Avian Influenza News and Research

RSS

Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.

WHO and partners announce grants to boost pathogen genomic surveillance

The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners announced 10 projects that will receive almost US$ 2 million in grants to improve capacities in pathogen genomic surveillance.

26 Nov 2024

Advanced diagnostic kit developed for detecting highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus

The Diagnostics Development Hub (DxD Hub), a national platform hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, in collaboration with the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan, and the A*STAR Bioinformatics Institute (A*STAR BII), has successfully developed Steadfast, an advanced diagnostic kit for detecting the highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus (AIV).

22 Nov 2024

Research identifies respiratory transmission potential of H5N1 virus

A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus, isolated from the eye of a farm worker who became infected through contact with dairy cows, was lethal in mice and ferrets infected in a high-containment laboratory environment, according to a new study in Nature.

28 Oct 2024

Exclusive: Emails reveal how health departments struggle to track human cases of bird flu

Bird flu cases have more than doubled in the country within a few weeks, but researchers can't determine why the spike is happening because surveillance for human infections has been patchy for seven months.

25 Oct 2024

Pasteurization effectively reduces H5N1 virus in milk but further testing is essential

Research explores the resilience of the H5N1 influenza virus in milk under pasteurization conditions, showing effective viral inactivation at standard temperatures but highlighting the need for further real-world testing.

6 Oct 2024

H5N1 bird flu is mutating fast and jumping to mammals - could the next pandemic be here?

Researchers reveal how H5N1 viruses rapidly adapted to mammals through genetic reassortment and specific mutations, raising concerns over potential pandemic risks. Evidence from mink, marine mammals, and dairy cattle shows mammal-to-mammal transmission.

25 Sep 2024

Study reveals gaps in outbreak detection resources in Asia

A landmark study led by Duke-NUS Medical School revealed that despite the recent pandemic, outbreak detection efforts remain under-resourced in South and Southeast Asia, with only about half the countries reviewed having integrated pathogen genomic surveillance initiatives in their national plans.

24 Sep 2024

Review highlights failures in global control strategies for bird flu transmission

A review of sustained mammal-to-mammal bird flu transmission in diverse species, led by The Pirbright Institute, shows global control strategies are not working.

24 Sep 2024

Wastewater surveillance detects influenza and H5 viruses from human and animal sources

Wastewater surveillance reveals influenza A and H5 subtype detections, providing critical insights into public health risks from both human and animal sources during the ongoing HPAI A(H5N1) outbreak.

24 Sep 2024

Seabirds' food-stealing behavior may facilitate spread of deadly avian flu

The deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus, which has killed millions of birds worldwide since 2021 – and in rare cases can be transmitted to humans – may be spread through the food-stealing behaviour of some seabirds.

16 Sep 2024

Avian influenza detected in Texas wastewater samples

Avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, which spread to cattle and infected 14 people this year, was detected using virome sequencing in the wastewater of 10 Texas cities by researchers at UTHealth Houston and Baylor College of Medicine.

12 Sep 2024

WHO unveils global framework for investigating origins of novel pathogens

With the support of the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), the World Health Organization (WHO) has published a global framework to help Member States comprehensively investigate the origins of new and re-emerging pathogens.

4 Sep 2024

Study reveals how avian flu adapts to mammalian cells

In recent years, public health measures, surveillance, and vaccination have helped bring about significant progress in reducing the impact of seasonal flu epidemics, caused by human influenza viruses A and B.

19 Aug 2024

Study uncovers OLAH as key driver of fatal respiratory disease

Respiratory infections can be severe, even deadly, in some individuals, but not in others.

12 Aug 2024

H5N1 avian flu found in Texas dairy cattle and milk, sparking concerns about underreported infections

Researchers at UTMB found H5N1 avian influenza virus in Texas dairy cattle and milk, highlighting potential underreporting of infections among farm workers and the need for better surveillance.

4 Aug 2024

Study reveals new H5N1 variants evade human antibodies more effectively

In a new study led by UNC Charlotte researchers from the Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER) and the North Carolina Research Campus at Kannapolis, University scholars have found evidence that the latest variants of H5N1 influenza - commonly known as avian or bird flu - are better at evading antibodies, including those of humans, than previous iterations of the virus.

2 Aug 2024

Blowflies linked to bird flu spread in southern Japan

Researchers from Kyushu University have discovered that blowflies, a family of flies strongly attracted to decaying flesh and feces, are carrying the bird flu virus in southern Japan.

1 Aug 2024

Nasal COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in preventing virus spread

The lightning-fast development of COVID-19 vaccines just months after the virus appeared was a triumph of modern science and saved millions of lives.

31 Jul 2024

Health authorities warn about bird flu risks in raw milk and undercooked foods

With bird flu virus detected in cow's milk, U.S. health authorities have warned the public against potential sources of exposure, including drinking raw or unpasteurized milk, and have reiterated a general warning that consuming uncooked or undercooked poultry or beef products can make you sick.

29 Jul 2024

New project launched to accelerate development and accessibility of H5N1 mRNA vaccine candidates

A new project aiming to accelerate the development and accessibility of human avian influenza (H5N1) messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine candidates for manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries has been launched today.

29 Jul 2024

Avian Influenza News and Research

WHO and partners announce grants to boost pathogen genomic surveillance

Advanced diagnostic kit developed for detecting highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus

Research identifies respiratory transmission potential of H5N1 virus

Exclusive: Emails reveal how health departments struggle to track human cases of bird flu

Pasteurization effectively reduces H5N1 virus in milk but further testing is essential

H5N1 bird flu is mutating fast and jumping to mammals - could the next pandemic be here?

Study reveals gaps in outbreak detection resources in Asia

Review highlights failures in global control strategies for bird flu transmission

Wastewater surveillance detects influenza and H5 viruses from human and animal sources

Seabirds' food-stealing behavior may facilitate spread of deadly avian flu

Avian influenza detected in Texas wastewater samples

WHO unveils global framework for investigating origins of novel pathogens

Study reveals how avian flu adapts to mammalian cells

Study uncovers OLAH as key driver of fatal respiratory disease

H5N1 avian flu found in Texas dairy cattle and milk, sparking concerns about underreported infections

Study reveals new H5N1 variants evade human antibodies more effectively

Blowflies linked to bird flu spread in southern Japan

Nasal COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in preventing virus spread

Health authorities warn about bird flu risks in raw milk and undercooked foods

New project launched to accelerate development and accessibility of H5N1 mRNA vaccine candidates

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News