The emergence of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in North America has resulted in at least 68 human infections, with fatalities. Variants of this virus, notably the B3.13 strain affecting cows, can cause significant disease severity. The recent transmission to mammals indicates an expanding threat of a human pandemic. Concerns have grown, especially with the US withdrawing from the World Health Organization, as researchers scramble to understand the dynamics of this virus's spread from animals, particularly cows, to humans.
Although many of the infections have been mild, emerging data indicate that variants of the avian influenza virus H5N1 spreading in North America can cause severe disease and death.
The risk has increased as we've gone on - especially in the last couple of months, with the report of [some] severe infections.
This has sounded alarm bells among researchers worried about bird flu.
B3.13 has spread rapidly in cattle across the United States, infecting more than 900 herds across 16 states.
Collection
[
|
...
]