Will bird flu be the next pandemic?

[southernhybrid]

https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/spotlights/h5n1-response-12232024.html

The above link goes into a lot of detail about the virus and about the patient with the severe case.

The remainder of the genetic sequences of A/Louisiana/12/2024 were closely related to sequences detected in wild bird and poultry D1.1 genotype viruses, including poultry identified on the property of the patient, providing further evidence that the human case was most likely infected following exposure to birds infected with D1.1 genotype virus.

Follow Up Actions

Overall, CDC considers the risk to the general public associated with the ongoing U.S. HPAI A(H5N1) outbreak has not changed and remains low. The detection of a severe human case with genetic changes in a clinical specimen underscores the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance in people and animals, containment of avian influenza A(H5) outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry, and prevention measures among people with exposure to infected animals or environments.

So, the CDC still considers the risk to the public to be low, but it does appear as if the virus is mutating in humans who have been infected. Something to watch for sure.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Again, I can't share the article so I will quote from one that was just published today in ScientificAmerican.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/...irus-mutations-found-in-severely-ill-patient/

Viral samples from a patient in Louisiana who was hospitalized with severe H5N1 avian influenza show genetic mutations that could make the pathogen spread more easily among humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in a statement issued on Thursday.

The mutations were found in samples taken from the patient—but not in those from the backyard poultry that were believed to be the source of the infection. This suggests the changes occurred within the patient. While this development has not changed the CDC’s official assessment of risk to the general public, it does indicate that the H5N1 virus is capable of adapting to human airways.

That's getting scary.

There's always nasty influenza about, what counts is how well it spreads.