April 5, 2024 – What’s flawed with bird flu?
By now you've probably heard that bird flu has been detected in some dairy herds on the opposite side six states – The first time The virus has infected cattle. And with Texas health officials affirmative When a farmworker became infected with the virus this week — only the second known case of an individual being infected with the H5N1 virus within the U.S. — you could be wondering: Should I be nervous?
While the outbreak has raised concerns about possible risks to humans – a food expert warned about it Eating liquid eggs for now – the present risk to the general public is low, said Dr. William Schaffner, an authority on the Infectious Diseases Society of America and professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University.
Human-to-human transmission of bird flu is incredibly rare, he said.
“This virus still does not have the genetic ability to spread easily from person to person,” Schaffner said. “There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission here. This person's [Texas dairy farmer’s] All contacts were tested and found negative.”
And if you happen to're not around sick livestock or poultry, you shouldn't be too quick to associate illness with bird flu, Dr. Louise Ivers, a physician within the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“It's a very specific group of people who have worked closely with animals, and in any case, where possible, people should not work or come into contact with sick animals unprotected,” she said.
When an individual becomes in poor health with bird flu, they could start with common flu symptoms, comparable to: Cough or Fever. For some, the disease may worsen and cause symptoms comparable to: nauseaVomit, ApneaAnd Changes within the nervous system. However, the symptoms of bird flu can vary greatly. For example, the Texas dairy farmer who recently contracted the virus only had… Conjunctivitis (pink eye) and is currently under sun exposure and being treated with antiviral medications, in line with the CDC.
Cases of bird flu in humans have been rare, nevertheless it does occur sometimes and is more common in certain regions of the world comparable to Southeast Asia, Schaffner said. Human cases occur primarily where people live near infected chickens, amongst other things.
“People have such close contact with these animals that they get a large dose of virus that goes deep into their chest, and these are the rare people who get infected,” he said.
Health authorities are keeping a detailed eye on recent bird flu developments. This includes monitoring any changes within the virus that might impact poultry worldwide, which is a “very important source of infections”. protein for each underdeveloped and developed countries,” Schaffner noted.
But the incontrovertible fact that avian flu is circulating worldwide amongst wild birds, domestic poultry and now U.S. cattle is a cause for concern, particularly because the flu spreads Covid-19 pandemicsaid Ivers.
“Any time we spread a large amount of virus, there is a chance that errors in replication will occur, and errors in replication mean that it shifts and changes,” she said.
When it comes to exploit, Schaffner recommends ensuring the milk is pasteurized — like all milk sold in grocery stores — and never raw. pasteurization kills all germs contained in milk. Go non dairy is an alternative choice.
Read more about bird flu Here.