By Adriel Bettelheim
“Dozens of newly confirmed cases of avian influenza in wild birds and the first verified U.S. case of a new strain of the virus are raising concern the bird flu crisis may be entering a troubling new phase.
Why it matters: While the developments don’t necessarily raise the risk of a pandemic, they could create more havoc for farmers, exacerbate egg shortages and expose more gaps in government disease surveillance.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/03/bird-flu-crisis-new-phase

“Understanding the H5N1 Threat”
By Stephanie Vine
“With new cases of avian influenza appearing, what does this mean for global health and what are drug developers doing about it?”
“Scientists are calling for tests, vaccines, and drugs that can control the spread of the virus in poultry and livestock, as well as close surveillance. Efforts are also ongoing across the industry to develop pandemic influenza vaccines and therapeutics.”
to read the full article go to
https://themedicinemaker.com/manufacture/understanding-the-h5n1-threat

“Could the Bird Flu Become Airborne?”
“Scientists were slow to recognize that Covid spreads through the air. Some are now trying to get ahead of the bird flu.’
By Carl Zimmer
to read the full article go to
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/health/bird-flu-airborne-covid.html

“Skepticism About Vaccines and Response and Response to Bird Flu”
By Irving Washington and Hagere Yilma
“In addition to misrepresenting data, online narratives often raise concerns about vaccine ingredients, reiterate resistance to bird flu vaccines, and oppose future public health measures. Some users also share anecdotes about alleged vaccine injuries from COVID-19 vaccines to argue that bird flu vaccines would cause similar harm.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.kff.org/the-monitor/skepticism-about-vaccines-and-response-to-bird-flu/

By KFF Health News
“The Trump administration has intervened in the release of important studies on the bird flu, as an outbreak escalates across the United States.
One of the studies would reveal whether veterinarians who treat cattle have been unknowingly infected by the bird flu virus. Another report documents cases in which people carrying the virus might have infected their pet cats.
The studies were slated to appear in the official journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The distinguished journal has been published without interruption since 1952.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250130/Trump-administratione28099s-halt-of-CDCe28099s-weekly-scientific-report-stalls-bird-flu-studies.aspx

“Will bird flu spark a human pandemic? Scientists say the risk is rising”
By Max Kozlov
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00245-6

By Alexander Tin

“”The combination H5N9 is not new and other versions, like H5N5 also exist. Just because this was now detected, doesn’t mean trouble necessarily,” said virologist Florian Krammer, professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in an email.
Krammer pointed to recent detections of the H5N5 strain spreading from Europe, and then jumping from birds to be able to infect mammals across Canada as prompting more worry for him.””

to read the full article go to

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/h5n9-h5n1-bird-flu-what-to-know

Tuberculosis Outbreak in Kansas Is Among Largest on Record in US

https://www.sciencealert.com/tuberculosis-outbreak-in-kansas-is-among-largest-on-record-in-us

By Regina G. Barber, Will Stone, Rachel Carlson, and Rebecca Ramirez

“”This is like some brush burning around your house,” …”You better pay attention because it could turn into something else.””
to read the full article go to
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/27/1263339284/bird-flu-update-influenza

“Will bird flu spark a human pandemic?”
By Max Kozlov
.“Here, Nature talks to infectious-disease specialists about what they’re learning about how humans get sick from the virus, and the chances of a bird-flu pandemic.”
to read the ful larticle go to
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00245-6

“How will federal health ‘black out’ affect bird flu response?”
By Safia Samee Ali

“President Donald Trump ordered a “blackout” for federal health agencies, which bans them from publishing external communication, but this cut-off could leave health care professionals and the public unable to appropriately respond to the increasing spread of bird flu.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/federal-health-black-out-bird-flu/

“What to Know About the CIA’s Conclusion that COVID-19 Came From a Lab”
By Jeffrey Kluger
“The debate is more than an academic one. If the virus indeed spilled over in a Wuhan wet market, the resulting seven million deaths worldwide make a strong case for better regulating the way we interact with the ecosystem, such as in outdoor food bazaars. If, instead, the pandemic was the result of what went on in a laboratory, then China, the U.S., and any other country that performs such biological tinkering are gravely in need of more oversight to make these labs safer.”
to read the full article go to
https://time.com/7210348/covid-19-cia-lab-leak-conclusion/

By Apoorva Mandavilli

“A human pandemic is not inevitable, even now, more than a dozen experts said in interviews. But a series of developments over the past few weeks indicates that the possibility is no longer remote.
Toothless guidelines, inadequate testing and long delays in releasing data — echoes of the missteps during the Covid-19 pandemic — have squandered opportunities for containing the outbreak, the experts said.”…
“In one example emblematic of the disarray, a few dairy herds in Idaho that were infected with bird flu in the spring displayed mild symptoms for a second time in the late fall, The New York Times has learned.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/health/bird-flu-h5n1.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

“US reports first outbreak of H5N9 bird flu in poultry”
By Reuters
“The United States has reported its first outbreak of H5N9 bird flu in poultry on a duck farm in California, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Monday.”…
“The strain that has caused most damage in recent years has been H5N1. H5N9 is rarer.
“This is the first confirmed case of HPAI H5N9 in poultry in the United States,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in the report to the WOAH.”

to read the full article go to
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-reported-first-outbreak-h5n9-bird-flu-poultry-woah-says-2025-01-27/

‘Grossly irresponsible’: health experts urge US to control bird flu
https://www.ft.com/content/8eb284d4-d853-4a0a-a8c0-5173d1a6d666

Bird flu prevention zone imposed across England
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly9r71pn91o

“CIA says lab leak most likely source of Covid outbreak”
By Holly Honderich
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9qjjj4zy5o

“What is HMPV and how does it spread?”
By Kelly Ng & Jennifer Clarke
“A surge in cases of the flu-like human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China has raised fears of another Covid-style pandemic.”
“They say China and other countries are simply experiencing the seasonal increase in HMPV typically seen in winter.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c23vjg7v7k0o

By Mackenzie Lofgren.

“Dr. Michael Osterholm is a medical detective and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, or CIDRAP, at the University of Minnesota. Osterholm has nearly 50 years of investigating infectious disease outbreaks and public health threats.”…
“Today, I am certain that we are seeing clouds of dust with bird feces in that, and we are beginning to see what I would consider to be almost an environmental type disease…..”
“Now that the virus has gone airborne, Osterholm believes we’re going to start seeing more and more cases in humans with no explanation for why they occurred. Meaning, people are going to get sick without even coming in contact with the infected animal.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/wind-blowing-feces-may-be-route-of-transmission-for-bird-flu/

“As bird flu rises, federal health agencies are halting external communications. Are we flying blind?”
by Nicole Karlis
““Similar temporary freezes were implemented during presidential transitions previously. These pauses typically allow incoming leadership to review and align agency activities with new priorities,” he said. “However lack of clarity with respect to the scope, duration and implementation — especially concerns about potential delays in critical public health information are valid.””
to read the full article go to
https://www.salon.com/2025/01/25/as-bird-flu-rises-health-agencies-are-halting-external-communications-are-we-flying-blind/

How will federal health ‘black out’ affect bird flu response?
By Safia Samee Ali
“CNN reported that a follow-up memo specified the blackout is set to last through Feb. 1, and includes public speaking engagements and communications with lawmakers. Communications deemed urgent, such as recall notices or those required by law, are exempt but higher-ups must be notified.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/federal-health-black-out-bird-flu/

By Beatrice M. Spadacini
“The Outbreak Atlas, co-authored by Katz and Wellcome Trust scholar Mackenzie S. Moore, uses global case studies to explain outbreak preparedness, response, and recovery. It aims to educate people with the tools to make informed decisions during disease outbreaks, regardless of federal actions.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/opinion/contributors/2025/01/22/bird-flu-and-the-battle-against-emerging-diseases/77873522007/

“The US Has Bird Flu Vaccines. Here’s Why You Can’t Get One”

By Emily Mullen
“Experts say the decision comes down to risk, and currently, the risk of H5N1 remains low. Rolling out a vaccine to farm workers and others at higher risk of infection would be a more targeted tactic, but even that measure may be premature. Now, with a changeover in federal health leadership imminent as President Donald Trump begins his second term, the decision rests with the new administration.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.wired.com/story/the-us-has-bird-flu-vaccines-heres-why-you-cant-get-one/

Trump administration asks U.S. health agencies to pause reports, online posts
the Associated Press ·
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/health-communication-trump-1.7438695