The threat of H5N1 bird flu spreading to humans could spark another global pandemic, warned the Global Virus Network in a recent study calling for proactive measures to prevent widespread outbreaks.
The viruses that cause seasonal flu and bird flu are distinct but still closely related. Understanding their similarities and differences can help people protect themselves and their loved ones.
Mexico on Tuesday logged its first human death from H5N1 avian influenza, a three-year-old girl in the northern state of Coahuila, according to the state's health minister.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is suspending efforts to improve its bird flu testing of milk, cheese and pet food due to massive staff cuts at the agency, according to an email seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the situation.
The reporting of avian influenza in the United States could become more difficult as a good many staff who were following the outbreak were fired by the Trump administration, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
France said on Wednesday its poultry flocks will be allowed outdoors again after a lull in bird flu infections that the government attributed to a vaccination program.
Bird flu has been detected in a sheep in northern England, the first known case of its kind in the world, Britain's government said, adding to the growing list of mammals infected by the disease and fuelling fears of a pandemic.
The United States reported the first outbreak of the deadly H7N9 bird flu on a poultry farm since 2017, as the country continues to grapple with another bird flu strain that has infected humans and caused egg prices to hit record highs.