What’s the Latest on the Bird Flu Outbreak?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Officials at U.S. regulatory agencies have continued investigating a recent outbreak of H5N1, also known as bird flu, in cattle.
The Details: Last Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the strain of bird flu spreading through dairy cows was only transmissible through udders, not respiratory droplets. Then, on Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration said bird flu had made its way into milk processing plants, but that the common “flash pasteurization” process neutralized the virus. Still, according to Reuters (Center bias), some scientists are “increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance may keep them several steps behind a new pandemic.” Finland said it would start offering vaccination against H5N1 to certain workers as soon as this week, despite there being no reported cases in the country.
For Context: So far, at least three people in the U.S. have tested positive for H5N1 since late March, reportedly experiencing mild symptoms. While the CDC says “the current public health risk is low,” it has troubled the cattle and poultry industries, spurring 2023’s “egg-flation” phenomenon.
How the Media Covered It: Coverage was scattered in mainstream news outlets, with right-rated websites rarely publishing original coverage in recent weeks. While coverage generally lacked partisan angles, Forbes (Center bias) speculated on whether “COVID Measures Like Masking” would return if officials declared a pandemic.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
FDA finds H5N1 bird flu in half of tested samples but confirms flash pasteurization kills virus![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Left AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Left](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-leaning-left.png)
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New test results released by the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday found that bird flu virus is making its way from dairy farms and into milk processing plants but also confirmed that the commonly used flash pasteurization method fully neutralizes the virus.
The FDA collected and tested 275 bulk samples of raw milk collected from farms in four states where herds had tested positive for H5N1, or bird flu. The samples were collected between April 18 and 27.
Half of those samples were positive for traces of influenza....
From the Center
Scientists wary of bird flu pandemic 'unfolding in slow motion'![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Center AllSides Media Bias Rating: Center](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-center.png)
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Scientists tracking the spread of bird flu are increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance may keep them several steps behind a new pandemic, according to Reuters interviews with more than a dozen leading disease experts.
Many of them have been monitoring the new subtype of H5N1 avian flu in migratory birds since 2020. But the spread of the virus to 129 dairy herds in 12 U.S. states, opens new tab signals a change that could bring it closer to becoming transmissible between humans. Infections also have been found in other mammals, from alpacas...
From the Right
Bird flu in cows spread only through mammary tissue, not respiration, officials say![AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Right AllSides Media Bias Rating: Lean Right](https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/bias-leaning-right.png)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday that the strain of bird flu currently circulating among dairy cattle appears to be only transmissible via mammary glands, or udders, rather than respiratory droplets, a finding that gives officials greater optimism about managing the risks facing dairy workers.
This finding could have significant implications for the spread of bird flu from dairy cattle to humans, with dairy workers being most at risk. So far, three people in the United States have confirmed cases of bird flu: One dairy worker in Texas and two in Michigan.
“This is...
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