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    Should you worry about bird flu found in cows?

    Bird flu is circulating among dairy cows and a dairy farm employee has been infected. Two experts explain what you need to know.
    by Johns Hopkins University Apr 16, 2024 1 minute
    Cows stand together on a field.

    An expert has answers for you about the recent discovery of the bird flu virus in dairy cows.

    The H5N1 strain of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has been circulating among wild migratory birds for the past two years, with substantial spillover into poultry farms.

    But the recent discovery of the virus in dairy cows and the subsequent infection of a dairy farm employee—the second person in America ever documented to be infected with H5N1—is sparking concern among scientists and public health officials alike.

    The virus has now spread to 16 herds in six states according to the United States Department of Agriculture, fueling concerns about potential further transmission to humans.

    Meghan Davis, associate professor in the environmental health and engineering department, and Andrew Pekosz, professor in the molecular microbiology and immunology department—both at Johns Hopkins University—talk about H5N1’s jump between species, what that means for the virus’s pandemic potential, and what the appearance of the virus in dairy means for consumers:

    The post Should you worry about bird flu found in cows? appeared first on Futurity.

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