Bird Flu News and Research

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Researchers develop an improved way to test potential vaccines against bird flu

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Vaccine Research Center have developed an improved way to test potential vaccines against bird flu. The report was published this week in the journal iScience.

29 Sep 2023

Mutational changes in Avian flu virus could increase risk of transmission to humans

A new study from researchers in China and Nottingham has discovered that a subtype of avian flu virus, endemic in poultry farms in China, is undergoing mutational changes, which could increase the risk of the disease being passed on to humans.

5 Sep 2023

Ongoing bird flu outbreak makes Finnish authorities to cull 120,000 animals

Finnish authorities have said that due to the ongoing outbreak of Highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on 25 farms across the country they will now have to cull 120,000 animals.

25 Aug 2023

New sensor chip detects disease pathogens with 10x sensitivity

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists and collaborators at Iowa State University have developed a sensor chip that can detect many disease pathogens with 10 times the sensitivity of currently available methods.

26 Jun 2023

Genetic change supercharged spread and severity of epizootic H5N1 avian influenza virus

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists discovered how the current epizootic H5N1 avian influenza virus (bird flu) gained new genes and greater virulence as it spread west.

30 May 2023

Research reports spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) into marine mammals in the northeastern United States

A recent study published in the United States (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) journal Emerging Infectious Diseases reported the outbreak of the highly pathogenic hemagglutinin type 5 and neuraminidase type 1 (H5N1) avian influenza virus among New England gray and harbor seals in the United States (U.S.)

20 Mar 2023

New influenza virus strain concocted in animals could be the cause of next human pandemic

The next pandemic that cascades through the human population could be caused by a new influenza virus strain concocted in animals, against which humans will have little to no immunity.

13 Mar 2023

Senators have mental health crises, too

Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress reacted with compassion to the news that Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment of clinical depression.

23 Feb 2023

WHO reports a severe case of avian (bird) flu in Ecuador

In a recent article published in the Disease Outbreak News section of the World Health Organization (WHO) website, they reported severe infection from the current H5 clade of avian influenza A virus in a nine-year-old girl inhabiting a rural province of Bolívar in Ecuador.

20 Jan 2023

Avian influenza update: Bird keepers in England must house all poultry and captive birds until further notice

All poultry and captive birds must be housed in England until further notice, following an increase in the number of detections of avian influenza in wild birds and on commercial premises.

14 Dec 2022

Avian Influenza Prevention Zone declared across Great Britain to mitigate the risk of disease

Following an increase in the number of detections of avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds and on commercial premises, the Chief Veterinary Officers from England, Scotland and Wales have declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone across Great Britain to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading amongst poultry and captive birds.

17 Oct 2022

Detection of a novel bird flu virus with pandemic potential

A recent virological study published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal identified the novel influenza A virus (H3N8) in live poultry in Hong Kong, genetically similar to the zoonotic H3N8 viruses reported in mainland China with its origin akin to H5N1, H5N6, H10N8, and H7N9 viruses.

31 Aug 2022

Disrupting a virus’s genome packaging can halt replication, study finds

Like savvy international travelers, viruses know exactly how to pack. With the genetic instructions for the next generation folded just so, snuggled into a custom-made outer covering studded with cell-grabbing proteins, these tiny invaders quest for new digs on the reg.

30 Aug 2022

OU researchers receive nearly $1 million NSF grants for pandemic prediction and prevention projects

Two groups of researchers at the University of Oklahoma have each received nearly $1 million grants from the National Science Foundation as part of its Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention initiative, which focuses on fundamental research and capabilities needed to tackle grand challenges in infectious disease pandemics through prediction and prevention.

8 Aug 2022

CDC posts notice regarding multistate Salmonella outbreaks linked to contact with backyard poultry

A CDC investigation notice regarding multistate outbreaks of Salmonella infections has been posted: https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/backyardpoultry-06-22/index.html

19 Jun 2022

New insights on avian influenza spillover and global spread

When it comes to avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, all birds are not created equal.

19 May 2022

CDC reports U.S. case of human avian influenza A(H5) virus

A person has tested positive for avian influenza A(H5) virus (H5 bird flu) in the U.S., as reported by Colorado and confirmed by CDC.

3 May 2022

UK's fight against zoonotic diseases receives a £200 million boost

The UK's fight against zoonotic diseases, including avian flu and bovine tuberculosis received a major boost today (16 February) with the allocation of £200 million for a programme of investment into world leading research facilities.

15 Feb 2022

New prevention zone to protect poultry and captive birds from avian influenza

From 8pm on 21 November 2021, a new avian influenza prevention zone will be declared in parts of North Yorkshire in England, namely the districts of Harrogate, Hambleton and Richmondshire, which means that it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers in that area to keep their birds indoors and to follow strict biosecurity measures in order to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease.

21 Nov 2021

Zoonotic disease surveillance must be integrated into health security intelligence systems, experts say

The surveillance of zoonotic diseases must be integrated into health security intelligence systems, if future pandemics are to be handled effectively, according to global health practitioners writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

5 Aug 2021