(RightIsRight.co) – Raising alarm about the potential threat to Americans’ health, the first U.S. death from bird flu has been reported in Louisiana.
The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed that a resident over 65 years old with underlying health conditions died after contracting the H5N1 bird flu virus.
The victim was reportedly exposed to backyard poultry and wild birds, highlighting the risks of uncontrolled animal populations.
While health officials claimed the public risk remains low, disturbing details have emerged about mutations in the virus that could make it more infectious to humans.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) admitted that virus samples from the patient showed concerning changes not present in the original bird population.
With H5N1 now detected in wild birds or poultry in all 50 states, including Hawaii, the threat of further infections looms large.
Diego Diel, a virologist at Cornell University, said, “I still think the risk remains low. However, it is important that people remain vigilant and avoid contact with sick animals, sick poultry, sick dairy cattle, and also avoid contact with wild birds.”
Despite these reassurances, the fact remains that H5N1 has caused over 400 deaths globally since 2003.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a staggering 50% mortality rate among confirmed human cases.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s response to this crisis has been woefully inadequate.
While California declared a state of emergency due to bird flu outbreaks in dairy cattle, the federal government continues to downplay the risks.
Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Dr. Richard Webby, stated:
“We’ve been studying the family tree of this virus for 25 odd years, and this is probably the nastiest form of the virus that we’ve seen. So the fact that it finally did cause a fatal infection here is tragic but not surprising.”
Even though America’s public health risk is currently contained, new virologic changes and increasing animal interactions warrant continuous monitoring and coordinated actions.
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