Combined infection with bird flu and human flu could lead to mutations of new viruses that could have dangerous public health consequences, agencies have warned.
This is following the news that mutations of bird flu have occurred within a Louisiana patient and a teenager from Canada who both suffered with severe symptoms, potentially raising the risk of serious human infection among others.
PARIS, Dec 31 (Reuters) - France has confirmed bird flu outbreaks on two poultry farms, just days after being officially declared free of the virus, the agriculture ministry said.
The CDC told Newsweek Monday that while bird flu's current risk to the general public remains low, the agency is carefully monitoring for several red flags that could indicate that the virus could be on the verge of becoming a pandemic.
Those red flags include any outbreaks of bird flu that are spread from person-to-person, as well as evidence that the virus has mutated, making it easier for it to spread between humans.
The agency said bird flu "is considered to be low risk to human health," but the people who came in contact with the infected birds and their surroundings are being monitored by the Vermont Department of Health. There have not been any human cases reported in Vermont or New England from this current outbreak of bird flu in the United States.
...“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” said Ryan Scholz, ODA state veterinarian, in a statement.
In a statement released on Monday, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said the human case of H5 bird flu was detected in an adult who was exposed to livestock infected with the virus at a worksite.
