05/01/2024

How Humans Can and Cannot Catch Bird Flu

Scientists are on alert for changes in H5N1 that could signal its adaptation

Scientists are on alert for changes in the H5N1 or bird flu virus that could signal it is adapting to spread among humans. The virus has caused serious, sometimes fatal, infections among people and has long been on the list of viruses with pandemic potential. Any expansion to a new mammal species is concerning.

An outbreak of bird flu among cattle herds in the United States led to the first known case of transmission between a cow and a human, after a Texas farm worker caught the virus. Previously, the virus had mostly been passed to humans through close contact with wild birds or infected poultry.

The spread of bird flu to an increasing number of species and its widening geographic reach have raised the risks of humans being infected by the virus, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Please select this link to read the complete article from Reuters.