Category: Avian Influenza
For Wild Animals, the Bird Flu Disaster Is Already Here
NYT Scientists are concerned that the H5N1 virus could set off another human pandemic. But it is already putting species under pressure in the wild. Every spring, more than 200,000 northern gannets — stocky seabirds with dazzling white feathers — journey to the coast of eastern Canada. There, they blanket oceanside cliffs and rocky outcroppings, […]
Dec 17, 2024
Texas: Health district confirms county’s first case of bird flu
Galveston Daily News The Galveston County Health District on Tuesday confirmed the county’s first positive case of avian influenza, which was detected in a bird found in Texas City. The virus, commonly referred to as avian flu, is a viral infection widespread in wild birds worldwide and also has been found in dairy cows, according […]
Dec 17, 2024
U.S. Milk to Be Tested for Bird Flu Virus
NYT New federal rules call for testing unpasteurized milk from dairy processors and for farm owners to provide details that would help officials identify and track cases more easily. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin testing the nation’s milk supply for the bird flu virus known as H5N1, nearly a year after the virus […]
Dec 11, 2024
Central Valley is ground zero for bird flu outbreak
SunGazette The Central Valley is the epicenter for the bird flu epidemic drastically reducing the state’s poultry supply and slightly dropping its milk supply. New cases of bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), are being discovered and posted daily by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and California Department of Food […]
Dec 11, 2024
We’re Pandemic Experts. Here’s What Worries Us Most About Bird Flu.
Huff Post Infectious disease experts reveal what does and doesn’t alarm them when it comes to the H5N1 virus. It’s hard to turn on the news or look online without seeing something related to bird flu. Also known as H5N1, the virus is spreading in a few states across the country and sickening animals and farm workers. […]
Dec 11, 2024
H5 Avian Flu Detected at Wastewater Sampling Site in Hilo
State of Hawaii The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) State Laboratories Division has detected H5 avian influenza (bird flu) in a wastewater sample collected on Dec. 2 at the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant on Hawaiʻi Island. This is the first detection of bird flu on a neighbor island and indicates an H5 type of bird flu virus […]
Dec 11, 2024
Officials warn of bird flu amid child possibly infected after drinking raw milk in North Bay
NBC There are new health warnings about the growing number of bird flu cases in California and the latest is in Marin County, where health officials say they are investigating a possible new case linked to a child who drank raw milk. Raw milk been under the microscope for weeks in California. On Dec. 6, […]
Dec 11, 2024
Replication Restriction of Influenza A(H5N1) Clade 2.3.4.4b Viruses by Human Immune Factor
CDC ABSTRACT We show that human myxovirus resistance protein 1 (MxA) suppresses replication of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses isolated from mammals in vitro and in MxA-transgenic mice. However, H5N1 can evade MxA restriction through replacement of individual viral polymerase complex components from a human-adapted MxA-resistant strain in vitro. Since 2022, clade 2.3.4.4b highly […]
Dec 10, 2024
Bird flu in California child linked to virus in dairy cows, CDC says
Washington Post There is no evidence the youngster was exposed to livestock or any infected animals, deepening the mystery about the spread of H5N1 bird flu. Federal disease trackers reported Tuesday that the first child diagnosed with bird flu in an ongoing U.S. outbreak was infected with a virus strain moving rapidly through dairy cattle, even though there is […]
Dec 10, 2024
The state of H5N1 avian influenza riskWhy hasn’t the bird flu pandemic started?
Science Some scientists examining mutations found in H5N1 viruses fear major outbreak is imminent but others say pathogen remains unpredictable If the world finds itself amid a flu pandemic in a few months, it won’t be a big surprise. Birds have been spreading a new clade of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, 2.3.4.4b, around the […]
Dec 10, 2024