The disclosure of Nevada dairy cattle herd has been infected with a version of H5N1 bird flu that was not seen in dairy cattle, which has left virologists and researchers at high alert. Among other things, news from the Nevada Department of Agriculture suggests that news about expelling the virus from the cattle herds of the U.S. will not be as simple as federal officials once suggested, or perhaps hope.
Friday, the second time could be more severe: The USDA’s technology briefing reports that the genotype (called D1.1) contains a genetic mutation that can help the virus replicate itself more easily in mammals ( Including humans).
The D1.1 version of the virus is associated with a variant that killed a man in Louisiana and put a Canadian teen in critical condition. It is not the B3.13 genotype widely found in cattle that became sick early last year.
Immunologist and former federal health official Rick Bright told wealth. “The mutation has not been associated with an improvement in human transmission, so there is no sign of spreading. However, when the virus enters humans, it is ready to cause a more serious disease than the (b3.13) virus, which is in The cows have been circulating in the cow before.
“We have never approached a pandemic from this virus,” Bright added. “And, we still haven’t done everything we can to stop it or reduce the impact.”
D1.1 genotype D1.1 genotype is found in all North American flight paths as well as in mammals and poultry, so it is no surprise that it has already flown towards cattle. However, many virologists believe its new discovery in the Nevada dairy population is a sign of a turning point in the transmission of H5N1, which may cause more trouble for the moving forward humans.
“Given that D1.1 appears to be more virulent in humans, this may indicate a significant change in public health risk from the early B3.13 strain,” veterinary science pioneer Pioneer Pioneer Pioneer Pioneer Pioneer Pioneer Pioneer Juergen Richt, National Institutes of Health, told NIH wealth.
In answering a series of email questions, a spokesperson for the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the agency still believes the risk to the public is low to human health. “However, there is a greater risk of infection for people infected with birds or other animals (including livestock) or those contaminated by infected birds or other animals,” the spokesperson said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture pointed out Friday that although Nevada cattle did not show signs of clinical infection before passing the test, such signs have been reported, as well as the death of a large number of wild birds near the affected dairy products.
Should humans take more precautions? What is the scope of risk? Should mitigation actions have been taken on farms and dairy products in the United States?
The urgency of these issues suggests that information and updates from federal sources should be disseminated in time over the next few weeks and information and tests that researchers often rely on. However, information flow is no longer taken for granted.
On January 21, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) freezes on nearly all external communications, including documents and health guidance, until Trump-appointed officials can be installed and approved by them. . Such a move is not unprecedented, but when the information was frozen before the February 1 deadline and it was not completely lifted, the Democratic leader began to foul.
One important casualties in the operation is the weekly reporting of CDC morbidity and mortality. As we all know, MMWR is a key information about public health issues. MMWR failed to release for the first time in 60 years after it was released again on January 23 and January 30. The publication did resume on February 6, but no mention of bird flu, nor any information about the three H5N1 studies, which is scheduled to be published in January. Washington Post.
In addition, according to Wall Street JournalThe Trump administration is reportedly planning to eliminate the work of thousands of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees. Senior public health officials were reportedly told to rank employees based on the importance of their roles.
Depending on the locations of these cuttings, practices such as tracking the outbreak and approving new drugs may be affected. Trump’s nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We’re going to give [studying] Infectious diseases are about eight years old. ”
These developments have intensified the concerns of scientists and researchers tracking the spread of H5N1, which has now infected 959 cow herds in the U.S. and is responsible for the deaths of 156 million poultry, sending the price of eggs to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Supply scarce and record highs.
The researchers also asked loudly whether existing supplies for federal bird flu vaccines should be used to inoculate dairy workers, and whether personal protective equipment should be mandatory on egg-style facilities for dairy farms and frontline workers.
It all goes back to a timely flow of information and communication, experts say it is limited to limits at critical moments.
“It’s shocking, but not surprisingly, given the scientific communication between scientists and scientists started in 2020,” said vaccine researcher Bright, who has been urging health officials for months, Strengthen testing and preventive measures around bird flu.
“When it happened in 2020, it slowed down the response, distrust of science and public health, so more people died during that time. Shockingly, no lessons learned , we find ourselves in the same or worse situation – not only on the H5N1, but in many outbreaks in the United States”
Nevada officials told wealth The new D1.1 case among the cows is traced to a dairy farm in Churchill County, and six cattle herds were conducted under quarantine. Previously, the state’s director of agriculture JJ Goicoechea told Reuters“Obviously, we haven’t done everything we should do, or the virus won’t come in.” Goicoechea said farmers in Nevada need to follow “animal health and safety practices and strengthen the biosafety measures of animals.”
Where does all this leave humanity? According to Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, Nevada’s development has not directly increased the possibility of human-to-human transmission, but has “increased zoonotic cases.” Risk, that is, from cattle to farmers. Apart from that, the mutation ability of D1.1 (perhaps in the way B3.13) is related to the researchers. This adaptability can make it easier for the virus to be between people spread.
“The new genotype D1.1 of this new H5N1 virus is associated with more severe disease and death in a few known human infections,” Bright said. “This (the case in Nevada) is a major event because we now know how easy it is to spread between the H5N1 virus from farm to farm, from milk to cows, including mice and cats, and even infect people. ”
James Lawler, director of the Center for Global Health Safety at the University of Nebraska, said federal health agencies have taken “some positive steps” in recent months to pass the national milk testing strategy and tests on people and sub-sub- Influenza type is tested.
“But, in order to better control risks, we should actively strengthen testing and isolation of affected cows and animals, promote wider surveillance and testing, and accelerate vaccine development and production,” Lawler said. Doctors also need to know that the virus is circulating, Bright said, and “test the flu, don’t guess.”
Scott Hensley, a viral immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania, agreed. “We need to monitor D1.1 viruses closely because they have shown the ability to adapt to humans and cause serious illnesses,” Hensley said. “Our H5N1 vaccine stock is very well matched with D1.1 virus and may be Provide high levels of protection – we need to increase the production of H5N1 vaccines in case these viruses evolve into spread from humans to humans.”
Meanwhile, people need to avoid drinking raw milk, which may contain live viruses infected with cows, wash their hands frequently and report flu-like illnesses so that testing can be done, Ritchie said. States can follow California heads, the governor declares a bird flu emergency, and health officials have facilitated the allocation of millions of personal protective equipment to farm workers.
However, every effort to contain the virus will ultimately depend heavily on the distribution of accurate, timely information, as well as government and healthy communities committed to fighting avian flu and its associated strains.
“We don’t know much about D1.1. Virus, and we’re all going to work overtime to learn more in the coming days and weeks,” Hensley said. In combat, the most important thing is the large-scale sharing of knowledge learned by experts.
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This story originally appeared on fortune.com
