Without a sharp pivot in state and federal policies, the bird flu virus that has bedeviled American farms is likely to find a firm foothold among dairy cattle, scientists are warning.
And that means bird flu may soon pose a permanent threat to other animals and to people.
So far, this virus, H5N1, does not easily infect humans, and the risk to the public remains low.
But the longer the virus circulates in cattle, the more chances it gains to acquire the mutations necessary to set off an influenza pandemic.
“That’s how pandemics happen.” Half a year into the outbreak, H5N1 shows no signs of receding in U.S. dairy cattle or in the workers who tend them.
As of Wednesday, infections had been reported in 192 herds of cattle in 13 states, and in 13 people.
Nine were workers at poultry farms close to dairy farms in Colorado.
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Scientists are cautioning that unless state and federal policies are drastically changed, the bird flu virus that has plagued American farms is likely to establish a stronghold among dairy cattle.
It follows that humans and other animals may soon be permanently threatened by bird flu.
H5N1 does not readily infect people at this time, and there is still little risk to the general public. Nonetheless, the longer the virus persists in cattle, the greater the likelihood that it will acquire the mutations required to initiate a pandemic of influenza.
Up until April, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease specialist with the World Health Organization, stated, “I think the window is closing on our ability to contain the outbreak.”.
She continued, “We’re not doing any better right now, but we’re so quick to blame China for what happened with SARS-CoV-2.”. Pandemics occur in this manner. “.
H5N1 is still spreading in the United States six months after it first appeared. S. dairy cattle, or among those who provide care for them. Workers and poultry have contracted the virus in recent weeks.
As of Wednesday, 13 individuals and 192 herds of cattle across 13 states had been reported infected. Nine of them worked on Colorado dairy farms’ neighboring poultry farms.
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