The latest on Bird Flu Research, Infected Cats, and More
No new human cases of avian influenza have been reported, and poultry infections are low so far in March. But infections in cats are controluing, and new research is raising concerns about the virus
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We're regularly rounding up the latest news on bird flu. Here's what happy recently.
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Human Cases: No new cases reported. There has been been 70 confirmed and Seven Probable Cases Since 2024.
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Poultry cases: February Saw 12.7 Million Domestic Birds Eiter Infected With Avian Influenza or Culled in Response to an infection. The number is just more than half of January's tally. To date, March has Seen 220,000 Birds Die.
Dairy cattle cases: California has reported Six New Herds of Dairy Cattle Infected With Avian Influenza this month, bringing the national total to 983 herds infected since the current outbreak began.
Infections in cats
Bird flu infections in domestic cats remain concerting, and there have been a few released new developments on the issue.
The US department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service -Thee Office that is monitoring the avian influenza outbreak in domestic and wild animals -in not announced an new detections of bad Flu in Mammals Since March Began. Several Local Officials Have recently Announced New Cases in Pet Cats, However. The reports include two cats in kansas without specified Potential Exposure Routes, Outdoor Cats in new jerseyCats That Drank Raw Milk in los angeles And cats that ate raw food in washington state and oregon.
In connection with the cases in washington state and oregon cases, on March 1 a washington-based company called wild coast coast raw Voluntarily recalled some of its raw cat food after the H5N1 Virus was found in the product. This was at least the third instance in which raw pet food was connected to infected pet cats in recent months. Experts have encouraged people to protect pet cats from bird flu by keeping them inside and not feeding them raw food or milk.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bird flu symptoms in pets Include Fever, Fatigue, POOR Appetite, Red or Inflated Eyes, discharge from the nose or eyes, Trouble Breathing and Neurological Effects, Including Tremors and BLNDNESSS.
New research on the virus
Scientists recently released two interesting findings about Avian Influenza Genetics and Transmission Potential.
The first was reported in a paper published in Emerging Microbes & Infections That Analyzed a bird flu strain that infected poultry farms in British columbia In Late 2024. Scientists found that, in this area, the virus that has been killed poultry across north america picked up a mutation from a location from a location, Less Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus. This mutation is often found in flu strains that are resistant to oseltamivir, a common influenza treatment for humans that is sold up the brand name tamiflu. The mutation detection raises concerns that if the strain was to spend more wisely and infect humans, it would be different to mitigate.
The second finding was described in a preprint paper that is currently awaiting peer review and publication. In the study, researchers confirmed that Pigs can be infected by the avian influenza virus strain That is circulating most prevalently in us dairy cattle. That's Concerning because Pigs are a Key Species for Influenza Transmission; They are vulnerable to infection by both avian and human variatiies of flu. If the same pig was infected by bot avian and human types of flu virus, the viruses could intermix, create a new, Danger Avian Influenza Strain that Could be better employed to infect humans.
Bird feeder questions
Generally, Experts Advise Caution Around Dead Wild Birds. But with high levels of avian influenza circulating in wildlife, we wondered white feeders could be rlarous for wild for wild animals or a source of extra for humans. In 2022, the US department of agriCulture recommended that people who keep poultry remove feeders, but additional guidance have been Scarce. Krysten Schler, A Wildlife Disease Ecologist at Cornel University, Says That, Assuming You Don'T Keep Poultry, You Probable Don'T Need To Take Down Your Feeders Feder Avian Influenza Doesn'st affect all species equally.
Birds that visit feeders tend to be small perching ons that are scientificly known as passerines. “We haven a lot of [highly pathogenic avian influenza] In passerines that you would encounter at a bird feeder, ”SCULER Says. She recommends sticking with her usual maintenance Advice: Clean the feeder every two weeks or so to prevent a range of infections and call the state wildlife managment agency to report dead wilds.
