We have another human H5N1 case in the U.K., where a person was infected with the virus directly from birds. On January 27, 2025, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported an H5N1 case in the West Midlands region. (Being curious, I consulted a map and found that this area is located in the […]
In recent bird flu news, we have a report of a new H5N9 virus detected in a commercial duck farm in Merced County, California. At this time we do not have many details about this outbreak or the new bird flu strain. However, the epidemiological summary on the WAHIS dashboard does provide the following information:
Recently, a number of domestic cats have died from H5N1, some after consuming raw milk and others after consuming raw pet food positive with the virus. We saw this in early December when the LA health department reported two cats had died after consuming raw milk, with H5N1 subsequently confirmed as the cause. Several days
A person in Louisiana who had been hospitalized for bird flu has died, reported the Louisiana Department of Health on Monday, January 6, 2024. The CDC reported the fatality on the same day. This marks the first ever H5N1 human fatality in the U.S., a grim milestone, to be sure. It was only a few
“The Illinois Department of Natural Resources would like to remind the public to report any large mortality events of waterfowl and other waterbirds during seasonal migrations.” So began a news release issued on December 11, 2024, which reported that “dozens of waterbirds, mostly snow geese, were recently found dead at Baldwin Lake State Fish and
In the past week, there have been several developments with regard to H5N1 and human health. We now have a severe case of bird flu in a patient currently hospitalized in Louisiana. We also have a “probable” H5N1 case from Delaware that was mild and not confirmed by the CDC, so it is not included
Two indoor cats in Las Angeles County are reported to have died from H5N1 after consuming raw milk. The cats first suffered symptoms including “lack of appetite, fever and neurologic signs,” but after “severe worsening of their illness” both cats died. Testing came back positive for Influenza A, and the local public health department considers
Cases of H5N1 in humans have been on the rise as more and more dairy cattle herds and poultry farms are infected with the bird flu virus. On 12/4/24 the CDC added an additional bird flu case to its official list of H5N1 human cases in the U.S. The total official count of human cases
In recent H5N1 bird flu studies news, a study published on December 5, 2024 found that a single mutation in the HA gene of a recent H5N1 virus caused a receptor binding switch: meaning the preferred receptors for this virus changed from avian a-3 receptors to human a-6 receptors. This finding has gotten a lot
“Interestingly, whereas in older studies A(H5) viruses . . . were never transmitted via the air between ferrets, low levels of transmission have lately been observed for recently emerged clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5) viruses isolated from a European polecat, mink and dairy cows. These observations raise concerns regarding the evolution of an A(H5N1) towards mammalian, and
As of 12/2/2024, the CDC lists 57 human H5N1 cases in its official count. This tally is very likely, if not certainly, an undercount. The official count of human H5N1 cases is likely low: This official count of bird flu cases in the U.S. is very likely an underestimation. Indeed, several occurrences have indicated that
The H5N1 bird flu virus has been officially confirmed in a sample of raw milk sold at stores in California. No one has reported illness associated with consumption of raw milk to date, but the concern of further spread of this virus as it makes its way through dairy cattle, and now dairy products, is
