Add another name to the list of mammal species infected with #H5N1#avianflu: alpacas.
It’s not surprising at this point but it certainly isn’t reassuring either that this virus just keeps spreading farther and wider…
"We say we don’t believe that there are cases of H5 novel influenza circulating because we haven’t seen any evidence that would be suggestive of that. But until and unless we enhance our subtyping...
👉 we are basing that conclusion on negative implication rather than on affirmative data,” Shah said in the interview.
When H5N1 goes off the rails as it almost certainly will in the not-too-distant future, who do you want to be in charge of the country?
Competent leaders and scientists or a clown show. Because this stuff is not a joke.
A new unreviewed preprint is ringing alarm bells about the possibility of human to human transmission coming from cows. (Similar to the problem with pigs.) It's not good.
With latest update from @USDA the total number of herds affected in the #H5N1#avianflu outbreak in the US is 49 herds in 9 states (without widespread testing mind you…)
8 of the last 12 confirmations are from herds in Michigan
Sitting with the fact that cattle industry has more power over whether humans in their employ get tested for #AvianFlu than #PublicHealth authorities do.
Hence #CDC preparing to launch wastewater dashboard for tracking spring and summer influenza surveillance...
To address absence of #BirdFlu testing. Taking a page out of the #CovidIsNotOver handbook of better too-late-to-be-actionable data than no data.
Because on Apr 12, just 10 days after CDC published "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Animals: Interim Recommendations for Prevention, Monitoring, and Public Health Investigations" that said:
"...should avoid unprotected direct physical contact or close exposure w/sick or dead birds or other animals, carcasses, feces,
milk
or litter from sick birds or other animals potentially infected or confirmed to be infected w/ HPAI A(#H5N1) virus."
@justyourluck If 20% of the US milk supply has #H5N1, then we've already effectively done the study, because we don't have a human #AvianFlu pandemic. We would, if it were possible for pasteurized milk to be a significant vector.
Also, we’ve known for decades that pasteurization effectively kills influenza viruses. Pasteurization degrades both the protein capsules protecting viruses and their genetic material. What is in milk after pasteurization are fragments, not whole viruses.