Deadly Bird Flu has jumped to Humans

[nivek]

Now bird flu is detected in COW'S MILK at dairy farms across US... as virus edges closer to human spillover​

Bird flu has been detected in dairy cows and their milk on farms in Texas and in Kansas for the first time ever.

Tests revealed that an unknown number of cows were positive for Type A H5N1, the strain behind the largest ever outbreak in animals and has killed dozens of people globally since 2022.

The virus was also found to be affecting older dairy cows in New Mexico while Iowa, another dairy-heavy state, is monitoring the situation.

Farmers first noticed cows falling ill three weeks ago with symptoms of lethargy and loss of appetite, then they began to produce significantly less milk.

Milk and nasal swabs then tested positive for the virus. 'We hadn't seen anything like it before. It was kind of like they had a cold,' said Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.

Tests revealed that an unknown number of cows have tested positive for bird flu Type A H5N1 in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico. Iowa is currently 'monitoring the situation' as it is also a dairy-heavy state. It comes after a goat in Minnesota tested positive last week. Bird flu has also been found in foxes, bobcats, striped skunks, raccoons and coyotes since the 2022 outbreak.

(More on the link)

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[nivek]

Bird flu is detected in person who had contact with infected COW on a dairy farm in Texas​

The White House is on red alert for bird flu after health officials revealed a Texan dairy farmer caught a deadly bird flu strain from a cow.

The patient is only the second-ever American to be diagnosed with H5N1, but the virus is spreading among cattle in multiple US states after jumping from birds.

Officials at the CDC announced the case today but claimed the threat to the public remains low, insisting that early analyses suggested it had not mutated in a way that would allow it to infect people more easily.

But Senior White House officials are said to be 'closely monitoring the situation' after Jeff Zients, President Joe Biden's chief of staff, was briefed last week before the announcement.

Former health officials said they were not comforted by the assurances made by the government - highlighting how the Trump Administration played down fears about Covid in the early days of the pandemic.

(More on the link)

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[nivek]

Kansas dairy cows have tested positive for bird flu, for the first time ever​

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Bird flu spreads to dairy cows in Idaho, Michigan and New Mexico​

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[nivek]

I wonder if any of this tainted milk had accidentally been released to the public before they knew it was tainted with the virus...

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[AD1184]

I wonder if any of this tainted milk had accidentally been released to the public before they knew it was tainted with the virus...

I wouldn't be too concerned about that. Viruses like bird flu rely on a living host to sustain themselves, and cannot survive for very long outside the body of an animal in which they can replicate. Replication is usually only within certain types of cells within the animal. Although raw milk can contain living white blood cells, for example, I don't think these are the type of cells that can sustain H5N1. Pasteurization will kill these cells, and probably virus particles, which will be killed anyway as time passes outside of the cow. Foodborne pathogens, especially the type that occur within pre-packaged products, like milk, are typically bacterial in nature. Foodborne viruses are usually only introduced by someone preparing food immediately before it is eaten.

 

[nivek]

@AD1184

In the quote below, is this really how H5N1 began or is this just the offical explanation?...

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'It's a matter of when, not if': DailyMail.com asked seven bird flu experts if the H5N1 case in Texas raises risk of a future pandemic... this is what they said​

(Excerpt)

The H5N1 spreading across the world emerged in 2020 after a bird was infected with both a bird flu from domestic poultry and a virus from wild birds.

During the infection, the two viruses met in the same cell and swapped genes — in a process scientifically termed re-assortment — to create the new virus that now had multiple attributes which made it better at infecting bird cells.

It quickly spread globally, with the first cases identified in Europe — before infections also being detected in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

(More on the link)

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[nivek]

Don't eat runny yolks! Health experts advise Americans to avoid eggs sunny side up because of BIRD FLU fears​

Americans are being warned to stay away from eggs with runny yolks amid increasing cases of bird flu in the US.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, A former FDA expert has urged people to cook their eggs thoroughly to kill off any lingering fragments of virus.

Farms in multiple states are struggling with outbreaks of the H5N1 strain among poultry and, for the first time, cattle.

Earlier this week, health officials in Texas confirmed that a dairy farmer caught the virus, making him only the second-ever American to contract the disease.

Dr Darin Detwiler, food safety expert at Northeastern University and former advisor to the FDA and USDA, told DailyMail.com: 'Transmission of bird flu to humans through the consumption of properly cooked poultry products, including eggs, is very low. The risk arises with improperly cooked eggs or poultry meat.

'Using pasteurized eggs or ensuring eggs are fully cooked could provide an additional layer of safety, reducing the risk of potential exposure to the virus.'

Bird flu often spreads from waterbirds like ducks and geese to chickens. Dr Detwiler notes that when chickens become infected, the virus can be present in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces.

'Consequently, the virus can contaminate the birds' environment, including the eggs they lay,' he said.

(More on the link)

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[nivek]

Bird flu may have killed THOUSANDS of penguins in Antarctica: Researchers suspect outbreak of deadly H5N1 virus is behind deaths of around 530 - with many more feared to have died​

Bird flu may have killed thousands of penguins in Antarctica, researchers have said as they probe a suspected outbreak of the deadly virus.

A scientific expedition last month found at least 532 dead Adelie penguins in Antarctica, with thousands more thought to have died, according to a statement from Federation University Australia.

Researchers suspect the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus killed the penguins, however field tests were inconclusive, the university said. Samples are being shipped off to labs that the researchers hope will provide answers in coming months.

Scientists are concerned specifically that the often fatal H5N1 influenza could decimate threatened species of penguins and other animals on the remote southern continent.

The disease has spread more aggressively in wildlife than ever before since arriving in South America in 2022 and rapidly made its way to Antarctica, where the first case of H5N1 was confirmed in February.

(More on the link)

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[nivek]

'Be prepared': CDC convenes bird flu outbreak meeting where it tells state health officials to get ready for more human cases​

State health officials have been told to prepare for more human cases of bird flu, amid fears the virus could jump to people.

CDC officials issued the warning on Friday, urging state leaders to have 'up-to-date operational plans' in place in case more farm workers test positive for H5N1.

At the meeting, they also emphasized that the risk to the public was still low — but said health officials should be prepared for the potential of more cases.

Only one infection has been reported in a person in Texas so far, but officials fear more humans in close contact with infected cattle may also have H5N1.

Cattle on 16 farms across seven states — mostly in Texas — have tested positive for the virus, with doctors now urged to test any farm worker for the disease who they suspect may have been infected.

(More on the link)

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[nivek]

Bird flu outbreak in NYC animals prompts new health alert: New Yorkers are told to STAY AWAY from wildlife​

New Yorkers are being urged to keep their distance from wildlife after bird flu was discovered in NYC — amid fears the disease could jump to humans.

Geese, falcons and hawks living in Manhattan's parks and green spaces have tested positive for the virus, officials say, warning cases could be more widespread.

Residents and visitors are being warned not to chase or try to catch birds and to wash their hands after any contact with droppings.

It is feared humans could become infected after a farmer in Texas tested positive for the virus at the start of this month, becoming the second case in the US in history.

Experts say that every case in people raises the risk of the virus gaining mutations allowing it to better infect and spread between humans.

(More on the link)

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[nivek]

Bird flu fears as 18 states place restrictions on cow movement to prevent spread of virus​

Fears of the rapidly spreading bird flu have spurred multiple farms in the United States to place restrictions on cattle movement. Health officials in at least 18 states have placed restrictions on imports of cattle from states where bird flu, also known as H5N1, has infected dairy cows, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA).

As of Monday, the strain of the highly pathogenic bird flu that has killed millions of wild birds in recent years has prompted states like Alabama and Arizona to enact limits on the movement of cattle, as Texas detected its first human case of bird flu. The list also includes Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.

Bird flu, also known as avian influenza Type A H5N1, has been detected in more than 200 mammals since 2022, but this is the first time it has been found in livestock such as dairy cows, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).



The US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said it will not be issuing federal quarantine orders or recommending any state-level quarantines, according to the agency on April 2.

"However, we strongly recommend minimizing movement of cattle as much as possible, with special attention to evaluating risk and factoring that risk into movement decisions. Do not move sick or exposed animals," the agency said. APHIS officials said that if cattle must be moved, then it encourages "extreme diligence" by producers, veterinarians, and health officials to ensure that only healthy cattle are moving.

This comes two weeks after a Texas dairy farmer who was in close contact with a dairy cattle became the second reported American to be infected with bird flu in the US and the first case to be linked to dairy cattle. The only symptom that patient has experienced was eye inflammation, and has reported to be treated with the antiviral drug oseltamivir, the Texas Department of State Health Services said earlier this month.

(More on the link)

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