All posts tagged: Bird flu

First human case of H5N2 bird flu died from multiple factors: WHO

First human case of H5N2 bird flu died from multiple factors: WHO

Published by Sam

GENEVA: A man infected with H5N2 bird flu, the first confirmed human infection with the strain, died from multiple factors, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday (Jun 7), adding that investigations were ongoing. The WHO announced on Wednesday that the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with H5N2 avian influenza virus had been reported from Mexico. Mexico’s health ministry said the 59-year-old man had “a history of chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes (and) long-standing systemic arterial hypertension”. He had been bedridden for three weeks prior to the onset of acute symptoms, developing fever, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, nausea and general malaise on Apr 17. The man was taken to hospital in Mexico City on Apr 24 and died later that day. “The death is a multi-factorial death, not a death attributable to H5N2,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a media briefing in Geneva on Friday. “The patient came to the hospital after weeks of multi-factorial background of multi other diseases.” His body was subsequently routinely tested for flu and other viruses, and H5N2 …

Bird flu has hit US cows but tracking efforts fall woefully short

Bird flu has hit US cows but tracking efforts fall woefully short

Published by skeptic

Bird flu is now in US dairy herds mladenbalinovac/Getty Images Public health experts warn not enough is being done to contain the spread of a bird flu virus in US dairy cows, raising the risk of the disease spilling over into people. More than a month has passed since the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) first announced that dairy cattle in several US states had tested positive for a bird flu virus called H5N1, which has killed millions of birds and hundreds of mammals worldwide. The virus has since been detected in 36… Source link

Lack of US bird flu tracking in cows may raise risk of human infection

Lack of US bird flu tracking in cows may raise risk of human infection

Published by skeptic

Bird flu is now in US dairy herds mladenbalinovac/Getty Images Public health experts warn not enough is being done to contain the spread of a bird flu virus in US dairy cows, raising the risk of the disease spilling over into people. More than a month has passed since the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) first announced that dairy cattle in several US states had tested positive for a bird flu virus called H5N1, which has killed millions of birds and hundreds of mammals worldwide. The virus has since been detected in 36… Source link

First mammal-to-human transmission of H5N1 ‘bird flu’ confirmed

First mammal-to-human transmission of H5N1 ‘bird flu’ confirmed

Published by skeptic

Health authorities have called for increased monitoring of US farm workers at risk of catching H5N1, after genetic data confirmed the first instance of the virus jumping from mammals to humans.  In an official report published on Friday, health officials from the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) said they found “strong evidence” that the Texan dairy worker who became infected with bird flu in March contracted the virus from a cow. “This would be the first reported case of mammal-to-human H5N1 virus transmission reported worldwide,” said the authors. Almost 900 people in 23 countries have been infected with the highly pathogenic strain of avian flu over the last two decades, but all previous cases have been linked to infected wild or kept birds. This latest development indicates the virus has better adapted to spread between mammals, sparking fears it may eventually evolve to transmit between humans – something which is of “enormous concern,” the World Health Organization has warned.  The report said anyone exposed to the virus “should be monitored,” and that those with …

Cats died from bird flu ‘after consuming raw milk from infected cows’

Cats died from bird flu ‘after consuming raw milk from infected cows’

Published by skeptic

Scientists are rushing to understand the devastating impact H5N1 is having on the brains and lungs of US farmyard cats. Bird flu has now affected 39 herds of dairy cattle across nine US states. Whilst it causes a mild infection in most cows, the effects in cats are severe.  Out of 24 cats known to have contracted H5N1 on a single Texas dairy farm last month, twelve of them died. Postmortem examinations revealed signs of “severe systemic infection” in the dead animals’ bodies – including lesions on their hearts, brains, eyes, and lungs.  The cats are thought to have become infected after consuming the sick cows’ raw milk. Those that did not die experienced blindness, neurological disorders, bloody diarrhoea, and difficulty breathing, according to a study published by the US Centers for Disease Control.  The US Department of Agriculture said it had received numerous reports of death and neurological disease in cats on other affected dairy farms, but hasn’t released figures on how many of the animals have been affected. The department did however update …

UK ramps up response to H5N1 outbreak in US cattle – but refuses to test British cows

UK ramps up response to H5N1 outbreak in US cattle – but refuses to test British cows

Published by skeptic

H5N1 has killed tens of millions of birds and thousands of mammals worldwide since 2020 in an unprecedented outbreak. It is still unclear how the virus first jumped to cattle, but many think the most likely route of infection is via wild birds, which have been found dead on some US farms.  Its apparent ability to spread within cows is of particular concern because, with every new mammal H5N1 jumps to, it has more opportunities for the virus to evolve – and, potentially, to better infect humans. So far this year, there have been two confirmed cases of H5N1 in humans.  In Vietnam, a man died in March after direct contact with an infected bird, whilst in Texas a farm worker caught the virus from sick cattle – although his symptoms were mild. A spokesperson for the Centre for Disease Control said last week they are monitoring a further 44 people who have been exposed to the virus via cattle for signs of infection.  The WHO considers the risk to humans low, but urged countries …

How the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic

How the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic

Published by skeptic

Dairy cows at a farm in the US Shutterstock / Roman Melnyk As a bird flu virus continues to spread among dairy cattle in the US, the country’s health agencies are actively preparing for the possibility of an outbreak in people. “The risk [of bird flu] remains low at this time, but we continue to be in a strong readiness posture as new data becomes available,” said Vivien Dugan at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at a meeting of health officials on 25 April. A top priority is tracking the virus’s spread. So far, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed H5N1, a subtype of the bird flu virus, in dairy cows on 33 farms across eight states, and in six cats on farms in three of those states. Genetic sequencing found that only one of the 260 samples from sick dairy cows so far has a mutation indicating H5N1 has adapted to infecting mammals, said Rosemary Sifford at the USDA during the meeting. However, this marker has been seen before in …

US commercial milk supply safe despite discovery of bird flu virus fragments

US commercial milk supply safe despite discovery of bird flu virus fragments

Published by skeptic

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said this week that about one in five U.S. commercial milk samples from a nationwide survey contained traces of bird flu virus, but it maintained that the product remains safe to consume. The public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu pathogen is minimal, the World Health Organization said Friday, adding that countries should remain vigilant and work to reduce exposure. The FDA said late Thursday that additional testing was required to determine whether a live virus was still intact in the milk samples but added that there was currently no evidence that the milk posed a danger. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA said that pasteurization used in production makes the milk safe for consumption, as it heats the milk to a specific temperature to kill harmful bacteria and viruses. Further, milk from sick cows gets diverted or destroyed in the pasteurization process. The FDA said in its latest update that “to date, the retail milk studies have shown no results that would change our …

Bird flu virus found in one-fifth of US milk samples, testing shows

Bird flu virus found in one-fifth of US milk samples, testing shows

Published by skeptic

However, the FDA continues to believe that America’s commercial milk supply is safe and authorities have reaffirmed that the risk to humans remains low.  Only one person, a dairy worker from Texas, one of the affected states, has been infected. The individual developed conjunctivitis, or ‘pink eye’, after close contact with a cattle herd. There have been no reports of human-to-human transmission. Mandatory testing of dairy cows moving across state borders was implemented by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday, in a bid to contain the virus and understand the extent of the outbreak.  Texas, Kansas, Michigan and Ohio are among the eight affected states, according to USDA. A separate survey of commercial milk products has also been conducted by scientists at Ohio State University. The research collected 150 samples from around the Midwest, representing dairy processing plants in 10 different states, including some where herds have tested positive for H5N1. Genetic testing found viral fragments in 58 samples, the US health website Stat reported. The presence of H5N1 in cattle has raised …