H5BN1 bird flu might take shape of a global pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed disturbing updates after testing samples.
Collected from an affected patient in Louisiana, samples show signs of mutation that make virus more prone to humans according to CDC, NBC News reported
The patient, whose identity has not been revealed was hospitalised due to respiratory issue and has allegedly contracted bird flu from exposure to sick and dead birds in a residential poultry farm.
This is the second case of bird flu in United States where patient was hospitalised.
Infected patient was attacked by a different version of virus from the one affecting dairy cows, causing isolated incidents in farm workers in the U.S.
DNA analysis of samples collected from the Louisiana patient suggest that the virus might have the ability to attach itself to cells in the upper airway.
Experts shared one of the reason bird flu virus doesn’t infect humans is because usually the virus attaches to cell receptors found in birds and other animals and commonly not in humans.
Latest finding surrounding bird flu has suggested that the virus is transmissible to humans from animals but the data is not pointing towards any kind of pandemic.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center shared, "There’s no evidence that there’s been spread from this person to others, and that’s a good thing."
Schaffner continued, "It clearly means that we have to keep our attention on this, and if anything, ratchet it up even more."
Angela Rasmussen, a virologist specialised in emerging infection diseases turned to X and called H5N1’s situation 'grim' as the human cases are seeing a gradual rise.
She continued her statement revealing how no one knows, from the limited data, the actual combination of mutation that would lead to H5N1 pandemic, “but the more humans are infected, the more chances a pandemic virus will emerge," Rasmussen shared.
For the unversed, there has been 65 cases of H5N1 bird flu confirmed by CDC in humans this year, out of which 39 were linked with dairy herds, 23 with poultry farms and for two the sources remained unknown.
