How do people catch bird flu?
CNN
As bird flu infections rise in dairy cattle and chickens, human cases are ticking up too, leaving many people to wonder whether they might be at risk from this recently arrived virus.
As bird flu infections rise in dairy cattle and chickens, human cases are ticking up too, leaving many people to wonder whether they might be at risk from this recently arrived virus. Bird flu infections are rare in people. Sixty-one human cases have been confirmed in the US this year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and all but three have been in people who work on poultry or dairy farms. As the name suggests, avian influenza viruses prefer to infect birds. They break into cells by latching onto sugars that stick up from their surfaces called sialic acids. H5N1, the bird flu virus behind the ongoing outbreak in the US, has really only demonstrated an affinity for the types of sialic acid receptors that are most plentiful in the respiratory tracts of birds. But flu viruses can also mutate quickly, and since 2022, H5N1 has been infecting a growing variety of mammals, including dairy cattle. That has scientists on alert because the more it circulates in animals, the better it gets at finding new hosts. A study published last week in the journal Science showed that just one key change to the virus’ genetic material would allow it to attach to the kinds of sialic acids that are most common in the nose and lungs of people. But it’s nearly impossible to predict when that could happen — or if it ever will.
Testing for high-risk human papillomaviruses every five years – even with a self-collected sample – is the “preferred screening strategy” for cervical cancer starting at age 30, according to a new draft recommendation from the US Preventive Services Task Force.
The Russian-born, American artist has garnered critical acclaim for her subtle, unnerving images of Florida’s collapsing pastel-pink landscapes.
Thanks to effective and popular new drugs for weight loss and diabetes – an estimated 1 in 8 adults in the US has used Ozempic or a similar GLP-1 medication – demand for procedures to lift and tighten skin has surged.
Pantone has named an “evocative soft brown” called Mocha Mousse its color of the year for 2025.
Anesthesiologists are raising alarm about an insurance company’s plan to limit the amount time they cover for anesthesia used in surgeries and procedures. One major professional group of anesthesiologists is calling for immediate reversal of the “unprecedented move,” saying it’s egregious and uninformed.
British luxury automaker Jaguar has revealed its Type 00 concept car, the first glimpse of a new electric vehicle following a controversial rebrand that has divided opinion on social media.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard the Biden administration’s challenge to a transgender care ban in Tennessee. Listen to the audio live and follow here for the latest live news updates.
In the long-awaited Netflix adaptation of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (“Cien Años de Soledad”), the literary masterpiece of Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, one of the most beloved Latin American towns to never exist is brought to the screen.
Respiratory disease season is off to a relatively slow start in the United States, but low vaccination rates threaten that trend and the rapid rise of some illnesses is already putting children at increased risk.
Respiratory disease season is off to a relatively slow start in the United States, but low vaccination rates threaten that trend and the rapid rise of some illnesses is already putting children at increased risk.
In the long-awaited Netflix adaptation of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (“Cien Años de Soledad”), the literary masterpiece of Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, one of the most beloved Latin American towns to never exist is brought to the screen.