The new sprout of aviar flu continues to monopolize headlines in the United States, and the more lasts, the greater danger it is for humans of the entire planet. The H5N1, the flu strain that currently circulates in the country, mainly harms birds, but has infected more than 200 mammals since 2022, including dozens of domestic cats and hundreds of livestock herds. The virus has also contributed to the death of dozens of millions of chickens, causing egg shortages, shooting prices and closing the poultry markets of at least one state.
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The appearance of another aviar flu virus, H5N9, In a California duck farm, the spread of a new variant of H5N1 in cattle and the possibility that a cat infects its owner are increasing concern about the possibility of developing a more dangerous and infectious version of the virus . As the number of cases in humans increases, some fear that we can end another pandemic.
“The more circulates and the more human cases occur, the greater the risk of a virus capable of transmitting effectively from person to person,” Angela Rasmussen, virologist at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) states. “That is what we really have to avoid so that another pandemic does not occur.”
The version of the virus that began to infect people in the US. Last year seems to be significantly less lethal than the version detected in previous humans during the present century. Of the more than 900 human cases of H5N1 (most in Asia) which were registered between 2003 and 2023, more than half were mortal. In the current outbreak of the USA, only one of the 68 confirmed cases ended in death. “For the most part, human cases in the United States have been mild”says Peter Halfmann, virologist at the Flu Research Institute of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The cases can be milder for several reasons: the virus could have become less virulent over the years, immunity to annual flu strains could have provided a certain level of protection, and Most cases of the disease in humans have occurred through interactions with infected cattlewhere the virus is not so serious or so mortal.
The form of the H5N1 virus that infects cattle is a variant called B3.13, while a variant called D1.1 is the one behind the outbreaks in wild birds and in poultry farms and the only human death in the country. This more dangerous variant in birds could also explain why domestic cats are especially getting sick Infected, since they are more likely to interact and attack infected birds that fly to courtyards.
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The most serious variants could still be a higher risk for humans, since the US Department of Agriculture. A worker in the dairy sector has already tested for this variant, and more serious cases could be produced if it spreads widely among the cattle. “There is still no transmission tests between humans”says Rasmussen.
It is also encouraging to know that none of the human cases in the US has been conclusive related to food, so the risk of contaminated foods arriving at the table is still low. The USDA analyzes all the beef that enters the market to make sure it is not contaminated. In December, the agency also began to analyze bulk milk.
Cooking meat at recommended temperatures also kills the H5N1 and makes it safe for consumption. Pasteurization does the same with milk and eggs. “I am not worried about pasteurized milk or flesh and cooked eggs correctly, since this virus is not very resistant and pasteurization and cooking should kill it easily,” says Scott Weese, patobiologist and veterinarian of the University of Guelph (Canada).
Although the USDA tests have discovered traces of the virus by up to 25-30% of the United States milk supply, multiple security tests of the Food and EE drug administration. UU. They have shown that the virus is not viable in Pasteurized milk and, therefore, will not cause damage, says Sema Lakdawala, molecular virologist at the Emory University of Atlanta.
However, non -pasteurized milk can represent a risk. “There have been reports of an H5N1 infection in a child in California associated with the consumption of raw milk, although it has not been diagnosed,” says Benjamin Anderson, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida. “Taking into account what we know about how raw milk can contain very high concentrations of virus, contaminated milk is likely to cause possible human infection.”
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Eggs
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The virus has also affected the food supply due to the high number of infected animals. More than 900 livestock herds have been affected, about 150 million farm birds and contaminated aquatic and more than 20 million speakers sacrificed, in addition to another 13.2 million chickens sacrificed in an effort to contain the disease.
Meghan Davis, veterinarian of the Johns Hopkins University, explains that once the infected herds, the producer is sacrificed “You have to focus on cleaning and undergo an inspection of Biosafety of the USDA before being able to resume, a process that can take several more months.” Lakdawala points out that “an infected chicken will not put eggs”, which contributes to scarcity and price increase.
Infected cattle also experience production problems. “Most infected dairy cows do not produce milk and even temporarily lose the ability to recover after the disease”says Halfmann. Richard Webby, virologist at Jude Children’s Research Hospital, indicates that “The cows will be protected from some of the worst consequences after their initial infection, but not necessarily to become infected again.”
The centers for the control and prevention of diseases of the USA. “We are still in a situation in which the circulating virus is not very infectious for humans,” Webby says, “But a single mutation could change that quickly and people must be educated and conscious.”
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