A Texas dairy worker has tested positive for the avian flu, marking the first identified human case of an illness in the U.S. that has sickened cattle across several states over the past few weeks.
The infection, only the second human case of H5N1 ever recorded in the country, is worrying public health experts who for decades have cautioned that avian flu could pose a serious threat.
The case is the only one state and federal officials have identified, and there is no evidence that it is being spread among humans. The illness is mild and the worker is expected to recover, said two people familiar with the matter, who were granted anonymity because the information has not yet been made public. While there have been confirmed avian flu fatalities in other parts of the world, the U.S. has only ever recorded a handful of mild cases, according to the CDC.How daily drivers become frequent flyersSPONSORED BY CITITake your road trips further by earning 2X AAdvantage® miles at gas stations with the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® card. Apply today.See More
The new human case follows recent cow infections in Texas, Idaho, Michigan and New Mexico that have raised alarm among public health experts who worry the virus’ spread to mammals could make it easier for the virus to infect humans.“Every single time is a little bit of Russian roulette,” said veteran public health expert Ashish Jha, who led the Biden administration’s Covid-19 response. “You play that game long enough and one of these times it will become fit…
Read more@PacifistHarryGreen2yrs2Y
Cows, birds, cats, and one human.
Some of the birds died.
No word on the sick cats.
Cows sick 10-14 days and stopped milk production, but none died.
Human had red eyes as main symptom different from a normal flu.
So far, nothing to be alarmed about.
Until it mutates. If you wait to see it kill everything (or just humans), you're too late. Everything to be alarmed about and act now.
@PartisanRiceDemocrat2yrs2Y
are you aware of the currently understood death rate for this disease in humans?
Might want to try a little googling on that.
@ShySquirrelVeteran2yrs2Y
I can’t believe ignoring the first case of bird flu in an (incarcerated) American human two years ago didn’t make it go away! Most Americans never heard about it because media coverage was so sparse, & we never seemed to receive any updates, public education, or preparation.
@T4riffTimSocialist2yrs2Y
I realize why I'm spiralling after avian flu news. It's because... it feels eerily similar to covid early news. And we all know how that turned out. But this time, I know something new which is, the world will not band together to help one another.
@PorcupineMartyDemocrat2yrs2Y
It’s “here we go again” and this time with a proven mortality rate. Will this change people’s behaviours if we see half of our circle drop dead? Idk cause it seems like it’s too much of an inconvenience for people to care about their own lives and the lives of others
@WorriedH0u5eSocialist2yrs2Y
> Public health officials need to respond quickly, transparently and vigorously.
They should do this with SARS2 too, which went human-to-human ages ago. Many of the measures - requiring contact tracing, testing, air filtration, mask policies to deal with both are similar
Once it transmits TO people, the question is whether it will transmit BETWEEN people.
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