The CDC confirmed it the first serious case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States in Louisiana in December. On Louisiana Department of Health on Monday reported that the patient had died.
LDH revealed that the patient was over 65 years of age, had underlying medical conditions, and contracted avian influenza after exposure to both wild birds and a non-commercial backyard flock. “LDH's extensive public health investigation identified no additional cases of H5N1 or evidence of human-to-human transmission,” the department wrote. “This patient remains the only human case of H5N1 in Louisiana. CNN Health reports that the patient had it D1.1 clade of avian influenza viruswhich differs from the strain circulating in dairy cattle.
When the patient first contracted the disease in December, the CDC said this sporadic case of severe H5N1 bird flu illness was not unusual. The H5N1 virus has been associated with severe human illness and disease resulting in death in other countries in 2024 and earlier. As of publication, the CDC has not notified us of the patient's death.
This comes about two months after a A Canadian teenager is hospitalized with bird flu H5N1. The Public Health Agency of Canada said the virus was “related to H5N1 avian influenza viruses from the current outbreak in poultry in British Columbia.” However, citing privacy reasons, Canadian public health officials did not provide patient updates or the source of the virus even though their investigation is closed.
In the past few months, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Influenza Surveillance System has reported two human cases of bird flu in which there was no clear link to exposure to sick animals — raised in Missouri reported at the beginning of September, and at the end of November, child in California.
The risk to the general public (ie people who do not have direct contact with the farm, especially the sick) remains lowAccording to the CDC. Many infectious disease experts and scientists have been increasing the call for greater alarm and action about the current bird flu situation, especially since bird flu was first reported in pigs this fall. While reiterating that the risk to the general public is low, the CDC has called bird flu spreading to a new mammal “always worrying“, especially in pigs, as they are particularly susceptible to influenza viruses.
What's more, the spread of bird flu coincides with a renewed interest in wellness trend of drinking raw milk. In November, raw milk is sold in California was recalled because it contained the bird flu virus.
Two indoor cats that consumed this raw milk and have since died tested positive for influenza A (a subtype of which is bird flu H5N1), which is rare in cats. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the department is “Given these suspected cases of H5 avian influenza and receiving confirmatory testing,” noting that the nationwide outbreak of H5 avian influenza has been detected in other cats infected with the virus after consuming contaminated raw milk. Recently, pet food company Northwest Naturals reminded of a series of its raw turkey pet food after an indoor cat died of bird flu linked to the product.
According to the USDA, over the past 30 days, there have been 182 confirmed cases in two conditions of cattle infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) virus. With this, the total number of confirmed cases in cattle rose to 917 in 16 states.
The fact that avian flu can be found in raw milk isn't necessarily surprising because raw milk doesn't go through the pasteurization process that inactivates harmful bacteria or viruses like avian flu, but it has drawn attention to another avenue in which — although there is no human disease are reported by him — humans could theoretically be exposed to bird flu.
As long as animals and humans live, work and congregate around each other, there will be a risk that viruses will mutate enough to make the jump from species to species. Fortunately, bird flu in humans has so far been rare, in part because the virus does not spread as easily from animals to humans or between humans, although sporadic cases have occurred in other countries as well as in the United States. As the gap between the potential for human exposure narrows compared to the continued spread of avian influenza in animals, it is increasingly important to understand the risk that avian influenza poses to public health and its threat of another pandemic.
Here's what you need to know about bird flu, or bird flu, and what it looks like in humans.
Bird flu began as a problem with poultry and birds in the United States, but has spread to cows, which often have close contact with people. That increases the risk that the virus will one day reach humans.
What is bird flu?
In short, bird flu, aka bird fluis a type of influenza that spreads among some animals and is currently causing outbreaks in birds and cattle in the United States. Scientists are closely monitoring mutations that could allow the virus to spread between humans, which would pose a major threat to public health.
More specifically, bird flu is a disease caused by infection with an influenza type A virus, and it is either “highly pathogenic” or “low pathogenic”. The current outbreak strain of H5N1 in animals is highly pathogenic.
Bird flu was first detected and controlled in 1997, but it it reappeared in 2003 and it began to spread widely among the birds.
reports the World Health Organization four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. Type A viruses, which occur in humans and various animal species, are the greatest threat to public health and can cause pandemics, says the WHO. On “swine flu” from the 2009 pandemic was caused by a type A virus. Seasonal influenza viruses in humans are caused by type A and type B viruses.
Bird flu has ravaged the U.S. poultry industry over the past few years, resulting in killing (killing) millions of infected or potentially infected birds.
Is bird flu deadly? How many cases have there been in the US?
66 have been confirmed human cases of H5 (highly pathogenic) bird flu. in the United States, according to data from the CDC on January 6. The vast majority of these have been in people with direct contact with sick animals, and the CDC's flu surveillance system shows no indicators of unusual flu activity in humans.
Human cases remain rare, but bird flu is considered a serious threat to public health because of its historically high fatality rate — about half Human cases of H5N1 bird flu have resulted in death since follow-up began, according to WHO. One death from bird flu has been reported in the United States, and historically, people who tested positive for the virus had direct contact with sick animals and were exposed to mild flu-like symptoms.
Is there a vaccine for bird flu?
There is no bird flu vaccine available or recommended for humans at this time. However, the US is investing in the development of vaccines that could be used in an emergency, should one occur. In October, the Strategic Preparedness and Response Administration awarded about $72 million to CSL Seqirus, Sanofi and GSK to fill and complete additional doses of vaccines that could be used for bird flu.
The US Department of Health and Human Services announced in early July that the government is providing Moderna with $176 million to develop its mRNA flu vaccine, which could be used if bird flu starts spreading from person to person or becomes a pandemic.
Can I get bird flu from milk, eggs or meat?
There have been no reports of people getting bird flu in the US from drinking milk or eating meat from birds or cows. The commercial food supply, which makes up most of the food you would get in a regular grocery store, is regulated, and meat from affected animals should not reach the shelves.
There was fragments of inactive bird flu virus found in samples of pasteurized milk after the virus began to spread among cows. The high-temperature pasteurization process inactivates any virus or bacteria, including bird flu, that could make people sick. A contagious virus has been found in raw milk, and the US Food and Drug Administration is reiterating the general health risks of drinking raw milknot only in relation to bird flu but also for other pathogens that often live in unpasteurized milk.
In terms of meat, ground hamburger is also expected for cooking kill the bird flu virussay the Department of Agriculture. The same goes for poultry; According to the CDC, cooking eggs and poultry at an internal temperature of 165 degrees celsius it kills viruses, including bird flu.
However, it can be difficult to catch the flu from food or drink, according to Infectious Disease experts we spoke to in the past, because influenza (including bird flu) is a respiratory virus.
If you work directly with animals or livestock, which would include working on a farm, and even if you visit a fair where there are livestockyou should check the CDC specifics safety tips to reduce the risk of spreading.