Latest Human Case Of Bird Flu Could Change Trajectory Of Illness
Another dairy farmworker in Michigan has been infected with bird flu, but the unidentified person is the first to suffer from respiratory symptoms. The presence of a cough sparked alarm over the potential for spread to others. “Simply put, someone who’s coughing may be more likely to transmit the virus than someone who has an eye infection like conjunctivitis," CDC Deputy Director Nirav Shah said at a news conference Thursday.
Stat:
A Third U.S. Farmworker Infected With Bird Flu Is The First To Experience Respiratory Symptoms
A third human case of H5 bird flu tied to the ongoing U.S. outbreak in cattle has been detected in a farmworker in Michigan, state health authorities confirmed on Thursday. The unnamed individual worked on a dairy farm and was in close contact with infected cows, the state health department said in a statement. The farm involved is different from the one where an earlier human case was detected last week. (Branswell, 5/30)
Reuters:
US Allows Bulk Milk Testing For Bird Flu Before Cattle Transport
U.S. farmers will be able to test bulk supplies of milk from their dairy cows for bird flu rather than milk from individual cows before gaining approval to ship them across state lines, the Agriculture Department said on Thursday, in a move aimed at expanding testing. The change shows how government officials are trying to contain the disease while minimizing economic damage to farmers after the bird flu virus spread to cows and three dairy workers since late March. But some veterinarians warn the bulk tests may be insufficient. (Polansek, 5/30)
Los Angeles Times:
Are Our Dogs And Cats Flying Under The Bird Flu Radar?
When researchers talk about their biggest bird flu fears, one that typically comes up involves an animal — like a pig — becoming simultaneously infected with an avian and a human flu. This creature, now a viral mixing vessel, provides the medium for a superbug to develop — one that takes the killer genes from the bird flu and combines it with the human variety’s knack for easy infection. So far, domestic poultry and dairy cows have proved to be imperfect vessels. So too have the more than 48 other mammal species that have become infected by eating infected birds and then died. But researchers say there is one population of animal floating under the radar: Pets. (Rust, 5/30)
KFF Health News:
The Chicken And Egg Problem Of Fighting Another Flu Pandemic
Even a peep of news about a new flu pandemic is enough to set scientists clucking about eggs. They worried about them in 2005, and in 2009, and they’re worrying now. That’s because millions of fertilized hen eggs are still the main ingredient in making vaccines that, hopefully, will protect people against the outbreak of a new flu strain. “It’s almost comical to be using a 1940s technology for a 21st-century pandemic,” said Rick Bright, who led the Health and Human Services Department’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) during the Trump administration. (Allen, 5/31)
Other outbreaks and health threats —
CIDRAP:
WHO Launches Dengue Dashboard As Global Threat Remains High
The global dengue burden has increased substantially over the past 5 years, and in 2024 so far, more than 7.6 million cases have been reported, which includes 16,000 severe infections and more than 3,000 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today. To strengthen global tracking, the WHO has launched a new dashboard. So far, it has data from 103 countries. All regions except Europe have reported locally acquired cases this year. (Schnirring, 5/30)
Reuters:
WHO Emergencies Team Faces Funding Crunch As Health Crises Multiply
The World Health Organization's emergencies department is facing “existential threats” as multiplying health crises have left it so short of cash that it needed emergency funds to pay staff salaries at the end of last year, an independent report said. It will likely have to ask for funding again to cover salaries up to June, the document, released ahead of the WHO’s annual meeting in Geneva this week, said. (Rigby, 5/30)
