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First severe case of bird flu reported
Just days after the CDC reassured people that the risk of contracting bird flu remains low among humans, the agency reported the first case of severe illness caused by an infection in the United States.
Fox – 5 Atlanta
The CDC reportedly found potentially troublesome bird flu mutations in Louisiana patient.
This Louisiana case of bird flu marks the first instance of severe illness that’s linked to the virus within the U.S., said the CDC in a statement.
Avian bird flu update; Mutations found in Louisiana patient
Genetic sequences of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses have been identified in a Louisiana individual, according to the CDC
The CDC reported that the genomic sequences were compared to other virus sequences from dairy cows, wild birds, poultry, as well as previous human cases, and were identified as the D1.1 genotype of the virus.
The CDC says that the analysis identified low frequency mutations within the hemagglutinin gene of a sample sequenced from the Louisiana patient.
These mutations were not found in virus sequences taken from poultry samples that were collected from the patient’s property, which suggests that the changes emerged within the patient after infection.
U.S. News & World Report reported that this would mean that the mutations occurred after the virus adapted within its human host, rather than spreading in nature.
Because of this, experts are concerned about the broader implications due to the fact that each human bird flu case allows for the virus to adapt and mutate.
However, on a more positive note, the CDC says that there is no evidence that the virus has spread from the Louisiana patient to other individuals, and that the mutations alone are not likely to transmit from person to person.
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Sources 2/ https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2024/12/31/is-there-a-bird-flu-outbreak-in-louisiana-find-out-more-here-human-cases-bird-flu-virus-mutations/77352839007/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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