Category: Avian Influenza
The Emerging Threat of H5N1 to Human Health
NEJM Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) emerged in 1997.1 Since then, it has spread globally by migratory birds, resulting in infections in animals on every continent. HPAI A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b emerged in 2021 and resulted in fatal infections in poultry as well as terrestrial and marine mammals.1 In early 2024, influenza A infection was first recognized […]
Jan 7, 2025
Critical Illness in an Adolescent with Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infection
NEJM Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses are circulating among wild birds and poultry in British Columbia, Canada.1 These viruses are also recognized to cause illness in humans. Here, we report a case of critical illness caused by influenza A(H5N1) virus infection in British Columbia. On November 4, 2024, a 13-year-old girl with a history of […]
Jan 7, 2025
CBC Source of 13-year-old girl’s exposure hasn’t been determined, letter to New England Journal of Medicine says. A letter sent to the editor of The New England Journal of Medicine signed by Canadian health officials says the British Columbia teenager who tested positive for avian flu has been taken off supplemental oxygen and is no longer […]
Jan 7, 2025
PAHO launches interactive dashboard to monitor avian influenza A(H5N1) in the Americas
PAHO The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched an interactive dashboard to monitor avian influenza A(H5N1) cases in the Americas. This tool is designed to improve access to data on outbreaks of this disease in birds, mammals, and humans, providing key information for public and animal health authorities. The dashboard features tables and maps showing outbreaks […]
Jan 7, 2025
First H5 Bird Flu Death Reported in United States
CDC CDC is saddened by Louisiana’s report that a person previously hospitalized with severe avian influenza A(H5N1) illness (“H5N1 bird flu”) has passed away. While tragic, a death from H5N1 bird flu in the United States is not unexpected because of the known potential for infection with these viruses to cause severe illness and death. […]
Jan 7, 2025
First Bird Flu Death in U.S. Reported in Louisiana
NYT The deceased was over 65 and had other medical conditions, state officials said. A Louisiana patient who had been hospitalized with severe bird flu has died, the first such fatality in the United States, state health officials reported on Monday. The patient was older than 65 and had underlying medical conditions, the officials said. […]
Jan 7, 2025
Bird flu has killed 20 big cats including cougars at a U.S. wildlife sanctuary
NPR An animal sanctuary in Shelton, Wash., is under quarantine after a bird flu outbreak killed 20 big cats at the facility over the past month. The Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington called the deaths “heartbreaking,” confirming the virus has claimed more than half its animals, including four cougars and a half-Bengal tiger, since late November. […]
Jan 2, 2025
Which Animals Have Caught Bird Flu In The U.S.?
Forbes Over the past year, bird flu has spread far beyond America’s avian creatures. Largely concentrated among farm animals, it’s also hit zoos, domestic pets and even people. The risk to public health remains very low. But experts are watching the disease closely as it spreads and adapts among animals, in case any changes improve […]
Jan 2, 2025
CDC CDC has sequenced the influenza viruses in specimens collected from the patient in Louisiana who was infected with, and became severely ill from HPAI A(H5N1) virus. The genomic sequences were compared to other HPAI A(H5N1) sequences from dairy cows, wild birds and poultry, as well as previous human cases and were identified as the […]
Jan 2, 2025
Investigation of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus in Dairy Cattle
FDA The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with state partners, continue to investigate an outbreak of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) impacting poultry, dairy cows, and people in multiple states. The responsibility of the FDA is to protect the public health […]
Jan 2, 2025