Author: Claudinne Miller
Emergence and interstate spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy cattle in the United States
Science High-pathogenicity avian influenza subtype H5N1 is now present throughout the US, and possibly beyond. More cattle infections elevate the risk of the virus evolving the capacity to transmit between humans, potentially with high fatality rates. Nguyen et al. show that from a single transmission event from a wild bird to dairy cattle in December 2023, […]
Apr 30, 2025
Biosecurity Uptake and Perceived Risk of Avian Influenza
Global Biodefense UK study shows biosecurity measures routinely implemented to limit disease spread among birds, but not with the primary view to limit zoonotic transmission from birds to humans. A recent preprint study from the University of Bristol sheds light on the biosecurity practices of individuals in the UK who regularly come into contact with birds. While […]
Apr 30, 2025
I survived bird flu – this is what it’s like: My whole skull was THROBBING
Daily Mail A middle-aged man who survived bird flu has revealed the horrific infection—which killed his brother—left him feeling as if his ‘whole skull was throbbing’. The virus, also known as H5N1, is currently spreading across the US and has reached the UK triggering global health chiefs today to warn of an impending pandemic. At present the […]
Apr 30, 2025
Poland culls 11.5 million poultry in response to avian influenza outbreak
TVP Poland has culled 11.5 million poultry as a countermeasure against avian influenza outbreaks, the Agriculture Ministry reported on Sunday. Avian influenza (bird flu) is a serious, contagious viral disease primarily affecting birds, especially poultry. It can be highly deadly and occasionally infect humans. Newcastle Disease, another viral illness affecting birds, is also often fatal, […]
Apr 30, 2025
Colorado State University studies increased threat of avian flu amid rise in household cat infections, deaths
CBS News The threat of the avian flu continues to increase as household cats are experiencing increased levels of infections and deaths. Researchers at Colorado State University are helping Colorado and other states study the virus, also known as bird flu, in animals. “We are doing the testing in our bio safety level three laboratory,” said […]
Apr 30, 2025
Scientists say global conditions are ripe for a yellow fever pandemic
Medical News A recent study published in the journal npj Viruses proposed that global trends, including unprecedented urbanization, increased international travel, and the expansion of mosquito habitats, increase the odds of the geographic spread of the yellow fever (YF) virus (YFV). YF, caused by YFV, is an acute viral illness in humans and several nonhuman primates. Unlike […]
Apr 30, 2025
US CDC cancels science group workshop on preventing human bird flu infections
Reuters The National Academy of Sciences has canceled a workshop on preventing human bird flu infections after being told to stop work on the event by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an email sent to one of the workshop presenters and seen by Reuters. Bird flu has infected 70 people, […]
Apr 30, 2025
Measles Outbreaks in Canada and Mexico Bring Grim Prognosis
NYT Surges in Mennonite communities near the U.S. border may complicate containment efforts, experts say. As the United States struggles to contain a resurgence of measles that has swept through swaths of the Southwest, neighboring countries are responding to their own outbreaks. Canada has reported more than 730 cases this year, making this one of the worst […]
Apr 30, 2025
Humans’ Wounds Heal Much More Slowly Than Other Mammals’
NYT We naked apes need Band-Aids, but shedding the fur that speeds healing in other mammals may have helped us evolve other abilities. Watching wild baboons in Kenya, Akiko Matsumoto-Oda, an evolutionary biologist and primatologist at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan, had a front-row seat to the violence between these monkeys, especially the […]
Apr 30, 2025