Bird flu could be mutated to become highly contagious to humans, scientists have warned, as the US reported its first case that left a woman in hospital.
So far 65 confirmed cases of H5N1 have been reported in 2024, following an outbreak that has spread to poultry and cattle farms in the United States.
A young man in British Columbia, CanadaHe is also said to be seriously ill and is being treated at the hospital.
Experts believe that this number could be much higher due to unknown incidents among dairy and poultry workers.
Recently, a woman from Louisiana had severe respiratory problems and was ‘in dire straits’ after encountering sick and dead birds, Telegraph reports.
He is believed to be over 65 years old and in good health, officials said earlier this month.
An analysis published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found on his website that the small virus found in the patient’s throat had a genetic mutation that could cause ‘increased viral binding’ to ‘cell receptors found in the upper respiratory tract of humans.’
These mutations have not been found in birds, including the backyard chickens that are thought to have infected the Louisiana patient in the first place.
Bird flu could evolve to become common in humans, scientists have warned. Image: Cuts have begun at infected sites in the UK
So far 65 confirmed cases of H5N1 have been reported in 2024, following outbreaks in poultry and cattle farms in the United States.
The UK has also confirmed the spread of the virus, with 14 sites affected since November
The CDC said the changes ‘likely resulted from overgrowth of the virus in a chronically ill patient,’ and added that no one has known that the virus has spread to other people.
Although the findings are ‘concerning’, the risk to the general population remains the same and is low.
This change ‘is one step needed to create a virus that can cause infectious diseases,’ said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. ‘But I want to say that it’s not just a step.’
Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Minnesota, warned that bird flu could eventually become a major pandemic similar to the coronavirus.
“There will be more flu epidemics and it could be worse than what we saw with Covid,” he told the Associated Press. ‘We know that the time of the plague is passing. We don’t know what time it is.’
Bird flu is now common in several states in the US.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on December 18, after the virus was found in at least 875 dairy cows in 16 states.
This problem has also been found in the UK.
Culling of infected birds has begun in Britain, as experts try to stop the spread of the virus
Turkey farms were affected by the bird outbreak flu already Christmas.
Avian influenza it is said to be available in 14 locations in Britain from November.
As a result, thousands of Turks have been evacuated to fight the epidemic, The Telegraph they understand.
Eight of the infected farms are in Norfolk, including five turkey farms, one duck farm, one chicken farm and a non-commercial farm that houses emus and aviary birds.
It is believed that the infected birds were euthanized and the owners were compensated.
