A recent study by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte revealed that bird flu is changing rapidly and could become hazardous to humans.
A team of researchers discovered that the H5N1 virus, also called bird flu, is increasingly affecting mammals.
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According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it has affected 64 people as of April 5. As the virus keeps modifying, experts are worried that it will spread more easily to humans.
Lead author Colby Ford stated, “An H5N1 vaccine made (for an earlier strain) will have less efficacy.”
Researchers further discovered that the latest strains of the virus are getting better at avoiding the immune system, reducing the effect of past vaccines.
Bird flu also known as avian flu is considered a pandemic among birds and mammals, which can also affect humans.
This influenza virus is now showing symptoms in larger mammals such as cattle. This transition increases its chance of spreading among people, scientists say.
According to a study published in the journal eBioMedicine, it indicated that a significant gene in the virus has changed, helping it to affect mammal cells and dodge the immune defence system.
Using tools built during the pandemic, the researchers team studied more than 1,800 virus -antibody interactions.
They completely focused on H5N1's hemagglutinin (HA) proteins which are part of the virus that help it enter cells.
