(NewsNation) — The 2-year old outbreak of bird flu has claimed lots of wild birds, especially migratory waterfowl like geese and mallard ducks. It’s also devastated domestic poultry — the chickens that end up on your dinner table. But researchers say, so far, the risk to the birds that show up at your backyard feeder has … Read more
The risk to humans from zoonotic diseases like bird flu is low, scientists tell Global News, but they’re still concerned. The H5N1 avian flu is spreading in the United States. So far there have only been a handful of detections in humans. The worry is that it could spread further. It’s a zoonotic disease, meaning … Read more
As the bird flu outbreak continues spreading south of the border, Canadian officials are in talks with several pharmaceutical companies about potential agreements to produce an avian flu vaccine for humans. There is no avian influenza vaccine available in Canada for public use, according to Health Canada’s website. Canada is also not currently stockpiling human … Read more
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to post data on influenza A found in wastewater in a public dashboard possibly as soon as Friday that could offer new clues into the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in cattle herds. CDC wastewater team lead Amy Kirby told Reuters on Thursday that … Read more
Some experts are urging Canada to boost its surveillance of the bird flu before it’s too late, as it spreads among dairy cattle in several U.S. states. “Our eyes have to be wide open and be confident in our judgment about whether the virus is here (in Canada) or not,” Matthew Miller, director of the Michael … Read more
The World Health Organization’s top scientist says there is “enormous concern” about the risk of spread of the H5N1 bird flu to humans, but at least one infectious disease expert says Canadians don’t need to worry about changing their daily routine just yet. Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Thursday, Jeremy Farrar’s warning comes just … Read more
I am a conservation biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases. When people ask me what I think the next pandemic will be I often say that we are in the midst of one – it’s just afflicting a great many species more than ours. I am referring to the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza … Read more
