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American contracts bird flu after exposure to virus spreading in cows

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  1. drannex
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    A few things to know: This is the first bird to cattle transmission, afaik, ever. Several people have contracted H5N1 from working directly with cattle in Europe, and one now confirmed (but likely...

    A few things to know:

    • This is the first bird to cattle transmission, afaik, ever.
    • Several people have contracted H5N1 from working directly with cattle in Europe, and one now confirmed (but likely others) in the US. It's not expected at this time for it to affect dairy products, but no one is entirely sure.
    • In a test with ferrets in 2012 (ferrets are considered the top of the list for their similarities to humans for viral transmissions), ease of transmission between humans would be incredibly easy after only five mutations, and they reached that mark quickly.

    I'm a smidge worried, since this appears to be growing quickly and globally, but we shall see.

    16 votes