Bird Flu Threat Rises as Virus Changes and Spreads in New Hosts
A Single Mutation Away?
The H5N1 strain of bird flu, currently wreaking havoc on bird populations worldwide, is sending shivers down the spines of health experts. While the human cases are contained for now, the virus’s uncanny ability to adapt and jump species is a growing concern. It has now spread to mammal hosts, raising the specter of a pandemic, prompting concerns from some experts that a human-to-human transmission isn’t far off.
The virus, first detected in China in 1996, has embarked on an alarming journey, reaching even penguin colonies in Antarctica. Over the past four years, it has been detected in 79 countries, claiming the lives of over 300 million poultry and 315 different wild bird species.
(H5N1 has been detected in 79 countries)
While the overall risk to humans remains low, concern is mounting following the virus’s unexpected emergence in US dairy cows.
“Avian flu is knocking on our door,” warns epidemiologist Meg Schaeffer from the SAS Institute.
While recent findings are tinged with ominous warning signs. Research published in the journal *Nature* indicates that a single mutation separates the current strain from effectively spreading among humans. virologist Ed Hutchinson at the University of Glasgow
“We [have] identified mutations that subtly tweaked the virus.”
“It’s [a] simple step that is getting it closer,”
a scant detail, however, as the virus’s genetic sequencing revealed that it’s
The US Agricultural department announced pregnancy tests for the disease in milk — particularly raw,
Sensible precautions may be all that stands between us and the next pandemic.
