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Test tubes are seen labeled Bird Flu in front of the U.S. flag in this illustration, on June 10. In raw milk samples spiked with high amounts of bird flu virus, small amounts of infectious virus were still detectable after treatment with a standard pasteurization method, researchers said today.
In raw milk samples spiked with high amounts of bird flu virus, small amounts of infectious virus were still detectable after treatment with a standard pasteurization method, researchers said today.
The findings reflect experimental conditions in a laboratory and should not be used to draw any conclusions about the safety of the U.S. milk supply, according to the authors of the study from the U.S. governments National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Rocky Mountain Laboratories.
The research was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Compared to the spiked raw milk with virus floating freely used in the study, raw milk from cows infected with H5N1 influenza may have a different composition or contain virus inside of cells, which may impact heat effects, the researchers said.
U.S. dairy cows were found to be infected with bird flu in March. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration surveyed pasteurized retail samples of milk and estimated that a fifth of the U.S. milk supply contained strands of virus. The agency has said that pasteurized milk is safe to drink.
The virus used in the experiments had been isolated from the lungs of a dead mountain lion, mixed with raw, unpasteurized cow milk samples, and heat-treated at 63 degrees C (145.4 degrees F)and 72 degrees C (161.6 degrees F) for different periods of time.
After treatment at 72 degrees C for 20 seconds five seconds longer than the industry standard for pasteurization at that temperature very small amounts of infectious virus were detected in one of three samples, the study found.
This finding indicates the potential for a relatively small but detectable quantity of H5N1 virus to remain infectious in milk after 15 seconds at 72 degrees C if the initial virus levels were sufficiently high, the authors note.
Within 2.5 minutes, treatment at 63 degrees C caused a marked decrease in infectious H5N1 virus levels, indicating that standard industry pasteurization of 30 minutes at that temperature would eliminate infectious virus, the researchers said.
The researchers said that their experimental conditions are not identical to large-scale industrial pasteurization processes for raw milk and that their findings need to be replicated with direct measurement of infected milk in commercial pasteurization equipment.
It remains unknown whether ingesting active H5N1 virus in milk could cause illness in people, the researchers added.
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Pasteurization may not clear bird flu virus from heavily infected milk - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
FILE PHOTO: Oceanologist Liane Dias from the Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation of Marine Megafauna at the Federal University of Rio Grande photographs a dead porpoise on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, during a bird flu outbreak in Sao Jose do Norte, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Nov. 21, 2023. Photo by Diego Vara/Reuters
NEW YORK (AP) In the last two years, bird flu has been blamed for the deaths of millions of wild and domestic birds worldwide. It's killed legions of seals and sea lions, wiped out mink farms, and dispatched cats, dogs, skunks, foxes and even a polar bear.
But it seems to have hardly touched people.
That's "a little bit of a head scratcher," although there are some likely explanations, said Richard Webby, a flu researcher at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. It could have to do with how infection occurs or because species have differences in the microscopic docking points that flu viruses need to take root and multiply in cells, experts say.
But what keeps scientists awake at night is whether that situation will change.
WATCH: Why scientists are concerned about the latest transmission of bird flu to cows
"There's a lot we don't understand," said Dr. Tom Frieden, a former CDC director who currently heads Resolve to Save Lives, a not-for-profit that works to prevent epidemics. "I think we have to get over the 'hope for the best and bury our head in the sand' approach. Because it could be really bad."
Some researchers theorize that flu viruses that originated in birds were the precursors to terrible scourges in humans, including pandemics in 1918 and 1957. Those viruses became deadly human contagions and spread in animals and people.
A number of experts think it's unlikely this virus will become a deadly global contagion, based on current evidence. But that's not a sure bet.
Just in case, U.S. health officialsare readying vaccinesand making other preparations. But they are holding off on bolder steps because the virus isn't causing severe disease in people and they have no strong evidence it's spreading from person to person.
The flu that's currently spreading known as H5N1 was first identified in birds in 1959. It didn't really begin to worry health officials until a Hong Kong outbreak in 1997 that involved severe human illnesses and deaths.
It has caused hundreds of deaths around the world, the vast majority of them involving direct contact between people and infected birds. When there was apparent spread between people, it involved very close and extended contact within households.
Like other viruses, however, the H5N1 virus has mutated over time. In the last few years, one particular strain has spread alarmingly quickly and widely.
In the United States, animal outbreaks have been reported at dozens ofdairy cow farmsandmore than 1,000 poultry flocks, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Four human infections have been reported among the hundreds of thousands of people who work at U.S. poultry and dairy farms, though that may be an undercount.
WATCH: Bird flu outbreak at dairy farms continue to raise concerns about virus spreading
Worldwide, doctors have detected 15 human infections caused by the widely circulating bird flu strain. The count includes one death a 38-year-old woman in southern China in 2022 but most people had either no symptoms or only mild ones,according tothe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There's no way to know how many animals have been infected, but certain creatures seem to be getting more severe illnesses.
Take cats, for example. Flu is commonly thought of as a disease of the lungs, but the virus can attack and multiply in other parts of the body too. In cats, scientists havefoundthe virus attacking the brain, damaging and clotting blood vessels and causing seizures and death.
Similarly gruesome deaths have been reported in other animals, includingfoxesthat ate dead, infected birds.
The flu strain's ability to lodge in the brain and nervous system is one possible reason for "higher mortality rate in some species," said Amy Baker, an Iowa-based U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist who studies bird flu in animals. But scientists "just don't know what the properties of the virus or the properties of the host are that are leading to these differences," Baker said.
Unlike cats, cows have been largely spared. Illnesses have been reported inless than 10 percent of the cowsin affected dairy herds, according to the USDA. Those that did develop symptoms experienced fever, lethargy, decreased appetite and increased respiratory secretions.
Cow infections largely have been concentrated in the udders of lactating animals. Researchers investigating cat deaths at dairy farms with infected cowsconcludedthe felines caught the virus from drinking raw milk.
Researchers are still sorting out how the virus has been spreading from cow to cow, but studies suggest the main route of exposure is not the kind of airborne droplets associated with coughing and sneezing. Instead it's thought to be direct contact, perhaps through shared milking equipment or spread by the workers who milk them.
Then there's the issue of susceptibility. Flu virus need to be able to latch onto cells before they can invade them.
"If it doesn't get into a cell, nothing happens. The virus just swims around," explained Juergen Richt, a researcher at Kansas State University.
But those docking spots sialic acid receptors aren't found uniformly throughout the body, and differ among species. One recentstudydocumented the presence of bird flu-friendly receptors in dairy cattle mammary glands.
Eye redness has been a common symptom among people infected by the current bird flu strain. People who milk cows are eye level with the udders, and splashes are common. Some scientists also note that the human eye has receptors that the virus can bind to.
Astudypublished this month found ferrets infected in the eyes ended up dying, as the researchers demonstrated that the virus could be as deadly entering through the eyes as through the respiratory tract.
Why didn't the same happen in the U.S. farmworkers?
That's a hard one to answer, experts said. Perhaps people have some level of immunity, due to past exposure to other forms of flu or to vaccinations, Richt suggested.
A more menacing question: What happens if the virus mutates in a way that makes it more lethal to people or allows it to spread more easily?
READ MORE: How bird flu puts workers on farms and in food processing plants at higher risk
Pigs are a concern because they are considered ideal mixing vessels for bird flu to potentially combine with other flu viruses to create something more dangerous. Baker has been studying the current strain in pigs and found it can replicate in the lungs, but the disease is very mild.
But that could all change, which is why there's a push in the scientific community to ramp up animal testing.
Frieden, of Resolve to Save Lives, noted public health experts have been worried about a deadly new flu pandemic for a long time.
"The only thing predictable about influenza is it's unpredictable," he said.
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June 14, 2024A new CDC study reports what happened when the eyes of ferrets were experimentally exposed to an avian influenza A(H5N1) ("A(H5N1) bird flu") virus isolated from a human case that occurred in 2023 in Chile. The study found:
Ferrets are an animal model often used to assess the potential impact of respiratory diseases on people.
The virus used in this study, A/Chile/25945/2023 HPAI A(H5N1), was isolated from a severe human case identified in March 2023 in the South American nation of Chile. It is closely related to the virus that is causing a multistate outbreak of A(H5N1) virus in U.S. dairy cows with three sporadic human infections. Two of the three infected people in the United States reported eye redness and discomfort (consistent with conjunctivitis) after exposure to sick cows; the third person had mild respiratory illness. All three have since recovered. No human-to-human spread of the virus has been identified, and CDC believes the immediate risk to the public is low. People who have work or recreational exposures to infected animals are at higher risk of infection.
The findings from this study highlight the potential for A(H5N1) viruses to cause infection in people after exposure to virus via the eyes. Tear fluid provides an opportunity for virus to spread from the eyes to nasal/respiratory tract through the tear ducts and vice versa. The findings also underscore the importance of eye protection when working around infected animals or potentially contaminated environments or liquids/surfaces, like raw milk.
Previous CDC research has shown that this same virus from Chile caused severe and fatal disease in ferrets that were experimentally exposed through the nose and/or direct contact settings with infected ferrets. That study found no ferret-to-ferret spread of the virus from Chile via respiratory droplets.
In this study, published on June 12 in the journal Emerging Microbes & Infections, researchers tested whether ferrets exposed to A/Chile/25945/2023 via the eyes became infected with the virus and were similarly capable of spreading it in a direct contact setting. Researchers placed a healthy ferret in the enclosure of each infected ferret; collected nasal, rectal, and conjunctival specimens from all animals over the course of seven days; and assessed virus replication within and beyond the respiratory tract. Infectious virus was detected in either nasal swab or rectal swab specimens from all six previously healthy ferrets that had been co-housed with infected ferrets, four of which developed severe disease and were humanely euthanized.
While most infections with influenza viruses result in respiratory disease, conjunctivitis (eye infection) has been associated with previous human infections with avian influenza A viruses and is part of the current CDC case definition for A(H5N1) virus surveillance. Possible explanations for how infection via the eyes might occur include:
This study, the first to evaluate the ability of clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) viruses to cause disease following a non-respiratory entry portal, builds on close to two decades of CDC research investigating the role of infection via the eyes in the spread of influenza viruses and the progression of disease. The findings underscore the ability of influenza viruses to cause infection following non-respiratory exposures and the importance of CDC's ongoing efforts to inform and educate people who work with dairy cows, or other potentially infected animals, about actions they can take to reduce their risk of exposure, including by wearing personal protective equipment like gloves, masks, and goggles or face shields. Last week, CDC posted a web spotlight summarizing other work in ferrets using the virus from the human case of H5N1 in Texas.
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Study Shows Ferrets Became Sick with A(H5N1) Virus After Eye Exposure - CDC
The patient had been hospitalized for three weeks before contracting bird flu.
June 14, 2024, 3:06 PM ET
4 min read
The World Health Organization confirmed Friday that Mexican authorities believe the man with a rare human case of bird flu actually died from other co-morbidities.
On June 5, the WHO shared an update that a 59-year-old patient died with the H5N2 strain of bird flu, or avian influenza. It was the first laboratory-confirmed human case of the H5N2 strain reported globally and the first-ever reported case in Mexico.
This strain is different than the bird flu strain that is currently circulating in livestock in the United States. Three dairy workers have been infected in the U.S., all of whom have recovered.
Following the first release, Mexican Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer Varela pushed back on the WHO's statement, saying the man died from a separate condition and not bird flu, although the WHO said the patient only tested positive for bird flu, not that he had died of bird flu.
In the latest update, the WHO said health officials in Mexico had concluded the man died because of his co-morbidities.
"A national multidisciplinary group of experts was formed to investigate the cause of death. It included infectious disease specialists, pneumonologists, microbiologists and intensive care professionals," the WHO wrote. "Upon review of the patient's clinical history and records, the national multidisciplinary team concluded on 6 June that, although the patient had a laboratory-confirmed infection with avian influenza A(H5N2) virus, he died due to complications of his co-morbidities."
Additionally, the WHO said national authorities performed a genetic analysis on the strain and found it had a 99% similarity with the strain seen in birds this year in the Texcoco State of Mexico.
The Mexico patient had no history of exposure to poultry or other animals, according to the WHO. Mexico has been dealing with an outbreak of the virus in poultry.
On April 17, the patient developed fever, nausea, diarrhea, shortness of breath and general malaise. He was hospitalized on April 24 at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases in Mexico City and died the same day.
The patient's relatives said he had been bedridden for three weeks for other reasons prior to contracting bird flu, the WHO said.
Mexican authorities reported the human case to the WHO on May 23.
No further cases have been documented during health officials' investigation, according to the WHO. All the people the patient was in contact with at his home and in the hospital have tested negative for influenza viruses.
In the U.S., an outbreak of the H5N1 strain has been found to sicken millions of birds as well as older dairy cows. So far, three farmworkers have been sickened in the U.S., one in Texas and two in Michigan.
All three had mild symptoms and have recovered. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission and the risk to the general public is low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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WHO acknowledges bird flu patient in Mexico died of other medical conditions - ABC News
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A new study today in JAMA Network Open shows that pediatric hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) doubled during the 2022-2023 season compared to the prior year.
The population-based cohort study of children aged 5 years and younger in Ontario, Canada, looked at hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions for RSV from July 1, 2017, through March 31, 2023.
On average, 700,000 children per study year were included. Though the 2021-2022 season peaked a bit earlier than prepandemic seasons, the number of hospitalizations was similar, at 289.1 per 100,000 children in 2021-2022, compared to 281.4 to 334.6 per 100,000 in 2017 through 2020.
In 2022-2023, however, RSV season peaked a month earlier and resulted in more than twice as many hospitalizations (770.0 per 100000).
The RSV hospitalizations also led to more ICU admissions.
The proportion of children admitted to an ICU in 2022-2023 (13.9%) was slightly higher than prepandemic (9.6%-11.4%); however, the population-based rate was triple the prepandemic levels (106.9 vs 27.6-36.6 per 100000 children in Ontario)," the authors said.
The rate of mechanical ventilation use was also two- to three-fold higher in 2022-2023 compared with prepandemic years, the authors said.
During 2020 and 2021, cases of RSV dropped as COVID-19 mitigation measures, including masking and school closures, halted transmission of RSV. In Ontario, only 11 RSV hospitalizations and seven ICU admissions occurred during the 2020-2021 season. But in 2022-2023, a resurgence was seen as RSV, flu, and COVID-19 all co-circulated with most mitigation efforts removed.
The unexpected and widespread influences on seasonal respiratory viruses that followed the COVID-19 pandemic underscore the need for ongoing research.
"The unexpected and widespread influences on seasonal respiratory viruses that followed the COVID-19 pandemic underscore the need for ongoing research to understand the impact of pandemic mitigation measures and the unique factors of transmission for common pathogens to ensure societies are better prepared to respond to future pandemics," the authors concluded.
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H9N2 avian flu infects children in India, China - University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Topline
Heres the latest news about a global outbreak of H5N1 bird flu that started in 2020, and recently spread among cattle in U.S. states and marine mammals across the world, which has health officials closely monitoring it and experts concerned the virus could mutate and eventually spread to humans, where it has proven rare but deadly.
A sign warns of a outbreak of bird flu.
June 11The World Health Organization announced a four-year-old child in India was infected with H9N2 bird flua different flu strain from H5N1but recovered after suffering from seizures, respiratory distress, fever and abdominal cramps; H9N2 has infected around 100 people globally since 1998, and this is the second human case in India.
June 6Dozens of cows infected with bird flu have either died or been slaughtered in Colorado, Ohio, Michigan, South Carolina and Texas, which is unusual sinceunlike poultrycows cost more to slaughter and around 90% usually make a full recovery, Reuters reported.
June 5A new study examining the 2023 bird flu outbreak in South America that killed around 17,400 elephant seal pups and 24,000 sea lions found the disease spread between the animals in several countries, the first known case of transnational virus mammal-to-mammal bird flu transmission.
May 30Another human case of bird flu has been detected in a dairy farm worker in Michiganthough the cases arent connectedand this is the first person in the U.S. to report respiratory symptoms connected to bird flu, though their symptoms are resolving, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
May 23A new study with mice suggests that drinking infected milk can spread the diseaseand that a certain type of pasteurization may not always be effective in killing the virus.
May 22Michigan reported bird flu in a farmworkerthe second U.S. human case tied to transmission from dairy cowsthough the worker had a mild infection and has since recovered.
May 21Australia reported its first human case of bird flu after a child became infected in March after traveling to India, though the child has since recovered after suffering from a severe infection, according to the Victorian Department of Health.
May 16The USDA conducted a study, and discovered that after high levels of the virus was injected into beef, no trace was left after the meat was cooked medium to well done, though the virus was found in meat cooked to lower temperatures.
May 14The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released influenza A waste water data for the weeks ending in April 27 and May 4, and found several states like Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois and Kansas had unusually high levels, though the agency isnt sure if the virus came from humans or animals, and isnt able to differentiate between influenza A subtypes, meaning the H5N1 virus or other subtypes may have been detected.
May 10The Food and Drug Administration announced it will commit an additional $8 million to ensure the commercial milk supply is safe, while the Department of Agriculture said it will pay up to $28,000 per farm to help mitigate the spread of the disease, totaling around $98 million in funds.
May 9Some 70 people in Colorado are being monitored for bird flu due to potential exposure, and will be tested for the virus if they show any symptoms, the Colorado Department of Public Health told Forbesit was not immediately clear how or when the people were potentially exposed.
May 1The Department of Agriculture said it tested 30 grocery store ground beef products for bird flu and they all came back negative, reaffirming the meat supply is safe.
May 1The Food and Drug Administration confirmed dairy products are still safe to consume, announcing it tested grocery store samples of products like infant formula, toddler milk, sour cream and cottage cheese, and no live traces of the bird flu virus were found, although some dead remnants were found in some of the foodthough none in the baby products.
April 30Wenqing Zhang, head of WHO's Global Influenza Programme, said during a news briefing "there is a risk for cows in other countries to be getting infected," with the bird flu virus, since its commonly spread through the movement of migratory birds.
April 29The Department of Agriculture told Forbes it will begin testing ground beef samples from grocery stores in states with cow outbreaks, and test ground beef cooked at different temperatures and infected with the virus to determine if it's safe to eat.
April 24The USDA said cow-to-cow transmission may be occurring due to the cows coming into contact with raw milkand warned against humans and other animals, including pets, consuming unpasteurized milk to prevent potential infection.
April 18Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist for the World Health Organization, said during a press conference the threat of bird flu spreading between humans was a great concern, since its evolved and has increasingly been infecting mammals (on land and sea), which means it could possibly spread to humans.
April 1The CDC reported the second U.S. human case of bird flu in a Texas dairy farmer who became infected after contracting the virus from infected dairy cows, but said the person was already recovering.
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Bird flu doesnt transmit easily from person-to-person, according to the World Health Organization. Bird flu rarely affects humans, and most previous cases came from close contact with infected poultry, according to the CDC. Because human-to-human spread of bird flu poses pandemic potential, each human case is investigated to rule out this type of infection. Though none have been confirmed, there are a few global casesnone in the U.S.where human-to-human transmission of bird flu was thought to be probable, including in China, Thailand, Indonesia and Pakistan.
It is very deadly. Between January 2003 and March 28, 2024 there have been 888 human cases of bird flu infection in humans, according to a report by the World Health Organization. Of those 888 cases, 463 (52%) died. To date, only two people in the U.S. have contracted H5N1 bird flu, and they both were infected after coming into contact with sick animals. The most recent case was a dairy worker in Texas who became ill in March after interacting with sick dairy cows, though he only experienced pink eye. The first incident happened in 2022 when a person in Colorado contracted the disease from infected poultry, and fully recovered.
Raw, unpasteurized milk is unsafe to drink, but pasteurized milk is fine, according to the FDA. Bird flu has been detected in both unpasteurized and pasteurized milk, but the FDA recommends manufacturers against making and selling unpasteurized milk since theres a possibility consuming it may cause bird flu infection. However, the virus remnants in pasteurized milk have been deactivated by the heat during the pasteurization process, so this type of milk is still believed safe to consume.
The CDC warns against eating raw meat or eggs from animals confirmed or suspected of having bird flu because of the possibility of transmission. However, no human has ever been infected with bird flu from eating properly prepared and cooked meat, according to the agency. The possibility of infected meat entering the food supply is extremely low due to rigorous inspection, so properly handled and cooked meat is safe to eat, according to the USDA. To know when meat is properly cooked, whole beef cuts must be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, ground meat must be 160 degrees and poultry must be cooked to 165 degrees. Rare and medium rare steaks fall below this temperature. Properly cooked eggs with an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit kills bacteria and viruses including bird flu, according to the CDC. It doesnt matter if they may or may not have [avian] influenza runny eggs and rare pieces of meat are never recommended, Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, director and professor for the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, told Forbes. To play it safe, consumers should only eat fully cooked eggs and make sure the yolks are firm with no runny parts, Daisy May, veterinary surgeon with U.K.-based company Medivet, said.
Symptoms of bird flu include a fever, cough, headache, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, runny nose, congestion, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, pink eye, muscle aches and headache. However, the CDC advises it cant be diagnosed based on symptoms alone, and laboratory testing is needed. This typically includes swabbing the nose or throat (the upper respiratory tract), or the lower respiratory tract for critically ill patients.
This years egg prices have increased as production decreased due to bird flu outbreaks among poultry, according to the USDA. A dozen large, grade A eggs in the U.S. costed around $2.99 in March, up almost a dollar from the fall. However, this price is down from a record $4.82 in January 2023, which was also spiked by bird flu outbreaks. Earlier this month, Cal-Maine Foodsthe countrys largest egg producertemporarily halted egg production after over one million egg-laying hens and chickens were killed after being infected with bird flu.
Once chickens have been infected with bird flu, farmers quickly kill them to help control the spread of the virus, since bird flu is highly contagious and fatal in poultry. The USDA pays farmers for all birds and eggs that have to be killed because of bird flu, as an incentive to responsibly try and curb the spread of the disease. The USDA has spent over $1 billion in bird flu compensation for farmers since 2022, according to the nonprofit Food & Environment Reporting Network.
The FDA has approved a few bird flu vaccines for humans. The U.S. has a stockpile of vaccines for H5N1 bird flu, but it wouldnt be enough to vaccinate all Americans if an outbreak were to happen among humans. If a human outbreak does occur, the government plans to mass produce vaccines, which can take at least six months to make enough for the entire population. CSL Seqirus, the maker of one of the approved vaccines, expects to have 150 million vaccines ready within six months of an announcement of a human bird flu pandemic. Although there are approved vaccines for other variants designed for birds, there are none for the H5N1 variant circulating. However, the USDA began trials on H5N1 animal-specific vaccines in 2023.
As of May 30, more than 92 million poultry (primarily chickens) in 48 states have been euthanized because of bird flu since 2022, and 57 dairy cow herds across nine states have tested positive, according to data from the CDC (unlike chickens, cows appear to recover from the virus). The USDA believes wild migratory birds are the original source of the cow outbreaks that recently has experts concerned it may mutate and spread more easily in humans, though the CDC said its risk to the public remains low. Farrar called the cattle infections in the U.S. a huge concern, urging public health officials to continue closely monitoring the situation because it may evolve into transmitting in different ways. The increased number of mammal bird flu infections since 2022 could indicate that the virus is looking for new hosts, and of course, moving closer to people, Andrea Garcia, vice president of science, medicine and public health for the American Medical Association, said. The first report of a walrus dying from bird flu was detected in April on one of Norways Arctic Islands, and the first U.S. dolphin infected with bird flu died back in 2022, according to a report published April 18. More than 10 human bird flu cases were reported to the World Health Organization in 2023, and all but one survived. Bird flu has devastated bird populations, and 67 countries reported the deaths of 131 million poultry in 2022 alone. Although bird flu typically infects wild birds and poultry, its spread to other animals during the outbreak, and at least 10 countries have reported outbreaks in mammals since 2022. Around 17,400 elephant seal pups died from bird flu in Argentina in 2023, and at least 24,000 sea lions died in South America the same year. Besides cattle, bird flu has been detected in over 200 other mammalslike seals, raccoons and bearsin the U.S. since 2022. Although rare, even domestic pets like dogs and cats are susceptible to the virus, and the FDA warns against giving unpasteurized milk to cats to avoid possible transmission.
On June 5, WHO confirmed the first human death of a strain of bird flu thats never before been seen in humans and is separate from H5N1. A 59-year-old man in Mexico contracted H5N2, and died on April 24 after being hospitalized and developing a fever, diarrhea, nausea, shortness of breath and general discomfort. Cases of H5N2 have been reported in poultry in Mexico, but the man had no history with poultry or animals, WHO said. Its unclear how he became infected. He was bedridden for weeks prior to the infection, and suffered from several other health conditions.
Another Bird Flu Variant Reaches Humans: What To Know About H5N2After First-Ever Confirmed Death
WHO Warns Threat Of Bird Flu Spreading To Humans Is Great Concern (Forbes)
One In Five Milk Samples From Across US Had Traces Of Bird Flu Virus, FDA Says (Forbes)
Can Pets Get Bird Flu? Heres What To Know (Forbes)
Avian H5N1 (Bird) Flu: Why Experts Are WorriedAnd What You Should Know (Forbes)
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Bird Flu (H5N1) Explained: Toddler Infected With Another StrainSecond Human Case In India - Forbes
New Delhi As a string of recent bird flu cases in U.S. cattle and poultry in several states draws warnings about the risks of possible widespread transmission to humans, India has had its second-ever human avian influenza infection confirmed by the World Health Organization. The U.N. health agency confirmed that a suspected case, a 4-year-old child in the eastern state of West Bengal, was infected with the H9N2 avian flu virus.
India's first human avian flu case was confirmed in 2019. The cases in India involve a different bird flu virus than the one infecting animals andseveral peoplein the U.S., where it is the H5N1 strain spreading through herds.
click to expand
The 4-year-old Indian child was first diagnosed with hyperreactive airway disease, but he developed a fever and abdominal pain in the last week of January this year. A few days later, he developed seizures and his respiratory distress continued. The fever got worse along with the abdominal cramps, and the child was admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit.
The hospital diagnosed him with post-infectious bronchiolitis caused by viral pneumonia, and he later tested positive for influenza B and adenovirus, for which he underwent treatment for about a month before being discharged on February 28, the WHO said.
His condition did not improve at home, however, and he was admitted to a different hospital on March 3. Nasal swabs confirmed an influenza infection, which the WHO has now confirmed as influenza-A sub-type H9N2, the avian flu.
The patient was discharged from the hospital, with ongoing oxygen support, on May 1.
WHO said the child had exposure to poultry at and around his home, and it warned that "further sporadic human cases could occur as this virus is one of the most prevalent avian influenza viruses circulating in poultry in different regions."
The Indian government has formed teams of public health officials to monitor flu symptoms in poultry flocks and increase awareness of the disease's symptoms and prevention methods.
India has witnessed several avian flu outbreaks since 2006, when the first case was detected.
The WHO says humans can be infected with the virus if they come in direct and in some cases indirect contact with infected animals. Symptoms of human infection range from mild, flu-like symptoms and eye irritation to severe, acute respiratory disease and even death, the WHO says.
The U.N.'s global health agency has urged people to "minimize contact with animals" where infections are suspected, avoid contact with any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with animal feces, and to "strictly avoid contact with sick or dead animals" and practice hand hygiene.
Children, older people and pregnant and postpartum women need to be extra cautious, the WHO says.
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Domestic Summary
On April 1, CDC confirmed one human HPAI A(H5N1) infection in a person with exposure to dairy cows in Texas that were presumed to be infected with the virus. This is thought to be the first instance of likely mammal to human spread of HPAI A(H5N1) virus. In May 2024, CDC began reporting additional, sporadic human cases in people who had exposure to infected dairy cows. That latest human case counts are available at H5N1 Bird Flu: Current Situation Summary.
CDC systems that monitor national, state, and local level influenza data are being used during the current avian influenza A(H5N1) situation. These systems show no indicators of unusual influenza activity in people, including avian influenza A(H5N1).
While rare, mammals can be infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) ("H5N1 bird flu") viruses. Reports of these sporadic infections in mammals have occurred globally amid widespread outbreaks of bird flu infections in wild birds and poultry.
Mammals can be infected with H5N1 bird flu viruses when they eat infected birds, poultry, or other animals and/or if they are exposed to environments contaminated with virus. Spread of H5N1 bird flu viruses from mammal to mammal is thought to be rare, but possible.
Globally, sporadic HPAI A(H5N1) virus infections in mammals have been reported across the continents of Asia, North America, South America, and Europe. More information about the global impact of avian influenza can be found here: Avian Influenza - WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health.
Specifically, recent HPAI A(H5N1) infections in mammals have been detected in sea lions in Peru and Chile, sea elephants in Argentina, and foxes in Canada, France, and other countries. A list of significant HPAI outbreaks, including in mammals, can be found here: Highlights in the History of Avian Influenza
The wide geographic spread of HPAI A(H5N1) viruses in wild birds, poultry, and some other mammals, including in cows, could create additional opportunities for people to be exposed to these viruses. Therefore, there could be an increase in sporadic human infections resulting from bird and animal exposures, even if the risk of these viruses spreading from birds to people has not increased. CDC believes the current risk to the general public from bird flu viruses is low. People who have job-related or recreational exposure to infected birds or animals, including cows, are at greater risk of contracting HPAI A(H5N1) virus. CDC has recommendations related to testing, treatment of HPAI A(H5N1) infection and prevention of exposure to these viruses: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Animals: Interim Recommendations for Prevention, Monitoring, and Public Health Investigations.
This page outlines CDCs recommendations for preventing exposure to avian influenza viruses.
This guidance identifies select occupational groups that may be at risk to novel influenza A viruses
This page outlines CDCs recommendations for preventing exposure to avian influenza viruses.
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This is the first time this virus has been found in cows and the first case of cow-to-human bird flu
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Avian influenza A viruses usually do not infect people, but there have been some rare human cases
Avian influenza refers to disease in birds caused by infection with avian influenza Type A viruses.
Bird flu viruses mainly spread among wild birds & domestic poultry but can spread to other animals.
In recent years, HPAI H5N1 infections have been detected in mammals including but not limited to wild or feral animals such as foxes, bears, and seals; stray or domestic animals such as cats and dogs; farm animals, such as goats, cows, and mink, and zoo animals such as tigers and leopards. A timeline, which includes mammalian detections of bird flu, can be found here: Highlights in the History of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Timeline 2020-2024
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Shared equipment and shared personnel working on multiple dairy farms are some of the main risk factors for ongoing spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu in dairy cows, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said today in a pair of new epidemiologic reports.
One of the reports is an overview based on the results of questionnaires from affected dairy herds, and the other is a deep dive into the dairy cow and poultry outbreaks in Michigan, the state hit hardest by outbreaks in dairy cows, which now number at least 94.
At a media briefing today, Kammy Johnson, DVM, PhD, a veterinary epidemiologist with APHIS, said the multistate epi report provides a national clinical picture of the disease in cows and the routes of spread, and the report from Michigan is an early snapshot showing what's happening in the field.
Both suggest three key factors for transmission between farms: shared equipment and vehicles, shared personnel who may inadvertently carry the virus between farms on their clothes or boots, and animal movements. "The bigger picture is that enhanced biosecurity is really critical," she said.
So far, genomic evidence continues to suggest a single introduction from wild birds, with further spread among dairy farms, such as from Texas to Michigan in the initial weeks of the outbreak. Now the virus is spreading between farms owing to multiple direct and indirect factors, according to the APHIS reports.
Questionnaires revealed that more than 20% of farms received cattle within 30 days of clinical signs, and 60% of farms continued to move cattle off the facilities after animals showed signs of illness.
Most farms had cats present, and more than 50% of those had sick or dead cats. Also, more than 20% of dairy farms also had chickens or poultry, nearly all of which had sick or dead birds. USDA officials said cats are the canary in the coalmine, but cats and other animals, such as wild birds, probably aren't playing a major role in the spread of the virus, though they could serve as fomites.
Clinically, lactating cows are the most affected, with signs of illness in less than 10% of herds and mortality and culling averaging less than 2%.
Meanwhile, the report from Michigan is based on data gathered by an APHIS strike team that the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development invited into the state to probe links between infected dairy farms and spillovers into poultry premises. It includes findings from 15 dairy farms and 8 poultry producers.
About 20% of dairy workers, and some of their family members, worked on multiple dairy farms. About 7% of workers on affected dairy farms also worked on poultry farms. Regarding equipment, about 62% of farms shared vehicles to transport cattle, and only 12% cleaned the vehicles before use.
The farms also had frequent visitors, such as veterinarians, feed consultants, and contract haulers. Nearly all of the affected farms are part of the same dairy co-op, and the diaries all used the same deadstock hauler.
So far, the B3.13 outbreak strain has not been found in Michigan's migratory waterfowl.
The authors of the report praised the willingness of Michigan's dairy producers to participate in the investigation, emphasizing that the findings have greatly increased the body of knowledge about B3.13, both in Michigan and nationally. "This report could not have been completed without them."
At today's briefing, Johnson said it's too early to assess how H5N1 spread to the three more recently affected states: Iowa, Minnesota, and Wyoming. She added that today's report paints a national picture of what's known about the outbreaks so far and adds some useful context to understanding the events.
She said the findings are a solemn reminder that farms already have tools for managing the spread of the virus. "Biosecurity is the key to prevention."
Mark Lyons, DVM, who directs the Veterinary Services Ruminant Health Center at APHIS, said it's still not clear if the outbreaks are still gaining steam and that animal health officials are still trying to understand the full scope of the situation, though they expect to find additional cases.
As of yesterday, the APHIS total was at 94 dairy farm outbreaks in 12 states. Yesterday, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship reported the state's third outbreak in a dairy herd, which affected a second location in Sioux County.
Responding to questions about Michigan's second case-patient in a dairy worker, who, unlike the other previous patients, had respiratory symptoms, Nirav Shah, JD, MD, principal deputy director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the polymerase chain reaction cycle threshold (Ct) value for the patient's sample was high, suggesting a lower amount of viral RNA in the sample.
The situation made it difficult for CDC scientists to generate a full genomic sequence, though they were able to piece together a large portion of it, he said.
So far, the findings are reassuring, with no changes to suggest that the virus that infected the patient has a higher ability to transmit and no changes in the neuraminidase that would suggest reduced sensitivity to H5 vaccines or existing therapies, Shah said.
Regarding vaccines, David Boucher, PhD, director of infectious disease preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness, said federal health officials are still on track to produce 4.8 million vaccine doses from bulk antigen on a 3- to 4-month timeline, with manufacturing starting in the middle of July.
In other H5N1 developments:
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