"Vets are being advised to wear full PPE (personal protection) if seeing a cat with neurological symptoms, after forty cats died on a dairy farm in New Mexico. The virus has proved 100% fatal and cats die within 24-48 hours.
Is it safe to consume dairy products? The answer for RAW products is NO. The virus has been detected in unpasteurised milk."
With #H5N1#birdflu spreading amongst dairy cows, one of the most important things to think about right now is what would need to happen for this virus to actually start a pandemic.
I'm on a train, so a brief thread...
The institute's founder, Mark McAfee, told the Los Angeles Times this weekend that his customers are, in fact, specifically requesting raw milk from #H5N1-infected #cows. According to McAfee, his customers believe, without evidence, that directly drinking high levels of the #avianinfluenza#virus will give them immunity to the deadly pathogen
WHO confirms first fatal human case of bird flu A(H5N2)
"This was the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with A(H5N2) subtype of bird flu reported globally and the first H5 virus infection in a person reported in Mexico."
"The victim had no history of exposure to poultry or other animals, WHO said."
#BirdFlu Is Infecting More #Mammals. What Does That Mean for Us? #H5N1, #avianflu#virus, killed tens of thousands of #marinemammals, and infiltrated American #livestock for first time.
H5N1, one of the many viruses that cause bird flu, had already killed at least 24,000 South American sea lions along the coasts in less than a year. Now comes for elephant seals.
Scientists are working quickly to assess how it is evolving and risk it poses to humans #Maskup
New: Cases surging globally (again), KP.2 FLiRT variant dominant in US “defies vaccines,” FDA postpones vaccine meeting, Moderna warns LC risk rises w/each infection, tests rated from best to worst, WHO knew it was airborne, hospital acquired infection = nearly 1 death/day in AU, and more.
"On March 16, cows on a Texas dairy farm began showing symptoms of a mysterious illness now known to be H5N1 bird flu. Their symptoms were nondescript, but their milk production dramatically dropped and turned thick and creamy yellow. The next day, cats on the farm that had consumed some of the raw milk from the sick cows also became ill. While the cows would go on to largely recover, the cats weren't so lucky. They developed depressed mental states, stiff body movements, loss of coordination, circling, copious discharge from their eyes and noses, and blindness. By March 20, over half of the farm's 24 or so cats died from the flu."
#H5N1 spreading rapidly among cows +infecting skunks, mountain lions & red foxes.
Yet as the highly contagious avian flu affects mammals across the US, just 1 human case has been reported so far.
But we could be missing cases with limited surveillance from states & dairy farms. In a test for pandemic preparedness "We're not going to be ready," one epidemiologist told me🚨.
"We need to do much better to stop this outbreak & detecting future ones."
-Dr Bright
If you want to know what’s going on with H5N1 bird flu and dairy cattle, you’ll want to follow @HelenBranswell
Some of her recent reporting:
"Osterholm said that the Covid pandemic should have taught government officials that transparency and clear communications are key to successful management of outbreaks. 'That to me is being missed here. And I can’t for the life of me understand why,' he said."
"This is so unscientific & dangerous. The cattle IDU must not get public license to give avian influenza a different name. It is H5N1: bird flu. It has a record of transmission b/w birds & mammals, & that makes it a potential danger to many more animals, including us." -M Hayek
"Raw milk enthusiasts are doubling down on the claimed benefits and safety of their favorite elixir, and say the government warnings are nothing more than “fearmongering.”" 🙄 #h5n1#hpai#birdflu#milk
👀 "Mark McAfee, founder of Fresno’s Raw Farm and the Raw Milk Institute, said his phone has been ringing off the hook with “customers asking for H5N1 milk because they want immunity from it.”" #h5n1#hpai#birdflu#milk