Bird flu: First H5N1 deaths in the USA and pandemic risks

Bird flu: First H5N1 deaths in the USA and pandemic risks

With reports on the first human death of bird flu in the USA, some Americans feel reminded of the early days of Covid-19, as experts in infectious diseases talked about a new virus that brought people with respiratory diseases to the hospital. Although both viruses can cause breathing problems, they are very different.

difference between covid-19 and bird flu

COVID-19 quickly spread from person to person in the USA in 2020, while bird flu was mainly a problem for animals for years. Scientists now know H5N1 bird flu much better than the SARS-COV-2 virus, and the USA has long prepared for the threat of a new flu eruption.

What is bird flu?

The Aviaire influenza, also called bird flu, is a comprehensive term that refers to several types of influenza that usually infect birds. The bird flu that makes headlines in the USA is a virus called H5N1.

Some flu viruses transmitted by birds only cause mild infections and are classified as low -pathogenic viruses. In contrast, H5N1 often kills the birds that are infected, which is why it is classified as highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Although bird flu mainly affects birds, it can also spread to other animals and humans. Human infections with bird flu viruses are rare, and usually these are so-called dead end infections because they usually do not transmit themselves from person to person.

Is H5N1 a new virus?

Maybe you have only recently heard of H5N1, but it is not a new virus. Scientists have been following it for almost three decades. It was first identified in Gänen in the south of China in 1996.

over the years H5N1 sporadic outbreaks in wild and female birds worldwide. The virus recovered in North America at the end of 2021 and quickly caused the scientists' attention because it spread beyond birds and infected a growing variety of mammals.

In the current wave of infections it has been in at least 26 countries extended to more than 48 species.

could H5N1 trigger a new pandemic?

scientists agree that the virus develops or that important changes in its genetic sequence should be maintained in order to start a pandemic. Every time a virus is infected and copies, it makes mistakes. Many of these mistakes are harmless or even harmful to the virus, but occasionally there are genetic changes that help the virus better infect cells.

In addition, the virus can also change through recombination. When two viruses replace entire segments, one speaks of a sorting, which leads to fast and sometimes dramatic changes in the skills of a virus.

scientists warn that any kind of change could be problematic for humans. While the H5N1 virus is very capable of infect birds, it has so far been relatively awkward when dealing with people.

How do people infect bird flu?

infections in humans have almost always been created through contact with infected animals. These so-called spillover infections were usually mild, and so far none of the people infected in the USA are known to have passed on the virus to someone else.

How is the human-to-human transmission monitored?

The CDC and the health authorities of the states monitor farmers who have been positively tested and pursue everyone with whom they were in contact during their illness. This practice is referred to as contact tracking. So far, only two bird flu infections have been found in humans in this way.

The CDC estimates the current risk to the public as low.

How can I be tested if I think I have the bird flu?

If you get sick within 10 days of contact with sick or dead animals or their excretions, inform your health service provider about your exposure.

Although most samples of H5N1 were processed by the public health laboratory of the states, the CDC is working on expanding the test options. Large commercial laboratories such as Quest and Labcorp now offer tests that can prove H5 viruses.

Who is at risk of bird flu?

The two most endangered groups are dairy and poultry workers as well as people with their own birds in the garden. The virus focuses on the udders of dairy cows and studies have shown that high concentrations of the bird grip virus in Raw milk are present.

One of the most striking symptoms among infected farmers is red, irritated eyes. A Current study of the first 46 human cases in the USA showed that 93 % to conjunctivitis suffered.

can you be infected by milk or meat with bird flu?

milk and meat that were heated to kill germs are safe. Even before taking H5N1 into account, health authorities warned against drinking raw milk or not eating through the meat.

Studies by the US food surveillance authority show that common pasteurization methods neutralize the virus while cooling does not. Reports show that cooking of meat inactivates the virus to a safe temperature.