While details about the H5H1 outbreak in dairy cattle in the US have been really sparse, a new pre-print provides some important info. (A pre-print is a non-peer reviewed version of a paper that’s put on an open access server. This situation highlights the value…good labs get good data out to let people
Update: Dairy Cattle and H5N1 Flu (April 11)
This is less of a content update and more of a “here’s what I really want to know,” but it’s still an update, I guess. It’s a bit hard to say where we currently stand with this problem, at least in terms of the most important aspects. That’s not uncommon with emerging diseases, but we’re
Update: Dairy Cattle and H5N1 Flu (April 8)
There’s not a lot new to report since last week about the finding of H5N1 influenza in dairy herds in multiple US states (see map below). That’s often a good sign.
H5N1 Avian Flu in Cats: What Do We Know So Far?
As with any emerging disease, we have more questions than answers, but we can make some interim assessments based on general principles of infection control, and what we’ve learned over the past couple years about this particular H5N1 influenza A virus that’s been circulating in wild birds all over the world, and spilling over into
H5N1 Avian Flu in Cattle: What Farmers, Veterinarians, Governments and Consumers Can Do Now
There’s been a lot of concern about the recent identification of H5N1 avian flu in cattle in the US, along with a single human infection in a person working with infected cattle. Some of the concern is warranted, but some is overblown. We need to balance awareness versus paranoia, and try to better understand
H5N1 Avian Flu in a Cat on a Dairy Farm (Completely Unsurprising)
H5N1 avian influenza has been found in cats on a dairy farm in New Mexico where cattle were infected with the same virus. As part of the farm investigation, some (number not reported) sick (type of illness not reported) cats were tested, and three were positive. There’s no way to know for sure, but I’d
Human Case of H5N1 Likely Linked to Cattle
Following the recent report of H5N1 avian influenza in cattle in the US, the CDC has now reported H5N1 infection in a person from Texas who was exposed to infected dairy cattle. This is bound to get a lot of attention. To a large degree, it’s warranted, but it’s probably going to get
Avian Flu in Cattle: What to Be Concerned About and What Not to Freak Out About
Recent reports from federal and state agencies in the US of H5N1 avian flu in cattle in Texas, Kansas and now other states have gotten a lot of attention, and for good reason; but, as is typical, some of the media coverage has gone a bit over the top. This is certainly a noteworthy event
H5N1 Avian Flu on Fur Farms… When Will We Learn?
Photo credit: Jukka A. Lang
I would have hoped that the issues with SARS-CoV-2 in mink would have been (yet another) wake up call, but I guess not. Some changes have been made in some areas, but it’s status quo in most places. Given our pretty crappy baseline
Update: H5N1 Avian Flu in Cats in Poland (July 4), Possible Food Link?
The H5N1 avian flu outbreak in cats in Poland seems to be slowing down but the cause is still under investigation. While outbreaks often die out on their own (sometimes because of what we do, sometimes despite what we do), it’s still important to figure out what happened, to help understand the disease and ideally