Experts maintain the milk supply is safe. Their focus is on keeping the people who work with cows from getting sick.
![Dairy farmers are at risk for bird flu. Here's how they can stay safe.](https://lemmy.sdf.org/pictrs/image/63cff5f0-2d52-4a18-bb5c-e4cd802623a4.png?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
Experts maintain the milk supply is safe. Their focus is on keeping the people who work with cows from getting sick.
>The U.S. government announced new measures yesterday to slow the spread of the H5N1 influenza virus among cattle, following the revelation that milk sold commercially in 10 states contained fragments of the virus. An order issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) restricts the movement of dairy cattle between states and mandates the reporting of infected cows.
>A senior official from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today that its nationwide survey of retail milk has found remnants of H5N1 avian flu viruses in one in five samples, with the highest concentrations in regions where outbreaks in dairy cattle have been reported.
>Donald Prater, DVM, acting director of the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), shared the new findings with state health officials who took part in a scientific symposium on H5N1 hosted by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). The results come in the wake of earlier findings this week from more limited FDA sampling, along with similar findings from a smaller set of samples tested by a lab that's part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR) Network.
>The response has echoes of the early days of 2020, when the coronavirus began its deadly march around the world. Today, some officials and experts express frustration that more livestock herds aren’t being tested for avian flu, and that when tests and epidemiological studies are conducted, results aren’t shared fast enough or with enough detail. They fear that the delays could allow the pathogen to move unchecked — and potentially acquire the genetic machinery needed to spread swiftly among people. One dairy worker in Texas has already fallen ill amid the outbreak, the second U.S. case ever of this type of bird flu.
“There’s a fine line between one person and 10 people with H5N1.”
![Opinion | This May Be Our Last Chance to Halt Bird Flu in Humans, and We Are Blowing It](https://lemdro.id/pictrs/image/48e5d0cb-7f72-4e6b-bfa0-a01345552775.jpeg?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
“So far there is only one confirmed human case. Rick Bright, an expert on the H5N1 virus who served on President Joe Biden's coronavirus advisory board, said, 'there's a fine line between one person and 10 people with H5N1. By the time we've detected 10, it's probably too late'.”
Article continues…
>A day after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that H5N1 avian flu fragments have been found in retail milk samples, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that lactating dairy cows must be tested before interstate transport.
>The movement of dairy cows, some of which aren't showing disease symptoms, from already affected states such as Texas has been a source of H5N1 spread to dairy herds in states such as Idaho and Michigan. Also, the identification of virus fragments in finished milk suggests that the virus may be more widespread in dairy cows than currently known.
“Thijs Kuiken, an avian influenza researcher at Erasmus Medical Center, says the “very sparse” information released by the U.S. government has international implications, too. State and federal animal health authorities have “abundant information … that \[has] not been made public, but would be informative for health professionals and scientists” in the United States and abroad, he says, “to be able to better assess the outbreak and take measures, both for animal health and for human health.” He notes that even the new sequences released by USDA do not include locations of the samples or the date they were taken. The release appears to include data from only 39 cows.”
Testing conducted by the FDA on pasteurized commercially purchased milk has found genetic evidence of the H5N1 bird flu virus, the agency confirmed Tuesday.
![H5N1 bird flu virus particles found in pasteurized milk but FDA says commercial milk supply appears safe](https://lemdro.id/pictrs/image/e4f2d3e5-8588-4b3f-9df7-2e42dbb08cc9.jpeg?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
“The agency said it has been trying to see if it could grow virus from milk found to contain evidence of H5N1, which is the gold standard test to see if there is viable virus in a product. The lengthy statement the agency released does not explicitly say FDA laboratories were unable to find live virus in the milk samples, but it does state that its belief that commercial, pasteurized milk is safe to consume has not been altered by these findings.”
The genetic data point to a single spillover event that probably occurred in late 2023, the analysis by scientists in the U.S. and Europe suggests.
![Genetic analysis reveals H5N1 flu virus outbreak in cows likely started earlier than thought](https://lemdro.id/pictrs/image/f585ab45-f675-444e-a586-3fd37184ed52.jpeg?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
The genetic data point to a single spillover event that probably occurred in late 2023, Michael Worobey, an evolutionary virologist at the University of Arizona, told STAT on Tuesday.
A new strain of avian flu has been sweeping the globe since 2020, leaving thousands of dead seabirds in its wake. This past summer, it arrived at a colony of Caspian terns at Rat Island in the Salish Sea, with catastrophic results.
A new strain of avian flu has been sweeping the globe since 2020, leaving thousands of dead seabirds in its wake. This past summer, it arrived at a colony of Caspian terns at Rat Island in the Salish Sea, with catastrophic results.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses circulate in wild birds and can infect domestic poultry [...]
![Flu on the Brain: Identification of Highly Pathogenic Influenza in the Brains of Wild Carnivores in The Netherlands](https://lemmy.sdf.org/pictrs/image/e1e74cd9-d805-4d91-8d4d-f5bb487ca9d7.png?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses circulate in wild birds and can infect domestic poultry. H5NX 2.3.4.4b is a clade of HPAI responsible for major avian epidemics seen in Europe in the 2016–2017 and 2020–2021 seasons, with the 2021–2022 season being the largest so far in terms of geographic spread and number of detections in non-avian animals [1]. While in recent months poultry infections have declined, HPAI H5NX continues to circulate in wild birds, and HPAI H5N1 genotypes have infected several mammal species in Europe, the Americas, and Asia [2]. Indeed, HPAI H5N1 detected in red foxes in The Netherlands have been found to carry a PB2-E627K mutation that increases viral replication in mammalian cells [3]. Furthermore, HPAI H5N1 was identified to have a neurotropism in these foxes, causing infection in the brain.
Dr Maré, who chairs the Poultry Group of the SA Veterinary Association, weighs in on the risks and implications of the bird flu strains.
![Avian flu update: Here's how the strains are spreading | The Citizen](https://lemmy.sdf.org/pictrs/image/af96f626-d77c-4123-8d22-a29f8bbf37f1.png?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
South Africa’s poultry industry is under siege as it grapples with two distinct bird flu strains – H5N1 and H7N6.
As the autumn migratory season starts, the protection of poultry and other farmed animals from wild birds should be prioritised. Biosecurity should be enhanced in fur animal farms.
While the situation in poultry has eased over the summer, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus continued to affect seabirds in Europe, mostly along coastlines. As the autumn migratory season starts, the protection of poultry and other farmed animals from wild birds should be prioritised. Biosecurity should be enhanced in fur animal farms.
This document describes a risk-based targeted approach to identifying possible avian influenza virus infections through established routine respiratory virus surveillance systems during the winter season 2023/24.
![Targeted surveillance to identify human infections with avian influenza virus during the influenza season 2023/24, EU/EEA](https://lemmy.sdf.org/pictrs/image/efbb4f10-7fa2-4ac0-b4ed-ce216bb45a39.png?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
Executive summary
Following the autumn bird migration, avian influenza virus outbreaks are expected to occur and spread geographically across the EU/EEA. The transmission of avian influenza viruses to wild, domesticated and farmed mammals will be likely to continue. Whenever avian influenza viruses are present in wild birds and mammals, the possibility of transmission to humans cannot be excluded, particularly for those who are directly exposed while not wearing protective equipment.
During the winter months when seasonal influenza viruses are circulating in the population, testing and sub-typing approaches for avian influenza virus need to be proportionate to the epidemiological situation and the capacities of reference laboratories. Therefore, a risk-based targeted approach is proposed in areas with ongoing avian influenza outbreaks in poultry and detections in wild birds and other animals, focussing on outbreaks and severe respiratory or unexplained neurological disease.
Great article, definitely recommend. Excerpt:
A staggering number of variables influence the risks: bird behavior, the nature of the pathogens, the insects and other vectors that help spread them, and humans’ own habits and effects on the landscape. And as the world warms there’s a new variable to consider, says Martin Beer, a veterinarian at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) who is Günther’s Ph.D. supervisor. “Bird migration, breeding, and everything is connected to climate change.”
As birds migrate to feed or breed, rising temperatures and changing moisture patterns are likely to affect where they go, how long they stay, and what pathogens they meet. The VEO group is on particularly high alert for birds that travel through Europe to the Arctic, which is warming faster than any other part of Earth and serves as a mixing pot for many species.
Tourists could be ordered to stay on board cruise ships for the first time to prevent cross contamination
![Experts fear mass wipe-out of penguins as Antarctica braces for bird flu](https://lemmy.sdf.org/pictrs/image/1ed17691-b7e4-4049-81bb-ea18e76ed435.png?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
This is awful. 😭💔
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Thousands of penguins could be wiped out across Antarctica as the continent braces for the arrival of bird flu, experts fear.
In an exclusive interview with the Telegraph, the head of polar regions for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office warned that the infection, which has killed millions of birds across the globe over the past year, will have deadly consequences once it reaches the region.
“It could be absolutely devastating,” said Dr Jane Rumble, OBE. “We’re saying when, not if.”
Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Black Bears, Canada
![Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infections in 2 Free-Ranging Black Bears (<em>Ursus americanus</em>), Quebec, Canada](https://lemmy.sdf.org/pictrs/image/6c969385-3e37-4f0d-8b68-9043cf421293.png?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
Abstract
Wholly Eurasian highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus was isolated from 2 free-ranging black bears with meningoencephalitis in Quebec, Canada. We found that isolates from both animals had the D701N mutation in the polymerase basic 2 gene, previously known to promote adaptation of H5N1 viruses to mammal hosts
Three birds found dead in the Galapagos Islands have tested positive for avian influenza (H5N1), according to the Galapagos National Park Directorate.
![Galapagos National Park reports the deaths of three birds from avian flu - Galapagos Conservation Trust](https://lemmy.sdf.org/pictrs/image/8b97516d-fbad-4236-8099-5370ecc977a4.png?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
Three birds found dead in the Galapagos Islands have tested positive for avian influenza (H5N1), according to preliminary results released by the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) on Tuesday 19 September.
Some 1,800 day-old chicks have been vaccinated against bird flu as a first step in a two-year trial to test the effectiveness of two vaccines but experts say the process could be speeded up. Over seven million chickens, ducks and turkeys have been killed in the last two years as a result of the spre...
![Two-year trial of bird flu vaccines "too slow" say experts - DutchNews.nl](https://lemmy.sdf.org/pictrs/image/a36a8807-be58-419a-b27b-6cfbfa92da2e.png?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
Some 1,800 day-old chicks have been vaccinated against bird flu as a first step in a two-year trial to test the effectiveness of two vaccines but experts say the process could be speeded up.
Over seven million chickens, ducks and turkeys have been killed in the last two years as a result of the spread of the highly contagious bird flu virus, which experts fear has become endemic.
The strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, known as H5N1 has proved to be alarmingly adept at jumping continents and species. First discovered in 1996 in geese bred on a farm in southern China, the virus has rampaged through populations of captive, commercial birds in recent years, prompting govern...
![Analysis | Explainer: H5N1 Bird Flu in Mammals Sparks Fears of Virus Spreading Among Humans](https://lemdro.id/pictrs/image/d767e6e4-d5a1-4e13-8487-5681481273ae.jpeg?format=webp&thumbnail=256)
The strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, known as H5N1 has proved to be alarmingly adept at jumping continents and species. First discovered in 1996 in geese bred on a farm in southern China, the virus has rampaged through populations of captive, commercial birds in recent years, prompting governments to order the slaughter of tens of millions of turkeys, chickens and other poultry to limit the opportunity for contagion. One result: higher food prices. Carried by infected wild birds, particularly geese, swans and gulls, the virus has also been gaining a foothold in many types of mammals. That includes a small number of humans, where it has proven to be lethal. Now seemingly able to spread from mammal to mammal — as seen with mink on a Spanish farm and Peruvian sea lions — the ever-evolving virus has public-health officials on alert for any indications of the most feared outcome: human-to-human transmission that could trigger a pandemic.
Bruh. My inlaws are Jewish, and they love Trump and DeSantis. It happens.
A psychiatrist I've watched on YouTube has a video about how to tell the difference between bipolar and ADHD. She's pretty good at explaining stuff so maybe it'll help!
It's basically a mirror of his campaign.
That's the issue I have with blocking NSFW too. I don't want to see porn, but there is NSFW stuff I do want to see. You're forced to throw the blanket over everything, regardless of what it is.
Apollo. Everyone in my house did. Two have stopped using reddit entirely, I'm still checking on a couple of communities until their counterparts take off here. I'm using Dystopia there now because I'll never, ever download their shitty app.
You're the best! :)
I straight up was about to send this to my partner because we have bottles of root beer extract, but no real desire to make it right now (with yeast) and were talking about what to do with them. He'd probably be down for this!
Wow, this looks beautiful! Love the selection of icons, too. It already feels great and I can tell this is gonna be stellar. Just being able to pin communities is something I really missed from Apollo/reddit so it's rad that you've already got it in there! 🙌
Edit: Any chance we can get rotation when viewing images so we can view them in landscape? As an older lady my close vision is going and I often need to go landscape to see/read things better. :)
I'm old enough to have smoked on a plane. :|
(Was probably around 1986?)
I was born here in 1970, genius. 😂 Back when the Valley was 213 area code. Did you even know that it used to be 213 and wasn't always 818? JFC, some people. In & Out sucks, you spend more in gas waiting in their fucking lines than you save by eating their shitty ass fries and weak burgers. You're acting like I slapped your mother.
Overrated anyway. I was born and raised in L.A. and there are a million better burgers to be found. Oh, and their fries really just suck. :|
We have very elderly mothers, and sisters with cancer, so my family still masks. I smile at people all the time, they smile back, everyone goes away feeling good. I don't understand how some people get so worked up over masks. 🤦♀️
Covid is still around. It never went away, and it's still killing people every day.
Take it from an Angeleno, they're really overrated.
The hospital I get my care from here in Los Angeles still requires masks, and the security guard will make you put one on before you can enter the lobby. 👍
Yeah, it's a bad, bad time to be a wild bird right now, or anything that eats them. The list of mammals who've died from it is growing, and sea lions are getting wiped out by the thousands. I think only Australia and Antarctica are still virus-free (for now).
It doesn't keep me up at night, but I'm definitely watching!
It's necessary where I live too (inland Los Angeles) and we also keep our thermostat at 80 all summer. The summer power bills really hurt, but we have to.
"We laugh so we do not cry."