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Alarming spread of H5N1 bird flu in US dairy cattle reveals cross-species transmission dangers

Researchers discovered that the H5N1 avian influenza virus has spilled over into dairy cattle in the US, posing significant cross-species transmission risks. Their multidisciplinary study reveals the virus's evolution and its zoonotic potential, emphasizing the need for heightened biosecurity measures.

25 Jul 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': At GOP convention, health policy is mostly MIA

The Republican National Convention highlighted a number of policy issues this week, but health care was not among them.

18 Jul 2024

5 cases of bird flu reported in Colorado poultry workers, doubling this year’s US tally

Five people who work at a poultry farm in northeastern Colorado have tested positive for the bird flu, the Colorado public health department reported July 14. This brings the known number of U.S. cases to nine.

15 Jul 2024

Finland is offering farmworkers bird flu shots. Some experts say the US should, too.

As bird flu spreads among dairy cattle in the U.S., veterinarians and researchers have taken note of Finland's move to vaccinate farmworkers at risk of infection. They wonder why their government doesn't do the same.

11 Jul 2024

Bovine H5N1 flu virus in cow milk poses significant health risks, study shows

Study characterizes the pathogenicity and transmission dynamics of the H5N1 influenza virus in bovine milk, highlighting significant public health risks and potential mammalian transmission.

10 Jul 2024

FDA commercial pasteurization process kills H5N1 bird flu virus in milk

A study by FDA and USDA confirms that commercial milk pasteurization effectively inactivates the Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza virus in cattle milk. This ensures the safety of the U.S. milk supply against this virus.

2 Jul 2024

Bird flu virus detected in Alaskan polar bear

Researchers reported a natural infection of a highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus in a free-ranging juvenile polar bear in Alaska, highlighting the importance of wildlife health surveillance in detecting emerging pathogens.

2 Jul 2024

Study shows how milking equipment spreads bird flu risk

Bird flu, or H5N1 virus, in unpasteurized milk is stable on metal and rubber components of commercial milking equipment for at least one hour, increasing its potential to infect people and other animals, report researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Emory University in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

28 Jun 2024

‘We’re flying blind’: CDC has 1M bird flu tests ready, but experts see repeat of covid missteps

It's been nearly three months since the U.S. government announced an outbreak of the bird flu virus on dairy farms.

20 Jun 2024

TOMI Environmental Solutions supports partners and customers to combat global avian influenza (H5N1) bird flu outbreak

TOMI Environmental Solutions, Inc.® (“TOMI”), a global company specializing in disinfection and decontamination utilizing its premier Binary Ionization Technology (BIT) platform through its SteraMist brand of products, today announced that the Company is working closely with customers and partners to support efforts to combat a current outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) that is causing widespread disruption globally.

19 Jun 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': SCOTUS rejects abortion pill challenge — for now

A unanimous Supreme Court turned back a challenge to the FDA's approval and rules for the abortion pill mifepristone, finding that the anti-abortion doctor group that sued lacked standing to do so.

13 Jun 2024

Bird flu tests are hard to get. So how will we know when to sound the pandemic alarm?

Stanford University infectious disease doctor Abraar Karan has seen a lot of patients with runny noses, fevers, and irritated eyes lately.

11 Jun 2024

The chicken and egg problem of fighting another flu pandemic

Even a peep of news about a new flu pandemic is enough to set scientists clucking about eggs.

31 May 2024

Inexpensive “duckbill” N95 becomes the champion in COVID-19 mask effectiveness

In a head-to-head comparison of masks worn by people with active COVID-19, the inexpensive "duckbill" N95 came out on top, stopping 98% of COVID-19 particles in the breath of infected people from escaping into the air.

30 May 2024

Vaccination remains crucial for preventing avian influenza spread, says study

Vaccination remains the most effective strategy for avian influenza prevention and control in humans, despite varying vaccine efficacy across strains.

29 May 2024

Farmworkers face high-risk exposures to bird flu, but testing isn’t reaching them

Farmworkers face some of the most intense exposures to the bird flu virus, but advocates say many of them would lack resources to fall back on if they became ill.

29 May 2024

Clues from bird flu’s ground zero on dairy farms in the Texas Panhandle

In early February, dairy farmers in the Texas Panhandle began to notice sick cattle. The buzz soon reached Darren Turley, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen: "They said there is something moving from herd to herd."

23 May 2024

Health experts call for tighter biosecurity measures to monitor avian influenza

Health experts are calling for tighter biosecurity measures in global poultry production, from farms to markets, to monitor bird flu (avian influenza) following its spread among 888 cases of human infection with the avian influenza virus, also known as H5N1, have been reported from 23 countries, of which 463 were fatal, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

21 May 2024

Watch: Medical residents are increasingly avoiding abortion ban states

On KFF Health News' "What the Health?," chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner sat down with Atul Grover of the Association of American Medical Colleges to talk about its recent analysis showing that graduating medical students are avoiding training in states with abortion bans and major restrictions.