What to Know as US Confirms First Death
The first U.S. bird flu death has been announced – a person in Louisiana who had been hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms.
What is Bird Flu?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bird flu is "a disease caused by avian influenza A viruses that usually spread between birds."
Who Can Contract Bird Flu?
Bird flu has been spreading for years in wild birds, chickens, turkeys, and many other animals. It was first confirmed in U.S. dairy cattle in March. While the virus typically doesn’t infect humans, one subtype, known as H5, is spreading around the globe in wild birds and causing outbreaks in U.S. poultry and dairy cows.
What About Pets?
Though cases of infection are rare, cats seem especially susceptible to the bird flu virus, or Type A H5N1. Even before the cattle outbreak, there were feline cases linked to wild birds or poultry. Since March, dozens of cats have caught the virus. These include barn and feral cats, indoor cats, and big cats in zoos and in the wild. Dogs seem to be less vulnerable than cats, but they should eat only thoroughly cooked foods.
How is Bird Flu Spread?
When a person does contract bird flu, it’s most often through direct contact with infected birds or other infected animals, the CDC states. While no known human-to-human spread of the virus has been reported in cases currently circulating, there have been some such cases in years past, but even then, the cases were limited.
How Worried Should You Be?
A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside the Louisiana patient, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Scientists believe the mutations may allow the virus to better bind to receptors in the upper airways of humans — something they say is concerning but not a cause for alarm.
What Are the Symptoms of Bird Flu?
According to the CDC, symptoms typically range from no symptoms at all to mild symptoms, though some may experience more moderate to severe complications. The most common symptom associated with recent infections has been eye redness.
How is Bird Flu Treated?
There are flu antiviral drugs that can treat infections, but those who are infected should be treated as soon as possible, experts say. The treatments work best if given within 48 hours of developing symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the risk to the general public?
The risk to the general public remains low, according to the CDC. - Can humans catch bird flu from each other?
No, there is no known human-to-human spread of the virus in cases currently circulating. - What are the symptoms of bird flu?
Symptoms can range from no symptoms at all to mild symptoms, though some may experience more moderate to severe complications. - Can pets catch bird flu?
Yes, cats seem especially susceptible to the bird flu virus, and dogs should eat only thoroughly cooked foods. - How is bird flu spread?
Bird flu is usually spread through direct contact with infected birds or other infected animals. - What is the treatment for bird flu?
There are flu antiviral drugs that can treat infections, but those who are infected should be treated as soon as possible.
