Year: 2024
USDA releases H5N1 bird flu genetic data eagerly awaited by scientists
STAT Helen Branswell The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has been under pressure from scientists both at home and abroad to share more data on the H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in dairy cows, uploaded a large number of genetic sequences of the pathogen late Sunday. The excitement that news generated in the scientific community quickly gave way to frustration, […]
Apr 23, 2024
Genetic analysis reveals H5N1 flu virus outbreak in cows likely started earlier than thought
STAT Helen Branswell The H5N1 bird flu outbreak in dairy cows in the United States has likely been going on for months longer than was previously realized, and has probably spread more widely across the country than the confirmed outbreaks would imply, according to an analysis of genetic sequences that were released Sunday by the U.S. Department […]
Apr 23, 2024
Updates on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
FDA Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a disease that is highly contagious and often deadly in poultry, caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5) and A (H7) viruses; it is also known as bird or avian flu. HPAI viruses can be transmitted by wild birds to domestic poultry and other bird and animal […]
Apr 23, 2024
Bird flu virus found in grocery milk as officials say supply still safe
Washington Post Viral fragments of bird flu have been identified in samples of milk taken from grocery store shelves in the United States, a finding that does not necessarily suggest a threat to human health but indicates the avian flu virus is more widespread among dairy herds than previously thought, according to two public health officials and […]
Apr 23, 2024
Bird Flu Is Infecting More Mammals. What Does That Mean for Us?
H5N1, an avian flu virus, has killed tens of thousands of marine mammals, and infiltrated American livestock for the first time. Scientists are working quickly to assess how it is evolving and how much of a risk it poses to humans. In her three decades of working with elephant seals, Dr. Marcela Uhart had never […]
Apr 23, 2024
Bird flu is spreading to more farm animals. Are milk and eggs safe?
AP A bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows has spread to more than two dozen herds in eight states A bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows has grown to affect more than two dozen herds in eight states, just weeks after the nation’s largest egg producer found the virus in its chickens. Health officials stress that the […]
Apr 23, 2024
USDA shares recent H5N1 avian flu sequences amid more dairy herd outbreaks
CIDRAP The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) last night announced that it has shared 239 recent genetic sequences of the H5N1 avian flu virus from poultry, wild birds, and dairy cows, which will help scientists look for new clues about the spread of the virus. In related developments […]
Apr 23, 2024
USDA Publishes H5N1 Influenza A Virus Genetic Sequences on publicly available site
USDA Today, the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories made available 239 genetic sequences from the U.S. H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b influenza virus recently found in samples associated with the ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in poultry and wild birds, and the recent H5N1 event in dairy cattle. APHIS routinely publishes influenza genetic sequence data […]
Apr 21, 2024
Physicist Studying SARS-CoV-2 Virus Believes He Has Found Hints We Are Living In A Simulation
IFLScience A physicist studying mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus claims to have found evidence for a new law of physics termed the “second law of Infodynamics”, and that it could indicate we are living in a simulated universe. On top of that, he suggests the study appears to imply that the theory of evolution is […]
Apr 17, 2024
Detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) inDairy Herds: Frequently Asked Questions
USDA APHIS Since late March 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state veterinary and public health officials have been investigating the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cows, with one human infection. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is maintaining resources, […]
Apr 17, 2024