Category: Avian Influenza
Bird Flu Detected in Mammals in Peru
CGTN Since 2022 some parts of the world have experienced the worst avian influenza outbreak ever. From Condors in California to seabirds in Gambia, the avian flu is killing birds all over. But it’s also begun to spread to mammals. Dan Collyns tells us how the virus has infected thousands of sea lions in Peru. […]
Jun 6, 2023
For These Bird Flu Researchers, Work Is a Day at the Very ‘Icky’ Beach
NYT The H5N1 virus poses “a great unknown threat” to birds and humans alike. Understanding and thwarting it begins with excrement collection. It was a glorious day for field work on the shores of the Delaware Bay. The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the gently sloping beach. The receding tide revealed a […]
Jun 6, 2023
Bird flu outbreak more virulent than ever recorded – study
JP While the viruses’ risk to humans remains low, the researchers noted only a few amino acid changes are needed for that to change. The ongoing outbreak of avian influenza, which began in late 2021 in Europe and the Americas, has been marked by rapid genetic changes and highly increased virulence in both birds and mammals, […]
Jun 6, 2023
Genetic change increased bird flu severity during U.S. spread
NewsWise St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists discovered how the current epizootic H5N1 avian influenza virus (bird flu) gained new genes and greater virulence as it spread west. Researchers showed that the avian virus could severely infect the brains of mammalian research models, a notable departure from previous related strains of the virus. The researchers […]
May 30, 2023
Some 25 types of mammals died in latest bird flu outbreak
Reuters About 25 types of mammals have died in the latest bird flu outbreak, a larger number than in previous ones, increasing the risk of the virus turning into a pandemic, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said. Cases of the disease, officially called highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), have been detected in mammals in […]
May 23, 2023
If bird flu starts to spread among people, existing vaccines may be inadequate, experts say
NBC News The current U.S. stockpile of H5N1 flu shots likely won’t offer much protection in the event of a pandemic, vaccine researchers said. Wild birds and poultry flocks alike continue to drop dead from the highly pathogenic bird flu that began spreading globally in 2020. Almost 59 million commercial birds have already been culled in the United States. It’s the broadest […]
May 23, 2023
Bird flu: Brazil declares animal health emergency after several cases found
BBC Seven cases have been reported in Espirito Santo state, with another discovered in Rio de Janeiro state. The emergency declaration makes it easier for the government to now bring in measures to stop the highly infectious H5N1 virus from spreading. Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of chicken meat, with annual sales of nearly […]
May 23, 2023
Brazil declares 180-day animal health emergency amid avian flu cases in wild birds
Reuters Brazil on Monday declared a state of animal health emergency for 180 days in response to the country’s first ever detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in wild birds, in a document signed by Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro. Infection by the H5N1 subtype of avian flu in wild birds does not trigger […]
May 23, 2023
Animal health body urges bird flu vaccination to avoid pandemic
KSL Governments should consider vaccinating poultry against bird flu, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds and infected mammals worldwide, to prevent the virus from turning into a new pandemic, the head of the World Organization for Animal Health said. The severity of the current outbreak of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, and […]
May 22, 2023
How Concerned Should We Be About Bird Flu? Big Take Podcast
Bloomberg Podcast Cases of avian flu in birds have hit record levels globally—but so far, there’s no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Bloomberg reporters Suzi Ring and Michelle Fay Cortez discuss how scientists are tracking the virus after lessons learned from Covid-19. Then, the World Health Organization’s Dr. Richard Webby talks about how communities can respond to and prevent bird […]
May 16, 2023