US health officials have confirmed a human case of bird flu in a patient that had no immediately known animal exposure.

The patient, in the state of Missouri, was treated in hospital and has since recovered, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

It is the 14th human case of bird flu in the US in 2024 and the first without a known occupational exposure to infected animals, according to the CDC.

    • єχтяαναgαηтєηzумє@lemm.ee
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      10 days ago

      We’ve known since at least March that about 10 human cases of this new bird flu would allow the virus to mutate and adapt to humans. This is the 14th reported case in the states this year, and the first which could have been transmitted from human to human. We understood what was happening, yet have really done nothing to try to prevent it’s spread.

      The mutation rate baked into Influenza’s reproduction cycle is much more elaborate than coronaviruses, and this isn’t exactly a bad thing. When a human catches bird flu from a bird, the mortality rates are pretty burly as this version of the virus attaches to the α2:3 receptor. While this receptor is found throughout the avian digestive and respiratory track, it’s only found in the lower lungs of humans. A lower lung infection will always be gnarlier than an upper respiratory infection. Human influenza viruses have a preference for the α2:6 receptor, which is found throughout our airway. This is the primary adaptation which occurs when influenza mutates to infect humans. But a virus is a parasite, so in their ideal world, they wouldn’t kill their host. Viruses often do the most damage when adapting to or having recently adapted to a new host. Hopefully, the mutation rate of influenza will result in a shorter pandemic compared to COVID if it ends up taking place.

  • HottieAutie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    10 days ago

    But as two eminent flu experts warned in an article in the British Medical Journal: “the hazard and risk of a major outbreak of H5N1 are large, plausible and imminent.”

    Source

    Fuck

    • NegativeInf@lemmy.world
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      Never have been, never will be.

      Republicans said COVID was just a little flu, and nature said, hold my beer, I’ll remind you how bad a flu pandemic is.

      As an example, COVID killed like .0875% of the global population. Spanish flu killed between 2.25 and 5.5% of the global population at the time, depending on which estimates are more correct.

      • schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business
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        10 days ago

        I’d love to know what the death percentage needs to be for it to go from ‘fake news’ to actual problem.

        I’d say there’s probably NO amount of deaths that could possibly cause that for those people.

        • GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world
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          It’s not so much the percentage, but which portion of the population dies. Don’t forget Fox started back tracking on their anti-vaccine and anti-mask stance once they realized that conservatives were dying at a much faster rate.

        • prole
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          9 days ago

          I’m not sure. There is a phenomenon among conservatives where they will successfully become extremely progressive on a single issue the moment they, or someone close to them, experiences the consequences of said issue first hand (e.g. a gay child like Dick Cheney, or the countless GOP men who have forced their mistresses to have abortions, etc.).

          I wonder if there is some level of saturation of people experiencing first hand loss that would actually snap enough people out of it…

          • schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business
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            9 days ago

            You know, I’d agree with you if it wasn’t for the people who were literally in the hospital dying of COVID yelling how it’s fake news right up until they drowned in their own goo.

            That seriously shook my opinion that a human could typically at least be counted on to do the right thing when they were going to die if they didn’t.

        • t�m@lemmy.ml
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          10 days ago

          Remember when it covid became a “boomer remover” after that they cared…until a vaccine got created… So for this one 90 - 100%

    • KingJalopy @lemm.ee
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      10 days ago

      Hell yeah, let’s go! I personally had a good time last go. I know a lot not of people did not and I don’t want anyone hurt but I wouldn’t mind being forced home 24/7 again. Only way I’m getting a fucking break from my life at this point.

    • Tujio@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      Nope. 1.5 million dead Americans including my dad, shutdown economy and blatant racism making a comeback? No thanks. Don’t want.

      • merthyr1831@lemmy.ml
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        9 days ago

        All we need is a world conflict to recreate the exact conditions of the 1918 influenza pandemic.

    • otp@sh.itjust.works
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      I think this is jumping to conclusions. We saw bird flu and swine flu spreads between humans too before covid.

      Plenty of these kinds of flus, and only 1 covid.