Short Wave The Latest On Bird Flu
37 snips
Jan 28, 2025 
Will Stone, a health correspondent, sheds light on the alarming rise of bird flu in the U.S. He discusses California's state of emergency and the increase in human cases, mostly mild for now. Concerns about the virus evolving into a more dangerous strain are significant, as experts fear potential pandemic risks. Stone also touches on global outbreaks, the unusual spread among mammals, and the government's cautious approach towards vaccine development using mRNA technology. He emphasizes the importance of public awareness while reassuring about the current low risk to health.
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Bird Flu Timeline
- The current H5N1 bird flu strain emerged in 2020 and is highly lethal to poultry.
- It spread to North America in 2021 through wild birds and later to poultry farms, then to mammals.
Current State of Bird Flu
- The virus is widespread, infecting dairy herds (mostly in California) and poultry flocks nationwide.
- About 65 human cases have been reported in the U.S., some severe, but most are mild.
Severe Cases and Genotype
- Two severe human cases, one in Canada and one in Louisiana, were not linked to the cattle virus strain.
- These cases stemmed from a different genotype within the same 2.3 family found in birds and poultry.