Author: Claudinne Miller
We Are Not Safe from Bird Flu Until We Protect Farm Workers
Time H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu, continues to rip across the U.S. In just the last few months, it’s infected at least three people—all dairy workers—while spreading among chickens and cows in dozens of farms across several states. Government officials and farmers have been responding to H5N1 since Feb. 2022 when the virus was […]
Jun 11, 2024
Are We Prepared for Bird Flu?
CNN Video An update on the current bird flu outbreak: it’s still infecting wild birds, mammals and now several farmworkers in the United States. The virus does not appear to be transmitted between humans, but can we prevent further spread? And what are public health officials doing to contain it? Immunologist and virologist Rick Bright has been […]
Jun 11, 2024
Bird Flu Tests Are Hard To Get. So How Will We Know When To Sound the Pandemic Alarm?
KFF Stanford University infectious disease doctor Abraar Karan has seen a lot of patients with runny noses, fevers, and irritated eyes lately. Such symptoms could signal allergies, covid, or a cold. This year, there’s another suspect, bird flu — but there’s no way for most doctors to know. If the government doesn’t prepare to ramp […]
Jun 11, 2024
Study shows ‘not surprising’ fatal spread of avian flu in ferrets
CIDRAP Late last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study showing that the current strain of H5N1 (A/Texas/37/2024) avian flu was fatal in six ferrets used as part of an experimental infection study. The findings caused waves across the country, as ferrets are frequently used as an animal model stand-in for […]
Jun 11, 2024
Covid cases in Hawaii are on the rise, take these precautions
KHON ovid cases are on the rise in Hawaii. State health officials said it’s not a time to panic, but maybe start thinking about taking some precautions. “Right now, it’s Covid that is showing us in the red or the high zone,” said Dr. Sarah Kimble, State Epidemiologist. “What that means is we’re seeing higher […]
Jun 11, 2024
Scientists Test mRNA Vaccines to Protect Against Bird Flu
VOA From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Scientists are testing next-generation vaccines to deal with the spread of bird flu in the United States. The vaccines use the same mRNA technology that led to the development of COVID-19 shots in record time. The U.S. Agriculture Department is planning to test a vaccine, […]
Jun 11, 2024
Can a new malaria vaccine for children eradicate the disease? Here’s what to know
PBS Newshour (Audio File) Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases. Across Africa, it kills nearly half a million children younger than 5 each year. A new vaccine, only the second of its kind, holds the promise of saving thousands of lives and moving the world closer to eradicating malaria. Ali Rogin speaks with […]
Jun 11, 2024
Finland to offer bird flu vaccine to select groups of people, a possible global first
STAT Finland is preparing to offer vaccines to people at risk of exposure to an avian influenza strain spreading among farmed and wild animals, health officials there said, potentially becoming the first country to take such a step as concerns about the threat the virus poses to people intensify. The vaccine campaign will be limited, […]
Jun 11, 2024
As FDA urges crackdown on bird flu in raw milk, some states say their hands are tied
CBS News Officials in two of the three states probing their first cases of bird flu in dairy cattle this month said their hands are tied after the Food and Drug Administration pleaded with states to ramp up testing and restrictions on potentially infectious raw milk being sold to consumers within their borders. Wyoming, Iowa and Minnesota announced their […]
Jun 11, 2024
Man in Mexico dies in first known human case of H5N2 bird flu variant
Washington Post The 59-year-old had no known exposure to poultry or other animals, the World Health Organization said. His symptoms included nausea, fever and shortness of breath. A 59-year-old male resident of Mexico died after being infected with a bird flu subtype never before confirmed to have spread to humans, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The […]
Jun 6, 2024