“The Bird Flu Virus Is One Mutation Away from Getting More Dangerous”………. “USDA orders testing across nation’s milk supply amid rising bird flu cases”

“The Bird Flu Virus Is One Mutation Away from Getting More Dangerous”.

By Jamie Ducharme

Chickens at a poultry farm in Mexico.

“At least 58 people in the U.S. have been infected by the H5N1 bird flu virus this year, according to federal statistics. All but two of them had been around cows or chickens, two species in which H5N1 is circulating widely. That’s reassuring to scientists because it suggests the virus is spreading primarily through close contact with infected animals, and not from person to person.

Less comforting are the results of a study published Dec. 5 in the journal Science: the H5N1 strain spreading among U.S. cows is only one specific mutation away from more easily binding to human cells, “a prerequisite for transmission among humans,” says study co-author James Paulson, a professor in the department of molecular medicine at Scripps Research in California.

to read the full story go to

https://time.com/7200088/can-bird-flu-infect-humans

“USDA orders testing across nation’s milk supply amid rising bird flu cases”

by Juliana Kim

Raw milk from Raw Farm is displayed for sale at a grocery store in Torrance, Calif., on Nov. 29.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a federal order requiring the testing of the nation’s milk supply amid increasing concerns over bird flu.”

“The new federal order will give regulators the power to test samples from dairy farms or when milk is being transported or processed….

USDA said Friday the purpose of the federal order is to “identify where the disease is present, monitor trends, and help states identify potentially affected herds.”

to read the full article go to

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/06/nx-s1-5220272/testing-usda-bird-flu-raw-milk-california

https://time.com/7200088/can-bird-flu-infect-humans

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