Yesterday, America had one of its worst days of bird flu to date. For starters, the country’s CDC confirms First serious case of bird flu infection in humans– Louisiana patients over the age of 65 who are currently hospitalized In the hospital with Severe respiratory disease and in critical condition– This is the first time that transmission has been traced back to contact with sick and dead birds in backyard flocks. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom Declaration of emergency This comes after weeks of increasing infections in dairy herds and people. in los angeles public health officer Confirmed that two cats died after drinking raw milk that was recalled due to risk of bird flu contamination;
due to MarchThe virus has spread to livestock and to humans who come into contact with them. The CDC maintains that the public health risk is low. This is because there is no evidence that the virus can be spread among people. And most human illnesses are mild. So far 61 people have died, most of whom have recovered after suffering eye infections and flu-like symptoms. But serious illnesses can always occur. Because bird flu has spread among various animals. widely Therefore it may be unavoidable.
The Louisiana case reveals little new information about the virus: H5N1 has always had the ability to make people seriously ill, especially in birds, cattle and other animals. causing more people to be exposed to the virus And the more people get sick The more likely it is that any one of these cases will be like this. that the infected teen in British Columbia had been Entered the hospital with difficulty breathing. Last month highlighted that not all human cases are mild. Now we’re here. with a serious case in the United States less than a month later.
Even though it’s worrying But the new cases have not changed much in predicting bird flu trends. For months, experts have warned that bird flu will continue to spread among livestock and the people who work with them. But transmission among people is unlikely, and the CDC still says The public health risk is low.– “Everyday Americans shouldn’t be alarmed by this news,” but they need to be vigilant about bird flu, Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, told me.
There are a few reasons why the latest news shouldn’t cause panic. The virus has not yet found a way to effectively infect humans. The receptor prefers animal hosts. This means that the virus does not enter the body at high levels. “Right now it is forced entry using a jackhammer. Therefore, various cases So it’s generally mild,” Chin-Hong told me. Higher virus levels tend to make people more sick. Louisiana patient infected with Virus strain related to virus that sickened Canadian teen But it is different from the spread among dairy herds, poultry and farm workers. mutations in this species “It shows the ability of the virus to cause severe disease. But these samples should be separated from humans at this time,” Shin-Hong said.
But just because America is at the same point of constant uncertainty as it has been for months doesn’t mean it’s a good place to be. As I wrote in September We are in an awkward position in between. Experts are very alert about the mutation. But the public has no reason to worry—but “for now, I accept that the risk to the public is low. But we know that bird flu mutates quickly,” Anne Rimoyne, a professor of epidemiology at UCLA, told me. Especially from birds to mammals. The more likely the virus will have to mutate, the greater the threat to the public. The longer the virus remains in the environment, “There’s more potential for it to mutate, turn around and become more contagious and infectious in humans,” said Maurice Piteski, an animal infectious disease expert at UC Davis.
America gave the virus an opportunity to infect many people. This is despite virus control efforts such as herd testing and mass testing of raw milk. In progress But it’s still clearly not enough. Piteski said the spread of the virus geographically and across mammalian species is unprecedented. He believes there should be more effort to relocate waterfowl such as ducks, geese and other wild birds. responsible for spreading H5N1 away from commercial farms which viruses are most likely to infect humans There is currently a vaccination against bird flu. And experts are calling on the government to take action. Vaccinate farm workers– “Farmers need help,” Pitesky said as of this month, the Biden administration has There are no plans to approve the vaccine for humans.This makes it likely that that choice will fall within the purview of Donald Trump.
As is the case with all serious cases in America, it is unavoidable. Continuous mutations also occur. At this rate, viruses adapt to infect humans. cause more serious disease And it will result in human-to-human transmission “at some point,” Chin Hong said earlier this month. There is research published in science by researchers from the Scripps Research Institute shows that A single mutation in a virus strain circulating in dairy herds can shift the preference from birds to human receptors. “Naturally, The emergence of this single mutation may be an indicator of the risk of human transmission,” the newspaper’s editors wrote.
Throughout the period of the bird flu outbreak The main concern is the potential to cause the next pandemic. That outcome is unlikely as long as bird flu is unable to spread among people. Although that ability can be developed But the world is more prepared than ever for COVID. It is caused by an unfamiliar virus. The H5N1 virus that causes bird flu has been known for nearly three decades. There are candidates for the vaccine. Four types of flu medicine and diagnostic tests already exist. “We are not starting from scratch,” Chin-Hong said. However, it would be better not to start at all.
But now, future bird flu trends point to the real possibility that the United States It must deal with the spread of the virus among people. with leaders showing little interest in dealing with it. Trump has said nothing about his plans. Instead, he chose Robert F. Kennedy, who was a skeptic of vaccines and a fan of raw milk. To be the leader of the country’s health agency Without tighter controls People can take steps to prevent the situation from getting worse. Start by avoiding raw milk and dead birds. Regular influenza vaccination reduces the chance of being infected with avian influenza and avian influenza at the same time, which creates conditions for the viruses to combine into human-like viruses. But what America needs is a plan, Pitesky said. Four previous flu pandemics have originated with bird flu. There is still time to protect.
