I spoke this week with CDC Director Mandy Cohen, who informed me that the present spillover of hen flu to cattle has not proven any vital genetic adjustments. That is nice information.
Human case of the hen flu confirmed in Texas
A person in Texas has been identified with hen flu, an an infection tied to the recent discovery of the virus in dairy cows, well being officers mentioned.
Fox – 26 Houston
I’ve tracked lethal, large outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry for the previous 20 years. Hundreds of thousands and thousands of birds have died, and there was frequent spillover to other species, together with mink, seals, foxes, skunks and even dogs and cats.
This week, the nation’s largest provider of eggs stopped manufacturing after birds at a plant in Texas examined constructive. About 2 million chickens had been slaughtered to stop unfold of the sickness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention additionally reported {that a} person in Texas had contracted the flu however is displaying solely gentle signs.
The public has apprehensive at occasions a few large human pandemic, however since 2005, the construction of the hen flu virus has not modified considerably.
That is extraordinarily excellent news, particularly when you think about that gain-of-function research carried out in Dr. Ron Fouchier’s lab within the Netherlands in 2011 revealed the mutations wanted for hen flu to move from human to human. Monitoring of the virus in nature has proven that these mutations have but to happen.
I spoke this week with CDC Director Mandy Cohen, who informed me that the present spillover of hen flu to cattle has not proven any vital genetic adjustments. That can be excellent news.
The outbreak has occurred solely in just a few states (Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico and Texas), however cattle are introduced from state to state and will have picked up the virus from birds. Dr. Cohen informed me that the cattle have proven gentle higher respiratory signs.
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Person with hen flu skilled gentle signs
The patient in Texas also had mild symptoms – conjunctivitis and higher respiratory signs. She mentioned the person was handled with Tamiflu and shortly obtained higher.
People in shut contact with him additionally got Tamiflu, as a precaution towards additional unfold.
Dr. Cohen mentioned there may be potential for cattle to grow to be the primary mammals to grow to be a reservoir of the bird flu. The CDC is working carefully with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to trace cattle which have or have been uncovered to the sickness to find out if there may be any sustained unfold.
Over the previous 20 years, more than 400 million birds both have died from the illness or been culled to stop transmission. Yet, human cases remain rare, with solely 2,634 instances and about 1,000 deaths.
Bird flu pandemic? Experts have a look at worst-case situations.
Don’t get me improper: It is the potential for the virus to adapt to human transmission over time that retains many scientists and public well being specialists up at evening. But far too typically, these specialists are taking a look at worst-case situations to the detriment of public notion.
Fear is on the coronary heart of public and media reactions to the potential of hen flu and different viruses to grow to be a much-deadlier menace to people.
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David Nabarro, a senior World Health Organizations knowledgeable on infectious ailments, warned the general public in 2005 that as much as 150 million people could die of bird flu. And although his prediction was removed from actuality, it was taken critically on the time.
Since then, there have been intermittent flare-ups of public fears, stoked by the concept hen flu will grow to be the WHO’s so-called Disease X, a virus with a excessive dying charge that spreads simply and shortly.
But the species barrier that protects us from hen flu remains to be in place, and the danger to the general public stays extraordinarily low, in response to the CDC director.
That just isn’t solely reassuring now but in addition is prone to proceed to be the case. The larger hazard stays the worry of the virus reasonably than the virus itself.
But there may be one main caveat. The street map, developed by Dr. Fouchier, for a mutation lethal to people may find yourself within the improper palms. And that threat is sufficient to preserve everybody up at evening.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors, is a professor of drugs and medical director of Doctor Radio at New York University’s Langone Health. His latest guide is “COVID: the Politics of Fear and the Power of Science.” Follow him on X, previously Twitter: @DrMarcSiegel
