ScienceAlert Blood samples from 115 dairy workers in Michigan and Colorado reveal cases of the highly pathogenic bird flu have been occurring undetected in humans.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers found 7 percent of those tested between June and August 2024 had antibodies from the highly virulent form of H5N1 in their blood. The good news is this means most people who have contracted bird flu so far have not been severely impacted. Half of those with the virus antibodies in their blood did not report being ill, so may have only experienced mild symptoms.
However, while the current risk to public health is still low, researchers are concerned that allowing the virus to spread without control provides it with a greater opportunity to mutate into more threatening strains.