New #BirdFlu variant found in #DairyCattle. Can #H5N1 be transmitted to humans? [Apparently, the answer is, "YES!"]

According to the the US Department of Agriculture, this is the first ever detection of this bird flu virus variant in dairy cattle.

by Jonathan Limehouse, February 6, 2025, updated February 7, 2025

"The variant of bird flu that killed a Louisiana resident has now been found in dairy cows. Until now, the human cases of bird flu traced to cattle have been mild, mostly #EyeInfections.

"But the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that a strain previously found only in #WildBirds has turned up in dairy herds in #Nevada ‒ raising concerns that future human infections could be more serious.

"Bird flu has triggered a nationwide egg shortage and price hikes in recent months, as infected chickens had to be put to death. It has also coursed through dairy farms in 16 states since last March, according to the USDA, reducing milk production. More than 60 #farmworkers on both dairy and poultry farms have been infected since then, all of whom recovered.

"But one Louisiana resident died last month after contracting bird flu from a backyard flock. That person, who was older and chronically ill, but not otherwise identified, was infected with the D.1.1 variant now seen in the Nevada cows. A Canadian teenager hospitalized with bird flu in November was also infected with D.1.1.

"#D11 is common among the #starlings that migrate through #Nevada in the winter and might have carried the virus into the state, the Nevada Department of Agriculture said in a social media post.

"The USDA said it is working with the state department of agriculture to investigate the Nevada outbreak and limit its spread.

"Until last week, all bird flu in dairy herds had been identified as the B3.13 variant, which was believed to have come from wild birds in late 2023 or early 2024."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/02/06/bird-flu-strain-dairy-cows-humans-transmitted/78290857007/
#HPAINews #HPAIVariant #B313 #BirdFlu #BirdMigrations #StarlingMigrations #Cattle #HPAI #AvianInfluenza #BirdFlu #USHealth #CDCCensorship

#Influenza A(#H5N1) 2.3.4.4b #B313: #US #cattle #outbreak #update - #Human #health #evidence #review and situational #assessment - 17 July #UKHSA, #APHA, #FSA, and Defra, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a0ff6dfc8e12ac3edb03e4/AH5N1-risk-assessment-july-2024.pdf

Levels are indicators that a #zoonotic #influenza virus #outbreak may be an increasing human health #threat, either because opportunities for it to evolve are increasing or because there is evidence that it has already begun to evolve. All levels are pre-pandemic events.

#EU #EFSA releases avian #influenza #overview for March-June 2024, via Xinhua: http://news.foodmate.net/2024/07/693259.html

Between 16-03 & 14-06-24, 42 #HPAI #H5 virus detections were reported in domestic (15) & wild (27) birds across 13 countries in Europe. Elsewhere, HPAI situation intensified particularly in USA, where a new H5N1 virus gt #B313 has been identified in >130 dairy herds in 12 states.#Risk of infection remains low-to-moderate for those exposed to infected animals or contaminated environments.

Highly Pathogenic Avian #Influenza #H5N1 Genotype #B313 in Dairy #Cattle: National Epidemiologic #Brief, #USDA: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/hpai-dairy-national-epi-brief.pdf

Spread of H5N1 between states is linked to cattle #movements (versus independent wild #bird introduction) with further local spread between dairy farms in some states. Disease spread between dairy cattle farms is likely multi-factorial (direct and indirect transmission routes). #Biosecurity is key to mitigate the risk of disease spread.