New bird flu variant in American cows unlikely to impact Britain, says chief vet
7 months, 2 weeks ago

New bird flu variant in American cows unlikely to impact Britain, says chief vet

The Telegraph  

The new hybrid variant of bird flu spreading in American cows is no more dangerous to human health and the public should be “reassured” it is unlikely to impact Britain, the chief vet said. Dr Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s chief veterinary officer, told The Telegraph the genetics of the flu strain in cattle in the US “have changed a bit” but not to the point of concern. “The public should also hopefully be reassured that is testing and this is what they’re seeing, and it’s being shared.” The Government’s Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group, which brings together public health and veterinary disease experts to assess the threat to both animals and people, has been convened to discuss the evolving situation, The Telegraph can reveal. Some scientists have criticised the government’s reluctance to test milk or cows in the UK, but Prof Wood said the fact there is no importation of high-risk products protects Britain from the new form of bird flu in the US.

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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, 20 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 …

Opinion: Bird flu is coming for humans. We can either get ready or court disaster
1 week 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, 3 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 …

Could bird flu trigger another pandemic?
1 week, 6 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 …

Health Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat
1 week, 6 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, 3 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 …

A single mutation could make bird flu much worse, study finds
2 weeks, 4 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 …

Letters to the Editor: A doctor’s fear that we’re careening toward a bird flu disaster
2 weeks, 5 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 …

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

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 …

Five million doses of bird flu vaccine bought by UK to prepare for pandemic
3 weeks 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
3 weeks 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, 4 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 …

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID
3 weeks, 6 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 …

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain
3 weeks, 6 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 …

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 …

Three mysterious bird flu cases worry experts that another pandemic is looming
4 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
4 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 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 …

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 …

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 …

Canada detects first presumptive human bird flu case, teen infected
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Canada detects first presumptive human bird flu case, teen infected

India Today  

Canada has detected its first presumptive case of H5 bird flu in a person, a teenager in the western province of British Columbia, health officials said on Saturday. H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and US dairy cows, with several recent human cases in US dairy and poultry workers. Bird flu …

CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections
1 month, 2 weeks ago

CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections

Associated Press  

Federal health officials on Thursday called for more testing of employees on farms with bird flu after a new study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick. Farmworkers in close contact with infected animals should be tested and offered treatment even if they show no symptoms, said Dr. Nirav Shah, principal …

Should We Be Worried About Bird Flu?
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Should We Be Worried About Bird Flu?

Huff Post  

ULISES RUIZ via Getty Images The H5N1 virus, aka the bird flu, spilled over to commercial poultry before sickening cattle earlier this year. The increase in avian influenza activity is due to a major outbreak occurring in wild birds that has been ongoing and has spilled into poultry farms and now dairy cattle,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert …

The first case of bird flu has been found in a pig at an Oregon farm
1 month, 3 weeks ago

The first case of bird flu has been found in a pig at an Oregon farm

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 Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Federal officials …

1st US case of bird flu in a pig raises concerns over potential human threat
1 month, 3 weeks ago

1st US case of bird flu in a pig raises concerns over potential human threat

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 Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It's the first time the …

First US Case of Bird Flu in a Pig Raises Concerns Over Potential Human Threat
1 month, 3 weeks ago

First US Case of Bird Flu in a Pig Raises Concerns Over Potential Human Threat

Associated Press  

A pig at an Oregon farm has been found to have bird flu, marking the first instance of the virus in the United States. The infection poses a potential threat to human health due to its ability to spread to humans. Genetic tests have shown no mutations that suggest the virus is gaining an increased ability to spread to people. …

A concerning development: H5N1 bird flu has infected a pig in Oregon, officials say
1 month, 3 weeks ago

A concerning development: H5N1 bird flu has infected a pig in Oregon, officials say

LA Times  

Oregon state and federal officials confirmed Wednesday that H5N1 bird flu was found in a pig living in Crook County — the first such swine infection reported in the current outbreak. “Experts and commentators have minimized the outbreak to date, saying, ‘but it’s not in pigs yet.’ Well, now it seems to be, and just in time for the other …

Bird flu has been found in a pig for the first time in the U.S.
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Bird flu has been found in a pig for the first time in the U.S.

NPR  

Bird flu has been found in a pig for the first time in the U.S. toggle caption Cynthia Goldsmith, Jackie Katz/CDC/AP NEW YORK — A pig at an Oregon farm was found to have bird flu, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. It's the first time the virus has been detected in U.S. swine and raises concerns about bird …

Alarming development as mutated bird flu strain that is 30x deadlier leaves American infected
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Alarming development as mutated bird flu strain that is 30x deadlier leaves American infected

Daily Mail  

Doctors are expressing alarm about a mutated form of bird flu that infected a farm worker in Texas. Government-backed researchers took a sample of the virus, infected mice and ferrets with it and found it had evolved to become far deadlier than the wild strain currently spreading on US farms. Researchers have suggested that drinking unpasteurized milk from an infected …

No Evidence of Bird Flu Spreading Between People in Missouri
1 month, 4 weeks ago

No Evidence of Bird Flu Spreading Between People in Missouri

Associated Press  

No evidence of bird flu spreading between people has been found in Missouri after an investigation into a mysterious infection. The illness was different from the 30 other bird flu infections in people in the U.S. so far this year, and there was no known contact with an infected animal. The patient had preexisting health problems and was hospitalized in …

California becomes epicenter of bird flu crisis as more human cases reported
2 months, 1 week ago

California becomes epicenter of bird flu crisis as more human cases reported

Salon  

Another five suspected cases of bird flu were reported today in California, where six cases have already been confirmed, according to the California Department of Public Health. The state, which is the country’s largest dairy supplier, has become the epicenter of bird flu in cows and has concerned public health experts since the beginning of the outbreak for this reason. …

As California bird flu outbreak worsens, a Missouri patient who caught it is alarming experts
2 months, 2 weeks ago

As California bird flu outbreak worsens, a Missouri patient who caught it is alarming experts

Salon  

The H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu, has created an enduring crisis this year, massacring millions of birds and other wild animals, while stirring outbreaks in dairy farms across the U.S. As the number of confirmed bird flu cases continues to climb in various states across the country, many public health experts are anxiously awaiting results from testing performed …

Australia's dairy farmers prepared to face deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu if it arrives
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Australia's dairy farmers prepared to face deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu if it arrives

ABC  

Stuart and Belinda Griffin never thought they'd be on the look out for bird flu in their cows. "It's a bit of the alert, but not alarmed," said Stuart whose family has run a dairy farm in Moe, in Victoria's La Trobe Valley, for more than a century. "Veterinarians didn't routinely test cattle for influenza, that was not anywhere on …

Australia's bird flu outbreak has claimed the lives of 2 million chickens, but experts fear the worst is yet to come
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Australia's bird flu outbreak has claimed the lives of 2 million chickens, but experts fear the worst is yet to come

ABC  

In the small country town of Meredith, about 70 kilometres west of Melbourne, a lone dead tree stands in the centre of a paddock, looming over two long red furrows clawed into the ground. He's just spent most of this year trying to lead Victoria's response to avian influenza outbreaks, and says the state is "finally on the home stretch". …

Concern grows as bird flu outbreaks continue to rise among California dairy herds
3 months ago

Concern grows as bird flu outbreaks continue to rise among California dairy herds

LA Times  

Reports of H5N1 bird flu outbreaks at California dairy herds are continuing to rise as the nation’s largest milk producer scrambles to contain the spread. “Farmers are genuinely worried about the virus and do not feel it’s under control,” said Anja Raudabaugh, CEO of Western United Dairies, the trade association of California dairy farmers. Steve Lyle, an agriculture department spokesman, …

Just How Deadly Is Bird Flu to Humans?
3 months, 1 week ago

Just How Deadly Is Bird Flu to Humans?

Slate  

This story was originally published by Undark and has been republished here with permission. Compared to the H1 and H3 proteins in the influenza A viruses responsible for seasonal flu, H5 proteins trigger a weaker response from the immune system, said Peiris: “People may be getting mildly infected, but it’s not enough to elicit an antibody response.” Peiris and other …

Alarming development as Missouri patient becomes first American to catch H5N1 bird flu with no exposure to animals
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Alarming development as Missouri patient becomes first American to catch H5N1 bird flu with no exposure to animals

Daily Mail  

A person in Missouri has become the first American to be diagnosed with H5N1 bird flu without coming into contact with animals, in a potentially worrying development. A person in Missouri has become the first American to be diagnosed with H5N1 bird flu without coming into contact with animals There have also been 196 herds of dairy cows infected with …

Officials confirm H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in three California dairy farms
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Officials confirm H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in three California dairy farms

LA Times  

Federal officials have confirmed that three California dairy herds have suffered outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu, due most likely to the transportation of cattle and not exposure to diseased birds. The B3.13 genetic sequence found in the infected cows was clearly the result of “anthropogenic movement; essentially zero chance it was an independent spill from wild birds into these dairies,” …

California becomes 14th state to detect bird flu in dairy cows
3 months, 2 weeks ago

California becomes 14th state to detect bird flu in dairy cows

Salon  

On Monday, California became the 14th state to report outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows. Some have wondered how the Golden State avoided an outbreak thus far in the bird flu crisis, after nearly 200 outbreaks have been reported from Colorado to Texas to Michigan. In late August, cows at three dairy farms in the Central Valley displayed symptoms …

COVID and bird flu are rising. Here’s how to keep yourself safe
4 months ago

COVID and bird flu are rising. Here’s how to keep yourself safe

LA Times  

With California’s COVID surge at very high levels, doctors are urging people who are experiencing respiratory symptoms to test themselves or see a medical professional who can check on their illness. Bird flu has attracted attention recently because of outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows, and there have been several recent human cases among dairy and poultry workers in the …

Bird flu cases are going undetected, new study suggests. It’s a problem for all of us
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Bird flu cases are going undetected, new study suggests. It’s a problem for all of us

Salon  

A new study lends weight to fears that more livestock workers have gotten the bird flu than has been reported. “Largely, that’s because our surveillance has been so poor.” As bird flu cases go underreported, health officials risk being slow to notice if the virus were to become more contagious. Gray’s team detected signs of prior bird flu infections in …

Bird flu outbreak worries Australia
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Bird flu outbreak worries Australia

China Daily  

With eggs in short supply and avian influenza spreading across Australian farms, the outbreak has the country on edge. "The bird flu situation in Australia is increasingly alarming, particularly due to the threat posed by the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 strain, which has not yet reached the continent," said associate professor Dr Vinod Balasubramaniam, a molecular virologist with the …

The Bird Flu Threat Keeps Growing
54 years, 11 months ago

The Bird Flu Threat Keeps Growing

Wired  

Ongoing outbreaks of avian influenza have decimated poultry flocks and wild birds across the United States and worldwide. On July 25, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed an additional three human cases, bringing the total number of US cases to 13 since April. “These cases are not entirely surprising given that these people were working with infected …

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