Yesterday was the worst day ever for bird flu in the United States. First of all, the CDC has confirmed that this country: First severe case of avian influenza infection in humans. The patient is a Louisiana resident, age 65 or older, has underlying health conditions, and was hospitalized with the following symptoms: In critical condition due to severe respiratory illness. This is the first time that transmission through exposure to diseased or dead birds has been traced in backyard flocks. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency After several weeks of increasing infections among dairy herds and people. In Los Angeles, public health officials Confirmed Two cats have reportedly died after ingesting raw milk that was recalled due to the risk of contamination with avian influenza.
Since then marchthe virus spread among livestock and humans who handle livestock. The CDC maintains that the public health risk is low because there is no evidence that the virus can spread between people and most people’s illness is mild. Of the 61 people who have fallen ill so far, the majority have recovered after experiencing eye infections or flu-like symptoms. However, there was always the possibility of serious illness occurring. In fact, given how widely avian influenza spread among animals, it was probably inevitable.
The Louisiana cases have revealed little new information about the virus. H5N1 viruses have always had the ability to make people seriously ill. The more birds, cows, and other animals that expose people to the virus, and the more people that get sick, the more likely it is that one of them will develop symptoms like this one. An infected teenager in British Columbia Hospitalized due to difficulty breathing Last month, it only emphasized that not all human cases are mild. A little more than a month later, severe cases of the virus appeared in the United States, which continues to this day.
Although worrisome, these new cases do not significantly change the expected course of avian influenza. Experts have warned for months that bird flu will continue to spread among livestock and people who work with livestock, but that transmission among humans is unlikely. And the CDC still says, Public health risk is low. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said that while “everyday Americans shouldn’t panic over this news,” they should continue to be wary of bird flu.
There are several reasons why the latest news is not alarming. The virus has not yet found a way to efficiently infect humans. Its receptors prefer animal hosts. This means that the virus does not enter the body at high levels. “Right now, it’s like they’re using a jackhammer to force their way in, so the symptoms are generally mild,” Chin-Hong told me. Generally, the higher the level of the virus, the more sick a person becomes. Louisiana patient was infected Strains of virus related to the virus that sickened Canadian teens However, it is different from those prevalent among dairy cows, poultry, and farm workers. Mutations in this strain “demonstrate the ability of the virus to cause severe disease, but for now these cases should be isolated in humans,” Chin-Hong said.
But just because America has been in a stable and unstable situation for months now doesn’t mean it’s a good place. As I wrote in September, we are in an awkward in-between state. While experts are on high alert about variants of concern, the public does not need to worry yet. “While I agree that the risk to the general public is low at this point, we know that avian influenza mutates rapidly,” Anne Rimoine, a professor of epidemiology at UCLA, told me. The more transmission occurs between animals, especially birds to mammals, the more likely it is that the virus will mutate and pose a threat to the public. The longer a virus persists in the environment, “the more likely it is to mutate, reinfect, and become more infectious and virulent to humans,” said Maurice Pitesky, an animal infectious disease expert at the University of California, Davis. he said.
America gives the virus many opportunities to infect people. Efforts are underway to control the virus, including regular herd testing and bulk testing of raw milk, but it is clearly not enough. Pitesky said the spread of the virus geographically and among mammalian species is unprecedented. He said more efforts should be focused on keeping waterfowl (ducks, geese and other wild birds) that are responsible for the spread of H5N1 away from commercial farms, where the virus is most likely to be transmitted to humans. I think so. Vaccinations against bird flu do exist, and experts urge governments to vaccinate farm workers. “Farmers need help,” Pitesky said. As of this month, the Biden administration There are no plans to license a vaccine for humans.that choice is likely to be within Donald Trump’s purview.
Just as severe cases in the U.S. were inevitable, so too is the continuation of mutant strains. If this continues, Chin-Hong said the virus will adapt to infect human hosts, cause more severe disease, and cause human-to-human transmission “at some point.” Earlier this month, a study found that science Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute have shown that a single mutation in a virus strain circulating in a dairy herd can switch receptor preference from birds to humans. “In nature, the occurrence of this single mutation could serve as an indicator of pandemic risk for humans,” the paper’s editors wrote.
Throughout the avian influenza epidemic, the main concern was that avian influenza could cause the next pandemic. Such an outcome is unlikely unless bird flu spreads among people. But even if we acquire that ability, the world will be better prepared for it than we were for the novel coronavirus, which was caused by an unknown virus. The H5N1 virus that causes avian influenza has been known for nearly 30 years. Vaccine candidates, four influenza treatments, and diagnostic tests already exist. “We’re not starting from scratch,” Chin-Hong said. Still, it would be preferable not to have to start at all.
But for now, the future trajectory of bird flu presents a real possibility that the United States will have to weather the spread of the virus among the population with little interest from leaders in dealing with it. President Trump has not said anything about his plans, but he has named Robert F. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic and raw milk enthusiast, to be the country’s top health official. Absent stricter regulations, the public can take steps to prevent the situation from worsening. First, avoid raw milk and dead birds. Regular influenza vaccination reduces the chance of being infected with human and avian influenza at the same time, creating conditions for the viruses to combine and become human-friendly. But what America needs is a plan, Pitesky said. The past four influenza pandemics originated from avian influenza. There’s still time to prevent the next one.
