Category: Avian Influenza
Most Human H5 Bird Flu Cases in CA Had Exposure to Sick Cows
IDSE All but one case of people infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus in California have occurred in dairy workers who were exposed to sick cows, according to a new CDC report. The first human case of HPAI A(H5N1) virus in California was identified in September 2024. From Sept. 30 through Dec. 24, 2024, […]
Apr 23, 2025
Bird flu studies show variant from 2016 was one mutation away from binding to human receptors
Medical Express A variant of the bird flu virus, collected in 2016 and no longer in circulation, was just one mutation away from being able to bind to human receptors. This finding underscores that certain bird flu strains have the potential to cross over to humans and possibly trigger a pandemic. The variant currently circulating […]
Apr 23, 2025
Bird flu, feared as a possible pandemic, poses growing risk to people as pathogen spreads, scientists warn
CBS News Bird flu has been circling the globe for decades. So the discovery in 2024 that the deadly pathogen had jumped from a wild bird to a cow came as a shock to virus watchers. Now, in just over a year, the virus has ripped through America’s dairy herds and poultry flocks. It has […]
Apr 23, 2025
As bird flu hits cattle herds in U.S., scientists say these H5N1 factors worry them most
CBS News As the H5N1 bird flu virus mutates and rapidly spreads through American cattle herds — a first for the U.S. — doctors and veterinarians are fearful that if the virus is left unchecked, it could spiral into a possible pandemic Avian influenza is constantly changing. Every new infection increases the odds bird flu […]
Apr 23, 2025
Eight-year-old girl diagnosed with H5N1 avian flu accompanied by encephalitis
Down to Earth Second such case in Vietnam since 2004; the virus has impacted the central nervous system as against the known respiratory tract. Vietnam has reported its first case of bird flu in 2025 infecting an eight-year-old girl exhibiting encephalitis symptoms. In December 2024, the country reported an H5 infection in an 18-year-old man […]
Apr 23, 2025
How bird flu differs from seasonal flu − an infectious disease researcher explains
The Conversation The flu sickens millions of people in the U.S. every year, and the past year has been particularly tough. Although infections are trending downward, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the winter of 2024-2025 a “high severity” season with the highest hospitalization rate in 15 years. Since early 2024, a different kind of […]
Apr 16, 2025
Why cats are so vulnerable to H5N1 bird flu
STAT In 2024, as zoos were hit hard by H5N1 bird flu, big cats were particularly affected: tigers, lions, a cheetah, and a panther all died after being infected with the same virus that has caused egg prices to skyrocket. House cats are vulnerable to H5N1, too, as Meghan F. Davis, a veterinarian and epidemiologist with […]
Apr 16, 2025
H5N1: 70 Human Cases in the US as of April 2025
Contagion Live As of April 2025, the CDC has reported 70 confirmed and probable human cases of H5N1 avian influenza since the outbreak began in 2024 in the United States. The majority of these cases have been linked to exposure through commercial agricultural settings, with 41 individuals exposed through infected dairy herds and 24 associated with poultry […]
Apr 15, 2025
Avian flu in raw milk found to be broadly sensitive to heat
Cornell Chronicle In March 2024, when the first cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza were identified in dairy cows in Texas, Cornell researchers – led by Diego Diel, associate professor of virology in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) – immediately began assessing how long the virus survived in the raw milk of infected cows. At the same […]
Apr 9, 2025
USDA to lose bird flu response employees, source says
Reuters Several U.S. Department of Agriculture employees who worked on the agency’s bird flu response will leave at the end of April, straining the federal capacity to monitor the spread of the virus, according to a source familiar with the situation. The USDA on April 1 gave employees seven days to decide whether to take financial incentives […]
Apr 9, 2025