All 50 U.S. states are reportedly dealing with an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus in 2025, with dairy farms among the hardest hit. The virus has already begun infecting humans, and experts are raising concerns about the potential for a new pandemic in the country.
Although bird flu has been present on Earth for decades, this new kind of pathogen, H5N1, is one of the most fatal ones, and can take human lives. Only in 2024, the H5N1 virus spread through America’s dairy herds, poultry flocks, and also infected humans.
In light of the possibility of outbreaks, the Global Virus Network has issued a comprehensive analysis and a call-to-action report on the deadly H5N1 virus. The GVN represents a massive community of human and animal virologists from across the world and has called on world governments to take the H5N1 spread seriously.
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What does the H5N1 virus involve?
The H5N1 avian influenza virus, primarily infecting birds, has raised alarm with human cases for the last few years. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, and severe respiratory distress. Fatality rates havehit 52% in humans since 2003, per WHO data.
Most human cases involve direct animal contact. The CDC warns against raw milk consumption amid dairy cow infections. Antivirals like Tamiflu may reduce severity if taken early. While no human-to-human transmission is confirmed, experts urge vigilance. Vaccines exist but remain limited. Health agencies across the world regularly monitor mutations that could ease spread.
The GVN report says H5N1 affected 1,000 dairy herds, with 70 human cases and one death. GVN scientists were quoted as saying in the report, “In the US, sporadic human infections with no known contact with infected animals highlight the possibility of viral adaptation for efficient human-to-human transmission.”
“Concurrently, the virus continues to circulate in wild birds, backyard flocks, and hunted migratory species, further amplifying the risk to humans and domestic animals,” they continued.
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