2 mo. ago • 98%

US confirms first case of bird flu with no known animal exposure

www.bbc.com US confirms first case of bird flu with no known animal exposure

The patient from Missouri has recovered, but health officials are still investigating how they became infected.

US health officials have confirmed a human case of bird flu in a patient that had no immediately known animal exposure.

The patient, in the state of Missouri, was treated in hospital and has since recovered, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

It is the 14th human case of bird flu in the US in 2024 and the first without a known occupational exposure to infected animals, according to the CDC.

23 comments

Well shit. Here we go again.

48
- We've known since at least March that about 10 human cases of this new bird flu would allow the virus to mutate and adapt to humans. This is the 14th reported case in the states this year, and the first which could have been transmitted from human to human. We understood what was happening, yet have really done nothing to try to prevent it's spread.
  
  The mutation rate baked into Influenza's reproduction cycle is much more elaborate than coronaviruses, and this isn't exactly a bad thing. When a human catches bird flu from a bird, the mortality rates are pretty burly as this version of the virus attaches to the α2:3 receptor. While this receptor is found throughout the avian digestive and respiratory track, it's only found in the lower lungs of humans. A lower lung infection will always be gnarlier than an upper respiratory infection. Human influenza viruses have a preference for the α2:6 receptor, which is found throughout our airway. This is the primary adaptation which occurs when influenza mutates to infect humans. But a virus is a parasite, so in their ideal world, they wouldn't kill their host. Viruses often do the most damage when adapting to or having recently adapted to a new host. Hopefully, the mutation rate of influenza will result in a shorter pandemic compared to COVID if it ends up taking place.
  
  16
  
  For the record, the law of declining virulence, while still referenced a lot, has been disproven and was never a real scientific theory, just one scientists educated guess that took off.
  
  10
- Are you wearing a mask in public yet?
  
  7
  
  Not yet. Once bird flu is confirmed in my country, I will
  
  2
But as two eminent flu experts warned in an article in the British Medical Journal: "the hazard and risk of a major outbreak of H5N1 are large, plausible and imminent."

Source

Fuck

22
We're approaching a new pandemic... Are we prepared?

19
- Never have been, never will be.
  
  Republicans said COVID was just a little flu, and nature said, hold my beer, I'll remind you how bad a flu pandemic is.
  
  As an example, COVID killed like .0875% of the global population. Spanish flu killed between 2.25 and 5.5% of the global population at the time, depending on which estimates are more correct.
  
  32
  
  I'd love to know what the death percentage needs to be for it to go from 'fake news' to actual problem.
  
  I'd say there's probably NO amount of deaths that could possibly cause that for those people.
  
  15
- Hell yeah, let's go! I personally had a good time last go. I know a lot not of people did not and I don't want anyone hurt but I wouldn't mind being forced home 24/7 again. Only way I'm getting a fucking break from my life at this point.
  
  16
- Nope. 1.5 million dead Americans including my dad, shutdown economy and blatant racism making a comeback? No thanks. Don't want.
  
  13
  
  All we need is a world conflict to recreate the exact conditions of the 1918 influenza pandemic.
  
  3
- Lol what the fuck do you think?
  
  9
- I think this is jumping to conclusions. We saw bird flu and swine flu spreads between humans too before covid.
  
  Plenty of these kinds of flus, and only 1 covid.
  
  2
RemindMe! when we're heroes again.

4
And what?

-2

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