H5N1 Bird Flu

The H5N1 outbreak has contributed to rising egg prices. Genetic sequencing was performed on the viral sample from the H5N1 case. Only 67 human cases of H5N1 bird flu were reported in North America over approximately two years. H5N1 was first discovered in 1996. The H5N1 outbreak is the largest avian influenza outbreak in U.S. history. H5N1 primarily infects birds. H5N1 has shown no major genetic changes since its initial discovery. H5N1 spreads with exceptional speed once it enters a poultry or egg farm. The outbreak resulted in the death of 58 million chickens. H5N1 has not demonstrated the ability to spread from human to human. Confirmed H5N1 outbreaks require emergency response protocols due to the speed of intra-flock transmission. The vast majority of human H5N1 cases in North America presented as conjunctivitis rather than serious respiratory illness. The one reported H5N1 death in Louisiana was not confirmed by health authorities to have been caused by bird flu. Cattle that contract H5N1 do not become seriously ill, and no cattle deaths have been attributed to the virus. H5N1 avian flu has been detected in 16 dairy farms across six U.S. states. H5N1 has been detected in pro…