A person in Louisiana is hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu after having contact with sick and dying birds suspected of carrying the virus, state health officials announced Friday.
It is the first human H5N1 case detected in Louisiana.
Health officials say that the risk to the public is low but caution people to stay away from any sick or dead birds.
Human cases At least 60 people in the US have been infected amid the viral spread this year.
It was the first H5N1 human case reported in Canada.
According to state health officials on Friday, a person in Louisiana was admitted to the hospital with H5N1 bird flu after coming into contact with sick and dead birds that may have been infected.
In Louisiana, it is the first human H5N1 case to be identified. Up until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm the results of the testing, the case is currently regarded as a “presumptive” positive. Although they say there is little risk to the public, health officials advise people to avoid any sick or dead birds. Ars was informed by a Louisiana health department spokesperson that the hospitalized patient had interacted with both wild and backyard birds.
Despite being hospitalized, the patient’s condition was not disclosed. The spokesperson stated that because of patient confidentiality and an ongoing public health investigation, the department would not comment on the patient’s condition.
Amid the domestic and worldwide outbreak of H5N1, this case is just the most recent. Since early 2022, the virus has been wreaking havoc on commercial, backyard, and wild birds in the United States, and it has spread to a surprisingly diverse array of mammals. Officials discovered an unusual jump to dairy cows in March of this year, which subsequently led to a nationwide outbreak. The largest producer of dairy products in the nation, California, is currently experiencing a virus outbreak.
Since March, the virus has spread to at least 845 herds in 16 states, including 630 in California, which saw its first dairy infections in late August.
cases involving humans.
The viral outbreak this year has infected at least 60 people in the United States. However, the most recent case in Louisiana is noteworthy. Like the recent case in Louisiana, almost all of the human cases to date have been mild, and almost all have involved dairy and poultry workers. Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, and/or mild flu-like and respiratory symptoms have been present in the majority of the cases.
A case involved a hospitalized patient in Missouri. That individual did, however, have preexisting medical issues, and it’s not clear whether H5N1 was the reason for their hospitalization or just a coincidental discovery. How the individual got infected with the virus is still unknown. There was no animal or other exposure that could account for the infection, according to a thorough investigation.
In the United States, there has been no evidence of H5N1 spreading from person to person.
An otherwise healthy teenager in Canada was diagnosed with H5N1 last month and was admitted to the hospital in critical condition. It was Canada’s first documented human case of H5N1. Investigators were unable to determine how the teen got the virus, just like in the Missouri case. Since then, the investigation has been concluded because no new cases have been discovered. Due to patient privacy concerns and the closed investigation, public health officials have ceased to provide health updates on the case.
evolving danger.
Recent warnings from experts in infectious diseases suggest that H5N1 might only need to pick up a few mutations to pose a bigger threat to people. For instance, a study that was published in Science last week revealed that the H5N1 dairy strain could become more adept at attaching itself to human cells with just one mutation. More opportunities for the virus to develop these mutations and adapt to infect our respiratory tracts and spread from person to person arise as it spreads throughout our environment.
Reassortment is the process by which influenza viruses exchange genetic segments with one another. A nightmare scenario that experts have brought up as the US flu season gets underway is if H5N1 switches segments with the seasonal flu, producing a new, potentially fatal virus that could spread like a pandemic. Health officials have been concerned that as the outbreaks continue, dairy or poultry workers may become infected with both influenza viruses at the same time, which is necessary for this to occur.
Although this year’s human H5N1 cases have been largely mild, the virus has a history of more severe cases. Based on data gathered by the World Health Organization between 2003 and November 2024, the case fatality rate for H5N1 has been 49% worldwide. It’s unclear why the cases in the US have been so mild thus far.
December 13, 2024, 9:10 p.m.: A Louisiana health department spokesperson’s comments have been added to this post.
