Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain

NPR  

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain The spread of bird flu continues to trouble scientists. His experiments with infected cattle indicated bird flu was primarily spreading through virus-laden milk, not as you'd expect from a typical respiratory virus. STONE: The intervening months have made it painfully clear bird flu has a strong foothold in the nation's dairy supply. If a human were to catch bird flu and seasonal influenza at the same time, the two viruses could undergo a genetic mixing known as reassortment, and that could spawn a new, more dangerous virus.

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History of this topic

The First US Bird Flu Death Is a Stark Warning
55 years ago

The First US Bird Flu Death Is a Stark Warning

Wired  

Yesterday, health officials in Louisiana announced that a patient who was hospitalized with severe bird flu in December has died. A total of 66 people in the US tested positive for bird flu in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The more virus there is in our environment, the more chances there are for it to …

US records its first human death from bird flu
Trending News
4 days, 9 hours ago

US records its first human death from bird flu

Live Mint  

The first human death linked to bird flu has been reported in the United States, health authorities in Louisiana announced Monday, while noting the patient had underlying medical conditions. ‘Risk of Human-to-Human Transmission Low’ The announcement in mid-December of the patient being in “critical condition” sparked alarm that the United States could see an outbreak of a possible bird flu …

US reports first bird flu-related death after 65-year-old succumbs in Louisiana
Top News
4 days, 12 hours ago

US reports first bird flu-related death after 65-year-old succumbs in Louisiana

India Today  

A US patient who had been hospitalised with H5N1 bird flu has died, the Louisiana Department of Health said on Monday, marking the country's first reported human death from the virus. The patient, who has not been identified, was hospitalised with the virus on December 18 after exposure to a combination of backyard chickens and wild birds, Louisiana health officials …

Worries as avian flu virus breaches species barriers
4 days, 17 hours ago

Worries as avian flu virus breaches species barriers

Hindustan Times  

In the span of a month, H5N1 has killed three tigers and a leopard in India, 11 house cats in California, and forced a teenage girl in Canada onto life support. The virus, which is better known as the avian influenza virus and is mostly prevalent in birds, spreading through dairy farms across America for much of 2024, appears to …

First bird flu death reported in the U.S., according to the CDC
5 days, 12 hours ago

First bird flu death reported in the U.S., according to the CDC

NPR  

First bird flu death reported in the U.S., according to the CDC toggle caption Callista Images/Getty Images The U.S. has recorded its first death of a person infected with bird flu. Sponsor Message "We have 20-plus years of data showing that it's a pretty nasty virus," said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of …

First U.S. death from bird flu reported in Louisiana
5 days, 12 hours ago

First U.S. death from bird flu reported in Louisiana

Salon  

On Monday, the Louisiana Department of Health reported that a patient with a severe case of bird flu, caused by the H5N1 virus, had died from their infection, a first for the United States. Even before the patient died, their case made headlines for several reasons: bird flu is raging across North America, swamping dairy and poultry farms and causing …

America’s first bird flu death reported in Louisiana
5 days, 12 hours ago

America’s first bird flu death reported in Louisiana

CNN  

CNN — The first person to have a severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States has died, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. Since 2003, there have been roughly 900 human bird flu infections reported globally, and about half of those people have died, according to the World Health Organization. The Louisiana patient was infected with …

More than 70 percent of California’s dairy cow herds are infected with bird flu. Here’s what to know
1 week, 4 days ago

More than 70 percent of California’s dairy cow herds are infected with bird flu. Here’s what to know

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A dozen more dairy herds in California have been stricken with …

More than 70 percent of California’s dairy cow herds are infected with bird flu. Here’s what to know
1 week, 4 days ago

More than 70 percent of California’s dairy cow herds are infected with bird flu. Here’s what to know

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A dozen more dairy herds in California have been stricken with …

Bird flu may be mutating to become more transmissible to humans say scientists after woman caught first severe case in the US
1 week, 6 days ago

Bird flu may be mutating to become more transmissible to humans say scientists after woman caught first severe case in the US

Daily Mail  

Bird flu could be mutating to become more transmissible to humans, scientists have warned, as the US reported its first severe case that left one woman hospitalised. So far 65 confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection have been reported in 2024, following a widespread outbreak across bird and cattle farms in the United States. Pictured: Culling has begun at infected …

Bird flu cases are on the rise for humans and animals. Here's how to protect your pets
2 weeks ago

Bird flu cases are on the rise for humans and animals. Here's how to protect your pets

NPR  

Bird flu cases are on the rise for humans and animals. Here's how to protect your pets NPR's Scott Simon talks to Kristen Coleman, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Maryland, about the recent cases of bird flu in cats and what steps to take to protect pets. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: U.S. health officials are warning pet owners, …

'We are screwed': Virologists warn about disease they say could become the next pandemic
2 weeks ago

'We are screwed': Virologists warn about disease they say could become the next pandemic

Raw Story  

A new report from PBS highlights the potential danger of bird flu turning into a full-blown pandemic in the United States. In particular, PBS spoke with several experts who said the United States has been behind the ball when it comes to keeping a handle on the pandemic and they point to the fact that the United States Department of …

This Disease Is Likely To Be Biggest Emerging Problem In 2025
Trending News
2 weeks, 2 days ago

This Disease Is Likely To Be Biggest Emerging Problem In 2025

ABP News  

Nottingham, Dec 26 COVID emerged suddenly, spread rapidly and killed millions of people around the world. Indeed, bird flu can infect humans with 61 cases in the US this year already, mostly resulting from farm workers coming into contact with infected cattle and people drinking raw milk. Coupling this with a 30% mortality rate from human infections, bird flu is …

Letters to the Editor: L.A. Times’ coverage of the bird flu is a great public service
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Letters to the Editor: L.A. Times’ coverage of the bird flu is a great public service

LA Times  

To the editor: Thanks to The Times’ editorial staff for publishing Dr. Peter Chin-Hong’s Dec. 20 opinion piece, “Bird flu is coming for humans. We can either get ready or court disaster.” Thanks also to The Times for its excellent coverage of the spread of H5N1 across our state and nation. As a physician who cared for patients, families and …

Why scientists say we are fighting H5N1 bird flu with one hand tied behind our backs
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Why scientists say we are fighting H5N1 bird flu with one hand tied behind our backs

LA Times  

As the H5N1 bird flu virus steamrolls its way across the globe — killing wild animals, commercial livestock and even some people — scientists and health officials fear we’re on the precipice of another global pandemic. “YES.” Felicia Goodrum, a molecular virologist at the University of Arizona, said gain-of-function research could enable health officials to recognize worrisome H5N1 mutations and …

How America lost control of bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic
2 weeks, 4 days ago

How America lost control of bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic

Salon  

Keith Poulsen’s jaw dropped when farmers showed him images on their cellphones at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin in October. “I don’t know if the bird flu will become a pandemic, but if it does, we are screwed.” To understand how the bird flu got out of hand, KFF Health News interviewed nearly 70 government officials, farmers and farmworkers, …

Bird flu outbreak hits Britain's turkey farms as tens of thousands are culled and rest ordered to be kept indoors days before Christmas
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Bird flu outbreak hits Britain's turkey farms as tens of thousands are culled and rest ordered to be kept indoors days before Christmas

Daily Mail  

Turkey farms have been hit by an outbreak of bird flu as tens of thousands of birds have been culled and ordered to be kept indoors just before Christmas. This is the first outbreak of bird flu in captive animals since February and no humans have yet been infected with the risk of spread to people remaining very low. Avian …

California declared an emergency. How serious is bird flu?
3 weeks, 1 day ago

California declared an emergency. How serious is bird flu?

Associated Press  

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the virus, which has spread for years in wild birds, commercial poultry and many mammal species. One person in Louisiana has been hospitalized …

Bird Flu triggers state of emergency in California: What's at stake and key details
Trending News
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Bird Flu triggers state of emergency in California: What's at stake and key details

India Today  

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the virus, which has spread for years in wild birds, commercial poultry and many mammal species. One person in Louisiana has been hospitalized …

California declares state of emergency amid rising bird flu cases
Trending News
3 weeks, 2 days ago

California declares state of emergency amid rising bird flu cases

India Today  

The US reported its first severe human case of bird flu on Wednesday in a Louisiana resident who is hospitalised in critical condition after suspected contact with an infected backyard flock. Severe respiratory illness in the Louisiana patient shows increased health risks for people from the virus that previously caused eye redness, or conjunctivitis, in infected dairy workers. "The mild …

What to know about Newsom’s state of emergency over bird flu
3 weeks, 2 days ago

What to know about Newsom’s state of emergency over bird flu

LA Times  

An animal caretaker collects a blood sample from a dairy calf vaccinated against bird flu at the National Animal Disease Center research facility in Ames, Iowa, on July 31, 2024. State of emergency declared in California while CDC confirms severe case of bird flu in Louisiana California’s response to rising cases of bird flu among dairy herds kicked into high …

California declares bird flu state of emergency after Louisiana patient suffers first severe case
3 weeks, 2 days ago

California declares bird flu state of emergency after Louisiana patient suffers first severe case

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The news comes after health officials announced that a person in Louisiana has the first …

U.S. Health Officials Confirm First Severe Case Of Bird Flu, California Declares Emergency
3 weeks, 2 days ago

U.S. Health Officials Confirm First Severe Case Of Bird Flu, California Declares Emergency

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Health officials on Wednesday confirmed the first known severe illness in the U.S. caused by bird flu, and California’s governor declared a state of emergency as the virus rampages through dairy cattle in that state. A person in Louisiana is hospitalized in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms caused by a bird flu infection, state health officials …

Bird flu hospitalizes person in Louisiana, the first severe infection in U.S.
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Bird flu hospitalizes person in Louisiana, the first severe infection in U.S.

Salon  

A person has been hospitalized with bird flu in Louisiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marking the first time since the outbreak began that an infection with the H5N1 virus reached such severity. Although another severe case hospitalized in a teenager in Canada last month, this is the first severe case reported in the U.S. Related …

Opinion: Bird flu is coming for humans. We can either get ready or court disaster
3 weeks, 4 days ago

Opinion: Bird flu is coming for humans. We can either get ready or court disaster

LA Times  

Bird flu has seen a resurgence in the U.S. this year, with California leading the pack. Since 2022, millions of egg-laying chickens have been exposed to, infected with and culled or killed by H5N1 in the U.S. What stands out this year is how widespread the infection has been among dairy cows, which are spreading it to farmworkers — the …

Mega-Farms Are Driving the Threat of Bird Flu
4 weeks ago

Mega-Farms Are Driving the Threat of Bird Flu

Wired  

This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. “It’s a lot of trouble.” Further north and west, in the San Joaquin Valley—the heart of the state’s dairy industry—the H5N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu, has rippled through the massive herds that provide most of the country’s milk. The Centers for Disease …

Can drinking raw milk cause bird flu? US health officials probing a child’s case to find link
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Can drinking raw milk cause bird flu? US health officials probing a child’s case to find link

Firstpost  

A child in California’s Marin County fell ill after drinking raw milk and was later diagnosed with bird flu. Health authorties have urged people not to consume raw milk until their probe is complete Health officials in California are trying to find out if consumption of raw milk can cause bird flu in a human after a child was infected …

Could bird flu trigger another pandemic?
1 month ago

Could bird flu trigger another pandemic?

Firstpost  

The deadly bird flu variant H5N1 is spreading more widely than ever before. Reuters H5N1 bird flu, a type of avian influenza, is once again making headlines after dozens of people in the United States were infected with the virus. Late last month, the headline of an opinion piece in the New York Times stated, “A bird flu pandemic would …

We're Pandemic Experts. Here's What Worries Us Most About Bird Flu.
1 month ago

We're Pandemic Experts. Here's What Worries Us Most About Bird Flu.

Huff Post  

Jonathan R. Beckerman via Getty Images Experts are concerned for farm workers who are most likely to get sick from bird flu. you might be able to give the H5N1 virus genes that make it more virulent in people or that make it possible to transmit more easily from person to person, and that’s definitely something we want to prevent.” …

Health Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat
1 month ago

Health Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat

Deccan Chronicle  

Paris: Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has been showing signs of mutating as it spreads among cows and infects people in the United States. The deadly bird flu variant H5N1 first emerged in China in 1996, but over the last four years it has sp More than 300 …

Authorities probe whether presumptive bird flu case is connected to raw milk
1 month ago

Authorities probe whether presumptive bird flu case is connected to raw milk

LA Times  

Public health authorities are seeking to determine if a Marin County child stricken with flu could have potentially contracted the illness by drinking infected raw milk that was subject to a recall. “Since announcing multiple recalls of raw milk due to contamination with bird flu, state and local public health experts have received reports of illnesses from 10 individuals who …

US orders testing of milk supply for bird flu amid growing concerns
1 month ago

US orders testing of milk supply for bird flu amid growing concerns

Deccan Chronicle  

The US government has taken steps to better monitor the spread of bird flu among dairy cows, ordering testing of the nation’s milk supply for the H5N1 virus. While bird flu is typically associated with poultry, recent evidence suggests that it has begun spreading to cows, with initial reports indicating transmission through a single event likely in late 2023. Although …

Bird flu may need a single mutation to spread among humans, study finds
1 month ago

Bird flu may need a single mutation to spread among humans, study finds

LA Times  

Cows are milked at a Fresno dairy farm. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend: The H5N1 bird flu may be one mutation away from being a threat to humans. And here’s today’s e-newspaper The H5N1 bird flu virus may need just one mutation to be a threat to humans, a study found. “Yikes,” “Oh great” and …

Arizona sees first case of human bird flu as government begins testing milk for virus
1 month ago

Arizona sees first case of human bird flu as government begins testing milk for virus

Raw Story  

Bird flu has officially jumped from birds to infect two people in Arizona, AZFamily reported Friday. While cases of the disease, known as Type A H5N1, jumping to humans in California have previously been reported, this is the first case in Arizona, the report said. In March, the first case of bird flu was detected in U.S. cows' milk. "The …

USDA set to test national milk supply so bird flu spread can be tracked
1 month ago

USDA set to test national milk supply so bird flu spread can be tracked

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The nation’s milk supply will soon be subject to testing as …

USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus
Trending News
1 month ago

USDA orders nationwide testing of milk for bird flu to halt the virus

Associated Press  

The U.S. government on Friday ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. Under the federal order, dairy farmers and those who handle raw milk intended for pasteurization must provide samples of the milk on request for testing for bird flu. At least 58 people in the …

A single mutation could make bird flu much worse, study finds
1 month ago

A single mutation could make bird flu much worse, study finds

Salon  

As the number of human bird flu cases continues to rise and more dairy farms across the country report outbreaks, scientists are increasingly concerned that the H5N1 virus will mutate to better infect people. In the lab, the authors of the study found that a single mutation in the primary protein, hemagglutinin could give it the ability to cling onto …

Just one mutation can make H5N1 bird flu a threat to humans, California researchers say
1 month ago

Just one mutation can make H5N1 bird flu a threat to humans, California researchers say

LA Times  

California researchers say the world may be just one genetic tweak away from human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus — a worrisome mutation that could open the door to widespread human infections and possibly even a pandemic, according to some experts. In a study published Thursday in the journal Science, Scripps Research Institute biologists determined that a single …

Letters to the Editor: A doctor’s fear that we’re careening toward a bird flu disaster
1 month ago

Letters to the Editor: A doctor’s fear that we’re careening toward a bird flu disaster

LA Times  

Bird flu outbreaks at dairy farms are sparking fears of a major threat to human health. To the editor: As a retired public health and emergency medicine physician, I want to thank you for your recent articles about the bird flu, most recently those articles by Times reporters Susanne Rust and Melissa Gomez. The combination of a mutating and potentially …

Bird flu: How raw milk could usher in a pandemic.
1 month ago

Bird flu: How raw milk could usher in a pandemic.

Slate  

Bird flu just might have found a direct route toward infecting more humans. The immediate risk posed by the bird flu virus’s presence in raw milk is limited to individual consumers who drink the stuff. But if you were actively trying to catch bird flu but couldn’t make it to a farm to handle the cows yourself, a glass of …

Trump's failure and the next pandemic
1 month, 1 week ago

Trump's failure and the next pandemic

Raw Story  

“The political folks believed that because was going to be relegated to Democratic states, that they could blame those governors, and that would be an effective political strategy.” —Vanity Fair’s Katherine Eban quoting Jared Kushner’s team in March, 2020. And it appears that the virus that has her at death’s door is a recent mutation: “But researchers have homed in …

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID

Salon  

As America gears up for the year's end and a change in administration, the topic of public health has dominated many conversations throughout the election season, but one facet has been noticeably absent: bird flu. “It would be important for the Trump administration, as it's rolling out its team that's going to be heading CDC, HHS, USDA, that they talk …

Here's why bird flu fears are intensifying
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Here's why bird flu fears are intensifying

NPR  

Here's why bird flu fears are intensifying toggle caption Charlie Neibergall/AP Scientists believe it was roughly a year ago that an influenza virus sickening and killing birds happened upon a new and surprisingly hospitable host in the Texas Panhandle — dairy cattle. Without a new strategy and closer work with the industry, there's little indication that will change, given all …

Bird flu virus was found in raw milk. What to know about the risks
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Bird flu virus was found in raw milk. What to know about the risks

Associated Press  

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the nation’s top health job, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has vowed to allow wider distribution of raw milk across America. Raw Farm LLC, of Fresno, California, voluntarily recalled one lot of “cream top” whole raw milk after Santa Clara County health officials found the bird flu virus in a sample last week. On Tuesday, Los …

Experts say bird flu is more widespread than we think: ‘We are in a soup of virus’
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Experts say bird flu is more widespread than we think: ‘We are in a soup of virus’

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scientists are warning about the continued transmission of dangerous H5N1 bird …

Three mysterious bird flu cases worry experts that another pandemic is looming
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Three mysterious bird flu cases worry experts that another pandemic is looming

Salon  

This month, two independent cases of bird flu were detected in North American children without any known exposure to infected animals, raising concerns that the H5N1 virus that causes it is inching closer to evolving in a way that allows it to spread between humans. Again, if the H5N1 virus develops the ability to efficiently spread between humans, the world …

Despite warnings from bird flu experts, it’s business as usual in California dairy country
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Despite warnings from bird flu experts, it’s business as usual in California dairy country

LA Times  

It was a late fall morning and hundreds of cows — black and white splattered Holsteins and cappuccino-colored Jerseys — milled about a San Joaquin Valley dairy farm in the largest milk-producing state in the nation. The scene seemed utterly unremarkable — except for the fact that five days earlier, the H5N1 bird flu virus that has ravaged California’s dairy …

Bird flu worries European health agencies as they increase virus surveillance
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Bird flu worries European health agencies as they increase virus surveillance

Salon  

As flu season nears, Europe is increasing surveillance for human cases of H5N1 influenza, also known as bird flu. “We’ve updated our guidance to include milder symptoms in individuals exposed to birds or other animals,” Angeliki Melidou, principal expert in respiratory viruses at the ECDC, told The Telegraph. “The priority is to strengthen surveillance and ensure we monitor and follow …

First case of bird flu detected in child as blood tests reveal virus is more widespread than reported
1 month, 3 weeks ago

First case of bird flu detected in child as blood tests reveal virus is more widespread than reported

Daily Mail  

A child in California has tested positive for bird flu, local health officials say — the first pediatric case — amid growing fears the disease could spread between humans. But the case underscores the possibility bird flu could spread among people, after it caused an outbreak among cows in 2022 that sickened more than 500 herds and then jumped to …

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