The Facilities for Illness Management reported the primary particular person hospitalized with a extreme sickness linked to the H5N1 chook flu in america, in keeping with a Wednesday press launch. The affected person, who’s reportedly in essential situation with extreme respiratory signs, is being handled in Louisiana.
“It has been determined that the patient had exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks,” mentioned the CDC. “This is the first case of H5N1 bird flu in the U.S. that has been linked to exposure to a backyard flock … No person-to-person spread of H5 bird flu has been detected.”
In the meantime, in Washington, D.C., anti-vaccine advocate and uncooked milk connoisseur Robert F Kennedy Jr. met with Capitol Hill lawmakers beginning Monday as a part of his bid to develop into Well being and Human Providers secretary. President-elect Donald Trump, who promoted the disproven hyperlink between autism and vaccines at a Monday press convention, additionally nominated TV persona Dr. Mehmet Oz to supervise the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Providers—despite the fact that Oz notoriously pushed debunked “health” merchandise like weight reduction dietary supplements to make a fast buck on his discuss present.
“While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures,” the CDC press launch mentioned. Apart from widespread outbreaks amongst wild birds worldwide, the unfold of the virus is to date restricted to outbreaks amongst cattle and in poultry farms.
On the West Coast, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California on Wednesday within the face of an unsure federal response to a possible chook flu outbreak. These worries aren’t unfounded; a vengeful Trump and his goons tried to withhold FEMA assist to California throughout his first administration in 2018 and 2020.
Newsom acknowledged chook flu’s vital dangers to public well being and the state’s very important agricultural trade. This comes after 33 dairy herds had been reported as sources of publicity in California, with most of the confirmed human chook flu instances linked to farm staff, significantly within the poultry and dairy industries.
To mitigate the chance, Newsom introduced that California has launched a collaborative effort with native farms to scale back staff’ publicity to the virus.
“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” Newsom mentioned. “Building on California’s testing and monitoring system—the largest in the nation—we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information.”
Chook flu was first detected within the wild chook inhabitants in South Carolina in January 2022, adopted by California a couple of months later. On March 25, 2024, an outbreak of chook flu amongst dairy cows was first reported in Texas and Kansas. In accordance with CDC estimates, 61 human infections have been reported to date.
Nevertheless, with federal management throughout Trump’s first administration broadly criticized for its lack of preparedness and promotion of disinformation through the COVID-19 pandemic, state-level efforts could be the first—and most dependable—line of protection within the coming months.
