A second human case of bird flu in America is raising alarm
How close is the H5N1 outbreak to becoming the next pandemic?
Editor’s note (May 31st 2024): Since this piece was published a third farm worker has been identified with H5N1
On May 22nd America’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a new human infection with the H5 avian influenza virus, a bug with pandemic potential that has recently spread rapidly among dairy cows in America. This is the second identified human case linked to the cow outbreak. Both are farm workers who probably got infected through contact with infected animals and had only mild symptoms. Although there is no evidence yet of human-to-human transmission, America’s public health authorities are on high alert. Half of the national pandemic stockpile of H5N1 vaccine is being made ready to deploy.
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This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Is an H5N1 pandemic brewing?”
From the June 1st 2024 edition
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