avian flu

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Another Person Diagnosed With Bird Flu in US

This is the 4th or 5th case, depending how you're counting

(Newser) - Once again amid the current bird flu outbreak, a human case has been reported in the United States. This time it's a Colorado dairy farm worker who tested positive for avian influenza, Reuters reports. Three previous cases were also found in dairy farm workers, two of whom reported mild...

US Will Pay Moderna $176M to Develop a Bird Flu Vaccine

Funds will pay for continued development of same mRNA technology used in COVID vaccines

(Newser) - The US government will pay the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to develop a pandemic vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in people as cases in dairy cows continue to mount across the country, federal officials announced Tuesday. The funds are targeted for release through the US...

Man Dies of Bird Flu Strain Never Before Seen in a Human

Mexico man had no known exposure to poultry

(Newser) - A man's death in Mexico was caused by a strain of bird flu called H5N2 that has never before been found in a human, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The WHO said it wasn't clear how the man became infected, although H5N2 has been reported in poultry...

Another Person Diagnosed With Bird Flu

It's the 2nd US case tied to dairy cows

(Newser) - A Michigan dairy worker has been diagnosed with bird flu—the second human case associated with an outbreak in US dairy cows, the AP reports. The male worker had been in contact with cows at a farm with infected animals. He experienced mild eye symptoms and has recovered, US and...

Bird Flu Vaccines Could Be Available Within Weeks

Researchers say milk from infected cows killed more than half of farm's cats

(Newser) - If the bird flu outbreak affecting America's dairy herds starts spreading more easily to—or between—humans, large quantities of vaccines could be ready within weeks, federal health authorities said Wednesday. Officials said studies suggest two vaccines already in the national stockpile "offer good cross-protection against cattle outbreak...

Milk Tests Suggest Bird Flu Outbreak Has Spread Widely

FDA says 1 in 5 samples in nationwide study had traces of virus

(Newser) - Bird flu has been confirmed in 33 dairy herds in eight states, officials say, but the results of a nationwide Food and Drug Administration analysis suggest the virus is far more widespread. In an update Thursday, the agency said inactive fragments of the virus were found in one in five...

USDA Says Dairy Cows Can't Travel Without Flu Check

Requirement on crossing state lines comes after viral fragments found in milk

(Newser) - Dairy cows can no longer cross state lines without being tested for bird flu, federal authorities said Wednesday, the day after the FDA announced that inactive viral fragments had been found in pasteurized milk. The US Department of Agriculture said dairy cows need to test negative for influenza A viruses...

Bird Flu Hits the Country's Largest Egg Producer

Cal-Maine Foods says bird flu found in chickens at Texas plant; almost 2M birds are destroyed

(Newser) - The largest producer of fresh eggs in the US said Tuesday it had temporarily halted production at a Texas plant after bird flu was found in chickens, and officials said the virus had also been detected at a poultry facility in Michigan, the AP reports. Cal-Maine Foods, based in Ridgeland,...

Bird Flu Spreads to US Cattle, Goats
Bird Flu Spreads
to US Cattle, Goats
Mar 26, 2024 11:10 AM CDT

Bird Flu Spreads to US Cattle, Goats

Commercial milk supply is said to be safe, though, per officials

(Newser) - A week after officials in Minnesota said bird flu had been found for the first time in US livestock—specifically, goats living on a farm with infected poultry—the virus has been found to have spread to dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, per the AP . The highly pathogenic avian...

Chick-fil-A Dropping 'No Antibiotics Ever' Pledge

It will shift to 'No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine'

(Newser) - Chick-fil-A will drop its decade-long commitment to serving antibiotic-free chicken, the fast food company announced Monday. Starting this spring, the chicken chain's "No Antibiotics Ever" pledge, launched in 2014, will shift to a "No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine" (NAIHM) pledge, the firm said in its statement...

Bird Flu Continues to Wreak Havoc, Killing Seals Worldwide

Tens of thousands of seals, sea lions have died, and scientists aren't sure how to slow the spread

(Newser) - Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, disrupting ecosystems and flummoxing scientists who don't see a clear way to slow the devastating virus . The worldwide bird flu outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths of...

'Hundreds' of Dead Seals Block Antarctic Explorer's Grave

Virus has taken a heavy toll on South Georgia's wildlife

(Newser) - Passengers who'd hoped to walk with penguins on a cruise around the Antarctic Peninsula and the island of South Georgia weren't allowed to go ashore, but they witnessed distressing scenes of animals that had been killed by a bird flu outbreak in the region. Passenger Astrid Saunders tells...

In California's 'Egg Basket,' a Fast-Spreading 'Trauma'

Poultry farmers forced to kill million-plus birds to control outbreak of avian flu in Sonoma County

(Newser) - Last month, Mike Weber got the news every poultry farmer fears: His chickens tested positive for avian flu. Following government rules, Weber's company, Sunrise Farms, had to slaughter its entire flock of egg-laying hens—550,000 birds—to prevent the disease from infecting other farms in Sonoma County, north...

Hundreds of Animal Species Hit by 'Catastrophic' Flu Strain

Elephant seals, seabirds, and now a polar bear—could humans be hit hard next with H5N1?

(Newser) - "It is catastrophic ... the largest die-off for the species, period." That's how Martin Mendez, a marine biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, describes to the Washington Post the fate of hundreds of elephant seals last fall in Argentina, found dead along the shore of the Valdes Peninsula....

Nearly 1M Chickens to Be Killed Due to Bird Flu

Though in general, 2023 has not been as bad as 2022

(Newser) - Nearly 1 million chickens on a Minnesota egg farm will be slaughtered to help limit the spread of the highly contagious bird flu after it was confirmed there, officials said Monday. The US Department of Agriculture announced that the virus was found at a farm in Wright County, Minnesota, as...

France Vaccinating 64M Ducks for Very French Reason

It's a $100M effort taken in part of safeguard the country's foie gras

(Newser) - How beloved is foie gras in France? Enough that the country is planning to vaccinate 64 million ducks to protect the delicacy. The New York Times reports the effort kicked off Monday in a bid to safeguard the birds from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI. Reuters reports ducks are...

Woman Is First Known Human to Die From Bird Flu Strain

Chinese woman who died from H3N8 was exposed to live poultry at wet market

(Newser) - China has recorded the first known human death from a common strain of bird flu, though the World Health Organization says the risk of a wider outbreak appears to be low. The WHO says that according to information provided by Chinese authorities, the 56-year-old woman died from the H3N8 strain...

When It Comes to Bird Flu, 'It's a New War'

Virus emerges in record amounts, and in new places, meaning it may be here to stay

(Newser) - Will bird flu lead to the next pandemic? That's the question making the headline rounds of late, and the short answer is—it's possible, though the threat isn't currently high. What is the concern of the moment is that wild birds have spread avian influenza, which is...

'Take What You Get' on Turkeys This Thanksgiving

Inflation, supply chain issues, avian flu are pushing bird prices up, with no relief in sight

(Newser) - Just a few weeks ago, economists with the American Farm Bureau Federation warned that Americans should brace themselves for higher turkey prices this year heading into the holidays, blaming inflation and an outbreak of avian flu. Now, more recent numbers are in, and that dour outlook for the Thanksgiving dinner...

Mystery of Seal Strandings May Be Solved

Tests confirm dead seals in Maine had avian flu

(Newser) - The avian flu epidemic appears to have claimed its first known marine mammal victims in North America. The US Department of Agriculture has confirmed four Maine seals who died or had to be euthanized tested positive for the virus, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday. Officials tested the...

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