A strain of bird flu has caused 'mass mortality events' on every continent but Australia. Scientists say an outbreak is inevitable
10 months ago

A strain of bird flu has caused 'mass mortality events' on every continent but Australia. Scientists say an outbreak is inevitable

ABC  

A deadly strain of avian influenza has breached the fragile ecosystem of the world's most remote continent. “It was quite devastating, every couple of metres you’re finding another dead bird," Federation University Australia researcher Dr Meagan Dewar told 7.30. A mutated strain of the virus we know as "bird flu" had penetrated the world's most remote continent. "We do know there are species that mix with similar species from different populations during winter, so there's a chance of spreading the virus and taking it back to their colonies," Dr Dewar said. "I don't think any of us could have imagined it's been as bad as it is now, but since 2020-21, things have gotten to a whole new level," Dr Wille told 7.30.

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History of this topic

Government on high alert as deadly bird flu jumps species AGAIN - after first human death in US
1 day, 5 hours ago

Government on high alert as deadly bird flu jumps species AGAIN - after first human death in US

Daily Mail  

Experts have issued a stark warning after the world's first case of bird flu in sheep was detected on the UK farm, triggering a Government alert. Bird flu can cause severe illness, including pneumonia, and even death—with experts on high alert amid fears it could trigger a human pandemic. Pictured here: dead cows at a Californian dairy farm In March …

Bird flu in North America: What all to know about the outbreak
Trending News
6 days, 20 hours ago

Bird flu in North America: What all to know about the outbreak

Hindustan Times  

Bird flu has devastated poultry and dairy farms, and sent the price of eggs soaring in the United States since it was first detected in North America in late 2021. More than 170 species of North American wild birds – including ducks, geese, gulls, owls, eagles and others – have been infected with bird flu. A recent bird flu outbreak …

Bird flu alert in US: H7N9 strain detected in poultry farm for first time since 2017
1 week ago

Bird flu alert in US: H7N9 strain detected in poultry farm for first time since 2017

Live Mint  

The United States reported the first outbreak of the deadly H7N9 bird flu on a poultry farm since 2017, as the country continues to grapple with another bird flu strain that has infected humans and caused egg prices to hit record highs. The spread of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has ravaged flocks around the world, disrupting supply and …

The US May Start Vaccinating Chickens Against Bird Flu
55 years, 2 months ago

The US May Start Vaccinating Chickens Against Bird Flu

Wired  

As part of a new $1 billion plan to address bird flu in poultry and lower egg prices across the country, US secretary of agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture is considering vaccinating chickens against highly pathogenic avian influenza. Earlier this month, the USDA issued a conditional license to animal health company Zoetis for an updated …

We're Infectious Disease Experts. Here's How Soon Bird Flu Could Cause A Pandemic.
1 month ago

We're Infectious Disease Experts. Here's How Soon Bird Flu Could Cause A Pandemic.

Huff Post  

Edwin Remsberg via Getty Images Infectious disease experts weighed in on how likely a pandemic could happen and what it would take for the virus to evolve into a pandemic agent. into dairy cattle,” said William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine in the department of health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, citing how a new bird flu strain …

New Victorian bird flu outbreak
1 month, 2 weeks ago

New Victorian bird flu outbreak

ABC  

Samantha Donovan: A new outbreak of bird flu in Australia has been detected at a commercial egg farm in northern Victoria. Kathleen O'Connor: Just four weeks after authorities lifted quarantine restrictions on the last property impacted by the 2024 avian flu outbreak, a new strain has emerged. Kathleen O'Connor: The new strain is a variant of last year's H7 virus …

Another bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm in Australia - just days after government announced the disease had been eradicated
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Another bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm in Australia - just days after government announced the disease had been eradicated

Daily Mail  

Australia's recent declaration of being bird flu-free has proved short-lived, with the Victorian Agriculture Department announcing an outbreak at a farm in the state's north. On Thursday, the federal government announced Australia was officially bird flu-free after there had been no detections of H7 avian influenza since July. Authorities have placed a Victorian poultry property in quarantine after detecting bird …

Egg farmers warn they’re losing battle against bird flu
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Egg farmers warn they’re losing battle against bird flu

Raw Story  

Greg Herbruck knew 6.5 million of his birds needed to die, and fast. “The one we’re battling today is unique,” said David Swayne, former director of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and a leading national expert in avian influenza. Even “the best biosecurity in the world” hasn’t been enough to save large commercial farms …

Bird flu is taking a massive toll on wild animals, researchers find
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Bird flu is taking a massive toll on wild animals, researchers find

NPR  

Bird flu is taking a massive toll on wild animals, researchers find Researchers are reporting mass die offs of wild birds and sea mammals due to bird flu. She came to this beach because she's been tracking bird flu as it goes from one bird species to another - pelicans to terns to other seabirds and then spills over into …

Ex-Trump surgeon general sounds alarm on president’s actions amid disease outbreaks
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Ex-Trump surgeon general sounds alarm on president’s actions amid disease outbreaks

Raw Story  

Dr. Jerome Adams, the Surgeon General during President Donald Trump’s first administration, is sounding the alarm on his former boss’s actions and disease outbreaks in the U.S. and around the world. “Republicans must understand,” he said, that “they’re gonna own any and all preventable outbreaks / harm moving forward.” According to Scientific American, “Bird flu continues to spread among commercial …

The latest on bird flu and its risks : Short Wave : NPR
1 month, 3 weeks ago

The latest on bird flu and its risks : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Why scientists' fears about bird flu are intensifying Enlarge this image toggle caption Finley Delouche/Getty Images Finley Delouche/Getty Images Bird flu or avian influenza is continuing to spread among livestock and other mammals in the United States, raising fears that another pandemic is in our future. Last month, California declared a state of emergency due to rising cases in dairy …

The US Has Bird Flu Vaccines. Here’s Why You Can’t Get One
55 years, 2 months ago

The US Has Bird Flu Vaccines. Here’s Why You Can’t Get One

Wired  

As avian influenza rages through birds and dairy cattle across the United States, Georgia has become the latest state to detect the virus in a commercial poultry flock, and on Friday, it halted all poultry sales to mitigate further spread of the disease. The ongoing outbreak in animals has also led to at least 67 human cases of bird flu, …

What's causing bird flu to surge? Probably climate change, experts say
2 months, 1 week ago

What's causing bird flu to surge? Probably climate change, experts say

Salon  

Guillemots, black and white birds each measuring about a foot tall, cram together on Skomer Island to starve off predators and protect their eggs, of which each reproducing bird lays just one each year. Although it’s difficult to pinpoint a direct cause-and-effect relationship between climate change and bird flu, research going back many years before the current crisis linked our …

A killer fludemic 30 times more deadly than Covid is already here... but our leaders have their heads in the sand and we are woefully unprepared: GEOFFREY LEAN
2 months, 2 weeks ago

A killer fludemic 30 times more deadly than Covid is already here... but our leaders have their heads in the sand and we are woefully unprepared: GEOFFREY LEAN

Daily Mail  

An elderly man in the US state of Louisiana died on Monday of bird flu contracted from exposure to sick and dead chickens in his backyard flock, becoming the country’s first fatality from the disease. At least Britain bought over five million doses of the bird flu vaccine last month, but that is far from enough, while the Covid inquiry …

Is bird flu the next pandemic? What to know after the first H5N1 death in the US
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Is bird flu the next pandemic? What to know after the first H5N1 death in the US

CNN  

CNN — With reports of the first human death from bird flu in the US, some Americans are feeling an uncomfortable flashback to the early days of Covid-19, when infectious disease experts were talking about a new virus that was sending people to the hospital with respiratory infections. Scientists also know a lot more about H5N1 bird flu than they …

The First US Bird Flu Death Is a Stark Warning
55 years, 2 months 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 …

First Bird Flu Death In US: 66-Yr-Old Dies Of H5N1 Virus As US Gears Up To Contain Spread
2 months, 2 weeks ago

First Bird Flu Death In US: 66-Yr-Old Dies Of H5N1 Virus As US Gears Up To Contain Spread

ABP News  

Bird Flu: A US man aged 66 has died after battling a bird flu infection for almost three weeks, the country’s apex health body, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has reported. The US health authority states that while the death from H5N1 bird flu is tragic, it is not unexpected because of the known potential for infection with …

Louisiana person is the first US bird flu death, health officials say
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Louisiana person is the first US bird flu death, health officials say

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 The first U.S. bird …

America’s first bird flu death reported in Louisiana
2 months, 2 weeks 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 …

Why bird flu could be the biggest health problem in 2025
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Why bird flu could be the biggest health problem in 2025

Firstpost  

Malaria, tuberculosis and HIV claim number of lives in the world each year. But as the new year emerges, health professionals are more concerned about another infectious disease — bird flu — that is spreading rapidly across the globe US recorded 61 cases of bird flu this year as opposed to two cases the previous year. Indeed, bird flu can …

Bird flu may be mutating to become more transmissible to humans say scientists after woman caught first severe case in the US
2 months, 3 weeks 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 …

We ‘have our head in the sand’: Health experts warn US isn’t reacting fast enough to threat of bird flu
2 months, 3 weeks ago

We ‘have our head in the sand’: Health experts warn US isn’t reacting fast enough to threat of bird flu

CNN  

CNN — The US hasn’t learned lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic that it could use to mitigate the threat of pathogens like H5N1 bird flu that keep showing signs of their own pandemic potential, health experts told CNN Friday. A spokesperson for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pushed back on Friday, telling CNN in a statement that …

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

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

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

CNN  

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
3 months 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 …

Could bird flu trigger another pandemic?
3 months, 2 weeks 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.
3 months, 2 weeks 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
3 months, 2 weeks 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 …

There's only one continent without the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain. The approach might make Australia a 'world leader'
3 months, 3 weeks ago

There's only one continent without the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain. The approach might make Australia a 'world leader'

ABC  

Australia's surveillance of bird flu has been described as a possible "model" to follow globally, with the spread of the H5N1 strain of the virus causing concerns for international health authorities. Professor Bennett said the H5N1 strain was very infectious and more thorough surveillance was needed to manage outbreaks before the virus spread across different populations of wildlife. Australia a …

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

Three mysterious bird flu cases worry experts that another pandemic is looming
3 months, 3 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 …

Bird flu worries European health agencies as they increase virus surveillance
4 months 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
4 months 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 …

First case of bird flu strain reported in the UK: Protection zone set up around commercial poultry firm in attempt to contain outbreak
4 months, 1 week ago

First case of bird flu strain reported in the UK: Protection zone set up around commercial poultry firm in attempt to contain outbreak

Daily Mail  

A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed at a commercial poultry farm in Cornwall. The government said all poultry on the infected site, near Rosudgeon near St Ives, will be humanely culled, after a strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus was detected. Bird flu or avian influenza, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds around the globe in …

Should We Be Worried About Bird Flu?
4 months, 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 …

California becomes epicenter of bird flu crisis as more human cases reported
5 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. …

Australia and New Zealand Brace for Bird Flu Threat: A Global Threat
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Australia and New Zealand Brace for Bird Flu Threat: A Global Threat

The Hindu  

Australia and New Zealand brace for a looming bird flu threat. The region, currently free of the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b avian influenza, is at risk of its arrival due to its geographic isolation and the migration patterns of birds. The virus has reached Indonesia and Antarctica in recent years, posing a potential threat to the region's ecosystems and agricultural industry. …

Australia's bird flu outbreak has claimed the lives of 2 million chickens, but experts fear the worst is yet to come
5 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". …

Bird flu H5N1 strain could cause 'mass mortality' of black swans, other native birds
6 months ago

Bird flu H5N1 strain could cause 'mass mortality' of black swans, other native birds

ABC  

According to local Ballarat legend, when colonisers attempted to introduce white swans at Lake Wendouree, the native black swans attacked and killed the introduced species. Both Threatened Species Commissioner Dr Fiona Fraser and bird flu expert Dr Michelle Wille have warned that native birds could face "mass mortality events" if the virus — known as HPAI H5N1 strain — reaches …

How skuas, frigatebirds, and gulls are helping spread avian influenza
6 months, 1 week ago

How skuas, frigatebirds, and gulls are helping spread avian influenza

The Hindu  

It’s not easy finding food at sea. The new strain of avian flu is killing birds by their millions – and we found kleptoparasitism could spread the virus very easily. “HPAI” stands for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, meaning the virus can more readily cause severe disease and death. We have already seen signs of this in skua populations in the …

Smart Traveller website issues bird flu warning to Aussies heading overseas
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Smart Traveller website issues bird flu warning to Aussies heading overseas

Daily Mail  

The Australian government has issued a warning to travellers over bird flu outbreak concerns. Strains of Avian influenza, known as the bird flu, are circulating across the globe, with government website Smart Traveller warning of outbreaks in Europe, North and South America and Asia. The virus typically affects birds but can also infect animals, which can then lead to the …

Australian Antarctic scientists wargame for spread of deadly H5N1 avian influenza to more territory
7 months, 1 week ago

Australian Antarctic scientists wargame for spread of deadly H5N1 avian influenza to more territory

ABC  

Inside the headquarters of the Australian Antarctic Division, dozens of experts have gathered for a simulated emergency. "It's an evolving scenario," AAD operations manager Robb Clifton said of the training exercise. The scenario participants discussed included researchers finding dead birds around Australia's Macquarie Island research station. Team to 'bear witness' to bird flu in Australia's territory A bird which died …

Bird flu outbreak worries Australia
7 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
55 years, 2 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 …

Australia hit by bird flu outbreak of highly pathogenic strain
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Australia hit by bird flu outbreak of highly pathogenic strain

China Daily  

FILE PHOTO: A person holds a test tube labelled "Bird Flu", in this picture illustration, January 14, 2023. "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 Jeffrey …

With the U.S. bird flu outbreak uncontained, scientists see growing risks
8 months ago

With the U.S. bird flu outbreak uncontained, scientists see growing risks

NPR  

With the U.S. bird flu outbreak uncontained, scientists see growing risks toggle caption Charlie Neibergall/AP For nearly four months, the spread of bird flu in the nation’s dairy cattle has stoked fears that, if left unchecked, the virus could eventually unleash a pandemic. “Every time you give an avian virus a chance to infect a human, it’s like buying a …

Two more bird flu cases reported in Colorado, but elsewhere a study finds no asymptomatic infections
8 months ago

Two more bird flu cases reported in Colorado, but elsewhere a study finds no asymptomatic infections

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — U.S. health officials on Friday announced two more bird flu cases among farmworkers, but they also said a new study in Michigan suggested the virus is not causing silent infections in people. Last month, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services launched a study of workers who were around cows sickened by the bird flu. It’s …

Two more bird flu cases reported in Colorado, but elsewhere a study finds no asymptomatic infections
8 months ago

Two more bird flu cases reported in Colorado, but elsewhere a study finds no asymptomatic infections

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 U.S. health officials on Friday …

Australia is aiming to eradicate bird flu. This is how scientists are tracking and tracing the outbreak
8 months, 1 week ago

Australia is aiming to eradicate bird flu. This is how scientists are tracking and tracing the outbreak

ABC  

It's a nerve-wracking wait for answers. "We've had a big upturn in the number of samples coming in for avian influenza testing," veterinary virologist Dr Andrew Read told 7.30. "By comparing the viruses' genetic code, we can see the three strains causing the three outbreaks are not closely related but are more closely related to low pathogenic strains known to …

Australia is in the grip of an unprecedented bird flu outbreak
8 months, 1 week ago

Australia is in the grip of an unprecedented bird flu outbreak

ABC  

TOM HARTLEY, REPORTER: In a quarantine zone outside Canberra, there’s been a biosecurity scare. TOM HARTLEY: We’re in the grip of a devastating avian flu outbreak, with multiple strains across Australia’s east coast and there’s an urgent fight to keep it contained. TOM HARTLEY: The H7 strains have been traced to Australia's wild bird population, namely ducks and responsible for …

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