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Bird Flu FAQ: How Do People Catch It? Is it Deadly? Are Eggs Safe to Eat?
Scientists are starting to ponder the p-word as this unusually virulent flu virus spreads from wild birds to chickens, cows, cats and now humans
It’s not a pandemic yet, but some scientists are starting to use the p-word to describe the potential of the rapidly spreading, fast-mutating, highly lethal avian influenza virus. While there’s no need for panic, increased personal vigilance and public surveillance efforts are clearly warranted, a growing chorus of health experts and research scientists say.
Avian influenza — bird flu, formally called H5N1 — is a virus that has in recent years crossed over from wild birds to domestic poultry and cows and is now infecting humans and numerous other animal species, including cats and wild mammals on land and in the ocean. Globally, more than 400 people have died from the virus, mostly in the past year.
The pace of infections spiked alarmingly in recent months, in birds, cows and humans.
The first known US death from H5N1 occurred this January, to an over-65 individual in Louisiana who’d been caring for sick birds. The person was killed by a strain of H5N1 that was known to circulate in birds but was also just…
