A single mutation could make bird flu much worse, study finds
2 weeks, 3 days 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 receptors found in the human respiratory tract, potentially increasing the severity of disease or transmissibility. While most human bird flu cases have been mild, a Canadian teen infected with the virus last month was hospitalized in critical condition after developing a severe lung infection. While it is unclear whether this mutation happened within the individual or if the teen was infected with an already mutated strain of the virus, this mutation was the very same one that the authors of this study found could make the virus more infectious, although it was missing some of the protein changes found in the Canadian teen's sequencing.

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History of this topic

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 days, 7 hours 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?
4 days, 6 hours 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 …

California declares state of emergency amid rising bird flu cases
Trending News
4 days, 23 hours 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 …

Bird Flu triggers state of emergency in California: What's at stake and key details
Trending News
4 days, 23 hours 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 …

CDC Confirms First US Case of Severe Bird Flu
54 years, 11 months ago

CDC Confirms First US Case of Severe Bird Flu

Wired  

The United States has now seen dozens of human bird flu cases this year, all of them mild—until now. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Wednesday that a patient in Louisiana has been hospitalized with a severe case of avian influenza caused by the H5N1 virus. An investigation by the Louisiana Department of Health and CDC has determined …

US identifies 65-year-old in Louisiana as first severe case of bird flu
Trending News
5 days, 23 hours ago

US identifies 65-year-old in Louisiana as first severe case of bird flu

Al Jazeera  

Health officials say the 65-year-old was hospitalised after contact with an infected flock of back-yard birds. A 65-year-old in the southern state of Louisiana has been hospitalised in critical condition as the result of the bird flu, becoming the first severe case reported in the United States. “CDC confirms first severe case of H5N1 Bird Flu in the US. “This …

Bird flu update: California declares emergency and U.S. sees 1st severe human case
5 days, 23 hours ago

Bird flu update: California declares emergency and U.S. sees 1st severe human case

NPR  

Bird flu update: California declares emergency and U.S. sees 1st severe human case toggle caption National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/AP California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in response to the ongoing spread of bird flu among dairy cattle. Genetic sequencing indicates the H5N1 virus responsible for the illness belongs to a genetic lineage that's …

First severe bird flu case in US reported in Louisiana
5 days, 23 hours ago

First severe bird flu case in US reported in Louisiana

India Today  

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1 bird flu, the first such case in the United States. Health officials emphasize that bird flu is still mainly an animal health issue, and the risk to the general public remains low. Signs and symptoms of Bird Flu: …

Gov. Newsom declares emergency in California after CDC confirms severe case of bird flu in Louisiana
5 days, 23 hours ago

Gov. Newsom declares emergency in California after CDC confirms severe case of bird flu in Louisiana

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday as the H5N1 bird flu virus moved from the Central Valley to Southern California dairy herds, while federal officials confirmed the first U.S. case of severe illness in a hospitalized Louisiana patient — a concerning development as the virus continues to spread throughout the nation via migrating birds. “These additional laboratory investigations …

Bird flu hospitalizes person in Louisiana, the first severe infection in U.S.
5 days, 23 hours 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
6 days, 23 hours 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
1 week, 2 days 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
1 week, 4 days 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 …

Latest California child to become ill after drinking raw milk does not have bird flu, CDC says
1 week, 4 days ago

Latest California child to become ill after drinking raw milk does not have bird flu, CDC says

LA Times  

A Northern California child who consumed raw milk and became severely ill did not have the bird flu virus, according to tests conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The child’s mother purchased Raw Farm raw milk, mistaking it for unhomogenized — or cream top — pasteurized milk. Last week, raw milk sales from Fresno-based Raw Farm were …

Could bird flu trigger another pandemic?
1 week, 5 days 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 week, 5 days 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 week, 5 days 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 …

US orders testing of milk supply for bird flu amid growing concerns
2 weeks, 2 days 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
2 weeks, 2 days 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
2 weeks, 3 days 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 …

Avian flu virus has been found in raw milk − a reminder of how pasteurization protects health
Trending News
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Avian flu virus has been found in raw milk − a reminder of how pasteurization protects health

Salon  

As the H5N1 avian flu virus continues to spread in poultry flocks and dairy cattle, consumers may worry about whether the U.S. milk supply is safe to drink. In late November 2024, however, California regulators recalled two batches of raw, unpasteurized milk from a Fresno dairy farm after bird flu virus was detected in the milk. Despite health experts' warning …

Just one mutation can make H5N1 bird flu a threat to humans, California researchers say
2 weeks, 4 days 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
2 weeks, 4 days 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.
2 weeks, 5 days 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 …

Raw milk recall in California expands after tests detect more bird flu virus
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Raw milk recall in California expands after tests detect more bird flu virus

Associated Press  

A California farm expanded a recall of raw milk sold in stores and halted production after state health and agriculture officials found bird flu virus in more milk samples. Raw Farm, of Fresno, voluntarily recalled all whole milk and cream products from stores late Tuesday after tests found bird flu virus in “multiple” retail samples and dairy storage and bottling …

All raw milk from Fresno dairy farm will be cleared from store shelves; cows have bird flu
2 weeks, 5 days ago

All raw milk from Fresno dairy farm will be cleared from store shelves; cows have bird flu

LA Times  

Raw Farm’s raw milk is set to be removed from stores. After two limited recalls, all raw milk and cream from a Fresno-based dairy farm must be removed from store shelves. However, the state is urging consumers to avoid other raw milk products, including cheese and kefir, as well as raw milk pet food products, including “raw milk pet food …

Five million doses of bird flu vaccine bought by UK to prepare for pandemic
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Five million doses of bird flu vaccine bought by UK to prepare for pandemic

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 UK government has bought more than 5 million doses of …

H5N1 strain of bird flu can spread through air, study finds
2 weeks, 6 days ago

H5N1 strain of bird flu can spread through air, study finds

India Today  

Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, primarily affects birds and some cattle. The findings drew attention to the fact that while the 2005 strain of H5N1 did not demonstrate any infectious virus particles in air samples, newer strains as recent as 2022 in a European polecat and 2024 in a US dairy worker showed limited virus in the air. …

Distribution of Raw Farm’s products suspended amid bird flu concerns
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Distribution of Raw Farm’s products suspended amid bird flu concerns

LA Times  

State agriculture officials on Thursday banned Fresno-based Raw Farm from distributing its raw dairy products to retailers amid ongoing concerns about possible bird flu infections among its cattle. After several days of contradictory test results, in which county public health departments found positive samples in bottled raw milk on store shelves and state agriculture officials did not detect the virus …

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain
3 weeks, 5 days 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 …

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID
3 weeks, 5 days 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 …

Another recall of California raw milk after second batch tests positive for bird flu virus
Top News
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Another recall of California raw milk after second batch tests positive for bird flu virus

LA Times  

California health officials announced Wednesday that another batch of raw milk from Fresno-based Raw Farm has tested positive for bird flu virus, as dairy farms throughout the state continue to struggle with a widening number of outbreaks. For the second time in roughly the span of a week, Santa Clara County Department of Public Health officials tested store-bought raw milk …

Experts say bird flu is more widespread than we think: ‘We are in a soup of virus’
3 weeks, 6 days 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 …

Despite warnings from bird flu experts, it’s business as usual in California dairy country
3 weeks, 6 days 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 …

Three mysterious bird flu cases worry experts that another pandemic is looming
3 weeks, 6 days 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 …

Why a teenager's bird-flu infection is leaving scientists concerned
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Why a teenager's bird-flu infection is leaving scientists concerned

India Today  

A teenager in Vancouver, Canada, is in critical condition after contracting an H5N1 avian influenza virus, raising concerns among researchers about the virus's potential to adapt to humans. Genome sequencing suggests that the virus has mutations that might enhance its ability to infect human airway cells, sparking fears about its evolution, according to a report in Nature. The virus shares …

California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child
1 month ago

California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Health officials on Friday confirmed …

California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child
1 month ago

California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child

Associated Press  

Health officials on Friday confirmed bird flu in a California child — the first reported case in a U.S. minor. The infection brings the reported number of U.S. bird flu cases this year to 55, including 29 in California, the CDC said. California health officials previously said in a statement that they were looking into a “possible exposure to wild …

Bird flu worries European health agencies as they increase virus surveillance
1 month 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 …

The number of cases of H5N1 bird flu is growing - but can it be caught by eating chicken?
1 month ago

The number of cases of H5N1 bird flu is growing - but can it be caught by eating chicken?

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 As the number of human bird flu cases have continued to …

Possible bird flu infection reported in California child, health department reports
1 month ago

Possible bird flu infection reported in California child, health department reports

Salon  

The state of California has detected a possible bird flu infection in a child in the Bay Area. The bird flu crisis, driven by the H5N1 virus, began several years ago, but ramped up considerably in April when dairy cows started becoming infected. Related Emails reveal how health departments struggle to track human cases of bird flu Although there have …

Alameda County child believed to be latest case of bird flu; source unknown
1 month ago

Alameda County child believed to be latest case of bird flu; source unknown

LA Times  

California health officials reported Tuesday that a child in Alameda County tested positive for H5N1 bird flu last week. “It worries me greatly that this virus is popping up in more and more places and that we keep being surprised by infections in people whom we wouldn’t think would be at high risk of being exposed to the virus.” A …

H5N1 bird flu infects five more humans in California, and one in Oregon
1 month, 1 week ago

H5N1 bird flu infects five more humans in California, and one in Oregon

LA Times  

As H5N1 bird flu spreads among California dairy herds and southward-migrating birds, health officials announced Friday that six more human cases of infection: five in California and one in Oregon — the state’s first. California’s state epidemiologist, Erica Pan, said that while the announcement of five cases today may sound like a sudden explosion or acceleration in cases, it was …

Canadian teen in critical condition with what is believed to be human case of bird flu
1 month, 1 week ago

Canadian teen in critical condition with what is believed to be human case of bird flu

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 Canadian teen is hospitalized in critical condition with what is …

Canadian teenager infected with H5N1 bird flu in critical condition
1 month, 1 week ago

Canadian teenager infected with H5N1 bird flu in critical condition

LA Times  

Canadian health officials announced Tuesday that a teenager infected with H5N1 bird flu from an unknown source is in critical condition. However, Nuzzo said, while this virus could “be a lot less deadly than what we’ve seen to date,” it could also be far more deadly than any pandemic in a long time, including COVID-19. Her third concern is how …

Healthy teenager fights for life in hospital after catching bird flu from 'unknown source' in Canada
1 month, 1 week ago

Healthy teenager fights for life in hospital after catching bird flu from 'unknown source' in Canada

Daily Mail  

A 'healthy' teenager is in critical condition after catching bird flu in Canada. PINK EYE: The H5N1 virus causes eye inflammation, as seen in a dairy farmer in Texas who caught bird flu earlier this year Your browser does not support iframes. The teen who is Canada's first bird flu victim in the latest outbreak - began suffering a fever, …

A Canadian teen is in critical condition with what is believed to be bird flu
1 month, 1 week ago

A Canadian teen is in critical condition with what is believed to be bird flu

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — A Canadian teen is hospitalized in critical condition with what is believed to be bird flu, a British Columbia health official said Tuesday. It’s not clear how the teenager picked up the virus, which has been detected recently in wild birds and poultry in the province, said Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer. Henry said the teen …

Bird flu: Canada teen in critical condition with H5 virus
1 month, 1 week ago

Bird flu: Canada teen in critical condition with H5 virus

CNN  

CNN — A Canadian teenager is hospitalized in critical condition with bird flu, health officials reported Tuesday. People with ARDS typically need help breathing with machines such as a ventilator, but officials did not offer specifics on the teen’s treatment except to say they’re receiving antiviral medications. These cases have all been among adults, however, and Henry said it’s possible …

H5N1 bird flu might be more prevalent among humans than public health data shows
1 month, 1 week ago

H5N1 bird flu might be more prevalent among humans than public health data shows

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As H5N1 bird flu …

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