Bird Flu News and Research

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The chicken and egg problem of fighting another flu pandemic

Even a peep of news about a new flu pandemic is enough to set scientists clucking about eggs.

31 May 2024

Inexpensive “duckbill” N95 becomes the champion in COVID-19 mask effectiveness

In a head-to-head comparison of masks worn by people with active COVID-19, the inexpensive "duckbill" N95 came out on top, stopping 98% of COVID-19 particles in the breath of infected people from escaping into the air.

30 May 2024

Vaccination remains crucial for preventing avian influenza spread, says study

Vaccination remains the most effective strategy for avian influenza prevention and control in humans, despite varying vaccine efficacy across strains.

29 May 2024

Farmworkers face high-risk exposures to bird flu, but testing isn’t reaching them

Farmworkers face some of the most intense exposures to the bird flu virus, but advocates say many of them would lack resources to fall back on if they became ill.

29 May 2024

Clues from bird flu’s ground zero on dairy farms in the Texas Panhandle

In early February, dairy farmers in the Texas Panhandle began to notice sick cattle. The buzz soon reached Darren Turley, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen: "They said there is something moving from herd to herd."

23 May 2024

Health experts call for tighter biosecurity measures to monitor avian influenza

Health experts are calling for tighter biosecurity measures in global poultry production, from farms to markets, to monitor bird flu (avian influenza) following its spread among 888 cases of human infection with the avian influenza virus, also known as H5N1, have been reported from 23 countries, of which 463 were fatal, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

21 May 2024

Watch: Medical residents are increasingly avoiding abortion ban states

On KFF Health News' "What the Health?," chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner sat down with Atul Grover of the Association of American Medical Colleges to talk about its recent analysis showing that graduating medical students are avoiding training in states with abortion bans and major restrictions.

21 May 2024

Newsom boosted California’s public health budget during covid. Now he wants to cut it.

When a doctor in Pasadena, California, reported in October that a hospital patient was exhibiting classic symptoms of dengue fever, such as vomiting, a rash, and bone and joint pain, local disease investigators snapped into action.

20 May 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Bird flu lands as the next public health challenge

Public health officials are watching with concern since a strain of bird flu spread to dairy cows in at least nine states, and to at least one dairy worker.

16 May 2024

Bird flu is bad for poultry and dairy cows. It’s not a dire threat for most of us — yet.

Headlines are flying after the Department of Agriculture confirmed that the H5N1 bird flu virus has infected dairy cows around the country.

3 May 2024

Bird flu detected in cow's milk: Insights from an infectious disease expert

In light of the United States Food and Drug Administration's announcement that bird flu has been discovered in cow's milk, board-certified infectious disease physician Carl Abraham, M.D., assistant professor at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), shares insights on what the general public should know.

2 May 2024

WHO overturns dogma on airborne disease spread. The CDC might not act on it.

The World Health Organization has issued a report that transforms how the world understands respiratory infections like covid-19, influenza, and measles.

1 May 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Florida limits abortion — for now

Florida this week became a major focus for advocates on both main sides of the abortion debate.

4 Apr 2024

How does the nasal cavity's immune system combat SARS-CoV-2?

Researchers discovered that CD4+ and CD8+ T cells play a crucial role in clearing COVID-19 infection in the nasal cavity but have limited impact on lung infections, with implications for understanding and treating the virus.

28 Jan 2024

Mount Sinai wins $1.3 million NIH award to expand the New York City Virus Hunters program

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received more than $1.3 million from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand the New York City Virus Hunters program.

14 Dec 2023

Global surge of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1

A recent study published in Nature sheds light on the complex dynamics of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 since 2021, uncovering critical shifts in the virus's behavior and providing insights for more effective mitigation strategies. The research emphasizes the importance of understanding the ecological and virological factors driving the intensified global activity of HPAI H5N1 to better prepare for and manage future outbreaks.

22 Oct 2023