Category: Featured Headlines
Another Pandemic Is Inevitable, and We’re Not Ready
Bloomberg President-elect Trump’s picks to lead the nation’s top public health agencies also don’t inspire confidence. Every week or so, scientists issue another warning that the H5N1 bird flu is inching closer to exploding into a pandemic. Despite having contended with a pandemic that broke out less than five years ago, the US has no solid plan to handle […]
Dec 17, 2024
LDH detects first presumptive positive human H5N1 case in Louisiana
Louisiana Dept of Health The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has detected the first presumptive positive human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1, in Louisiana. The individual is a resident of southwestern Louisiana and is currently hospitalized. LDH’s Office of Public Health is coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
Dec 17, 2024
CDC Can’t Confirm Suspected Bird Flu Case Tied to Raw Milk
MedPageToday CDC could not confirm what was suspected to have been the first H5N1 bird flu case linked to raw milk consumption The patient, a child in Marin County, California, experienced fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk, as reported last week. The child initially tested positive for influenza A, with the local lab unable to […]
Dec 17, 2024
For Wild Animals, the Bird Flu Disaster Is Already Here
NYT Scientists are concerned that the H5N1 virus could set off another human pandemic. But it is already putting species under pressure in the wild. Every spring, more than 200,000 northern gannets — stocky seabirds with dazzling white feathers — journey to the coast of eastern Canada. There, they blanket oceanside cliffs and rocky outcroppings, […]
Dec 17, 2024
Texas: Health district confirms county’s first case of bird flu
Galveston Daily News The Galveston County Health District on Tuesday confirmed the county’s first positive case of avian influenza, which was detected in a bird found in Texas City. The virus, commonly referred to as avian flu, is a viral infection widespread in wild birds worldwide and also has been found in dairy cows, according […]
Dec 17, 2024
Sierra Leone on High Alert Following Suspected Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Case
X @slnpha of #SierraLeone has issued an update regarding a suspected case of Viral #HemorrhagicFever (VHF) in #Kono District. According to the NPHA, all 290 contacts identified in Kono—classified as high, medium, and low risk—have completed their 21-day observation period without exhibiting symptoms. Contacts from the Western Area are also under close monitoring, having completed […]
Dec 11, 2024
U.S. Milk to Be Tested for Bird Flu Virus
NYT New federal rules call for testing unpasteurized milk from dairy processors and for farm owners to provide details that would help officials identify and track cases more easily. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin testing the nation’s milk supply for the bird flu virus known as H5N1, nearly a year after the virus […]
Dec 11, 2024
Some patients in mysterious outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo have malaria, early testing reveals
CNN A mysterious illness outbreak that has sickened at least 416 people and killed 31 in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of Congo may be at least partly caused by malaria, health officials said Tuesday. Information on the situation is still limited. World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that of 12 initial samples […]
Dec 11, 2024
We’re Pandemic Experts. Here’s What Worries Us Most About Bird Flu.
Huff Post Infectious disease experts reveal what does and doesn’t alarm them when it comes to the H5N1 virus. It’s hard to turn on the news or look online without seeing something related to bird flu. Also known as H5N1, the virus is spreading in a few states across the country and sickening animals and farm workers. […]
Dec 11, 2024
Bird flu in California child linked to virus in dairy cows, CDC says
Washington Post There is no evidence the youngster was exposed to livestock or any infected animals, deepening the mystery about the spread of H5N1 bird flu. Federal disease trackers reported Tuesday that the first child diagnosed with bird flu in an ongoing U.S. outbreak was infected with a virus strain moving rapidly through dairy cattle, even though there is […]
Dec 10, 2024