, while another strain of that same virus type caused the 2009 swine flu pandemic that cost tens of thousands of lives around the world.

Since 2023, another strain of the influenza A virus, H5N1, has mutated enough to infect a wide variety of mammals, including foxes in Finland, sea lions in Peru, and, most recently, dairy cows in the U.S.

The number of infected cattle herds across the country continues to grow. According to the Department of Agriculture (USDA), 92 herds in 12 states have confirmed H5N1 cases. And since the USDA does not require cattle ranchers to test their herds for H5N1, researchers do not even have a complete picture of how far H5N1 may have spread among American cattle.

The concern about H5N1 has always been there, said Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, professor of epidemiology and director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health. But in the last couple of years, [the virus] started doing things that have been a bit unusual.

Weve seen this virus start to infect mammals and a wide range of mammals, she said, pointing at the different outbreaks throughout the world. Thats a concern because humans are mammals, and so mammals are more like us than birds are.

But what makes this recent outbreak the most concerning for Nuzzo is that the virus is now capable of infecting cows. Cows are mammals that humans have a lot more contact with than all the other mammals that weve seen get infected, she said.

H5N1 has not yet evolved to efficiently spread between humans, researchers told KQED.

At the moment, the three confirmed cases among humans were most likely caused by these individuals interacting directly with a sick cow. All three infected humans worked with dairy cows in states with confirmed H5N1 cases among cattle.

But if the virus can jump from cow to human, it still needs to evolve a lot more for it to move from human to human. Certain mutations are necessary for that to happen, said Dr. Abraar Karan, who studies infectious diseases at Stanford University. Some of those mutations would allow for the virus remains stable in the air and that it becomes more efficient at infecting certain types of receptors in human lungs.

The CDC reports that the close contacts of those dairy workers who tested positive for H5N1 have not themselves developed symptoms.

However, because cattle ranchers arent required to test their herds for H5N1, researchers still dont know how many cows have been exposed to the virus and consequently, how many humans could now be interacting with infected cattle.

We havent really contained the virus within dairy cows yet, Chin-Hong said. And the more it continues in the dairy cows, the more its going to probably result in contact with dairy workers.

The more transmission events there are, the more chances the virus will have to mutate and suddenly, by accident, be able to enter the bodies of humans more effectively.

Even before the first confirmed human case of H5N1 back in April, the research community pushed federal officials to prioritize the H5N1 outbreak among cattle, specifically to make testing more accessible. On May 30, the USDA announced that it would transfer $824 million from other existing initiatives in order to launch the Voluntary H5N1 Dairy Herd Status Pilot Program.

The CDC continues to monitor the three individuals infected with H5N1 in 2024. The first case, a dairy worker in Texas reported eye redness as their only symptom and, according to health officials, is recovering.

The second person infected with bird flu also experienced pink eye, but the third case reported new symptoms: a sore throat and a cough.

Since 1997, the CDC has confirmed a total of 909 H5N1 human infections worldwide. 52% of those total cases have been fatal, confirming that H5N1 indeed has the potential to be very dangerous to humans.

However, theres an important context to this. For one thing, this number is a global total spanning a time period of over 25 years. Outbreaks have been scattered throughout the world, and health officials have quickly monitored infected individuals to reduce community spread as much as possible.

Its also very important to remember that, according to researchers, the avian flu virus cannot currentlyspread from human to human. Only people who work in very close proximity to infected animals, like cows or chickens, run some risk.

If youre a farmworker, Karan said, and youre feeling symptoms or feel like you may have the flu its important that you let your doctor or healthcare provider know, Hey, I work pretty closely with animals.

The CDC said that the risk of H5N1 to the general public remains low.

To understand the risk of H5N1, researchers are working to understand the molecular structure of the virus, the way it moves in the air and how human cells respond to exposure. A big part of this work is looking at the genetic information of the virus.

In April, the CDC sequenced the genome of the H5N1 virus found in the dairy worker infected in Texas. Researchers identified some mutations in the virus but not the necessary mutations that would give the virus the tools to jump from one human to another.

Researchers point out that the overwhelming majority of H5N1 cases in the past two decades show humans caught the virus from animals, not other humans.

The thing that were most worried about right now is the people who work on dairy farms may be exposed to this virus in the course of doing their jobs, Nuzzo said.

The challenge in understanding whats going on right now is that we dont have very good surveillance on cows, she said, and we also dont have great surveillance on the farms of the people who work there. She attributed this in part to the fact that theres a lot of disincentives for having health officials show up and try to test workers on these farms, [who are] somewhat of a disenfranchised group.

The short answer: No, there is no H5N1 outbreak in the Bay Area.

Locally, researchers regularly test the regions wastewater to measure the levels of certain viruses, like COVID-19, among the population. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, high levels of COVID-19 in Bay Area wastewater usually match up with spikes of COVID-19 infections.

At the end of May, researchers did indeed detect the H5N1 virus in San Francisco wastewater, which set off alarms across social media. And while it makes sense why a headline like that can cause panic, digging deeper into the data shows a different story.

San Francisco is one of few hundred cities in the country with a combined sewer system, which means stormwater and sewage flow through the same pipes. When researchers collect wastewater samples, that includes water coming from bathrooms, but it also comes mixed with used water from other parts of the city, including businesses and storm drains.

The timing of H5N1 in the wastewater matched up with two cases of H5N1 among chickens at a live animal marketsometimes referred to as a wet marketin San Francisco. The infected chickensidentified by California food safety regulators and showing no symptoms at the time of testingwere removed from the market, and public health officials have also monitored the market workers who were in contact with the chickens.

San Franciscos health department does not believe that any of the wastewater hits for bird flu are related to human infection. No one really thinks at this point that the detections are due to human cases of H5N1, said Dr. George Han, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Healths communicable disease prevention and control program.

If you go to a live market, will you be exposed to H5N1? The experts KQED spoke to said no. Surveillance of poultry has been going on for a long time, even before this, Karan said.

But he nonetheless recommends that if folks can avoid direct contact with poultry in these settings, they should. But if youre going to be near these kinds of birds or near their feces or any kind of secretions they may have, he said, wear masks, eye protection and wash your hands.

Most of the recommendations from the CDC are still just for people who work closely with animals that are vulnerable to H5N1 infections, like cows and chickens. This includes recommending people wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when interacting with infected or potentially infected animals.

However, some early recommendations for the overall population include avoiding interacting with sick or dead animals you may find, like wild birds and chickens. One big recommendation from the CDC: That folks avoid consuming raw milk, or milk that has not been pasteurized.

Most milk sold in the U.S. is pasteurized, which means that during production, this milk was briefly heated to a certain temperature in order to kill harmful germs that may be present. In April, the FDA reported that 1 in 5 pasteurized milk products nationwide tested positive for the H5N1 virus but since the pasteurization process kills the virus, any H5N1 found was already dead.

While there havent yet been any cases of people getting sick with H5N1 after drinking raw milk, pasteurizing milk still remains a best practice in the industry to ensure the safety of dairy products and kill not just the H5N1 virus but many other viruses and bacteria that can spread through cow milk and make humans sick.

In California, it is legal to sell raw milk, and data shows that demand for this product has continued to grow, even after the CDCs recommendations. Everybody in California loves farm-to-table and natural foods, Chin-Hong said, but he adds that if folks are thinking of consuming raw milk, they should also assess the real risks that come with doing so especially now, as the U.S. watches for any spread of H5N1.

Is the juice worth the squeeze? he asked, If you are very old or very young, particularly babies under six months or those who are older, that risk might be too high at this moment.

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Avian Flu: What to Know About H5N1 Virus Risks, Beyond the Headlines - KQED

WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: Deeply confronting, never-before-seen drone footage has shown the devastating impact avian influenza is having on poultry farms all over the world, with the number of birds now killed as a result of the virus worldwide surging to half a billion.

For weeks, bird flu had only been detected at properties in Victoria in Australia, until Wednesday when a farm in NSW in the Hawkesbury district, north of Sydney, revealed the H7N8 strain was found among its animals. It's believed the spread was the result of a "spill-over" event, possibly from wild birds, with an estimated 100,000 chickens at the property to be euthanised as a result.

There are now eight farms in total across Australia that have detected the deadly virus in its poultry flocks one in NSW and a seven in Victoria which is known to cause severe symptoms and even death in the birds. It's believed that 1 million chickens and ducks will be euthanised in Victoria alone as a result of the worsening outbreak.

While that figure is confronting, in the US, where the spread is much more pronounced and has even begun to spread among dairy cows, a single farm was forced to kill a staggering four million chickens after an outbreak. Drone footage captured by the Mercy For Animals group at an Iowa factory egg farm has shown mountains of chicken corpses piled up as staff work to dispose of the bodies.

In the vision, dump trucks are seen pouring hundreds of thousands of dead chickens at once into massive piles, with feathers strewn across the property as workers bury the animals in rows. According to the group, the farm was home to 4.2 million egg-laying chickens, each subsequently destroyed.

The disturbing scenes highlight the crushing impact avian flu is having on farms across America, where an estimated 97 million birds have been affected since 2022, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). US officials announced earlier in June that a third person had tested positive with the virus a farm worker in Michigan who worked closely with sick cows.

On home soil, consumers have been told not to worry about eggs and poultry from the supermarkets with the outbreak not yet posing a risk to public health. Although the H5N1 potential pandemic strain remains the greatest threat to public health, the H7 variant can also spread to humans, as already seen in an infant returning from India to Melbourne earlier this month.

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Professor Enzo Palombo, food health and safety expert at Swinburne University, said "there's no need to panic" and "no real sense that anything significant is happening locally which we should be concerned about" for now.

But, there is growing evidence to suggest the virus "could come across to humans more readily", which "could end up being the start of the next pandemic". He said "the real concern from a public health point of view" will be if "what's happening in the US with mammals" occurs on home soil.

"What's most concerning is what's happening in the US with the dairy cattle, there have been documented transmissions from cattle to humans, most likely through milk," he said. "The virus seems to be infecting the udders and it seems to be shared through milk, which tests showed had live virus in it."

If the virus moves from cows to infect pig populations, Palombo said, "that scenario is much more frightening than any potential spread through food" as "pigs are notoriously the animals in which all these flu viruses tend to mix up and come out as new versions".

On Australian farms, avian flu has so far only been detected among chickens and ducks.

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Unseen footage shows tragic impact of deadly bird flu as virus spreads in Australia - Yahoo News Australia

How worried you should be about H5N1, the bird flu virus spreading on dairy farms in the United States, depends on who you are.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has described the current H5N1 risk to the general public as low. The risk that the virus poses is tempered by the fact that it doesnt spread easily among people yet.

Right now public health experts have the difficult task of urging authorities who can do something about H5N1 to take action while maintaining public trust. Americans have just been through a pandemic that resulted in over one million U.S. lives lost. They may feel weary of more bad news or fear-based messaging. It is not easy but is important to communicate that the threat level for most people is low but that if nothing is done, it could become quite high.

Experts need to be clear that currently the levers of action are squarely in the hands of government leaders and agricultural interests, not in the hands of the general public. But public attention is crucial to ensuring that authorities find the will to act.

No one knows whether H5N1, if left unchecked, will become the deadly pandemic that public health experts like me worry it could. Many of us have been watching H5N1 with alarm for more than 20 years.

As an epidemiologist, I join those who are concerned that as H5N1 continues to infect animals and people exposed to them, it could become a greater threat. The virus could mutate to gain the ability to infect people more easily. Because we dont have immunity to this virus, a version that becomes highly contagious would probably cause a new pandemic. Influenza viruses change more rapidly than others and have created four pandemics since the start of the 20th century.

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Opinion | How Scared Should You Be of Bird Flu? - The New York Times

(NewsNation) Is a bird flu pandemic imminent? Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) DirectorRobert Redfield seems to think so, he says its just a matter of when that will be.

In the last two years, bird flu has been blamed for the deaths of millions of wild and domestic birds worldwide. However, it seems to have hardly touched people.

Redfield told NewsNations Brian Entin on Friday that he believes bird flu will enter humans and that it could have significant mortality.

He also discussed the growing concern for bird flu, as the virus has been detected in dozens of cattle across the country, and the World Health Organizationidentifiedthe first human death in Mexico.

I really do think its very likely that we will, at some time, its not a question of if, its more of a question of when we will have a bird flu pandemic, Redfield said.

He also noted that bird flu has a significant mortality when it enters humans compared to COVID-19. Redfield predicts the mortality is probably somewhere between 25 and 50% mortality. NewsNation noted that the death rate for COVID-19 was 0.6%.

Avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, is an infection from a type of influenzavirusthat usually spreads in birds and other animals, according to theCleveland Clinic.

The virus usually spreads in birds but can also infect humans if they come in contact with an infected animals body fluid, like spit, respiratory droplets or feces, the medical center said.

It can also be spread if a human breathes in small dust particles in animal habitats or gets it into their eyes, nose or mouth after touching animal body fluids. People who work with poultry, waterfowl and livestock are most vulnerable to catching the virus.

Its extremely rare for the virus to spread from one human to another, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Redfield said he knows exactly what has to happen for the bird flu virus to get to the point where it will spread to humans because hes done lab research on it.

Scientists have found that five amino acids must change in the key receptor for bird flu to gain a propensity to bind to a human receptor and then be able to go human-to-human as COVID-19 did, Redfield said.

Once the virus gains the ability to attach to the human receptor and then go human to human, thats when youre going to have the pandemic, he said. And as I said, I think its just a matter of time.

Redfield noted that he doesnt know how long it will take for the five amino acids to change, but since it is being detected in cattle herds across the country, he is a bit concerned.

Researchers still dont know how the recent outbreak of bird flu spread to cattle, but the leading theory is that it has to do with milking machines that could be carrying the virus, Jenna Guthmiller, an assistant professor of immunology and microbiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said in theuniversitys journal.

She said high levels of the virus have been found in the cows udders, and the infection appears restricted to dairy cows, which furthers this possibility.

Influenza A has never been recorded like this in cows before. Theres the occasional cow infected, but they are not a natural host for influenza A viruses, so this is really quite shocking to the field, she said.

More than 40 cattle herds nationwide have confirmed cases of the virus. The CDC is tracking wastewater treatment sites to pinpoint where the virus is, but the agencysaid the general publics current riskof contracting the virus is low.

There have been three confirmed human cases of bird flu this year: One in Texas and two in Michigan.

All three were farmworkers who were directly exposed to dairy cattle presumed to be infected with bird flu.

The first two infected people reported relatively mild symptoms, including eye inflammation,state officials said.

The last case,reported Friday in Michigan, had different symptoms, including upper respiratory problems, sore throat, cough and congestion, according to the CDC.

Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDCs principal deputy director, said during a news briefing theres no indication yet that the virus is spreading from person to person, although the risk does increase with respiratory symptoms.

Simply put, someone whos coughing may be more likely to transmit the virus than someone who has an eye infection like conjunctivitis, he said.

The CDC ismonitoring 350 peoplewho have been exposed to infected dairy cows for flu-like symptoms. Thirty-nine people have been tested for the virus, according to agency data.

Theagency saysthe current risk of contracting the virus to the general public is low, as these cases are rare in humans.

Right now, the H5N1 bird flu situation remains primarily an animal health issue. However, the CDC is watching this situation closely and taking routine preparedness and prevention measures in case this virus changes to pose a greater human health risk, the CDC said.

According to the CDC,symptoms of bird fluin humans range from eye redness or mild flu-like upper respiratory symptoms to pneumonia, high fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

Less common signs and symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or seizures, according to the agency.

The bird flu vaccine ismade using eggs, which has concerned some medical researchers because of the prospect that wild birds could carry the virus into the henhouses needed in vaccine production.

To make raw material for an influenza vaccine, the virus is grown in millions of fertilized eggs. Sometimes it doesnt grow well, or it mutates to a degree that the vaccine product stimulates antibodies that dont neutralize the virus or the wild virus mutates to an extent that the vaccine doesnt work against it.

But a new experimental mRNA vaccine developed by researchers atthe University of Pennsylvanias School of Medicinecould help manage the outbreak of the H5N1 virus seen in birds and cattle and also prevent human infections.

Unlike other influenza inoculations, mRNA vaccines do not require eggs for their development.

The Associated Press and NewsNations Cassie Buchman contributed to this story.

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Ex CDC director predicts bird flu pandemic: What to know - NewsNation Now

Updated 18 June 2024

Image source, Getty Images

Bird flu is spreading in cattle herds in the US in a surprising development that's worrying scientists. There's no evidence the virus can cause a human outbreak, but authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation. What do we know about the H5N1 virus and how worried should we be?

Bird flu is a disease caused by a virus that infects birds and sometimes other animals, such as foxes, seals and otters.

The major strain - circulating among wild birds worldwide - is a type of the virus known as H5N1. It emerged in China in the late 1990s.

Bird migration has led to outbreaks in domestic and wild birds. The virus has in very rare cases infected humans.

Scientists say the current risk to humans is low. Transmission from birds to humans is rare and there has been no sustained human-to-human transmission.

There is no way to predict whether avian flu will trigger a pandemic in humans, but experts are monitoring its spread and studying how it is changing and evolving.

Image source, Getty Images

The virus's jump into cattle astounded scientists, who thought cows weren't susceptible to it.

It comes amid another unusual development: In early June, a 59-year-old man in Mexico died with another type of bird flu - H5N2- which had never before been recorded in people. It is unclear how he got it, although there have been cases in some poultry farms in Mexico.

Health bodies such as the World Health Organization and the CDC consider the overall public health risk from bird flu to be low. But scientists say we need to keep a close eye on the spread of the virus.

"This case is one more in a series of developments that collectively could be considered a red flag," says Professor Sir Peter Horby, director of the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford.

H5N1 has been on scientists' radar for the past few years, with the virus spreading across all continents. Thousands of outbreaks have been recorded in poultry and wild birds.

There have been outbreaks in animals farmed for their fur, including mink.

The virus has also been detected in foxes, bears, otters, raccoons, cats, dogs, goats and others.

"It's a virus that's on the march so we've been watching it with concern for that reason," says Dr Ed Hutchinson, Senior Lecturer, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.

Image source, Getty Images

Flu viruses are known for their ability to shape-shift, picking up genes and changing over time as they move outside their natural host.

Scientists are watching closely for signs H5N1 might gain a sustained foothold outside poultry and wild birds.

Finding the virus in cattle was "a real shock", says Dr Hutchinson.

"When it turns up in an animal where large numbers of them are farmed and therefore in close proximity with humans that immediately is a reason for paying close attention to it."

Scientists think the route of transmission is what they call "artificial" - the cows are not passing it to one another through natural contact and it probably isn't transmitting in airborne particles from cow to cow.

Instead, they think all the transmission is happening in milking parlours. "It looks like it's through contaminated milking machinery," explains Dr Thomas Peacock from the Pirbright Institute.

This means that the virus, at the moment, doesn't have the ability to spread naturally from animal to animal. The longer it does go on spreading through dairy herds though, Dr Peacock says, the higher the chance that it evolves in a way that would allow it to do that.

There have been cases of humans catching H5N1 from time to time, usually from contact with sick animals, in several countries, including Cambodia, Chile, China, Vietnam, Australia, USA and the UK.

A few hundred human cases have been reported since 1997, around half of whom died.

Image source, Getty Images

More recently, there have been a few cases in US dairy workers, who had only mild symptoms.

Many US states are investing in preventative measures, like protective clothing and goggles for farm workers.

Experts studying the virus say there's no evidence it has morphed into a form that would pose a big threat to humans.

Virologist Tom Peacock says the more that it spreads across the US, the higher the chance that the virus gets into humans.

And, importantly, the higher the chance that it gets into waterfowl - ducks and geese.

"That's what we're worried about," he tells the BBC. "Because [those birds] are the ones that one are very susceptible to this, and they seem to be the ones that carry it very large distances.

Some countries are discussing deploying vaccines or are working to secure supplies.

But with only limited supplies available, any vaccine campaign would be limited, with doses distributed to front line workers including poultry farmers, veterinarians, scientists who study the virus, and people who work on fur farms housing animals like mink and fox.

Image source, Getty Images

Dr Jayna Raghwani, a biologist from the UK's Royal Veterinary College, points out that, in terms of designing new avian flu vaccines, we are relatively well prepared.

"We don't have to start from scratch with an influenza virus," she says. "And we have a good understanding of how those [existing flu vaccines] work in order to raise an immune response and be protective.

"In an ideal world," she adds, there would be more surveillance for the virus close to farms.

"We could do more general monitoring of wildlife close to places we know outbreaks are occurring and more in domestic animals," Dr Raghwani says, "to better understand how the virus changes between species."

"I don't want to downplay concerns about the influenza [circulating in cows]," says Dr Raghwani. "But if I was talking to my mum or my grandma about the risk to humans, I would say 'don't worry'."

Dr Hutchinson puts it this way: "It's not February 2020 but it does demand our close attention. There are definite risks associated with this and they might not go anywhere but we'd be very foolish not to pay attention to them."

Original post:

What is bird flu and how worried should I be about a pandemic? - BBC.com

The bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle has so far spilled over to just three farmworkers in the United States, as far as public health authorities know. All of them have had mostly mild symptoms.

But that does not guarantee that the virus, called H5N1, will remain benign if it begins to spread among people. Accumulating evidence from the animal world and data from other parts of the globe, in fact, suggest the opposite.

Some dairy cows never recovered from H5N1, and died or were slaughtered because of it. Infected terns seemed disoriented and unable to fly. Elephant seal pups had trouble breathing and developed tremors after catching the virus. Infected cats went blind, walking in circles; two-thirds of them died.

I definitely dont think there is room for complacency here, said Anice Lowen, a virologist at Emory University.

H5N1 is a highly pathogenic type of influenza virus, and we need to have a high degree of concern around it if its spilling over into humans, she said.

In ferrets experimentally inoculated with the virus through their eyes the presumed route of infection in the U.S. farmworkers the virus rapidly spread to their airways, lungs, stomach and brain, according to a report published on Wednesday.

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Original post:

A Bird-Flu Pandemic in People? Here's What It Might Look Like. - The New York Times

A third case of mammal-to-human transmission of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus has been reported in the United States. This latest case, involving a dairy worker in Michigan, raises concerns due to the individual exhibiting respiratory symptoms, highlighting the pandemic potential of this virus. U.S. hospitals need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

The three human cases of H5N1 in the U.S. the first one in Texas and the others in Michigan are not connected to each other. Fortunately, all three individuals experienced mild symptoms and have fully recovered, with no additional cases detected. These infections are part of a broader epidemic affecting dairy cattle, with more than 90 herds infected across 12 states. Wastewater surveillance has shown increased detections of influenza A in certain areas. Bird flu is in the family of influenza A so any increase observed can be implicated with H5N1 or other influenza A viruses, such as H1N1 and H3N2 that routinely circulate in people. While there is yet no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus, this could emerge at any time, underscoring the urgent need for hospitals to bolster their preparedness for potential additional human cases of H5N1.

The current risk to the general public is low, though individuals with job-related or recreational exposure to infected birds, cattle, or other animals are at higher risk for infection. To date, no severe illness or deaths from H5N1 have been reported in the U.S., though the virus is known to be deadly. Since the first human outbreak in 1997 in Hong Kong, more than 900 sporadic cases have been reported in 23 countries, with more than half resulting in death.

As leaders in health care and public health, we recognize the important role hospitals play in outbreak detection and response, and mitigating the spread of infectious diseases. With H5N1 posing a potentially significant public health threat, hospitals must adopt proactive, comprehensive strategies to prepare for, reduce the threat of, and respond to potential cases. Here are four strategies we recommend hospitals implement:

Testing is the first step in detecting and managing people with H5N1 bird flu. Clinicians should consider testing people showing signs or symptoms of acute respiratory illness or conjunctivitis with relevant exposure history, especially anyone who has had contact with potentially infected sick or dead birds, livestock, or other animals within 10 days of the onset of symptoms. Clinical presentations can range from mild conjunctivitis and upper respiratory symptoms to severe pneumonia and multi-organ failure.

Further reading

It is crucial for clinicians to understand that cases of H5N1 bird flu can occur without any known links to infected animals, animal products, or contaminated sources (such as equipment), so its important to test individuals who exhibit H5N1 symptoms, regardless of their exposure history.

Public health authorities, who control whether testing for H5N1 should be conducted at a public health laboratory, should be flexible and allow clinicians to test patients for H5N1 based on their own clinical judgement and who may not fit the specific criteria for H5N1 like being in direct contact with an infected animal as the risk for being infected with H5N1 is evolving.

Through the national and state Influenza Surveillance Report currently in place, hospitals, clinics, and community providers are essential for public health surveillance for seasonal influenza, including detecting novel strains like H5N1. Identifying various viral subtypes is typically done in public health laboratories. As such, effective communication and coordination between clinicians and local health departments are crucial for diagnosing and managing human H5N1 cases.

Increased awareness of H5N1 among clinicians is important for recognizing potential infections in humans and initiating public health investigations. For individuals directly exposed to dairy cows, birds, or other animals that can carry H5N1, or those in at-risk groups, clinicians should be thinking H5N1 if there are signs, symptoms, and a positive influenza A test and immediately contact their local public health departments for subtyping.

All hospitals have the ability to test for influenza A, since this family of viruses includes the normally circulating flu strains they see every flu season. Individuals who do not have obvious exposure to H5N1 but have flu strains that are not H1N1 or H3N2, the typical seasonal flu strains, should be evaluated for H5N1 at public health laboratories. Testing for other causes of acute respiratory illness, including SARS-CoV-2, should also be considered based on local epidemiology of circulating respiratory viruses.

Health care workers are the frontline defenders in responding to outbreaks, acting as public health eyes and ears in the fight against infectious diseases. Their preparedness is vital for public health. To ensure effective monitoring and response to potential H5N1 cases, all clinicians must be educated on CDC guidelines for identifying infections, initiating antiviral treatment, and notifying health departments for testing. Training should cover H5N1 criteria and definition of risk factors for infection with H5N1, proper notification procedures to the health department to initiate testing, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent transmission.

Early identification of infections is essential to control spread and protect health care workers. The CDCs updated webpage is a valuable resource for current outbreak information.

Public education is vital for a hospitals preparedness strategy. While the CDC states the current risk to the general public from H5N1 is low, preventive measures are essential, especially with the increased consumption of raw milk, a potential means of transmission. Public recommendations include avoiding contact with infected or dead animals and potentially contaminated surfaces or equipment, using PPE when necessary, and avoiding undercooked or raw foods such as unpasteurized milk. Hospitals should engage in community outreach to disseminate this information and encourage individuals to seek medical care if they suspect an infection.

The emergence of an H5N1 bird flu epidemic in the U.S. highlights the persistent threat of this virus. Hospitals must beef up their preparedness by implementing robust screening protocols, strengthening communication with public health partners, educating health care workers, and engaging in public outreach. These steps support the public health response to H5N1 and mitigate risks. Ongoing vigilance and readiness are crucial to protecting public health and health care workers.

Syra Madad, D.HSc., is the chief biopreparedness officer at NYC Health + Hospitals and a fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Carlos del Rio, M.D., is Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Scott J. Becker, M.S., is the chief executive officer of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, where Ewa King, Ph.D., is the chief program officer.

See the article here:

H5N1 bird flu preparations needed in U.S. hospitals, experts say | STAT - STAT

State Ag Secretary Mike Naig says Iowa officials are taking a different approach compared to other states when it comes to bird flu testing. When a poultry flock has been hit by the virus, the testing protocol has been that poultry operations within a 20 kilometer radius are tested.

We decided that what we were going to do in Iowa was a little different. We needed to get our arms around: Where is it? How many sites, how many farms are being affected? and so what we ordered was the testing of dairy farms in those circles, Naig says, so just like poultry in those circles, were going to test dairy.

Results are expected soon and Naig says there could be a big bump in the number of bird flu cases confirmed on Iowa dairy farms.

Dont be surprised if you see that because other states arent doing this. We thought it was important. This is not just a dairy issue or a poultry issue. This is an agriculture issue. This is a farm issue and I want to commend our dairy producers, Naig says. They have been very cooperative. Theyve let the research teams get in contact with them because if were going to find these sites, lets learn everything we can so that we dont just talk about, Hey, lets increase your biosecurity. Lets talk about specifically what you need to do.

Teams of U.S.D.A. experts have been in the state analyzing each of the sites where bird flu has been confirmed among poultry or dairy cattle. They ask the farmers questions: Where were your animals? Have you been moving animals in? Do you share equipment? Where does the feed come from? Who works on the site?' Naig says. You know, connecting all the dots.

Dairy farmers outside of the mandatory testing zones have contacted state officials to say they suspect cattle are infected with the virus. Dairy cows are quarantined while theyre sick, but are not euthanized.

No other states doing what Iowas doing, Naig says, and Im proud of our farmers and our farm community for stepping up.

The strain of bird flu thats been confirmed at eight dairy operations in northwest Iowa over the past few weeks is the same. Naig suspects bird flu is more widespread.

I think this additional testing will show us that, Naig says. I think its also going to show us that there are some herds that have had it and are getting over it.

The main hit to dairies where bird flu is detected is a drop in milk production, but Naig says some Iowa dairy cows have died after being diagnosed with bird flu. What youve got is maybe a secondary issue that develops. They might test positive (for bird flu), but they might develop pneumonia or something like that, Naig says. What we understand is that a minimal number of animals are developing mortality on these farms and thats what we are hearing across the country.

According to the U.S.D.A., its primarily older dairy cows that die after getting the virus. The National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames is processing the tests for highly pathogenic avian influenza in Iowa dairy herds.

(By George Bower, KICD, Spencer)

Link:

Iowa's testing for bird flu in dairy herds more extensive than other states - Radio Iowa