TRACKING EMERGING VIRUSES – April 30, 2025 – BIRD FLU
“‘Top virologists urge world leaders to act on rising avian flu threat’”
By Mary Van Beusekom, MS
“In a commentary in The Lancet Regional Health–Americas, leading virologists from more than 40 countries are exhorting global leaders to address the increasing threat of H5N1 avian flu by boosting surveillance, enhancing biosecurity, and preparing for potential human-to-human viral transmission.”
“The researchers recommend:
Continuously monitoring animals, including testing milk, wastewater, and people working with infected animals, to track virus evolution that may lead to human-to human transmissibility.
Accelerating the sharing of genomic data among global research networks to track virus evolution and spread.
Using personal protective equipment and strict farm-cleaning protocols.
Advocating for self-administered diagnostic tests for farm workers and healthcare access for frontline medical workers.
Providing more funding for response mechanisms, especially in high-risk regions.
Investing in predicting traits of avian flu viruses from genetic data rather than from genomic sequences alone.
Developing and rapidly deploying vaccines for people and animals.
Conducting clinical studies on the properties of emerging virus strains and on potential therapies and vaccines.”
to read the full article go o
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/top-virologists-urge-world-leaders-act-rising-avian-flu-threat
“Experts issue terrifying warning to America: Prepare for pandemic NOW as new virus spreads to all 50 States”
By SADIE WHITELOCKS
“Although human-to-human transmission has not yet been observed, experts caution that mutations and reassortments — when two viruses simultaneously infect a host and exchange genetic material — could raise the risk of it occurring.
The Global Virus Network is now urging world governments to confront the threat of H5N1 avian influenza by strengthening surveillance efforts and enforcing stricter biosecurity protocols.
The organization also warns that countries must prepare for the possibility of human-to-human spread to avoid a chaotic chain of events reminiscent of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Peter Palese, who is a director at the GVN and world leader in influenza research, explains: ‘Initiatives should focus on enhancing biosecurity measures in agricultural settings and educating the public about safe handling of poultry products and potential risks associated with contact with infected animals.’”
to read the full article go to
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14657121/experts-issue-terrifying-warning-usa-pandemic-virus.html
“Bird flu isn’t as silent as we think — experts caution the pandemic threat is still growing”
By Carlyn Zwarenstein
If you ask computational biologist Martha Nelson, a staff scientist at the National Institutes of Health, it hasn’t been a quiet year for bird flu. Not at all.
“So I can tell you on the wildlife side, we’ve actually had a very active H5N1 year, and a lot of outbreaks in the U.S. in wildlife,” she told Salon in a video interview. “The virus is certainly not going away … you know, it’s certainly still evolving rapidly, picking up new genome segments from the low pathogenicity viruses that are endemic in the Americas that are not found in Eurasia, so opening all these new avenues for evolution.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to log confirmed reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry flocks, and a quick look at its tracker confirms that there is a hell of a lot of bird flu out there. It can be difficult keeping track of all the different short forms used to distinguish one genotype from another so scientists can keep track as the virus evolves. Even the researchers Salon spoke with had to double-check different names during our conversation, so there’s no shame in getting them confused. But these seemingly minor genetic differences can actually have a big impact on how the virus infects people and how severe the illness becomes.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/30/bird-flu-isnt-as-silent-as-we-think–experts-caution-the-is-still-growing/
“US CDC cancels science group workshop on preventing human bird flu infections”
By Leah Douglas
“The National Academy of Sciences has canceled a workshop on preventing human bird flu infections after being told to stop work on the event by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an email sent to one of the workshop presenters and seen by Reuters.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-cancels-science-group-workshop-preventing-human-bird-flu-infections-2025-04-29/
“Hidden transmission of avian influenza virus H5N1 found in Texas dairy cattle”
by Justin Jackson
“Scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Disease Center, with multiple academic, state and federal collaborators, identified the emergence and interstate spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) in dairy cattle.
Genetic analysis confirms that a reassortment event in wild birds preceded a single transmission to cattle, after which asymptomatic or presymptomatic cattle facilitated the virus’s spread across the United States. Viral genome sequencing revealed low-frequency mutations linked to transmission efficiency and mammalian adaptation, raising public health concerns about future zoonotic spillover.”
to read the full article go to
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-hidden-transmission-avian-influenza-virus.html
“Bird flu in cows shows no signs of adapting to humans — yet”
By Tina Hesman Saey
“H5N1 in cattle also presents another danger, Webby said. The more people who catch H5N1 bird flu after contact with infected cattle or milk, the higher the chance of the virus adapting to spread easily from person to person. To date, 70 people in the United States have been infected, with 41 cases linked to exposure to dairy herds. One person died after getting one of the variants found in cattle, though he caught it after contact with backyard chickens and wild birds.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/h5n1-bird-flu-cows-not-adapting-humans
curated by
Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-metsch-526290199/