Background Articles

More reports are emerging around the world of the virus in mammals, including species found in the Arctic. Officials say there's no evidence suggesting transmission from eating infected animals which are cooked - but country food is often eaten raw.

The H5N1 bird flu virus has recently been detected in Alaskan wildlife, primarily affecting species like geese, ducks, and eagles. No human cases have been reported, but it poses a significant risk to domestic poultry flocks.

As bird flu cases go underreported, health officials risk being slow to notice if the virus were to become more contagious. A large surge of infections outside of farmworker communities would trigger the government’s flu surveillance system, but by then it might be too late to contain.

The article discusses the rise in tick-borne illnesses in Canada, highlighting a case of Powassan virus and the challenges in diagnosis and treatment due to limited awareness among healthcare providers.

In recent weeks, three human infections with the virus have been confirmed—all in dairy workers who had contact with sick cows. All three developed symptoms of eye infections known as conjunctivitis. The latest case, reported in Michigan this week, also involved respiratory symptoms more typical of a flu infection.

The article discusses the potential for bird flu to mutate and spread to humans through domestic cats, highlighting unusual cases of cat infections and the risks posed by raw diets and unpasteurized milk.

This article examines the unique spread of bird flu across multiple animal species, marking an unusual animal pandemic.

The Icelandic gyrfalcon population is at its lowest, with many nests empty, likely due to a higher than estimated impact of bird flu.

Over 5,000 Peruvian sea lions, approximately 5% of Peru's population, succumbed to a mass mortality event linked to the avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, signaling an urgent need for research and conservation efforts to prevent further declines. The rapid spread of the virus among these colonially breeding mammals highlights potential risks of cross-species transmission and the necessity for heightened monitoring to avert new pandemics.

The global surge of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has led to significant outbreaks and the need for vigilant surveillance and proactive measures to manage and mitigate future outbreaks.

Last month the Finnish Food Authority ordered all minks to be put down at fur farms with diagnosed avian influenza infections. Now the order has been expanded to cover all animals at such farms. The agency’s latest order affects approximately 115,000 animals, including 109,000 foxes.

No one knows how many birds are infected with avian influenza along the coast of Finnmark. In Vadsø, seagulls sit next to dozens of dead birds.

The current outbreaks of avian influenza (also called “bird flu”) have caused devastation in animal populations, including poultry, wild birds, and some mammals, and harmed farmers’ livelihoods and the food trade. Although largely affecting animals, these outbreaks pose ongoing risks to humans.

Scientists say they found the virus in one of five submitted chicken meat samples that the cats ate.

The highly pathogenic disease circling the globe stands out for its effects on wild birds, and experts say Alaskans should be on the lookout for cases.

Governments should consider vaccinating poultry against bird flu, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds and infected mammals worldwide, to prevent the virus from turning into a new pandemic, the head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said.

When you see a wild bird such as a duck or seagull, think bird flu. Because it’s actually more likely than not they’re infected with the virus. And many species of wild birds are asymptomatic, meaning that they don’t show any symptoms.

The threat to many species of wild birds and backyard poultry flocks is the same or greater than it was last year, said Dr. Bob Gerlach.

With geese and other wild birds returning to the region every day, New Brunswick dog and cat owners should be aware of the risk of avian influenza, says the registrar of the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association.

State veterinarian Dr. Robert Gerlach said the virus never left Alaska in the winter months, and has spread beyond the local bird population.