Category: Flu Virus

US officials on Monday reported four new human cases of bird flu, bringing the total to eight.

The four infected people are farm workers, all working on the same poultry facility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The cases come amid a concerning outbreak of the virus among cattle, which has also led to human infections.

US officials on Monday reported four new human cases of bird flu, bringing the total to eight.

The four infected people are farm workers, all working on the same poultry facility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The cases come amid a concerning outbreak of the virus among cattle, which has also led to human infections.

A fifth case is also suspected but must still be analyzed to be confirmed.

The risk for the American population is still "low," the CDC said. The infected workers reported facing conjunctivitis and "flu-like symptoms."

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An epidemic of bird flu was detected in the spring in the United States, with an unusual twist: the disease, which first struck mainly poultry and birds, was now being found in cows.

The first human infection via a cow was announced on April 1, in the state of Texas.

Two other cases were then reported in Michigan, and in early July, another case was found in Colorado.

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That western US state is now seeing the disease spread among both livestock and poultry.

Experts are concerned about the growing number of mammals infected with the disease, though human cases are still rare.

They fear that high circulation could make it easier for a mutation of the virus to develop that would allow it to pass from one human to another.

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The CDC renewed its call for precautions for workers in contact with infected cows or poultry.

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Four New Human Cases Of Bird Flu Reported In US - Barron's

Michigan farms help USDA in research of bird flu outbreak spreading to cattle and humans

by Jessica Harthorn

In this undated photo, lab technicians at the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory are looking at samples of the{ }Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.{ } (Image: MSU College of Veterinary Medicine)

LANSING, Mich.

Right now, Michigan is a hot spot for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu.

Otherwise known as the bird flu, its currently infecting 26 herds. The latest case was reported July 9, 2024 in Gratiot County.

The virus, which is common in wild birds, is now being discovered in dairy cattle, poultry, even people, surprising state scientists.

On May 1st, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a strict new bio-security order for dairy farms to follow trying to mitigate the spread.

News Channel 3 talked with a dairy farmer who told us this virus is the most concerning challenge he's faced in 40 years.

Its a new virus scientists across the country are scrambling to learn more about.

"What are the transmission pathways? How is it moving from farm to farm?" asked MDARD Director Tim Boring.

March 29th, the first positive detection of the avian flu in cattle was discovered on a dairy farm in Montcalm County. The cattle had just arrived from Texas.

"As a virologist, and I think that all of my virologist friends who are going to be honest, would tell you that none of us expected to see this happen," said Dr. Kimberly Dodd, the director of Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

The sample was sent to the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, where Director Kimberly Dodd and her team got right to work.

"A core part of our mission is to continually develop new tests to be able to detect new emerging diseases," Director Dodd said.

The lab is part of a network of 63 across the country, working with the USDA to respond to animal health disease events, and placing Michigan on the forefront of discovering what this virus is capable of.

"Is it possible it could become the next COVID, as a scientist, what are your thoughts?" asked News Channel 3 Anchor Jessica Harthorn.

"The longer that we have viruses circulating in the population, the more opportunity there is for mutation, which could potentially raise the risk for spread to other species, including humans. But that's always the case, even before we saw the situation of influenza viruses in dairy cattle," Director Dodd said.

As of July 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported nine human cases, two in Michigan who were in close contact with cattle.

"Well, my first reaction was I wanted to make sure my family that work with the cattle, and the farm employees were safe," Chapin said.

In May, Director Tim Boring issued mandatory bio-security rules for farms to follow.

"Of making sure that we are keeping viruses on farms, keeping it off of new farms, and really focuses a lot on people, equipment, vehicles, of addressing those transmission pathways," Director Boring said.

MDARD is also prioritizing testing. "Local health departments are out talking to farm workers in the event there is a positive herd detected, we are doing a lot of people tracking, a lot of health monitoring," Director Boring said.

Right now, a curbside sample drop-off is set up at the MSU laboratory, Director Dodd told us, hundreds of tests are being done weekly, and Michigan is leading the country using a collaborative approach, called "One Health."

"It's this idea that animal health, human health and environmental health are all interconnected, and in order to tackle a challenge in any of those areas, we need to work together. I'm really proud of the work our state has done to support the USDA and the national response," Director Dodd said.

Director Boring said numbers show the bio-security rules are working to reduce the spread of avian influenza. As for Chapin, he said right now his herd of 700 is healthy.

"Has implementing the new rules been a challenge to your farm?" asked Harthorn.

"I think yes, yes, it's been a challenge to make it all work right. As a producer, you always wish it wasn't in your backyard, so I think that's why you want to double down on your bio-security efforts, to do all that you can do to keep your cattle and your people safe," Chapin said.

The MDARD map published on May 24, 2024 shows the ten counties in Michigan where positive cases were reported in dairy herds, six are in West Michigan.

For dairy farmers who want peace of mind, all testing is covered by the USDA. To find out more, click here.

As scientists continue to learn more about the Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu, MDARD said its bio-security rules will also evolve.

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Michigan farms help USDA in research of bird flu outbreak spreading to cattle and humans - WWMT-TV

Testing has confirmed four poultry workers in Colorado were infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus, state health officials said Sunday, with results of a fifth presumptive positive case still pending. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the infections, which the agency has said could trigger a pandemic should the virus mutate and become easily transmissible between people, Reuters reported. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the infected workers were culling poultry at a farm in the northeast region of the state and exhibited mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis (pink eye) and common respiratory infection symptoms. None of the workers were hospitalized and state epidemiologists suspect the poultry workers cases are a result of working directly with infected poultry, officials said. It remains safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry products, the department said.

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Pelosi Is Quietly Working to Get Biden Off the Dem Ticket: Report - The Daily Beast

The US Department of Agriculture has verified that Oklahoma is now the 13th state in the country to identify bird flu in dairy cows, although the state has indicated that the infection occurred several months ago. This confirmation reveals that the outbreak was more extensive than initially believed by US authorities after the virus was first discovered in dairy cattle in late March. Since then, bird flu has been found in over 150 dairy herds across the nation, according to a report from Reuters. These cases are linked to a widespread outbreak of H5N1 bird flu that has been spreading globally in wild birds, infecting poultry and various species of mammals. Despite four dairy workers testing positive this year, the US centers for disease control and prevention has said that the risk to the general public remains low. According to Lee Benson, spokesperson for the Oklahoma department of agriculture, food and foresty, an Oklahoma dairy collected the positive sample in April when it suspected its herd may have been infected. The dairy recently sent stored samples to USDA for testing after learning it could receive financial assistance for lost milk production due to bird flu. USDA has initiated a program to compensate farmers with sick cows for 90% of lost milk production per cow to encourage farmers to test herds and report infections. USDA's website reports two positive herds in Oklahoma, but Benson clarified that the confirmed positive sample is from one Oklahoma dairy with two separate barns. The state's agriculture department believes USDA received the dairy's samples in the first week of July, and the herd has fully recovered. Oklahoma has not received reports of other possible infections. To address the situation, Oklahoma has provided protective gear to dairy farmers and requested dairies to enhance safety and security measures, according to state veterinarian Rod Hall. However, there is no mandatory testing of cows in Oklahoma, as per the state agriculture department. In related news, Colorado has reported four confirmed bird flu infections in poultry workers and is investigating a fifth suspected case, according to health authorities on Sunday.

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Bird flu detected in Oklahoma dairy herd, highlighting larger US outbreak - The Times of India

Threat to human health at this point is low, according to the CDC. But that could change at any moment with each new mutation of the virus.

BOISE, Idaho This article originally appeared in theIdaho Press.

Idaho dairy producers are navigating one of the worst outbreaks of an avian flu strain in the U.S., and from an animal health and public health standpoint, the situation is largely self-monitored.

Threat to human health at this point is low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that could change at any moment with each new mutation of the virus.

I dont know if this will turn out to be a pandemic, but were watching all the ingredients, and were watching that sequence, said Dr. David Pate, retired president and CEO of St. Lukes Health System. Certainly, if you were planning out how we think a pandemic would occur, this is what you would be planning out.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pate and another Idaho doctor, Dr. Ted Epperly, wrote the book Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak and Pate has been watching the avian flu outbreak closely. He argues that more should be done to prepare in case the situation becomes more dangerous for human health.

Idaho officials and dairy producers are monitoring animal health, regulating quarantine of infected animals, providing workers with personal protective equipment and offering testing of farm workers who have been exposed.

Dairy operators, dairy workers always operate in a world where they have to take care of themselves for infectious conditions, said Dr. Christine Hahn, state epidemiologist and state Division of Health medical director. Cows have other germs they can spread so they already have protocols in place.

She said the state health department is providing information and support for those regarding protecting workers. But the decisions on how and what to implement are up to the operators.

AVIAN FLU OUTBREAK IN IDAHO

As of July 3, which was the most recent data available, there have been 27 cattle herds in Idaho affected by the virus, according to data from the USDA. Nationwide, there have been nearly 140 herds infected since the illness was first detected in U.S. dairy cattle in March, marking the first time the strain H5N1, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, had been found in cows.

This is a big hit to Idaho, which has more than 400 dairy operations and ranks third in U.S. for milk production, according to the Idaho Dairymens Association.

So far no human cases have been detected in Idaho, and a total of four reports of confirmed human cases due to contact with dairy cattle have come out of Texas, Michigan and Colorado. All but one of the cases has presented through mild eye symptoms, according to information from the CDC, and one was a mild respiratory illness.

Studies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration have found that the pasteurization process of heating milk effectively deactivates the virus, meaning consuming commercial milk is safe as long as its pasteurized, officials said.

The outbreak was first reported in Texas, and soon after appeared in an Idaho dairy that had just received cattle from Texas, said Idaho Department of Agriculture state veterinarian Dr. Scott Leibsle.

As of July 12, there are 18 facilities in nine Idaho counties under quarantine, including two in Canyon County. The last reported detection in Idaho was on June 20, and producers feel that the state may have reached its peak and is showing signs of decline in the spread of the virus, said Idaho Dairymens Association CEO Rick Naerebout.

However, this may change when migratory birds start returning to the state for the winter, he said.

Theres been testing of wild birds near impacted dairies and positive cases of the virus found in those birds, Leibsle said. Its unclear which species is infecting the other one, he said.

NOT A PANDEMIC NOW, BUT WHATS THE THREAT?

The H5N1 virus in its current form is not very effective at infecting humans, Pate said. And when a human does contract the virus, it has occurred from prolonged contact with infected animals and it doesnt seem to spread human to human.

The concern is that the virus could be deadly when it is contracted.

The virus has rarely impacted the U.S., but around 890 people have reported being infected worldwide since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. Of those, more than 50% died. Most of the cases were in Egypt, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

For comparison, COVID-19 had about a 1.7% case fatality rate, Pate said.

This is about 52%, so you can see were talking about a whole different level of severity, he said.

The other difference was many of the reported cases and deaths were younger, healthier people, Pate said.

Without mass testing however, its difficult to determine if the high reported fatality rate is because only severe cases were tested for.

Pate highlighted an effort by the state of Michigan, which has had two human cases, to test for antibodies in farm workers to determine if they had a prior infection but did not show symptoms.

Over the years, the virus has been found in sea lions and sea elephants in South America, foxes in Canada and France and other mammals around the world. In the last couple of years, the virus has popped up in new animals, Pate said.

It was disturbing because the more animal species that get infected, the more the virus can mutate, Pate said.

The situation is not worth panicking over, he said, but it may present an opportunity to prepare.

We almost never see any of the steps that lead up to a pandemic, Pate said. We know the kinds of viruses are likely to cause pandemics or are higher up on our list but we rarely see any of the steps until it starts in humans.

He said he cant know if the virus will develop into a pandemic, but the risks are increasing all the time.

Pate contends that not enough is being done to monitor the situation. He said that more antibody testing, such as whats being done in Michigan, should take place and family members and household pets of exposed farm workers should be tested to determine if and how its being spread.

He is also calling for better transparency with the data. Because different agencies are handling different aspects of the situation, he said, it can be difficult to collect all the relevant data. And some of the information isnt available. The USDA counts herds that have been infected, but doesnt provide information on how many cows in the herd or the percentage of positive cases within those herds.

From a testing perspective, he thinks the government should be encouraging labs and medical centers to develop tests that are more readily available to the public to test for H5N1. There are tests available for influenza, but not this particular strain. When flu season arrives in the fall and winter, it may make monitoring the situation more difficult, he said.

Pate is also an advocate for putting resources toward vaccines. In late May, U.S. health officials announced they were taking steps to acquire or manufacture H5N1 vaccines for farm workers, veterinarians, and government officials who may be most at risk, Reuters reported.

As the virus continues to spread to different animals, it changes through a process known as reassortment.

But its kind of like, if you have enough quarters and enough time, you sit at the slot machine, youre eventually going to hit the jackpot, Pate said.

It may be the case that the virus never develops in a way that presents a major risk to humans, but Pate argues there should still be a significant response.

We should be taking advantage of this, because this is our opportunity to learn and develop our preparedness, he said.

HOW ARE IDAHO DAIRIES RESPONDING?

Out of necessity, producers are always closely monitoring their herds, Naerebout said.

We operate on very thin margins, theres not a lot of room for error or a lot of room for disruptions in production in your dairy operation, he said. So theyre always monitoring milk production, quality of milk, all of these different pieces of data that they can observe to try and make sure that cows are performing at their peak.

When a cow is infected with avian flu, her milk production can see a dramatic decrease. A cow can go from producing 80 pounds of milk a day to just 5 pounds the next day. Other symptoms include a fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, constipation and thickened or yellowed milk.

If theres a suspected case, the state Department of Agriculture recommends producers contact their veterinarian immediately. The veterinarian then contacts the department to set up potential testing. In cattle, the virus shows up most prominently in the milk, which is sent to a state lab for testing.

Sick animals are sent to a separate pen, away from the rest of the herd. Milk from animals in the sick pen is not sent out for sale, and operators have been pasteurizing it before discarding it to avoid contamination of water or food supplies for other animals, Leibsle said.

When outbreaks have occurred, around 10%-15% of the herd has been infected, Leibsle said, although Naerebout observed this has been highly variable among operators in the state.

Samples from animals in the sick pen are sent to the state for testing, typically on a weekly basis, Leibsle said. Its in their best interest to test regularly in order to be able to send their animals back into production once theyre healthy.

To clear a quarantine, you have to show me evidence that theres no virus left, he said. Just waiting an arbitrary period of time is not sufficient.

Milking machines are flushed and sanitized between cattle to avoid spreading the virus that way.

Use of aprons, gloves and boots are already common practice among dairy workers, officials said. The health department used CDC resources to provide personal protective equipment to those who requested it. The public health division recommended eye protection as well, as many of the human cases have shown as conjunctivitis in the eye.

However, dairy workers often choose not to use a mask or goggles because of the discomfort or safety concerns due to limited vision, Hahn and Naerebout said.

We are leaving a lot of those decisions up to the dairy operators and their workers, because they need to be safe overall and were just offering the best protection that were aware of from this particular virus, Hahn said.

The term highly pathogenic means that in birds, where the virus first presented, the illness was very fatal. In cattle, the animals seem to be recovering within two to four weeks, Leibsle said.

The reduced production can still be a strain on the operators, Naerebout said.

Dairy producers are coming off an 18-month downturn in the industry, he said, in which production costs have been outpacing income. The added hit of a 20% reduction in production for a month can add to that stress.

Its not going to be a business-killer-type event, where this by itself is going to put a dairy producer out of business, but it definitely adds to an already stressful situation, given what theyve battled through over the last 18 months, Naerebout said.

HOW IS THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDING?

In Idaho, the leaders from the state Department of Agriculture and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare have been meeting regularly to coordinate efforts to protect animal and human health.

On a federal level, the USDA and CDC are monitoring and providing resources.

To address the financial impact, the USDA announced toward the end of May that it would make available funding to compensate producers for lost milk production, as well as funding for measures to improve biosecurity.

However, no Idaho producers have participated in this program currently, according a USDA spokesperson.

The federal agency had been slow to clarify which producers were eligible, Naerebout said. As of July 1 the agency announced it would begin accepting applications for financial assistance.

Only dairies that initially reported their positive cases to the USDA are eligible, he said.

Were honestly a bit frustrated with the USDA on that front, Naerebout said. ... It has been very difficult for dairy producers to track and get comfortable with what USDAs expectations would be and how the programs would work.

A USDA spokesperson said there are 24 producers in six states participating in its support programs.

Idahos Division of Public Health provides free testing to those who request it and provides CDC fact sheets with information about the virus, in both English and Spanish, Hahn said. The state works with the Idaho Dairymens Association and local health districts to distribute information and PPE.

The CDC provided funding for increased surveillance of the flu.

To ensure potential community spread of the virus is being monitored as well, the state has requested that all positive influenza tests in humans be sent to the state lab to test for H5N1. Hahn said that the division is also in communication with medical providers to track if theres an increase in influenza cases.

Public health districts have antiviral medication available for those who may contract it and it is available for free for anyone infected.

An added challenge to testing and monitoring by government entities is that 90% of the dairy workforce are foreign-born. Many of those workers are in the state on a migrant visa and many are undocumented.

The reality is in agriculture, we have a decently high number of undocumented individuals in our workforce, Naerebout said, and so there is going to be that concern that they dont want their legal status discovered. So, theyre quite often not going to go and want to have interactions with health and welfare or other agencies just out of fear of their legal status being discovered.

Pate said that historically, this is the case for other illnesses as well, and its an obstacle to those workers receiving the treatment that they need.

Hahn said the health agency is aware that this is a challenge and tries to work with the dairies to ensure that workers know that they can safely speak up if they arent feeling well, but its still a concern.

Naerebout said he doesnt see an issue with workers telling their supervisors that theyre sick, and managers are also keeping an eye on their employees to ensure that sicknesses dont spread throughout.

You try and manage it just like you would any other situation where you dont want that worker exposing coworkers to anything, he said.

This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press,read more on IdahoPress.com.

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Idaho's avian flu outbreak in dairies is largely self-monitored; experts warn of potential health risks - KTVB.com

In March of this year, federal agencies announced that highly pathogenic avian influenza, specifically type A (H5N1), had been identified in US dairy cattle for the first time. PC: Hawaii Department of Agriculture

State and federal agencies are keeping a close eye on H5N1,the influenza A strain associated with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that has infected dairy cows in multiple states, as well as four people who worked closely with the infected cows.

Residents are reminded that it is safe to consume pasteurized milk or cheese, but raw milk can carry the live virus and should be avoided.

At present, Hawaii is the only state in which H5N1 has not been detected.

The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with the state and federal Departments of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is reinforcing long-standing efforts to detect avian influenza disease in birds, cattle, and humans in Hawaii. On the human health front, this includes monitoring human influenza infections detected in the laboratory, monitoring influenza in wastewater and tracking ED visits for influenza on theHawaii Respiratory Disease Activity Summarydashboard. Further information regarding H5N1 risks in Hawaii and prevention guidelines can be found on the updated DOHavian flu website.

In response to the detection of H5N1 in dairy cows on the mainland earlier this year, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) issued an advisory on April 5 to prevent the importation of cattle from premises where H5N1 has been detected, or presence was suspected and required that cattle from affected states be examined within 72 hours of shipment and to be found free of clinical signs of H5N1. Starting April 27, the US Department of Agriculture implemented a national restriction on movement of lactating cows, which requires testing of the animals for H5N1 be performed before any interstate movement.

H5N1 is typically carried and transmitted by birds. Surveillance testing is routinely performed on domestic and wild birds and incidentsof unusual morbidity and mortality are investigated to verify H5N1 is not present. HDOAs primary focus is on domestic poultry, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) and US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services have enhanced focus on wild birds.

Wild bird surveillance: The Hawaii State Laboratory (HSL) receives and tests specimens collected by USGS from live wild birds. More than 100 test results since 2022 have been negative. DOH has requested that the USGS increase sampling, especially of migratory birds such as klea (Pacific Golden Plover) when they return in the fall.

Domestic poultry:Since 2022, HSL has conducted H5N1 tests on samples from hundreds of birds, including those provided by Oahus largest poultry farm as part of a routine monitoring program; birds from small or large farms in all counties that appear to be ill; and imported birds. All tests so far have been negative.

Cattle: Hawaii has one dairy farm, on Hawaii Island, that does not import cows from off-island. No dairy cows have been imported into Hawaii in the years since H5N1 was first detected in the US Imported livestock cattle are inspected by an HDOA veterinarian; none exhibited any signs of illness that would have triggered testing.

Human influenza subtype monitoring:HSL routinely conducts subtyping on specimens provided by commercial labs that were collected from people who tested positive for influenza throughout the state, by a method that is able to presumptively identify novel subtypes, including H5N1. HSL is also able to confirm H5N1 with a more specific test. HSL has subtyped more than 620 human specimens during the current flu season to date, with no detections of H5N1.

Wastewater surveillance: WastewaterSCAN,a CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System partner, is performing continuous H5N1-specific testing (by polymerase chain reaction) on wastewater from the Sand Island treatment plant as of several months ago and has reported no detections.

Continue reading here:

State, federal health agencies work to keep avian flu out of Hawaiian islands - Maui Now

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A new study offers valuable insights into tailoring immunization strategies to optimize influenza vaccine effectiveness.

To offer cross-protection against diverse influenza virus variants, nanoparticle vaccines can produce pivotal cellular and mucosal immune responses that enhance vaccine efficacy and broaden protection, according to the study in Nature Communications.

To alleviate the significant public health burden of influenza epidemics and occasional pandemics, its essential to enhance influenza vaccine cross-protection, researchers say.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual influenza vaccination, current seasonal influenza vaccines typically provide strain-specific and short-lived immunity. Seasonal influenza vaccines offer limited cross-protection against antigenically diverse virus variants and provide no defense against sporadic influenza pandemics, the authors explain.

Developing effective influenza vaccines or vaccination strategies that can confer cross-protection against variant influenza viruses is a high priority to mitigate the public health consequences of influenza, says first author Chunhong Dong, a postdoctoral fellow in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State.

In the study, the researchers investigated the effects of immunization strategies on the generation of cross-protective immune responses in female mice using mRNA lipid nanoparticle (LNP) and protein-based polyethyleneimine-HA/CpG (PHC) nanoparticle vaccines targeting influenza hemagglutinin. The mice were immunized with either intramuscular mRNA LNP or intranasal PHC vaccines in a typical prime-plus-boost regimen. A variety of sequential immunization strategies were included in this study for comparison.

We demonstrated that cellular and mucosal immune responses are pivotal correlates of cross-protection against influenza, says Baozhong Wang, senior author of the study and a professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences.

Notably, intranasal PHC immunization outperforms its intramuscular counterpart in inducing mucosal immunity and conferring cross-protection. Sequential mRNA LNP prime and intranasal PHC boost demonstrated optimal cross-protection against antigenically drifted and shifted influenza strains.

The study highlights the importance of immunization orders and indicates that in a sequential immunization, an mRNA vaccine priming plays an important role in steering the Th1/Th2 immune responses. Also, the intranasal PHC boost is crucial to the induction of mucosal immunity, Wang says.

The National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funded the work.

Source: Georgia State

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Nanoparticles boost flu vaccine effectiveness - Futurity: Research News

H5N1, known as bird flu, is becoming an increasing problem in the U.S. The virus normally only infects poultry and wild birds, but it's becoming more adept at infecting mammals; so far, it's infected cattle in 12 states. A small number of people are also falling illseveral dairy workers have been contracted mild illnesses and recovered.

The latest research published in Nature suggests that the current strain may be more adept at infecting mammals like cows. Researchers led by Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a professor at the University of WisconsinMadison and the University of Tokyo, report that the current version differs from previous H5N1 strains and has mutations that make it easier for the virus to infect mammalian cells. Kawaoka says that this ability is more than what we saw in the past with avian H5N1 viruses, but it is still limited.

The group tested virus obtained from infected cows in both mice and ferretsthe latter of which are a good model for how influenza viruses may act in people. Only one in four uninfected ferrets that were housed in the same cages as infected ones tested positive for H5N1. But how well a virus spreads depends a lot on how much virus is present, and at the moment H5N1 in dairy cattle does not appear to concentrate in the respiratory tissuesmeaning its not saturating airborne particles the animals may exhale and inhale. Instead, its primarily found in the mammary glands, and therefore in the milk the cows produce.

Read More: We Are Not Safe from Bird Flu Until We Protect Farmworkers

Thats a concern for dairy workers and anyone drinking raw, unpasteurized milk. We should be concerned because there is a huge amount of virus present in milk, says Kawaoka. The biosecurity in farms is limited, so there is a lot of virus out there, and its very important to contain this virus as soon as possible.

Kawaoka and his team recently quantified the amount of virus in the milk of an infected cow in a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. They found a very high number of infectious particles in a single milliliter of raw cows milk. Pasteurization inactivated the virus, but Kawaoka says the effectiveness of the heat pasteurization depends on how long the milk is treated and how much virus is present.

If the virus doesnt spread easily among ferrets, how is it transmitting so readily among cows? Kawaoka says its not likely that cows are actually passing the virus among themselves. Instead, because H5N1 is so highly concentrated in the mammary glands and milk, its likely that the virus is spreading via contaminated milking machines that arent cleaned thoroughly between each milking.

The results are reassuring in the sense that for now, H5N1 doesnt seem to pass easily from animal to animal. But the fact that the virus is different from previous strains and has picked up the ability to more easily infect mammals is concerning, says Kawaoka. Health officials are closely monitoring samples from both infected cattle as well as the handful of dairy workers who have tested positive for H5N1 to ensure the virus isnt mutating further to spread easily among people. If it does, they say they are ready with three vaccines, currently in the vaccine stockpile, that can protect against severe infections.

Read the rest here:

Bird Flu May Be Getting Better at Infecting Mammals - TIME

Australia is experiencing 3 different outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenzas.

Dr Debbie Eagles, director of the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) at CSIRO, describes this as unprecedented.

This year ACDP has conducted 3,000 tests on 1,000 samples since the first detection of H7N3 near Meredith in Victoria in May, and subsequently H7N9 Terang in Victoria, H7N8 in New South Wales and [Australian Capital Territory], says Eagles.

Presently, H7N3 has spread to 7 additional Victorian poultry farms, while H7N8has spread to 2 commercial poultry farms in NSW, and 1 in the ACT.

Previously when weve had outbreaks in Australia thats been a single strain, usually then affecting 1 region, says Eagles.

Prior to this year, there has only been 8 outbreaks of H7 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Australia since 1976.

Avian influenza viruses are described according to the combination of 2 groups of surface proteins: haemagglutinin or H proteins (H1 to H16) and neuraminidase or N proteins (N1 to N9).

Samples from each of the affected properties sent to ACDP for whole genome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis confirmed that the outbreaks are not linked.

Instead, the 3 strains are more closely related to H7 strains carried by local Australian wild bird populations, which Australia has a good baseline understanding of thanks to the National Avian Influenza Wild Bird (NAIWB) Surveillance Program.

Usually, these circulate in wild waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, as low pathogenic avian influenzas (LPAI), which do not cause signs of disease. However, when H5 and H7 strains get into commercial poultry farms, they have the potential to mutate and become highly pathogenic causing devastating disease and death in chickens.

This is basically due to a mutation of a single virus gene and were not saying that these mutations dont occur in wild birds as well, but the impact is much more significant in commercial chicken farms because of the nature of how birds are housed, says ACDP senior research scientist and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) expert for avian influenza, Dr Frank Wong.

Wong says that in commercial chicken farms a lot more birds are located in close contact.

And chickens actually are naive host population for avian influenza viruses, so theyre more susceptible to infection because often they dont have inbuilt immunity. So, once a virus turns highly pathogenic, the attack rate is very rapid, it burns through the population, he says.

Why 3 separate strains have made the jump to poultry in just the past few months remains unknown.

There could be many reasons we dont really know because viruses [are] being carried in wild birds [and it] is very difficult to have a continuous picture of whats going on before they get into commercial chicken farms, says Wong.

So it could be many things, the wild bird dynamics at a particular point of time, climate, changes in weather patterns, or just coincidence.

So, while any new spillover events cannot be predicted before they occur, state authorities in VIC, NSW, and ACT are controlling the movements in already affected areas to minimise and prevent the risk of further spread of existing outbreaks.

Eagles says: Each of the infected properties has been dealt with by local authorities in terms of the necessary disposal and subsequent ongoing decontamination of those facilities. That is consistent with a response plan that all states and industry agreed to in advance. So, its a very well-developed response plan that Australia has.

And, while Australia currently doesnt vaccinate poultry against avian influenza, she says there are ongoing discussions around whether it might be used for certain high-risk species and for people in preparation for the HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1.

Viral strains in this clade are circulating internationally causing severe disease in poultry, and species of wild birds and mammals including cattle (in the US) and marine mammals. It has reached every other continent through the movements of migratory waterfowl that do not come to Australia.

Indonesia and countries like the Philippines within our region already have this virus its been circulating in those countries, our near neighbours, for a couple of years, says Wong.

The risk there is more in our regional nomadic duck species what we call the bridging species, that might be affected and then kind of hop from island to island.

In response to the threat posed by a potential incursion of H5N1, last week the government announced $1.1 million of ongoing funding to extend the NAIWB Surveillance Program for 4 years.

The risk-based surveillance program focuses on sampling wild birds at locations near both human populations and commercial poultry farms. But, according to Wong, there are plans to expand and increase the efficiency of this surveillance in northern Australia.

Thats where we think would be the higher risk for an incursion of exotic strains of HPAI viruses, says Wong.

But again, the northern part of Australia ironically poses the most challenge in terms of logistics and coverage because theyre remote sites with very low population and a lot of distance to cover.

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Experts say Australias current bird flu outbreak is unprecedented - Cosmos

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today added five more dairy herds in three states to its list of H5N1 avian flu outbreak confirmations.

Also, APHIS confirmed the virus in three more cats from two states, both of which are experiencing H5N1 outbreak in dairy cows and poultry.

Most of the APHIS confirmations involve detections initially announced by states. The newly added outbreaks include 3 in Colorado, 1 in Michigan, and 1 in Texas, boosting the USDA's total to 145 in 12 states.

Separately, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health reported another new outbreak in a dairy herd, which involves cows from Benton County in the central part of the state. Minnesota has now reported eight H5N1 outbreaks at dairy farms.

In related developments, APHIS confirmed H5N1 detections in three more domestic cats, two from Minnesota and one from Michigan, raising the total since 2022 to 33.

A notification from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said the cats from Minnesota were feral barn cats on an affected dairy farm in Sibley County in south central Minnesota. Samples were collected on June 10.

Meanwhile, APHIS said samples from the Michigan cat were collected on April 18 and that the cat was from Ottawa County, one of 10 Michigan counties affected by outbreaks in dairy cows. Also, APHIS reported an H5N1 detection in a raccoon from Ottawa County, with samples collected on the same date as the cat.

Additionally, APHIS reported four more H5N1 detections in wild birds from two Iowa counties, all agency-harvested birds that were sampled in mid to late June. The birds that tested positive were from Plymouth and Sioux counties and included a red-winged blackbird, robin, turkey vulture, and barn swallow.

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H5N1 confirmed in 5 more US dairy herds, more cats - University of Minnesota Twin Cities