Bird flu in cows — and now in milk. How worried should we be?

The detection of bird flu in cows and the commercial milk supply raises new concerns about the risks to public health.

 How Scared Should You Be of Bird Flu?

No one knows whether H5N1, if left unchecked, will become the deadly pandemic that public health experts like me worry it could... Nearly all the people known to have been infected by H5N1 have had contact with infected animals. As the virus spreads, it has shown that it’s capable of infecting more and more species of animals, which could increase the risk that humans will come in contact with it.

 Misinformation about bird flu is rife. Here's what experts say

The spread of the virus globally has fuelled online conspiracy theories and misinformation about the risks to food supplies and COVID-style lockdowns. Australian Associated Press FactCheck found dozens of outlandish claims on Facebook, TikTok and X about bird flu being deliberately injected into animals to destroy food supplies.

 Why Has Former CDC Director Robert Redfield Been Warning that the “Bird Flu” Will be Worse than COVID for the Past 3 Years?

Former CDC Director Robert Redfield is in the news again today promoting his favorite topic, the “deadly Bird Flu” fear porn. This is another summer re-run, as this is a story that has been launched to the public multiple times since it made its debut in theaters in 2006 under then President George W. Bush.

 You Don’t Have to Worry About Bird Flu, for Now. Here’s What to Know

The risk of getting H5N1 is currently very low unless you work on a farm, but there are several changes you should still make to stay healthy.

Explainer: what is H7N9 bird flu?

Influenza A strains are classified according to the occurrence of different numbered types of haemagglutinin (H), a protein responsible for binding the virus to cells, and neuraminidase (N), enzymes that help the virus spread. The H proteins are numbered 1 to 17, and the N proteins are numbered 1 to 11. However, this doesn’t correspond with severity.

The Looming Threat of Avian Flu

Last year’s outbreak showed just how difficult it is to protect America’s agricultural system from devastating diseases. Next time it could be even worse.

An Engineered Doomsday

Scientists have long worried that an influenza virus that has ravaged poultry and wild birds in Asia might evolve to pose a threat to humans.

Avian Flu Symptoms: How Can You Tell If You Have H5N1?

The diagnosis of H5N1 based on symptoms alone is difficult because they are so similar to other flu strains; laboratory testing is required to confirm infection, according to the the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) The bird flu is generally spread to people through direct contact with infected birds or poultry livestock.

Bird flu is back: here's what you need to know

Like humans, birds — from chickens to ducks and other wild poultry— get sick with the flu sometimes. When they do, bird flu virus can spread easily among them by way of respiratory secretions and feces, reaching epidemic proportions very quickly. The reason experts worry so much about bird flu, however, is because it's an easily transmissible respiratory virus and some strains have managed to infect humans — with deadly outcomes.

Bird Flu Is Spreading in Asia, Experts (Quietly) Warn

Many microbiologists consider influenza to be the virus most likely to start a pandemic that kills millions, as the 1918 Spanish flu did. But the flu is notoriously unpredictable. Public health experts have become wary about raising alarms over new strains because the grave predictions made in 2005 and 2009 turned out to be overblown.

Changes to Bird Flu Virus May Make Human Transmission More Likely

Flu viruses attach to receptors found on the cells of their intended victims. Bird flu viruses attach to one type of receptor. The cells found in the human upper respiratory tract — where a flu infection takes hold — are mostly lined with a different type of receptor, which explains why these viruses don’t easily infect people. The Scripps team, however, found that by tweaking the genetic code of H7N9’s hemagglutinin gene, they could change the receptors the virus latched on to, from the bird type to the human version.

China’s appetite for fresh chicken is making its bird flu epidemic worse

H7N9, or avian influenza A, is a virus that infects both human and birds and manifests with flu-like symptoms. Most of the cases of human infections were linked to recent exposure to live poultry or contaminated environments like livestock markets.

Proliferation of Bird Flu Outbreaks Raises Risk of Human Pandemic

While avian flu has been a prominent public health issue since the 1990s, ongoing outbreaks have never been so widely spread around the world - something infectious disease experts put down to greater resilience of strains currently circulating, rather than improved detection or reporting. While there would normally be around two or three bird flu strains recorded in birds at any one time, now there are at least half a dozen, including H5N1, H5N2, H5N8 and H7N8.

The New Bird Flu: How Dangerous Is Avian Flu H7N9?

The virulence of the H7N9 virus is not the only reason health officials around the world are scurrying to figure out the scope of the danger it poses. Genetic evaluation of the H7N9 virus shows it has the ability to mutate readily.

This Year’s Bird Flu Outbreak Killed a Record 281 People In China

This year's outbreak is more deadly than every other year combined.

What Happened to Avian Flu?

It never really went away. We just forgot about it.

Where Is Avian Flu Hiding?

The H5 flu strains may not be spreading because of conditions on the farms themselves. Instead, wild ducks and geese appear to be harboring the virus. The birds have been natural reservoirs for other H5 viruses without getting sick, making them likely couriers of the current strains gripping the nation.

Will the World's Most Worrying Flu Virus Go Pandemic?

Influenza viruses come in many flavors—H5N1, H1N1, H3N2, and so on. The H and N refer to two proteins on their surface, and the numbers refer to the versions of those proteins that a particular virus carries. H1N1 was responsible for both the catastrophic pandemic of 1918 that killed millions of people, and the most recent (and much milder) one from 2009. H5N1 is the bird-flu subtype that has been worrying scientists for almost two decades. But H7N9? Until recently, it had flown under the radar.

Bird flu is a huge problem now – but we’re just one mutation away from it getting much worse

Avian flu is known as one of the most infectious diseases: the R number, which was often discussed for the spread of Covid-19, can be as high as 100 for avian flu, meaning one bird can infect as many as 100 others. And the past few months have seen exponential spread of the virus, with Britain and Europe hit especially hard.

What is bird flu and are we at risk? WIRED debunks the myths

H7N9 and H5N8 strains of bird flu are making a resurgence - what does the virus mean for humans?

High Containment

Lab that created risky Avian Flu had “unacceptable” biosafety protocols.

One way to fight off bird flu: extra-CRISPRed chicken

You might not think you have much in common with the chicken on your plate, but we’re not so very different from our feathered friends. The biggest similarity that concerns epidemiologists is a shared susceptibility to the so-called avian flu (the strain H1N5). Although epidemiologists and governments around the world are trying to prepare for future pandemics of this disease, geneticists have a potential loop-hole: creating chickens that can’t get the flu at all. Although much recent coverage of CRISPR has been focused on gene-edited humans, figuring out how to alter the animals we eat is a burgeoning field.

A Dolphin, a Porpoise and Two Men Got Bird Flu. That’s a Warning to the Rest of Us.

If these four events — one dead dolphin, one dead porpoise and two men testing positive for a dangerous bird virus — seem disconnected and insignificant, perhaps it’s because you haven’t heard of “viral chatter.”

A Major Avian Influenza Outbreak Could Kill 62 Million People

Birds and pigs have caused fast-moving pandemics before. Take a look at the last century: A strain of the influenza virus containing both avian and swine genes caused the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed up to 50 million people worldwide. The 1957 Asian flu originated in birds, wiping out up to four million people. In 1968, a similar strain killed about one million. And in 2009, the H1N1 swine flu infected 60 million people worldwide. These influenza viruses started off being transmitted in birds and pigs via the fecal-oral route.

An ounce of prevention: Now is the time to take action on H5N1 avian flu, because the stakes are enormous

Bird flu poses a massive threat, and the potential for a catastrophic new pandemic is imminent. We still have a chance to stop a possible humanitarian disaster, but only if we get to work urgently, carefully and aggressively. This will require a major collective shift in the way we approach infectious diseases management — one that embraces a “One Health” approach and prioritizes prevention of human infection before widespread infection happens, rather than responding rapidly once human cases become widespread.

As Bird Flu Looms, the Lessons of Past Pandemics Take On New Urgency

While much would still have to happen for this virus to ignite another human pandemic, these events provide another reason — as if one were needed — for governments and public health authorities to prepare for the next pandemic. As they do, they must be cautious about the lessons they might think Covid-19 left behind. We need to be prepared to fight the next war, not the last one.

Bird Flu Has Never Done This Before

Experts worry that H5N1 avian influenza is now endemic in North America.

Bird Flu Is Spreading. Here’s Everything You Should Know Right Now

Although the bird flu has had about a 50% death rate in humans who have gotten it in the last 30 years, “people getting infected right now aren't getting that sick,” Dr. Landon says. So far symptoms in people in the US have been mild. The first two people who caught it this year had eye problems, like tearing, redness, irritation, and discharge; the third person had a cough without a fever along with some eye pain and watery discharge.

Bird flu: What is it and what's behind the outbreak?

The H5N1 strain is deadly and can spread through entire flocks of domestic birds within a matter of days, through birds' droppings and saliva, or through contaminated feed and water.

Can Gene Editing Stop The Bird Flu? Here Is The Latest With Chickens

They probably won't be wearing capes and tights. But will creating new "superchickens" help prevent the next human influenza pandemic? If so, chicken science may have just crossed a road in moving towards genetically engineering chickens to be resistant to the bird flu.

Could bird flu cause a human pandemic?

Here’s what’s worrying experts right now about H5N1’s spread among dairy cows — and what isn’t.

Could the avian flu be our next pandemic threat?

The H5N1 bird flu, highly infectious and deadly in birds, has been around for nearly three decades, but recently, it has been changing in ways that raise alarms for many scientists and public health officials. In particular, the recent spread of the virus among dairy cows and the discovery of genetic traces of the virus in 1 in 5 milk samples have sparked concerns that the virus may become more transmissible to humans.

Former CDC director predicts bird flu pandemic

There is no evidence yet that the virus is spreading between humans. Redfield said he knows exactly what has to happen for the virus to get to that point because he’s done lab research on it. Scientists have found that five amino acids must change in the key receptor in order for bird flu to gain a propensity to bind to a human receptor “and then be able to go human to human” like COVID-19 did, Redfield said. “Once the virus gains the ability to attach to the human receptor and then go human to human, that’s when you’re going to have the pandemic,” he said. “And as I said, I think it’s just a matter of time.”

Global health leader critiques ‘ineptitude’ of U.S. response to bird flu outbreak among cows

Berkley’s critiques echo those of other scientists, which largely center on how poorly the virus is being tracked. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released limited information about the genomic sequences of flu samples taken from herds and where exactly infected herds have been identified. Efforts to expand testing of herds have run into logistical problems and resistance from farmers. Testing is voluntary except when cows are moved across state lines.

H5N1 bird flu: Questions patients may have and how to answer

People who are exposed should monitor themselves daily for signs and symptoms of new illness for up to 10 days after the last known exposure. The incubation period depends on the strain of the virus, the dose, the route of exposure and the species. Available data suggests that the estimated incubation period for human infection with A(H5N1) virus is generally three to five days, but has been reported to be as long as seven to 10 days.

How humans can and can’t catch bird flu

Scientists are on alert for changes in the H5N1 or bird flu virus that could signal it is adapting to spread among humans. The virus has caused serious, sometimes fatal, infections among people and has long been on the list of viruses with pandemic potential. Any expansion to a new mammal species is concerning.

Is Bird Flu Coming to People Next? Are We Ready?

Unlike the coronavirus, the H5N1 virus has been studied for years. Vaccines and treatments are available should they ever become necessary.

Limited testing of raw milk for bird flu leaves safety questions unanswered

But while federal authorities have advised people not to drink raw milk, it is still on sale and easily accessible in many places across the country.

New bird flu infections: Here’s what you need to know

New cases in cows and a dairy worker in Texas highlight the need for vigilance and better strategies to protect animals and people.

Thailand beat avian flu 20 years ago. What can we learn from their strategies?

Officials sprang into action to save Thailand’s poultry industry and prevent more spread to humans. Infected flocks – and nearby flocks as well – were culled (the government paid farmers for the loss). And then Thailand reinvented its poultry industry. The movement of live poultry — to market, for example — was severely restricted. Farm hygiene was dramatically improved. A nationwide surveillance system was launched, including a network of village health volunteers who reported sick birds. Perhaps the biggest and most lasting change, Auewarakul says, is that this outbreak abruptly accelerated the transition from backyard chicken farmers to large-scale industrialized poultry farms. He says this was a big cultural transition since chickens had been part of everyday life for many Thai families.

What happened to bird flu? How a major threat to human health faded from view

“It is good news, the fact that overall the H5N1 problems have reduced,” he said. “But you know, you can look at it the other way around. So now we have two high pathogenic [H5] viruses kicking around.”

Why Chinese Scientists Are More Worried Than Ever About Bird Flu

"Ten years ago, H7N9 was less lethal," says Guan. "Now it's become deadlier in chickens. Before it barely affected chickens. Now many are dying. Our research shows it can kill all the chickens in our lab within 24 hours. If this latest mutation isn't stopped, more will die." Guan says this is very bad news for a global poultry industry that's worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and he says China's government is already looking into vaccinating chickens.

Why is bird flu so bad right now?

The virus is running amok around the world. Possible explanations include an enhanced ability to replicate or infect more bird species.

Yes, bird flu is a threat. It’s time to take it seriously

Yet what’s unusual about this virus is that it’s also been spreading rapidly among wild birds and even mammals, such as mink and sea lions, often causing severe infection or death. This raises a red flag among health officials.

‘The issue is when to pull the trigger’: how prepared are we for human bird flu?

The H5N1 virus has been devastating bird populations, and is now infecting mammals too. Is human-to-human transmission next? And are we ready for another pandemic?