Australia hit by bird flu outbreak of highly pathogenic strain
4 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 Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences at Monash University's campus in Malaysia. Professor Adrian Esterman, head of Biostatistics and Epidemiology with the University of South Australia, said the current worldwide H5N1 outbreak has affected a wider range of bird species than previous outbreaks and has led to significant losses in both wild bird populations and poultry flocks worldwide. Esterman, from the University of South Australia, said the current outbreak of bird flu in Australia involves "different highly pathogenic avian influenza strains" – H7N3, H7N9, and H7N8). "The H5N1 bird flu is highly pathogenic for birds, and for the small number of humans infected over the last 20 years, the case fatality rate has been high …about 50 percent."

Australia Outbreak Bird China Daily Bird Flu Flu Strain H5N1 Poultry Avian Influenza Hpai Previous Outbreaks Balasubramaniam Pathogenic  poultry  outbreak  pathogenic  influenza  bird  avian  potential  australia  hit  strain  highly  h5n1  flu

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, 2 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 declares state of emergency as H5N1 bird flu threatens pandemic... in chilling echo of Covid dark days
Trending News
4 days, 22 hours ago

California declares state of emergency as H5N1 bird flu threatens pandemic... in chilling echo of Covid dark days

Daily Mail  

California has declared a state of emergency for H5N1 bird flu amid fears that the virus could jump to people and start to spread. The declaration of emergency gives California state and local resources to contain the outbreak, including hiring staff or issuing contracts for things like tests or personal protective equipment. California has declared a state of emergency over …

Opinion: Bird flu is coming for humans. We can either get ready or court disaster
6 days, 18 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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

First bird flu outbreak in nearly a year confirmed in Gelderland
1 month ago

First bird flu outbreak in nearly a year confirmed in Gelderland

Dutch News  

The first outbreak of bird flu in nearly a year has been confirmed at a biological poultry farm in Gelderland. “Unfortunately, after a long period we are having to deal with another business with a bird flu infection. “We are taking appropriate steps and keeping a close eye on the situation.” Farmers’ organisation LTO called on the government to impose …

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 …

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 …

Canada detects first presumptive human bird flu case, teen infected
1 month, 1 week 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 …

Bird flu virus found in Los Angeles County wastewater
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Bird flu virus found in Los Angeles County wastewater

LA Times  

Los Angeles County health officials said they have detected H5N1 bird flu virus in wastewater collected from the A.K. Hits were The Carson plant processes wastewater from roughly 50% of L.A. County’s population, said Annabelle de St. Maurice, the L.A. County Department of Public Health’s director of community outbreak and syndromic surveillance. In addition, she said, the county is working …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

Federal government announces $95m preparedness fund in case of deadly H5N1 bird flu arriving in Australia
2 months, 1 week ago

Federal government announces $95m preparedness fund in case of deadly H5N1 bird flu arriving in Australia

ABC  

The looming arrival of a deadly strain of bird flu in Australia has prompted the federal government to set up a $95 million preparation fund as part of a swathe of biosecurity and environmental measures. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the H5N1 strain of avian influenza "presents a real and significant threat to Australia's agriculture sector". Why scientists fear havoc …

As California bird flu outbreak worsens, a Missouri patient who caught it is alarming experts
2 months, 1 week 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 and New Zealand Brace for Bird Flu Threat: A Global Threat
2 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 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". …

Swabbing poop to track bird flu and other viruses : Short Wave : NPR
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Swabbing poop to track bird flu and other viruses : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Here are the high schoolers tracking the bird flu virus in New York City Enlarge this image toggle caption Christine Marizzi/BioBus Christine Marizzi/BioBus Most viruses that become epidemics in humans begin in other animals. And now, less than five years after the start of the pandemic some scientists are concerned about another disease that could do something similar: bird flu, …

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 …

Victoria's bird flu outbreak engaged thousands of animal disease fighters after years of wargaming
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Victoria's bird flu outbreak engaged thousands of animal disease fighters after years of wargaming

ABC  

It has been over 100 days since Victoria's largest outbreak of bird flu began and there are positive signs for the industry as farms begin to recover from the fallout. "It's been interesting seeing the outbreak and trying to provide that quick turnaround time of diagnostics to support the response, and farmers, in understanding what's going on here," he said. …

Smart Traveller website issues bird flu warning to Aussies heading overseas
3 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 …

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 …

As human cases of bird flu grow, feds say flu vaccine could help prevent a new pandemic
4 months, 3 weeks ago

As human cases of bird flu grow, feds say flu vaccine could help prevent a new pandemic

LA Times  

A turkey farm near Manson, Iowa. Federal officials say the number of poultry workers infected with H5N1 bird flu has climbed. Although health officials say the risk of H5N1 bird flu infection is still low for the general population, they announced on Monday a $5-million plan to offer seasonal flu vaccine to livestock workers. Officials said they are launching this …

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 …

US Bird flu outbreak: From vaccine to transmission, all you need to know
4 months, 3 weeks ago

US Bird flu outbreak: From vaccine to transmission, all you need to know

Hindustan Times  

After H5N1 bird flu was detected at dairy farms, researchers confirmed the respiratory virus had spread to other animals. In a study, rush-released by the journal Nature on July 25 after an initial peer review, the researchers reported a “spillover of HPAI H5N1 virus in dairy cattle herds.” They were also able to detect cattle-to-cat and cattle-to-raccoon transmission, highlighting, as …

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