00:00You've probably been hearing a lot about bird flu in the news lately.
00:05New cases of the bird flu are raising alarms among health officials.
00:09America's first severe human case of H5N1 bird flu.
00:14So what is it?
00:15Do you need to worry and can you protect yourself?
00:19Bird flu is also called H5N1 avian influenza.
00:24This recent outbreak began in 2024 and what has experts concerned is that it's not only
00:30infected millions of birds but the virus has also spread to dairy cattle and other mammals
00:36including goats, foxes and house cats.
00:39And increasingly it's been diagnosed in humans.
00:42A U.S. man over age 65 with other health conditions became the first to die with H5N1 infection
00:50in early 2025.
00:52Breaking tonight the nation's first human death from the bird flu just reported.
00:57Down from Louisiana here.
00:58The Department of Health there, listen to this, the first person has died from bird
01:03flu.
01:04Genetic analysis of the virus from that man suggests that H5N1 mutated in his body after
01:10he became infected.
01:12The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said these mutations are concerning but
01:18not a cause for alarm yet.
01:21Symptoms of H5N1 infection can resemble those of more common illnesses.
01:26Many of the people in the U.S. who have caught bird flu are farm workers who have come into
01:31direct contact with infected cattle or poultry.
01:34They have developed relatively mild symptoms including conjunctivitis like eye issues,
01:40eye redness and discharge from the eyes.
01:43Dairy workers who milk infected cows are especially at risk since the virus can enter their eyes
01:49from milk that sprays into their face.
01:52Bird flu can also cause respiratory and classic flu-like symptoms including cough, runny nose,
01:58fever, sore throat, body aches, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath and even pneumonia,
02:05the CDC says.
02:07As bird flu continues to spread, work on a vaccine is underway to protect the public
02:12in the event of a pandemic.
02:15Several companies, including Moderna, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, which is working with
02:21CureVac, are developing an mRNA vaccine using the same technology that was used in the COVID-19
02:28shots.
02:29In July, the U.S. government awarded Moderna $176 million to develop its updated mRNA H5N1
02:38vaccine.
02:40All of these mRNA vaccine candidates are in early stages of testing in people for safety
02:46and efficacy.
02:47In 2024, scientists led by a team at the CDC reported that an mRNA-based H5N1 vaccine helped
02:56ferrets generate strong antibody responses against the virus.
03:01Vaccinated animals survived a lethal dose of the virus while unvaccinated ferrets died
03:07from their infection.
03:09While creating an mRNA vaccine can be done quickly, testing the shot in clinical trials
03:14will take longer.
03:16So in the meantime, several existing vaccines, which don't use mRNA technology but do target
03:22previous strains of H5N1, exist in the national stockpile.
03:27Health experts expect they would still provide some protection against severe disease.
03:33Because the virus is spreading among poultry and dairy cattle, the outbreaks are leading
03:38to egg rationing and shortages, and have led to higher prices.
03:42While milk prices are not expected to go up, the U.S. FDA now tests for the virus in commercial
03:48milk and other dairy products on a regular basis.
03:52The agency also advises staying away from raw milk, which is not pasteurized, a process
03:58that can kill the virus.
04:00Some experts believe dairy workers and others who have close contact with animals likely
04:05to be infected, such as poultry and cattle, should be vaccinated to protect them from
04:10infection.
04:11But the CDC says that the risk of bird flu is still low for the general public, and currently
04:17there are no recommendations for anyone in the U.S. to get vaccinated against H5N1.
04:24As with all viruses, experts caution that everyone wash their hands carefully, avoid
04:29touching their face, and wear a mask if they may come in contact with infected animals.
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