Year: 2024
Bird Flu Is Infecting Cats (and the Occasional Dog). Here’s What to Know.
NYT A few “reasonable precautions” can help people keep their pets safe from the H5N1 virus, experts say. Over the past few months, a bird flu outbreak has spread swiftly through dairy cows in the United States, infecting more than 90 herds in 12 states. Along the way, the virus has caused collateral damage in several other […]
Jun 26, 2024
Here’s Why COVID Measures Like Masking And New Ones Like Safety Goggles Could Return If A Bird Flu Pandemic Is Declared
Forbes An ongoing bird flu outbreak among U.S. dairy cows has led to three confirmed human cases in dairy workers, and although there aren’t any confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission, experts warn safety measures like masks, vaccines and safety goggles will be needed if a pandemic is declared due to the virus’s deadly nature. The Centers for […]
Jun 26, 2024
Is New York Prepared for a Bird Flu Pandemic?
NYT The health care system has stockpiles of medicine and has worked out “a lot of the kinks” since the Covid pandemic. But experts still have some concerns about a bird flu outbreak. Four years after a new coronavirus swept through New York in what was called a once-in-a-century event, public health officials are beginning […]
Jun 26, 2024
New mpox strain in DR Congo ‘most dangerous yet’
BBC A new strain of the mpox virus spreading quickly along the eastern border of Democratic Republic of Congo is “incredibly worrying”, say health officials monitoring its spread. The virus, which can cause lesions across the whole body, is making some people very ill and can be deadly. The current outbreak has been driven by […]
Jun 26, 2024
To combat cow flu outbreak, scientists plan to infect cattle with influenza in high-security labs
Science The avian influenza virus that has been infecting dairy cows and spreading alarm in the United States was expected to reach Germany this week. But that’s actually good news. A shipment of samples of the H5N1 virus from Cornell University virologist Diego Diel is destined for the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health in […]
Jun 26, 2024
9th case of bird flu in cattle detected in Sioux County, 11th in Iowa
Iowa Local News The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has confirmed another case of bird flu in Sioux County. According to the Ag Department, this is believed to be the 11th case of bird flu in the state of Iowa. This brings the total number of cases detected in Sioux County up to 9. HPAI […]
Jun 26, 2024
Bird flu spreads to tenth Australian poultry farm
Reuters A highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza has spread to an eighth poultry farm near Melbourne, the government of Australia’s Victoria state said on Tuesday, taking the total number of infected facilities in the country to 10. Australia is dealing with three parallel outbreaks of bird flu, two near Melbourne and one near Sydney. […]
Jun 26, 2024
“No evidence” new COVID variant LB.1 causes more severe disease, CDC says
CBS News There are no signs so far that the new LB.1 variant is causing more severe disease in COVID-19 patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, as infections have begun to accelerate in this summer’s wave around the country. The LB.1 variant currently makes up 17.5% of new COVID cases, the CDC projected Friday, and could […]
Jun 26, 2024
CDC Assists in Study Testing for Asymptomatic Bird Flu in Humans
MedPageToday Top brass at the CDC, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other agencies shared a roadmap for preventing and understanding human infection with bird flu, along with their plan for developing countermeasures against the virus that has infected more than 120 dairy herds across a dozen states. Looking for Asymptomatic Infection To date, […]
Jun 25, 2024
Michigan launches first effort of its kind to detect silent bird flu infections in farmworkers
STAT Michigan has led the nation in making inroads with its farmers as it has worked to contain spread of H5N1 bird flu infections in dairy cows. Now the state’s health authorities are trying to do the same in looking for undetected infections among farmworkers. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is working with an […]
Jun 25, 2024