Four updates:
1. Several scientists have noted a new genetic mutation in infected dairy cows, The Los Angeles Times reported March 12.
The mutation, PB2 E627K, was the same one detected in the first human case in the current outbreak. It is also “associated with increased mammal-to-mammal transmission and disease severity,” the Times reported.
Although the bird flu sequencing data uploaded by the Department of Agriculture does not include the location, scientists told the outlet they suspect the mutation came from four infected dairy herds from San Bernardino County.
Harvard Medical School interviewed five infectious disease experts across Massachusetts and asked them, “On a scale from 1 to 10, how worried are you about H5N1 becoming a major pandemic?”
Their answers ranged from 4 to 7, with one expert voicing concerns about a lack of a national vaccine stockpile and another saying, “[W]e need to have a healthy worry about H5N1, but the risk to humans at this moment remains low.”
2. As of November 2024, the USDA has invested $1.4 billion into combatting the outbreak and has earmarked another $1 billion, but public health experts have said the nation’s response to the outbreak is lacking.
Concerns include poor coordination among federal authorities, a temporary communications freeze for health agencies, and President Donald Trump’s reversal of executive orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. In the current outbreak, there are 70 confirmed and seven probable human cases, according to the CDC. The organization has also confirmed one human death from bird flu, which Louisiana officials reported Jan. 6. The patient, who was hospitalized in December, was older than 65 and had underlying medical conditions that elevated the risk of flu complications.
Thirteen states have reported cases of bird flu since March 2024.
The current risk to the public is low, and “there is no known person-to-person spread at this time,” the CDC said.
4. Bird flu has been detected in more than 166 million poultry, 12,510 wild birds and 985 dairy cow herds.
Household pets, including cats, dogs and pet birds, can become infected with bird flu if they eat or are exposed to sick or dead birds, dairy cows or other infected animals, according to the CDC. It is unlikely, but not impossible, for a person to acquire bird flu from an infected pet.