Summarised by Centrist
The first severe human case of bird flu in the United States has raised concerns after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered mutations in the virus that were not present in samples from the infected backyard flock.
These mutations affect how the virus attaches to host cells. However, the CDC has reassured the public that the risk remains low.
The Louisiana patient, aged over 65, was diagnosed with a strain of the bird flu virus recently found in wild birds and poultry across the US. Authorities say that the mutations identified in this patient, while rare, have been linked to severe infections in other countries, including a similar case in British Columbia, Canada.
This contrasts with another type of the virus, which has been detected in dairy cows and other human cases.
Despite these findings, the CDC confirmed there has been no evidence of transmission from the Louisiana patient to others, further indicating that the risk to the general public remains minimal. The case, while alarming, appears to be an isolated instance, with no signs of widespread human-to-human transmission.
